Random Drug Test? Are you Kidding Me?

I was recently caught at my high school for pot.  I was almost expelled, very very close.  I got by and was allowed to stay on several conditions.  Random (hair) drug testing throughout the entire year( oh and by the way, im a senior).  I had indefinite detentions and am now on permanent academic and behavioral probation the rest of the year. It has been 90 days since the incident today and i still do not know how i was caught.  My accuser is anonymous still. As a victim of marijuana charges of my school, I am completely against random drug test.  It completely goes against your freedoms outside of school.  Although it is illegal it is invasion of privacy.  We were given our lives to live them happily.  If you like to smoke some pot, then who the fuck is someone to tell you that you cant?  Here are the cons of permitting random drug testing at schools:

CON 

One of the fundamental features of our legal system is that we are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing unless and until the government proves otherwise. Random drug testing of student athletes turns this presumption on its head, telling students that we assume they are using drugs until they prove to the contrary with a urine sample.

CON 

"If school officials have reason to believe that a particular student is using drugs, they already have the power to require that student to submit to a drug test," said ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney David Rocah.

CON 

The constitutional prohibition against "unreasonable" searches also embodies the principle that merely belonging to a certain group is not a sufficient reason for a search, even if many members of that group are suspected of illegal activity. Thus, for example, even if it were true that most men with long hair were drug users, the police would not be free to stop all long haired men and search them for drugs.

CON 

Some also argue that students who aren't doing anything wrong have nothing to fear. This ignores the fact that what they fear is not getting caught, but the loss of dignity and trust that the drug test represents. And we should all be afraid of government officials who believe that a righteous cause warrants setting aside bedrock constitutional protections. The lesson that our schools should be teaching is respect for the Constitution and for students' dignity and privacy, not a willingness to treat cherished constitutional principles as mere platitudes.

Pot Has Changed Colorado's Economy

As medical marijuana has become the fastest growing industry in Colorado, discussions on the drug have gone from dorm rooms and parties to the Colorado Convention Center and classroom.

The University of Denver this week is hosting a series of debates tackling marijuana-relates issues, from the harms and effects of medicinal marijuana to current and possible future Colorado laws regulating the drug. The three debates follow last weekend’s Colorado Cannabis Convention that was, by square footage, the largest cannabis convention in the history of the country.

Multiple vendors and attendees at the Colorado Cannabis Convention pointed to the convention itself as proof that marijuana is becoming more socially acceptable in Colorado. The event featured more than 300 booths offering everything from holistic healing to glass blowing. The convention was promoted as a family friendly event; no marijuana was allowed on the convention center’s premise.

“Colorado is lucky enough to be setting a precedent for the rest of the states that are looking to take this direction to go off of,” said Amanda, the office manager of Green Docs, a medical marijuanaconsulting firm. “I think this (convention) is a fantastic catalyst for things to come.”

Though always quick to point out the alleged medical benefits of marijuana, every vendor interviewed at the convention said they are pushing for the flat out legalization of marijuana. Michael Lerner, the organizer of the Colorado Cannabis Convention, said on Thursday that the medical marijuanamovement was “absolutely” a backdoor attempt to legalize marijuana.

Andrew Schultheiss, the district director for U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said in a public discussion at the Colorado Cannabis Convention that the widespread legalization of marijuana could happen in the foreseeable future.

“The number of members of Congress who are willing to say, like Jared Polis, that marijuana should be legalized, flat out, is growing,” he said. “Ten years ago you would not have found more than two or three members of Congress willing to say that.”

However, Dane Stauder of The Fitter, a shop specializing in marijuana pipes, pointed out thatmarijuana is still far from being legal in Colorado. He said his shop often gets visitors from outside of Colorado who are under the impression that anyone can smoke marijuana anywhere, which is simply not the case, he said. Currently, only Coloradans with debilitating illnesses who get a doctor’s referral for marijuana can posses the drug.

And as Colorado Cannabis Convention attendee Andrew Louzau stated, even a cancer patient who has a medical marijuana card can get kicked out of their home in Colorado if they live in federally assisted housing. Federal law prohibits the consumption of drugs in federally assisted housing, Denver law prohibits the consumption of marijuana on-site at dispensaries, leaving some patients with no place to consume marijuana, he said.

Lawmakers who participated in Saturday’s marijuana discussion urged for patience as they make small steps towards reducing restrictions and penalties on marijuana.
“This is new territory,” said Denver City Councilman Chris Nevitt. “As we work through the regulatory regimes that we put in place...we’re going to have unintended consequences or wrinkles...we’ll have to iron out.”

__________________

"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

- Dale Carnegie

Hmmmm

Hemp is the universal creator

Hemp can be used to produce a very large variety of products from clothing to paper to building supplies to cars to fuels to food products to much, much more. Some people have called hemp the plant of 30,000 uses because it combines the utility of the soybean, the cotton plant and the Douglas Fir tree into one green package. Hemp is an environmental, renewable, reusable and recyclable resource.

Hemp fabrics. 

Hemp grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. The production of cotton, on the other hand, consumes almost half of the agricultural chemicals used on American crops. Hemp bast fibers are one of the longest natural soft fibers. They are longer, stronger, more absorbent, more mildew-resistant, and more insulative than cotton. This means that hemp will keep you warmer in winter and cooler in summer than cotton.

Hemp is more effective at blocking the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. The nature of hemp fibers makes them more absorbent to dyes, which coupled with hemp's ability to better screen out ultraviolet rays, means that hemp material is less prone to fading than cotton fabrics are. Like cotton, hemp can be made into a variety of fabrics, including high quality linen. When blended with materials such as cotton, linen, and silk, hemp provides a sturdier, longer lasting product, while maintaining quality and softness. 

Hemp is environmentally friendly in many ways. It can displace the use of cotton, which requires massive amounts of chemicals harmful to people and the environment. The production of cotton consumes 50% of the pesticides sprayed in the entire world. Hemp has a deep root system that helps to prevent soil erosion, removes toxins, provides a disease break, and aerates the soil to the benefit of future crops.

Biodegradable industrial products. 

Because hemp is rich in cellulose, research is being conducted into the use of hemp for the production of biodegradable plastic products. Plant based cellophane, recycled plastic mixed with hemp for injection-molded products, and resins made from hemp oil could one day be manufactured. BMW in an effort to make cars more recyclable, is using hemp materials in their automobiles. Hemp fibers are increasingly being used in industry as a substitute for fiberglass. The advantage of replacing fiberglass with hemp is that hemp is lighter, as strong or stronger, is biodegradable and is cheaper.

Biomass fuels. 

Hemp is a high yield fiber crop, producing more biomass per acre than most other crops. As a result, the hydrocarbons in hemp could be used as a renewable, low polluting alternative to fossil fuels that is non-polluting to our atmosphere. Hemp is excellent in producing alternative fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. Hemp could be processed into fuel pellets, liquid fuels, and gas, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Both the seed and the fiber can be used, though the process varies depending on what you use.

Replacement for wood products. 

As a replacement for wood products, hemp offers many more environmentally friendly benefits. Hemp yields three to eight tons of fiber per acre, which is four times the yield of the average forest. Unlike wood, hemp is low in lignin, which means that hemp can be pulped using fewer chemicals. Many construction products now made out of wood could be made from hemp.

Beams, studs, posts, oriented strand board, and medium density fiberboard made from hemp would be stronger and lighter because of hemp's long fibers. Washington State University produced hemp fiberboard that was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard. The replacement of wood fiber by hemp-based products can save forests for wildlife habitat, watersheds, recreational areas, oxygen production, and carbon removal, which reduces global warming.

Paper. 

Hemp paper is of the highest quality, resists decomposition, and does not yellow as it ages when an acid-free process is used. It is for these reasons that hemp paper is used in Europe for bibles. A sample of hemp paper has been found that is more than 1500 years old. Only around 1850 did paper from wood pulp start to replace hemp. Trees were cheap, but now they are rapidly getting depleted.

Over a period of 20 years one hectare (ha) of hemp can produce as much paper as four hectares of forest. Japan still imports much of its wood pulp from tropical rainforests which are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Hemp paper can be recycled many more times than wood-based paper. Hemp's natural creamy color eliminates the need for chlorine bleach, which prevents the dumping of extremely toxic dioxin into streams. Instead, hemp can be bleached using gentler hydrogen peroxide.

Body Care Products. 

Hemp s antimicrobial properties make it useful for cosmetics and body care products such as shampoos and hair conditioners, lotions, massage oils, salves, soaps, skin crèmes, sunscreen, and lip balm. The oil from hemp seeds has been known to cure dermatitis and other serious skin diseases.

Pet Foods. 

Hemp provides a healthy protein for pets from dogs and cats to cows and horses to all varieties of birds and chickens.

Detergents. 

The oil is also being made into a laundry detergent that biodegrades naturally in our water systems.

Art supplies. 

Hemp is an excellent archival material, for use in paintings and books. Most famous paintings are painted with hemp oil on hemp linen. In ancient China the art of making paper from hemp and mulberry bark was guarded as a state secret, but eventually the knowledge found its way to Japan and also to Europe via the Arabs. In 1390 the first European mill processing hemp rags into paper was founded. 

In 1455 Gutenberg printed the first printed book in Europe on hemp paper. Washi, a traditional Japanese paper, was made from hemp and mulberry fiber. Nowadays hemp is virtually unavailable for this purpose though a limited supply of hemp paper has been manufactured in Tochigi recently. Hemp and mulberry paper are also used for ritual strips of paper decorations used at Shinto shrines. Japan imported the recipe for paper making from China where most paper still contains hemp today.

Food products. 

A vast array of food products can be made from hemp seeds. They have exceptional nutritional value and are second only to soybeans as a source of complete vegetable protein. However, they are longer lasting and more digestible than soybeans. The main protein found in hempseed is edestin. Unlike soy, hemp doesn’t t have to be cooked or fermented for it to be digestible.

VALUE OF HEMP IN FOOD PRODUCTS

Hemp seeds contain all eight essential amino acids in the correct proportions required by humans, including Omega-6 (LA- linolenic) and Omega 3 (ALA alpha linolenic). Hemp has a balance of three parts Omega-6 to Omega-3, very close to the body's nutritional requirements. As regulators, the LA and ALA fatty acids provide stability and control the movement of all substances in and out of our bodies' building blocks. Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), another essential amino acid found in hemp, also stimulates the production of eiconsanoids, which are hormone-type substances. For this reason, many women find hemp oil in their diets helps relieve pre-menstrual syndrome and extreme symptoms of menopause. 

Some of the other benefits of having all these Essential Fatty Acids in the diet include an increased metabolism, lower cholesterol, better digestion, general vigor, improved skin and hair condition, and a boosted immune system

Why Not?

The Positives of Legalizing Marijuana

          If Americans allow such a thing as alcohol to be legal, even with the obvious physical, mental and numerous other problems it causes, there is no reason marijuana should be illegal. About 20,000 people die each year from the use of alcohol, excluding car accidents. There are more deaths cause by aspirin, caffeine, and prescription drugs, than marijuana who‘s number totals to about 5 over a period of 4 years.   The marijuana prohibition created in 1937 is extremely outdated.

          Scientists have never been able to induce an overdose from marijuana on laboratory animals. They were able to tolerate doses of up to 1,000 mg. The Deaths that have been recorded to be the results of marijuana usage were later closely examined and found to actually have been caused by choking on vomit which was not directly credited to the drug. A John Hopkins study done over a fifteen year period has concluded that there were no long-term effects on cognitive skills or actual intelligence in users who smoked about five joints a week. Though most obviously, Americans have no problem with tobacco, alcohol, oxy-cotton, codeine, and many other harmful substances being legally obtained. So why would the legalization of marijuana be any more harmful?   Many religions believe marijuana can be used for spiritual purposes. These practices were in place long before the country of America was even established. The first amendment gives all Americans the right of   “freedom of Religion”.   Though the many religions that find spiritual significance is smoking marijuana are not allowed to do so in America, despite its claim allowing people to practice religion any way they choose.   

          On another level, the use of medical marijuana could easily soothe the symptoms of thousands of people who suffer from fatal illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, Wastings syndrome, and nervous and neurotic problems.

Movies

How High

Pineapple Express

Super High Me