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Actually the caption on that vehicle is incorrect. This is an M1 Abrams. What they actually have is a M109 self propelled howitzer.

You also might want to look a little further. According to this article;

But colorful and controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he's not going to use the Korean War-era, tanklike weapon to blow up drug dens. The howitzer has been painted black and disabled, its gun plugged, and it has been converted into a mobile anti-drug classroom.

So in your view, Google should use my hardware and info for free (no payment to me), while they charge me by selling my information in order for me to use their services? At least I can Opt-In to Google. Apparently you have to Opt-Out in their case.

The latitude that the nerd crowd give google is amazing to me. If this was any other company they would be all up in arms. Google throws the geeks a bone by using a Linux kernel for the purpose of whoring out your personal data for a profit, and the geeks are falling over themselves to defend this sort of practice.

A home AP is NOT put out in public for the purpose of broadcasting it's info to the world. Typical wifi rarely reaches past someone's property at any usable range, just as someone might be able to get a glimpse in your window, but to sit there and peek in your windows would be an invasion of privacy, just as the police found when they tried to use heat sensing equipment that picked up thermal radiation through homes in order to detect the use of heat lamps and such equipment to grow weed. The supreme court agreed that a warrant was required to use thermal imaging. This doesn't strike me as being much different.

http://cannabisnews.com/news/16/thread16568.shtml

Certainly the heat is considered being 'broadcast' in a limited fashion once it leaves the house, and it can easily be picked up on the street by the proper equipment, but the home owner has a certain expectation of privacy here.

They just got a license to use this technology...

Last summer the West Virginia State Police allowed ORINCON to test the ability of hyperspectral optical technology to locate crops of marijuana. Given the success of that test, ORINCON has been invited to participate in this summer's interdiction effort to further validate the technology and demonstrate a more advanced detection unit.

http://cannabisnews.com/news/5/thread5978.shtml

The fact that the federal government has ruled that somebody growing weed for personal use in his own residence, because he might impact the insterstate weed market by not buying from a street dealer, should be all you need to know to understand that the Federal government would consider ISPs interstate commerce.

Oh, I agree the feds may try. As you say the feds have gone after people in California for marijuana after the state legalized medical marijuana. Going all the way to the Supreme Court 5 of the 9 justices ruled the feds do have the power. However the other 4 said the feds didn't. What's generally not know is that the district judge in the medical marijuana case Gonzales v Raich barred the jury from being told the state had approved of medical marijuana. In Ed Rosenthal's case "several jurors renounced their verdict and rallied to his cause" after learning the state and city allowed medical marijuana. In that case the judge gave him 1 day in jail. Fact is is some judges do what they can to prevent jury nullification wherein juries tell politicians a law is as well as Fully Informed Juries.

Looking to the federal government is not even that wrong anymore. In this ever more globalized economy, people are wanting ever greater conformity in the laws. Having significant differences between the law in various states can be a real hassle. I mean picture if each state had its own set of regulations on what is legal in a cell phone, such that having your cell phone turned on when you entered the state next to you would be a crime, since your phone does not meet that states regulations.

Therein lies the problem, governments have gotten big and enact a bunch of laws. Laws should only be ones wherein harm to others is caused. Crimes like murder, pollution, rape, robbery. The rest can be handled with civil lawsuits. If there is no victim something shouldn't be illegal. And simply using drugs doesn't cause harm, the over use of drugs may harm the user but that's self inflicted. Legal drugs would end gang violence of the drug trade. Which brings up one group opposed to legalization, gangs. If drugs were legal it'd cut into gang profits if not put gangs out of business. A second group opposed to legalization is the drug warriors and businesses that profit from illegal drugs, all those companies that screen for drugs, provide weapons, and such. A third group is the pharmaceutical companies. They can't patent street drugs.

Falcon

Yes! It most certainly is! Great article here: http://cannabisnews.com/news/10/thread10863.shtml

Although you don't mention it, the first link shows only a minor 4.1 pt decrease and only for heavy current users. Moderate and former users showed an increase greater than non-users - 5.8 and 3.5 vs 2.6 pts, respectively.

Inhaling smoke of any kind is, of course, not good for your lungs. There are other admittedly less popular means of administration.

It does appear that marijuana may cause immune system depression, but the extent and ways in which it does so is still being researched. This article explores the counter-viewpoints. Another study has shown a decrease in tumor resistance with injected THC in rats, but I'm not sure of the doses. It should be noted as well that in some people, like MS patients, a supressed immune system can be a good thing.

Although psychotic symptoms can be produced by Cannabis consumption, it's certainly not typical. Just as some people have severe reactions to peanuts, some may have psychotic reactions to Cannabis. However, due mainly to heavy restrictions on studies, we still don't know much about endocannabinoids' role in the nervous system and the actions of various cannabinoids. This study suggests that endocannabinoids may actually prevent psychosis; since smoking Cannabis would cause stimulation of endocannabinoid receptors, cannabinoids may be useful in preventing psychosis. Or, it might further reduce your body's production of endocannabinoids and lead to greater psychotic effects when you quit smoking. Or something else, it's hard to say at this point. Research is still being done, however, and I certainly wouldn't suggest getting high to get rid of psychotic symptoms - in fact, I would actively advise against it.

I can't read your memory and learning study, so I can't really comment on it. Cannabinoids certainly have been shown to impair memory and learning in various degrees under different circumstances, but their role - believed to be effected in the hippocampus - may, as this article (the one the post is on) may have positive effects as well.

Conclusion: Cannabis is not a panacea. It should come as no surprise to anyone that there are both good and bad sides to Cannabis - as with all medicine, as with everything. It's absurd to pretend that there are no negative effects, but it's also absurd to pretend like we have all the answers. We have to keep researching, and we have to make sure the government allows needed research. That being said, overall, cannabis has relatively few and insubstantial side effects compared to other drugs, and it's ridiculous beyond comprehension that it's a Class I substance.

Marijuana will remain a Schedule I narcotic as long as NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) have a monopoly on the entire marijuana supply which is to be used for scientific research.

Read this article on Cannabisnews.com

If you "know" so much then why are you posting anonymously?

What a surprise to click on Slashdot and see news about cannabinoids - I feel like I'm reading my own site ...

I operate CANNABIS.COM ... shortcut url http://cann.com/

Some informative pages to check out:

Lots of cannabis Research information *with sources listed*
http://www.cannabis.com/research/

TR-446 Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of 1-Trans-Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (CAS No. 1972-08-3) in F344 Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies)
http://www.cannabis.com/research/tr446study.shtml
(mirror of the study published by the U.S. National Toxicity Program)

Cannabis News
http://www.cannabisnews.com/

And finally, Erowid's Cannabis Vault...
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis.sht ml

Ron Bennett

Haha. Seriously. It's pathetic how uneducated people really are to the effects of cannabis.

Maybe Sen. Hatch should watch the tech companies that are using techs to train their replacments so they can send the jobs overseas if he wants to protect American innovation and economic growth.

In a statement, Hatch declared that the panel would have an "aggressive agenda" and highlighted the issue of patent reform, saying, "We need strong patent protection to give incentives for innovation and economic growth."

Senator Hatch Introduces Bill to Burn People's Eyes Out Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today introduced legislation authorizing the use of high-powered microwave lasers to burn out the eyes of non-paying viewers of copyrighted material. "If we could develop technology which just burned out the parts of their brains where the illegal memories are stored, that'd be fine with me--but we can burn their eyes out right now!" said Hatch, while introducing the Hatch/Hollywood Eyeball Evisceration Act.

Bookburning on the Internet If you say "If you must smoke marijuana, filter the smoke with a water pipe and don't even think of driving afterwards." or "...don't use dirty needles. Clean them with bleach or find a syringe exchange program."

I think these statements are good advice. But if U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein have their way, it will soon be a felony to publish these statements in any book, newspaper, magazine, web site, or even to utter them or link to a web site containing them. The Hatch/Feinstein Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 1999 makes these statements illegal because they "pertain" to an act that violates federal controlled-substance laws

Nobel Laureates Denounce Hatch's Patent Bill

Orrin Hatch's Glass House Has Bin Laden's Name on It Indeed, to this day, those involved in the decision to give the Afghan rebels access to a fortune in covert funding and top-level combat weaponry continue to defend that move in the context of the Cold War. Sen. Orrin Hatch told Robert Windrem that he would make the same call again today even knowing what bin Laden would do subsequently. It was worth it, he said.

Hatch support for converting our interstate highways into toll roads.

Collections of Information Antipiracy Act This bill makes it legal to get the goods on you.
American database providers render an invaluable service by collecting, organizing, and disseminating billions of bits of information from myriad sources of every possible sector of our economy.

I could do a bit more research on the good Senator, but then I'd be post 387 and no one would ever read this.

So which category does marijuana prohibition fall under?

Can't admit there's any holes in your argument can you. Let's check out the facts
1) During the taliban's rule Afghanistan was the largest supplier of poppy to the world.
2) The taliban used money generated from the sale of opium to support terrorists (al-Qaeda.)
3) Less than 6 months after the Taliban was ousted Afghanistan was miraculously exporting poppy at almost the same level as before their self imposed ban (must have been instant poppy.)

Sources
1
2
3
4
5

Just one question: Is ignorance really bliss?

... on drugs .

Dude, if the guy is hallucinating and thinks he's being spied on and thinks the tv is sending him secret messages when he takes cold medicine then I'd wonder what the hell was in the cold medicine or if he's got some other problem.

I'm not saying "don't smoke weed," I'm saying, if you're a schizophrenic, don't smoke weed. Weed is a psychotropic drug, cold medicine is just alcohol.

From cannabisnews.com:

The Okayama report confirms the results of a 1987 study conducted in Sweden in which higher incidents of schizophrenia were discovered among army conscripts who had used marijuana.

The Swedish study showed that the incidence of schizophrenia among conscripts who were "heavy" and "chronic" users of marijuana was six times higher than it was among those who had not smoked.

Marijuana, however, has only been linked to schizophrenia in those who are already genetically prone to the disease. There is little evidence to suggest that it poses any such risk to those not genetically predisposed to schizophrenia.

http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/13/thread13350.sh tml

That's not nearly as far fetched as it may sound.

The DARE program routinely obtains arrest warrants this very way. Police officers attend classrooms delivering speeches on the evil dangers of drugs. Afterwards little black "suggestion boxes" are placed at the front of the room and children are encouraged to deposit the names of friends or family members who might have a "drug problem".

Use your own imagination on where the road leads.

Or don't.

-r

In 2002, the US DEA was quick to claim that opium was a prime source of Taliban funding.

But back in 2001, the US government gave the Taliban $43,000,000 dollars in exchange for destroying the opium crops that had previously supplied a major portion of their GNP.

(Never mind that "Transacting with the Taliban" had been illegal for US citizens since 1999. I don't see any of Bush's administrators being arrested for helping the Taliban much more than John Lindh ever did. It seems ignorance of the law is an excuse.)

Now that the Taliban has been deposed, the flow of Afganistan opium is starting to resume.

Former Olympic gold medalist Ross Rebagliati was denied entry to the United States when he attempted to travel to the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was eventually allowed entry later in the week, after getting an attorney involved. I think this dragnet will extend much farther, potentially denying entry to any Canadian every busted for smoking a joint, unless said Canadian can afford an attorney.

I lived and grew up there, and went to high school in Mendocino. (Hi Bob and Dylan!)

It's true that the village has successfully kept cellphone towers out. (It's not a town, as it's not incorporated.) The whole area is one big dead zone. Much of the entire county is strictly analog, anyway -- it seems to have been passed by when digital service was brought to other areas. Instead of talking on a cellphone, there are other fine activities to do in Mendocino County.

It's a small area dependent on tourism. One of the major draws is that it is a place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of larger cities. The Historical (some say Hysterical) Review Board strictly enforces the cellphone ban and other ordinances that seem silly, such as not allowing any remodeling that changes the look of the village! It is a unique area very popular with artists and hippies, and has a completely different culture than what most Slashdotters are used to.

But the electronics lab and computer lab in the high school kicks ass :-)

This was an awesome victory for those of us in the reform movement. Quite simply, the drug reform movement is about as grassroots as you can get, and most of our journalism is online: DRCnet, MAP, Cannabis News, and of course Narconews, as mentioned in the article.

The print media has begun to acknowledge the worldwide shift in attitude towards drugs (and especailly, the war on them) - but still mass media outlets including large American newspapers and especially TV still spew ridiculous retoric straight out of 1980's Just Say No propoganda.

What this article also didn't mention is that the EFF had a hand in helping Narconews with their court victory. Bravo to these brave individuals!

Here's an article originally from the San Francisco Chronicle about the LSD missile silo situation. IIRC, there was also a big article about it in Rolling Stone a while ago, but I don't have the issue around to check.

• I did overhear something about Stockwell Day saying he was going to legalize marijuana. I'm not a drug user (save caffeine), but I'll vote for him without hesitation if he really means it. I'd really like the cops to go back to doing something more useful than busting small-time users.

But this is just cheap campaign strategy for him, and possession is likely to be decriminalized, since:

• The Ontario court of appeals ruled that the law prohibiting possession is inconstitutional.
• There is strong support for decriminalization, including from the Association of Police Chiefs.

--
Americans are bred for stupidity.

The following is the first few hits off Google using those search terms. I got 6,750 hits from them. I think your story is in there somewhere.The evidence points in one direction, and nobody on either side of "DRUGWARS" should have any interest in arguing it.

ABCNEWS.com : Study Finds D.A.R.E. Ineffective

Several Studies Suggest DARE Programs Ineffective

Project DARE Ineffective 10 Years Later!

Falcon's Cry: DARE found ineffective

Herald - Ineffective D.A.R.E. prevention program should be replaced

DARE's clout smothers other drug programs

Here's a quote from the article,"According to a Detroit News analysis of 33 Metro area school districts, there is no difference between teen drug and alcohol use in districts that offered DARE and in districts that did not. DARE is used in 70 of the 88 Metro districts."

I grabbed that one because it's from this year.

Do you get it now? There is no good news about DARE outside of the press releases from the people on the payroll.