The Devil's Doorknob BBS Capture (1996-2003)/devilsdoorknobbbscapture1996-2003.iso/Dloads/TEXTFILE/LEGALIZE.ZIP/HEMP.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-17 | 40KB | 826 lines

COMPILED AND TYPED UP BY 'ORION' AUGUST 1994
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE FREELY AND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!!

This text file contains several documents concerning the
legalization of cannabis hemp/ marijuana. They are:

I.     -  10 things everybody should know about marijuana
          B. - Footnotes
II.    -  'Talk Back'  Replies to common arguments against
legalization of hemp.
III.   -  Various uses to the very versatile hemp plant
IIIB.  -  A breakdown of the possibilities and potential of the
hemp plant
IV.    -  Addresses and phone numbers to national organizations
for legalization of hemp
V.     -  5 things you can do Right Now to help
VB.    -  Form Letters and Phone Scripts to send to Congressmen
etc.
VI.    -  America's Prisoner of Conscience: the Legality of
Prohibition
VII.   -  What you can do to preserve justice as a Jury (Jury
Nullification and other such powers, not just for hemp cases.)

Thanks goes to BACH for supplying me with the papers

I. 10 Things Every Parent, Teenager, and Teacher Should Know
About Marijuana-

Written and researched by Family Council on Drug Awareness
P.O. Box 71093, LA, CA 90071-0093 [phone]

1) Q. What is Marijuana
     A. "Marijuana" refers to dried flowers of some strains of
the cannabis hemp plant (1) which contain non-narcotic chemical
THC in various quantities.  When smoked or eaten, it produces the
feeling of being, "high," which lasts a few hours.  Different
strains of this herb produce their own sensual effects, ranging
from sedative to stimulant.

2) Q. Who Uses Marijuana?
     A. There is no simple profile of a typical marijuana user.
It's been used for thousands of years for medical, social, and
religious reasons as well as for relaxation (2).  Several of our
Presidents farmed hemp (3) and some are believed to have smoked
it.  One out f every five Americans in all walks of life say they
have tried it, and it is still very popular.

3) Q. How Long Have People Been Using Marijuana?
     A. Since Biblical times. (4)  This practice was widely
accepted in America (5), as well, until the orchestrated campaign
of the 1930's led to disinformation (6), public hysteria and the
first American laws against using it (7).

4) Q. Is Marijuana Addictive?
     A. No, it is not. (8)  Most users are moderate consumers who
only smoke it socially or occasionally to relax.  We now know
that 10% of our population have "addictive personalities," and
they are no more nor less likely to abuse cannabis than anything
else.  On a relative scale, marijuana is less habit-forming than
either sugar or chocolate.  Sociologists report a general pattern
of marijuana usage that peaks in early adult years , followed by
a period of levelling off, and finally a gradual reduction in
use. (9)

5) Q. Has Anyone Ever Died From Smoking Marijuana?
     A. No; not even once (10)  Judge Francis Young studied all
the evidence in 1988, and ruled that "marijuana is far safer than
many foods we commonly consume."  The federal agency NIDA says
that autopsies show 75 people per year are high on marijuana when
they die, but this does not mean marijuana is a factor in any of
their deaths.  This chart shows the typical number of deaths from
selected substances in a typical year:
     Tobacco                                 340,000-395,000
     Alcohol (excluding crime/accidents      125,000+
     Drug Overdose (prescription)            14,000-27,000
     Drug Overdose (illegal)                 3,800-5,200
     Marijuana                               0
     * Source: U.S. Government Bureau of Mortality Statistics
(1987)

6) Q. Does Marijuana Lead to Hard Drugs?
     A. No. (11)  Although people who abuse drugs often smoke
marijuana also, the National Academy of Science reports that
"legal drugs for adults, such as alcohol and tobacco,. . .precede
the use of all illicit drugs."  Tobacco is known as "the gateway
drug."

7) Q. Does It Cause Violence?
     A. No, just the opposite. (12)  The only crime most
marijuana users commit is using marijuana.  The U.S. Shafer
Commission (13) report was the most comprehensive study ever
undertaken on the subject.  It found that marijuana smokers "tend
to be underrepresented" in violence and in crime, "especially
when
compared to users of alcohol, amphetamines, and barbiturates."
The simple fact is that marijuana does not change your basic
personality.  The federal government reports that over 70 million
Americans have smoked it... probably including some of the nicest
people you know.

8) Q. How Does Marijuana Effect Your Health?
     A. A harvard University medical team in 1987 found that
"dangerous physical reactions to marijuana are almost unknown."
All smoke is unhealthy, but marijuana is safer than tobacco, and
people tend to smoke less of it.  That risk can be eliminated by
eating the plant instead of smoking it 914) or it can be reduced
by using water pipes to smoke smaller amounts of more potent
marijuana.
     Moreover, cannabis is a proven medical herb with hundreds of
modern therapeutic uses in treating ailments from stress to
arthritis to glaucoma to asthma to cancer therapy, to AIDS, and
more. (15)

9) Q. What About All Those Scary Stories and Reports?
     A.  Most sensational claims of health risks cite no studies
or sources at all.  Others rely on a handful of inconclusive or
flawed reports. (16)  After 20 years study, the California
Attorney General's panel (17) concluded in 1989 that "an
objective consideration shows than marijuana is responsible for
less damage to the individual and society than alcohol and
cigarettes."

10)  Q. What Should We Do?
     A. American taxpayers have funded many studies on this very
point, and every independent government panel on marijuana has
opposed the jailing of marijuana smokers. (18)  Most have urged
lawmakers to re-legalize and tax use of this herb by responsible
adults, with age limits and regulations like those on alcohol and
tobacco.  Tell you elected leaders to free up our police and
resources to combat violent crime and to honor our national
pledge and commitment to "liberty and justice for all" by ending
marijuana prohibition.

     Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more
damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself."
-President Jimmy Carter in a message to congress August 2, 1977.

IB. Footnotes:

     1) Researchers count about 50.000 non-smoking commercial
uses for cannabis hemp: in paper, textiles, fuels, food,
medicine, sealants, etc.  But even the pharmacologically inert
strains and uses of hemp are now outlawed.  Sources: Encyclopedia
Britannica, US Dept. of Agriculture; Herer Jack, 'The Emperor
Wears No Clothes.'
     2) In the Bible, God told man to use, "all the seed bearing
herbs" and did not exclude the hemp/marijuana plant. (Genesis
1:12. 29-31 and 2:15) Coptic Christians, Rastafarians, Shintos,
Hindus, Sufis, Buddhists, Essenes, Zoroastrians, Bantus and many
other sects have traditions that consider the plant to have
religious value.
    3) America was founded by Hemp farmers. 1975 President of the
American historical Reference and consultant for the Smithsonian
Institute, Dr. Burke counts the following seven U.S. presidents
as cannabis smokers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison, James Monroe, Andrew jackson, Zachary Taylor, and
Franklin Pierce, as well as Benjamin Franklin.  "Father of Our
Country" George Washington once recorded his preference for
female plants and mentioned a "curious" preparation (5-26-1794
letter), possibly hashish, made from the resins of hemp flowers.
After Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his wife was prescribed
hashish for her nerves.  John F. Kennedy' was known to smoke
marijuana for his back pain and to favor legalization.
(Washington farm journals, Jefferson Diaries, national archives,
et.c)
     4)  Archaeologists report that cannabis was probably the
first plant cultivated by humans- about 8,000 B.C. (Columbia
University, History of the World.)  It was used for linen, paper,
and garments.  It was being smoked in China and India by 2700
B.C. (US> Dept. of Agriculture Yearbook 1913.)
     5) Turkish smoking parlors, a tradition in the Middle and
Far East, were popular in Europe and America as recently as the
turn of the century.
     6) Forty years earlier, the exhaustive British "Raj" Indian
Hemp Commission (1896) study of "gunjah" smokers found no cause
to
restrict its use.
     7)  Yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst fabricated
horror stories about marijuana.  His lies were eventually
exposed,
but not until long after marijuana prohibition was enacted in
1938.  (Sloman, Larry 'Reefer Madness.')  The "marijuana" ban was
written in secret and passed soon after the invention of machines
designed to processes commercial hemp to compete against business
owned by Hearst, DuPont, Mellon, and other powerful families.
(Herer, Jack 'The Emperor Wore No Clothes')
     8)  Marijuana use does not lead to physical dependency:
Mikuriya, Dr. Tod 'Marijuana: Medical Papers' 1973;  Judge
Francis Young, 1988 (Docket # 88-22); NY Laguardia Report, 1944;
US Shafer Commission 1972; etc.
     9)  Sources: Kaplan, John 'Marijuana: The New Prohibition'
1970; Shafer Commission 1972; NIDA National Household Surveys
1970-1991
     10)  Source: Harvard Medical Report, 1987' Judge Francis
Young, Sept. 1988 (Docket #18-22)
     11)  Costa Rican Study, 1980; Jamaican Study, 1975;  Shafer
Commission, 1972; The FBI reports that 65%-75% of criminal
violence is alcohol related.
     12)  This fact has been discussed in every study done on
cannabis, from the British Raj Commissions on.  Nonetheless, the
"Siler Commission" study conducted by the U.S. in Panama (1931)
reported "no impairment" in personnel who smoked marijuana during
off-duty hours.
     13)  Also known as President Richard M. Nixon's "Blue Ribbon
Report."
     14)  "The only clinically significant medical problem that
is scientifically linked to marijuana is Bronchitis.  Like
smoking tobacco, the treatment is the same: stop smoking"  (Dr.
Fred Oerther, M.D., 1991.)
     15)  Traditional uses source: Dr. Tod Mikuriya, 'Marijuana:
Medical Papers.'  Marijuana could replace at least 10-20% of
prescription drugs now in use. Source: Dr. Raphel Mechoulam.
Marijuana was a major active ingredient in 40-50% of patent
medicines before its ban.
     16)  "There is not yet any conclusive evidence as to whether
prolonged use of marijuana cause permanent changes in the nervous
system or sustained impairment of brain function and behavior in
human beings." (National Academy of Sciences.)  In the infamous
Health/Tulane study (1974), wild monkeys were brutally captured,
then slowly suffocated in smoke over a period of 90 days.
Source: National Institute of Health.
     17)  California Attorney General's Research Advisory Panel
'20th Annual Report, 1989 (released 1990; portions suppressed.)
     18)  Major U.S. and international studies on marijuana and
policy include "Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission"
(British 1896); "Siler Commission" Report (U.S. 1933);
"LaGuardia" Commission" (U.S. 1972) "Ladaine Commission" (Canada,
1972); Alaska State Commission (1989);  Attorney General's
Research Advisory Panel (California, 1990) et al.

II. TALK BACK!

Discussing Marijuana Law:  The most common arguments against
ending cannabis prohibition are as easy to refute as they are to
enumerate.

1) "Marijuana alters consciousness"
     Yes, and so does thinking; is that bad?  Some people get
high on this natural herb cannabis hemp.  Others get "high on
life," others "high on God," others by eating chocolate, drinking
coffee and beer, smoking tobacco; even prayer and meditation
alter consciousness.  If watching TV is not an escape from
reality, what is?
     But who gave the prohibitionists the power to dictate what
we can or cannot do for fun? And what other pastimes do they plan
to ban one day?  The real issue here is freedom of thought.
Neither the U.S. Constitution nor the Bible forbid cannabis use.
In fact, the Bible specifies that God gave us "all" the seed
bearing plants to use; and the Declaration of Independence
guarantees our right to the "Pursuit of Happiness."
     Responsible people are now being persecuted for making
certain choices.  That is the real problem.

2) "But some people just can't cope with it."
     That's right: About 10% of Americans have addictive
personalities and might have to avoid cannabis.
     Everyone has the right to say "no" to cannabis: But the 90%
of people who can control our appetites also have the right to
say "yes" if we so desire.  Let's not ruin our lives with
hysterical laws  that do nothing to solve the real problems
facing society.
     More importantly, some people can't do without cannabis
because it is essential medicine for the critically ill and those
in chronic pain.  We're talking about AIDS, cancer, Multiple
Scleroses, and blindness, as well as arthritic aches and pains,
stress, and so on.

3) "What about marijuana smokers motivation?"
     Blaming marijuana is just a cop out.  The Beatles wrote many
of their finest tunes while openly smoking cannabis.  President
Clinton, Vice-president Al Gore, members of the Supreme Court,
many members of Congress, and millions of successful
professionals and working people have smoked cannabis.
     When a person loses motivation, they're re usually many
factors to consider.  they need our understanding and help.
Arresting them and putting them in prison does not solve these
problems: It makes matters worse.
     Most people prefer to smoke cannabis for relaxation or
creative inspiration during leisure hours- not when they have
work to do.  And if cannabis smokers are so unmotivated, how come
it takes urine tests, blood samples, and hair analysis to tell
who smokes it?

4) "Ending marijuana prohibition 'sends the wrong message'- that
we condone drugs."
     Prohibition does not send messages:  It sends people to
jail.  No prison can rehabilitate a patriotic American who
believes that marijuana prohibition is unconstitutional and
immoral.  Cannabis is not a synthetic drug: it's a natural herb.
Some people enjoy smoking it, other's don't.  It's a matter of
taste; a difference of opinion; it's what democracy is all about.
     Expect cannabis use to level off soon after prohibition ends
along with reduced use of hard drugs.
     The real message of prohibition is this: Despite all the
safeguards in the Constitution, petty tyrants still spread lies
and take away the freedom of others.
     Send the "right" message through honest education about
personal freedom and responsibility.  Ending prohibition is part
one of that lesson.

5) "We already have so much trouble with alcohol, tobacco, and
bad driving; why add a new problem?"
     If you think we have an alcohol problem today, just remember
the "Roaring Twenties," when competing liquor outlets used to
send carloads of gangsters out with machine guns to settle their
differences.
     The criminal violence caused by Prohibition (the 18th
Amendment) were so much worse than the effects of drinking that
the American people soon voted in the 21st Amendment, and liquor
was soon re-legalized.
     Society has since learned to cope with alcohol use, just as
we have accepted cannabis use for thousands of years.  people are
quick to adapt, and most knowledgeable sources agree that
cannabis smokers are generally peaceful, law-abiding people.  In
fact, they are often among the nicest people you meet.
     Drinking can lead to reckless driving.  You should not drive
when using common medicines like antihistamines, either.  This is
a matter of common sense and personal responsibility.  No one
should ever drive if they are not fully alert and capable of
doing so.  That's why we need impairment testing not urine
testing.
     Cannabis is non-toxic, non-addictive, non-narcotic, and
"safer than many foods we commonly consume," according to DEA
judge Francis young in 1988. So, alcohol and tobacco carry health
risks that cannabis does not have.  Some 500,000 people a year
die from using them, but not one single person ever died from
smoking cannabis in all of history.  In fact, cannabis has
hundreds of proven medical uses.  Society might set age limits
on cannabis use, as we have for alcohol and tobacco, but it is a
crime to set prison terms.

6) "What about the children?"
     Yes, think about the children.  What kind of world are we
making for them?  One full of prisons, secret police and
intrusive laws that encourage them to spy on their own parents.
We say no, let's build them a world that respects the individual
while educating people about the responsible use of freedom.
     This is exactly why we need to repeal prohibition.  Not only
will it win back the rights and liberties that generations of
Americans fought and died for : Hemp will also provide our
children with a healthy environment and a sustainable economy to
live in.
     Hemp industries can save our family farms, rescue our
garment industry, expand our paper and building industries and
bring back job and tax revenues.
     That is what hemp can do for our children. (Note: Canada
recently legalized the hemp plant for farming but not personal
use, its THC levels are too low to get a high.)
     Throughout history, hemp has been a help to our human
society.  It now holds the key to our future.

III. THE MANY USES OF HEMP

The World's Most Valuable and Versatile Natural Resource

     Stems: Can be used for fabric, fuel, paper, and commercial
use. Hemp is dried and broken down into two parts: Threadlike
fibers and bits of "hurd" or pulp.  Each of these products has
its own distinct application:
     The fiber strands are spun into thread, which is either made
into rope or woven into durable, high quality textiles and made
into clothing, sails, fine linens, and fabrics of all types and
textures.
     The fragments of dried stalk that remain are hurds-77%
cellulose-that can be made into tree-free, dioxin-free paper;
non-toxic paints and sealants; industrial fabrication materials;
construction materials; plastics; and much, much more! Hemp is
the best source of plant pulp for biomass fuel to make gas,
charcoal, methanol, gasoline, or even produce electricity.
     Seeds: can be used for oil and food.  Hemp seeds produce oil
for cooking, lubrication, fuel, etc.  The seed is cholesterol
lowering source of full protein.  Leaves and flowers are also
edible.
     Foliage for medicine, food, and relaxation.  Cannabis has
important medical value for easing pain, relieving stress, and
treating illnesses from glaucoma to cancer to nausea to AIDS and
beyond.  Hemp flowers and leaves are smoked or eaten for many
therapeutic, religious, and relaxational purposes.
     Rooted in nature:  Even the hemp roots play an important
role: they anchor and aerate the soil to control erosion and
mudslides.  Hemp can save family farms, create jobs, reduce acid
rain, and chemical pollution, and reverse the Greenhouse effect.

IIIB. HEMP TIES IT ALL TOGETHER!

International Business Bonanza

A) "The investment Commodity of the Nineties"
o Renewable natural resource for manufacture of paper, fiber and
pulps and oils, paints, sealants, fuel, food, medicine, etc.
o Hemp industries will save American jobs
o Underdeveloped potential for multi-billion dollar profits
o Income generated could save the bank/savings and loan industry
o Hemp seed is among the most nutritious of food sources
o Replaces trees as source of housing and construction material
o Biomass fuel will permanently cut dependance on fossil fuels
o Hemp for plastic or a biodegradable replacement material
o Hemp is history's standard fiber for fabrics, cordage, etc.
o Generates a self-sustaining, de-centralized, economy
o Offers a wealth of untapped sources for tax revenue

B) A Healthy Environment
"Earth's Premier Renewable Resource"
o Saving Millions of trees for paper and construction
o Reducing acid rain by using biomass energy
o Less chemical pollution in rivers and drinking waters
o Generating oxygen to reverse the Greenhouse Effect
o Rebuilding soil and preventing erosion
o Using less pesticides and fertilizers for cultivation
o Replacing whale oil with Hemp seed oil
o Providing food for people and animals
o Leaving fully biodegradable waste products

C) Sustainable Agriculture
"Hemp: The Cash Crop of the Future"
o Versatile enough crop to rescue family farms
o Best source of biomass for all energy forms
o Related economic gains in spin-off industries
o A viable, profitable crop that uses less pesticides and
fertilizers for high yield
o Commercial hemp has almost no THC
o Even though illegal, cannabis (marijuana) is already America's
biggest cash crop

D) Common Sense Crime Reduction
"With Liberty and Justice for All"
o Prohibition breeds crime and violence (i.e. Roaring Twenties
and Al Capone)
o Smoking cannabis reduces tension and prevents violence
o Prohibition itself is unconstitutional and illegal
o Marijuana reform will unclog the courts by reducing case loads
o Re-legalization of cannabis hemp frees up police resources for
serious crime and will increase respect for all law
o It will remove hard drugs and the criminal element from the
social cannabis market to protect casual users.

E) Effective Medicine
"Nature's Flower of Health"
o Indicated for: Asthma, Emphysema, Glaucoma, Tumors, Nausea
(Cancer and AIDS therapy), Rheumatism, Arthritis, Stress, Sleep
and relaxation, Multiple Sclerosis and Spasms, Epilepsy, Migraine
Headaches, in  Antibiotics, Antibacterial CBDs, Corn Plasters and
Poultices, as Expectorant, Appetite Stimulant, Saliva Reducer,
and has hundreds of therapeutic uses.
o Non-toxic, convenient, self-administrable medication
o Not addictive
o Remarkable few side effects
o Affordable health care and maintenance

F) Civil Liberties and Free Choice
"Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness
o These have been Inalienable American Rights since 1776
o Restore freedom of choice and the right to privacy
o Cannabis prohibition has history of racist enforcement
o Freedom of religion is being violated (Hindus, Coptics, etc.)
o Forfeiture laws deny citizens due processes of law and violate
our basic right to private property
o "War on Drugs" attacks many constitutional rights
o Police spying and surveillance are rampant; corrupt secret
police buy and sell drugs to encourage people to break the law
o A war of oppression is being waged on growers and users
o Marijuana offenders are political Prisoners of Conscience

G) A Proud Part of Our History
"An Industry as Old as Pottery"
o Presidents Washington, jefferson, etc. were hemp farmers when
they formed the US and signed the Bill of Rights
o 10,000 year history of human cultivation
o The sails of Christopher Columbus' ships were hemp
o Cannabis smoking is a centuries old tradition
o Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were both
originally drafted on Hemp paper
o Hemp outlawed in the conspiracy of 1937
o 50 years of Hemp prohibition are finally coming to an end

H) Promising A Brighter Future
"A Freer, Safer, More Prosperous America"
o As the day  ends, you put away your report written on hemp
paper, drive home in your hemp fueled car down hemp-lined
highways, to your house built, plumbed, and painted with hemp.
You change into your hemp clothes and fix a nice dinner of
seasoned hemp tofu, turn on some music and light a pipeful of
whatever you want.
o Business opportunity , more competitive product and prices
o Private property and free enterprise, not police bureaucrats
and
spies
o Personal freedom includes the right to know and to grow
o Personal responsibilities, the right for adults to decide

IV. For More Information, Write To (SASE) or Call:

     Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH)
     P.O. Box 71093 LA CA 90071-0093
     310-288-4152

     Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP)
     5632 Van Nuys Blvd. #210 Van Nuys, CA 91401
     818-377-5886

     National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws
     Temple Hts. Stn. Box 53356
     Washington DC 20009
     202-483-5550

     American Hemp Council
     P.O. Box 71093 LA,CA 90071-0093
     310-288-4152

     Drug Policy Foundation
     4455 Conneticutt Ave. NW #b-500
     Washington DC 2008-2302
     202-895-1634

     California NORML
     2215-R St. #278
     San Francisco, CA 94114
     415-563-5858

     Freedom Fighters c/o
     HT, 235 Park Av. S, #500
     New York, NY 10003

V. *5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Legalize
Hemp/Marijuana*


     1.  Talk about Hemp/marijuana Today to friends, family,
co-workers and everybody.  Just say you think hemp/ marijuana
(not "drugs"!) should be made legal again.  You'll be amazed at
how many agree.  Talk about medical marijuana, free choice, and
non-smoking commercial hemp (rope, paper, fabric fuel, oil, food,
etc.)  Be proud of what you believe.  This is America.  Remember,
you're in good company: Both Washington & jefferson were hemp
farmers.  people needing legal help should call NORML.

     2. Photocopy literature to pass out and send with your
letters.  Always keep it handy.  You never know who or when
somebody will want it.  Give it out at meetings, events,
campuses, etc.

     3. Write letters to your elected officials, newspapers,
magazines, TV & radio stations.  Be brief.  Be clear.  Don't mix
issues.  Better yet, write at least one letter every moth, and
every time there is an editorial or commentary on marijuana or
"drugs."  Respond to articles and events or just state your
opinion.  They'll read it, even if they don't publish it.

     4. Help out a local group.  Come to meetings.  Make phone
calls, do office work, fold and mail literature, etc.  Share your
special skills (like computer, data entry, research, speaking,
organizing, art, and other talents.)  If there is no group, start
one.  It's easier than you think.  The groups listed above are
glad to help.

     5.  Donate money to active groups like NORML, BACH, HEMP,
the American Hemp Council, Freedom Fighters and others.
Contribute supplies and postage.  All groups needs access to free
or cheap printing services.  Donate books and magazine
subscriptions to school and libraries, maybe even buy an ad or
billboard space to get out the message.  It's better to spend a
little money now to re-legalize hemp/ marijuana than a lot of
money later to stay out of jail.

VB. WHATEVER YOU DO, START DOING IT RIGHT AWAY!

Studies show that if you don't get started within a day or two,
you might not ever get around to it, and we have to act today to
build the momentum we need to re-legalize cannabis hemp/
marijuana tomorrow!

Scripts:

     President Clinton
     1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
     Washington DC, 20500

     Senator ________
     Senate Office Building
     Washington DC 20510

     Representative ______
     U.S. House of Representatives
     Washington DC 20515

     Dear _____:
It is time for a real change.  Please take every action you can
to re-legalize personal use of cannabis hemp, or marijuana, and
to
see that all who need it for medicine receive it at once.  It is
an injustice to allow alcohol use but punish those who "inhale"
cannabis.  Barriers to the commercial use of hemp for paper,
fabrics, fuel, and so on hurt our economy and environment, and
must be ended immediately.  It just doesn't make any sense to
punish American farmers and business that don't have anything to
do with drugs as all just because of inane mistakes made in the
1930's.  Let's move into the next century.
                              Sincerely,

Phone Script:  Hello, my name is _____ and I'm calling to
register my opinion with (Senator, Representative, etc.) ____.  I
think it's time to re-legalize the personal use of cannabis hemp,
or marijuana, and see to it that everyone who needs it as
medicine receives it immediately.
     Laws that block commercial use of hemp for paper, fabrics,
fuel and so on hurt our economy and the environment.  They should
be completely eliminated.  It is injustice to punish American
farmers and people whose businesses don't have anything to do
with drugs.  I want to know what (Sen. Rep. _____) is doing about
this problem.  (Give them your address and ask for a WRITTEN
reply.)

VI. America's Prisoner of Conscience

1) How soon will our Cannabis Offenders Receive Amnesty as
Prisoners of Conscience?
     Anyone who is arrested imprisoned, fined or otherwise
punished for a peaceful act that is political in nature rather
than criminal is a political prisoner of conscience.
     While criminal acts-theft, rape, murder, corruption, fraud,
etc.-are all universally condemned, cannabis use has been legal
and accepted in virtually every nation and society on earth since
around 8,000 B.C.; even in America for 150 years!
     The Declaration of Independence grants that "Life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness" are "inalienable rights."  And yet,
since 1937, "marijuana" users have been persecuted for acting
upon their moral, cultural and constitutional human rights.
Governments use domestic spies, systematic surveillance,
entrapment, property seizures, secret police and other illegal,
anti-democratic activities to enforce prohibition.
     A technologically sophisticated global war. of oppression is
today being waged against growers and users of hemp.  Therefore,
for anyone to smoke, grow, or exchange cannabis is a peaceful act
of civil protest.

2)  What is the 'Prisoners of Conscience' Campaign?
     We are American citizens, families, and prisoners who still
believe in justice.  This campaign is a petition for redress of
grievances, conducted on behalf of cannabis users and prisoners
of conscience, as specified in the U.S. Constitution and the U.N.
Charter.
     Our letter writing campaign targets news, media, national
and international agencies, to help win liberty and justice for
all who use hemp, restitution from governments and an end to the
political persecution.
     Suggestions for what you can do to help are listed at the
end of this document.

3) Is it Criminal... or Political?
     Hemp is a plant; a valuable, sustainable natural resource
with thousands of commercial uses that are not drug-related.
political groups, doctors, elected officials, judges, and even
government commissions have opposed "marijuana" prohibition since
it began.
     There has been a historic contradiction in U.S. hemp laws:
Americans were required to farm and sell hemp in the late
colonial and early Republic eras, but are prohibited from
cultivation and use today.  Prohibition restrains free and
legitimate commercial trade, blocks interstate transport and sale
of hemp products, and violates both federal anti-trust laws and
long-established states' rights.
     Laws against hemp conflict with legally defined,
international human rights standards by denying people access to
hemp for food, medicine, fuel, property, work, and religion.  The
vast majority of medical cannabis users are deprived of
medication and punished for seeking treatment of their choice.
     There are no compelling arguments that can justify cannabis
prohibition-especially since tobacco and alcohol use are
accepted.

4) The American Constitution
     "The supreme law of the land" (Art. VI:2), does not empower
government to establish or enforce prohibition.  Another
amendment would be required-and there is none.  So all anti-
"marijuana" laws are illegal.
     Even the 18th Amendment prohibition on alcohol, passed in
1919, accepted personal use and possession as legal rights.  Only
commercial activity in liquor was banned.
     "After the gang ridden "Roaring 20's" era, the 21st
Amendment, repealing Prohibition was enthusiastically approved by
Americans in 1933, reaffirming what Thomas Jefferson called
freedom of "mind."  This is our history and the legal precedent
to prohibition law.
     Now the Bill of Rights is being systematically violated in
the guise of a drug war.  The President, Congress, and Courts are
sworn to uphold these Constitutional protections.
     a) 1st Amendment: Provides freedom of religion.  All
Christians and Jews are instructed by God to grow and use "all
the seed bearing plants" (Genesis 1:29-31). The Rastafarians,
Coptics, etc. honor cannabis as a sacrament.
     Also, the rights of the people to gather for any reason is
broadly protected, as long as such assembly is peaceful.
     b) 4th Amendment: Forbids unreasonable searches and seizures
of "persons, houses, papers and effects." establishing a right to
privacy.  Many signers of the Constitution were commercially
farming cannabis at the very moment they penned and voted to
approve these very words.
     c) 5th Amendment:  Random searches and enforced "drug
testing" of body fluids violate the promise of presumed
innocence, as well as its provisions against self-incrimination.
     d) 6th Amendment:  Promises "impartial" jury hearings into
the "nature and cause" of all criminal charges, and the right of
the accused to confront all witnesses against him.
     e) 7th amendment:  Seizure and forfeiture of suspects'
property without due process and a jury trial are forbidden
whenever "the value in controversy shall exceed $20."
     f) 8th Amendment:  Seizure of property violates its ban on
excessive bails and fines.  Criminal penalties are arbitrary,
cruel, and unusual punishment unsuited to the offense.
     g) 9th Amendment:  Confirms that the listing of specific
rights in the Bill of Rights "shall not be construed to deny or
disparage others retained by the people."
     h) 10th Amendment: Returns all powers that are not delegated
by the Constitution back to the states "or to the people."

What can you do to help?

     1. Copy and distribute this leaflet, especially to lawyers,
judges, and jurors and those who are facing trial for cannabis
offense.
     2. Send us a notarized affidavit recording your personal
knowledge or experience of any violations of Constitutional and
human rights, to help us end hemp prohibition.
     3. Learn about and support anti-prohibition groups,.
legislation, ballot measures and candidates  who believe in
liberty and justice.
     4. Tell state and federal officials to sponsor prohibition
repeal and restitution laws.
     5. Call on United nations Committee on Human Rights (UN
Plaza NY, NY 10017) to investigate America's "War on Drugs" for
political repression and international terrorism.
     6. Demand that the UN and World Court (c/o the UN) overturn
the Single Convention Treaty of 1961, which created international
cannabis prohibition, and enforce the 1981 Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.
     7. Ask Amnesty International, (322 Eighth Ave. NY, NY 10001.
212/ 807-8400) to stand up for America's political prisoners and
to recognize that the "marijuana" laws conflict with
international human rights standards.
     8. Contact the media to demand that they report on this
Constitutional crisis.
     9. Raise these political issues if you are ever charged with
a "marijuana" offense.
     10. Sit on juries and exercise your veto power
(nullification) to acquit cannabis offenders.
     11. File lawsuits against prohibition laws, enforcement
policies, and the people and organizations who promote
intolerance.
     12. Organize within the community to raise the understanding
of the real nature of prohibition and to promote political
reform.

     "Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it
attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a
crime out of things that are not a crime...
     "A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles
upon which our government was founded."
     -Abraham Lincoln, December 1840

VII. Jury Power! (Your power)

     1. Jury Nullification
     2. Fully Informed Juries
     3. Juror Rights

     You Do NOT Have to Convict Your Fellow Citizens Over a Bad
Law!
     As a member of any American jury, you are entitled to vote
"not guilty" when you believe that a law (eg marijuana
prohibition) or its application is unjust to the defendant.
Known as "Jury Nullification," the acquittal does not change or
rewrite the law: It applies justice in the particular case being
heard.  When the judge says you must follow only the written law,
you can honestly answer "Yes" because it is your legal right in
America to nullify any law.
     Why did our Founding Fathers give jurors the power to decide
both the facts and the law?  So that government employees (e.g.,
legislators, policeman, prosecutors, and judges) can't
arbitrarily imprison people for things that displease them.
     Juries exist to keep good men free and to watch out for
people's rights.  These rights are far more important than
political expediency or the convenience of judges, police,
prosecuting attorneys, or legislators.
     When the government passes a bad law, the jury can nullify
it when a person brought to trial for disobeying that law.
     Until 1964, the law (the right to nullify) was a right known
to all American jurors.  In fact, judges and attorneys had to
inform juries about it: This was the law of the land.
     However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in a 1964 draft card
burning case in protest over the Vietnam War) that jurors were no
longer to be informed of this right by any officer of the court-
which included both the prosecuting and defense attorneys, even
though it is still the juror's right.
     In fact, from 1929 to 1933- the last four years of alcohol
prohibition- half of all such trials ended in acquittals and hung
juries due to jurors exercising this right against the alcohol
prohibition law, even when suspects were caught red-handed.
     In Kentucky right not, many marijuana cultivation cases
brought to trial end with no convictions because of this jury or
individual jurors nullification law right.
     Montana was the first state to have an initiative working
toward the ballot to require all judges to once again inform all
jurors of their right to judge the law as well as the facts and
bring in a verdict according to the conscience.  Groups have
since formed in 22 states to legislate similar laws.
     To this duet, you have the constitutional right, because of
the following.
     In the forfeiture case of Georgia vs. Brailsford in 1794,
Chief Justice John Jay (credited with writing some of the
federalist papers) instructed the jury: "On the question of fact
it is the province of the jury, and on the question of law it is
the province of the court, to decide... But it must be observed
that, by law which recognizes this reasonable distribution of
jurisdiction, you have, nevertheless, a right to take it upon
yourselve to judge both, and to determine the law as well as the
fact in controversy...Both objects are lawfully within your power
of decision"
     DON'T AVOID JURY DUTY
     Register to vote, sign up and serve a jury.  Only You can
preserve justice.

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