Marijuana Lobbyist's Testimony to Congress

[tatpalu]

MPP I support your movement and know that your efforts will prevail. I am a pot smoker and have used this herb for the past 42yrs. I have tried harder drugs and have since gotten smarter and stopped due to their potential dangers. Marijuana does me just fine and I will never go back to harder drugs. I guess the case I'm trying to make is that it did not make me want to try harder drugs..I made that choice on my own, marijuana did not influence that decision.

[Chimchimtheomni]

It's good that WE have lobbyists for a change... Now we just need MORE lobbyists than the Pharmaceutical companies, the textiles companies, the alcohol and tobacco companies, the logging and paper companies, and law enforcement and prion guard unions, and THEN we MIGHT make some progress.

[giantgreenbuddy]

i praise you...thank you

[talismansoul]

The DEA is going to be in for some deep shit and impossible enforcement with the coming marketing of an amazing product and discovery. Apparently, a company has isolated the genes which cause THC production in plants and has come up with a spray which is used to "treat" seedlings of any type of plant. Once treated, any seedling of any plant will produce THC! Treated tomatoe seedlings actually produce more THC than than the pot plant itself!

Haha Uncle Sam.

Pass the tomatoes please!

[evoteck]

really.?!!!

subcribed :)

[2006ernieo]

i was a meth and coke addict for 4 years i tried every type of tretment nothing worked ....then i smoked marijuana i stoped using hard drugs and marijuana helped me get my appetite back and also helped me sleep ..this is a miracle drug ..THANKS MARIJUANA ..you saved my life.....this is the cure not the gateway drug ..marijuana was easy do kick ....and now i am 100% drug free

[grimmenigma949]

@2006ernieo you were 100% drug free when you were smoking weed too

[dukeecookee]

The DEA officials are just mad because they can't smoke it and have drug lests.

[blacksnakethe1]

MPPstaff: You should post that propaganda vid they put out against weed. Maybe they can see how rediculous they were being, and posibly have a change of heart...

Wishful thinking...COBRA-OUT!

[Rockynurse]

Sadly snake it will get worse. The government uses drugs as a scapegoat for everything. In reality it is corrupt and spineless politicians who ruing our country.

My uncle is an electronic engineer who has worked on umanned air vehicles that literally could take away every single freedom if the goverment purchased them for lawn enforcement purposes.

They are the size of a football and can survey a 6 mile radius every few minutes. They can count the number of hairs on your head at 100 meter

[evoteck]

YEA!!!!

Free target practice!!!!

[sociablyclussy]

America is fucktarded !!!!! 420

[sociablyclussy]

Free Michelle Rainey and Marc Emery ! I am suffering and I hate everybody !!!!!

[sociablyclussy]

Raw ingestion is key to total healing in the body. Ganja paste: living fresh picked sun grown sativa grind finely and mix with liquid aloe into green ganja paste. removes molds in three days ,apply on skin cancer and gangrene prevention/cure. Ingested: Cures fammine , desease and mental illness. Heat releases THC for vital healing , but it kills all the other vital healing nutrients in pot that is needed for total healing in the body. Marrijuana is the most nutritious plant on the planet.

[99minerkc]

Aaron, if the Feds "backed off" on the raids wouldn't they think to themselves that it's the beginning of the end for them? What I mean is that if weed is at some point decriminalized or made legal, a lot of the feds would be out of work, something they're going to fight to not let happen!!

[EscpdFrmPsykward]

Because they are too chicken shit to go after the dangerous drugs. They go after pot because it's harmless and the users/distributors are push overs. Raids of dispensaries go off without a hitch (if you don't count non-violent protesters). They wouldn't be out of a job, they'd actually have to do their job for once and THAT scares them.

[99minerkc]

lol, well said!

[AlexMadsen87]

wanna see youtube sensorship at its worst?

watch?v=iSV7jVOjIwQ

SPREAD THIS VIDEO!!!

[YesWeCannabis20]

Thank You Aaron Houston! =]

*legalize it!*

[YesWeCannabis20]

leeeegalizeee iiiit

[darlene1029]

I can't help but think by some of the comments here that they are being made by ignorant people or perhaps the same so called Federal officers (or type) that entrap, lie, will do anything for a little notoriety.

No such thing as bad publicity, it has been said, sadly!

That and the foul mouth malcontents. Seriously, learn before speaking.

Plus what does Canada have to do with our dilemma?

THINK!!!!

[eslake]

"both federal and state law.."

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the constitution. No state law superceedes federal law.

The meaning of the statement was that they would not persue State violations unless they also violated Federal.

Not the other way around.

Maybe you should put down the joint long enough to familiarize yourself with the basics of our governing systems if you want to keep your job.

[darlene1029]

Ever heard the term Civil Disobedience? When a law is wrong (and we are paying for it) whether it be Federal or not we need to change it.

[krypekeeper]

the states and the people are supposed to have power over the federal govt. not the other way around

[eslake]

Very True.

Except where the congress (which is provided by the states) passes the law in question. That is the reason for the union.

My concerns on this issue aren't really the fact that the collectives in question are storing a controlled susbtance unlicensed, but with the DEA itself - which is greatly overstepping its bounds on this.

[YesWeCannabis20]

Time to call before you light up.

We have all heard of 420 the time of day or year when all the smokers light up.

Let's make 410 each day and year the time to call or write your congressman and senators and flood the switch boards with calls to legalize pot.

Please pass this on and help support this cause the 410 / 420 call before you light up cause

( Please be respectful when you call, try to act refined and intelligent. ) GO TO MPP (dot) ORG.....or NORML...Look for a TAKE ACTION PAGE.

[videogeek27]

I don't know why this was marked spam. Certainly a much better comment than the idiots arguing below

[burnthermit]

you all quit arguing and STFU

[pike811]

Researchers in Canada found a specific cannabis strain that makes LESS hungry.... That' would be the true dream, smoke yourself thin!!!

[ANGLEBOOT]

Yeah till you come off the high, then you eat anything and everything that don't eat you first.

Hell over half the people that commented for pot are fat ass cows that just sit arounf andget high all day then eat everything the can get their hands on.

[gpheimer]

How about the skinny "punk kid" in the video? He doesn't look too much like a lazy loafer. I know that being articulate isn't a strength of yours, but please enlighten us as to what will eat humans if humans don't eat it first?

[tpNYU]

How old is this guy?

[krypekeeper]

does it matter?

[ANGLEBOOT]

Yes because he is no more than a punk kid in a suit.

One good think is all he told them went on deaf ears. That god for that.

[Rockynurse]

God has nothing to do with the drug war. It is very demonic. "I give you all seed bearing plants to use as you see fit"-Genesis

Why is it illegal to smoke a plant in a free country?

[ANGLEBOOT]

28And God blessed them,and God said unto them,Be fruitful,and multiply, and replenish the earth,and subdue it:and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29And God said,Behold,I have given you every herb bearing seed,which is upon the face of all the earth,and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;to you it shall be for meat.

Now are to to dumb to understand what that means?

[StapleGunMS]

Sounds like God wants me to eat fruit and fuck bitches.

[sociablyclussy]

Freedom is an illussion !

[blacksnakethe1]

Not just smoke it, you cant even use it in its thousands of other forms of use. Free country my ass. We aren't free individuals. They want your urine, and hair samples to find out what you're doing. They tap your fone, read your e-mails, and even watch you via cams set up in public throughout the country. That freedom crap is long gone, and I doubt its coming back.....

[Rockynurse]

They want drugs illegal because if drugs remain illegal the crime rates will keep rising. Eventually people will be so scared and confused they will submit to the UAV 24/7 neighborhood surveilance.

This will require more tax dollars and give the politicians and rich bankers more control over the populace. It is already in the works.

[blacksnakethe1]

You're %100 right on every level. I couldn't have said it better. Also what pisses me off about Obama is, he just goes along with this crap. I find it hard to believe he cares about changing this debockle, when he laughs at the thought of legalizing/decriminalizing hemp/weed, when it can do so much for us economicaly and environmentaly. I like him, but he's trippin like the rest of the 43 clowns we've had up there. I wish we could get someone who wasn't so hell bent on playing political games...

[RazorRollaG4]

exactly... just like the patriot act

"fear terrorisms and sign us ur rights so we can protect you"

[TheNomadicJam]

Rocky. I too want Marijuana to be legal and am similarily concerned about government survielance in my own country. However on basis of simple principal of 'truthism' I don't belielve your statement to be the reason behind it staying illegal. I think it's more to do with politicians being scared to lose the 'conservative' type voters and pressure from alcohol and tobacco companies who are scared of competition. I know I drink less if i've got weed! I'm on your side in principal thought.

[Clyaton]

Actually you are both right. There is a prison-industrial complex. These prohibition laws are great for BIG GOVERNMENT. Oh btw, pharmaceutical companies are the other big lobbyists, bigger in fact than alcohol and tobacco companies. Think about it, over 800,000 arrests per year for marijuana. This employs countless police, judges, attorneys by default, and most importantly, helps to fill prisons that make $ off of FREE prison labor, AND charge taxpayers 5 star hotel rates for their incarceration

[Clyaton]

For each arrest, at least one officer spends an hour or maybe 2, especially factoring in searches with multiple officers, that's a conservative figure.. That's about 9 million dollars right there just to arrest offenders, then you gotta figure for attorneys, judges (court time/costs), and fill in a space in prison where they cost a few dollars a day to handle,but charge taxpayers over $65.00 a day for each incarceration, some people doing years keep in mind. There is soooo much bull shit here

[evoteck]

This will only happen if the take away our 2nd amendment right.

[arghPeteyPirate]

i have the same chair as that man.

[DEACONAP4LOVE]

well, I smoke the same weed he smokes.

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

The DEA gets half of its toys and funding from THEFT. It's like telling the MOB they no longer own Las Vegas. They are even WORSE than the mafia because the DEA has the stamp of the crown. There was only one difference between a Pirate and Privateer; guess what that was. In all essence, they are the same thing- one was simply licensed by the state to rape, rob and pillage- so long as it was done in the king's name and with a small tax payed.

[Bongofury361]

What a fucking mess America is! And, what a fucking mess America is making of the world! Though the original excuse for criminalizing marijuana may have been racist, the reality is that the US gov't kowtowed to big business, like: Dupont, Big Oil, etc. to the detriment of the planet! Why isn't hemp being used for EVERYTHING; why are there no electric cars on the road; why are people's lives being destroyed for smoking Mother Nature's greatest gift? That's how big business wants it! Go Obama!!!!!

[PaulCynic]

Although I want to completely agree with you, the truth is that Marijuana is a far more lucrative product than all that you listed. The head of the MPP even stated that there's no anti-marijuana lobby, and in fact these companies own patents on marijuana cigarettes because they too want to cash in.

Why isn't Marijuana legal yet? Beats the hell out of me, the law and everything about it are simply irrational and mind boggling.

Why hasn't our current president taken it off the banned list?

[krypekeeper]

you cant patent a plant.....

[sdfasdfsafg]

You actually can. The Patent Office will patent anything, even living things, except humans. This was done in the last 10 years though.

[PaulCynic]

You can patent a recipe, just as tobacco companies do with their cigarettes. And in fact, sdfasdfsafg is correct, so long as you modify a plant in some way, you can patent a specific genetic sequence or breed of that plant. Similarly, most lab mice are genetically modified, and thus are intellectual property, and using those strains or reproducing those strains are a violation of patent rights.

If you mean, 'morally' people shouldn't, then I agree :)

[darlene1029]

actually, I was a florist for over 25 years and yes you certainly can patent a plant/flower

[krypekeeper]

A plant patent and plant breeder's rights are unique intellectual property rights. The requirement to get a patent for a plant is essentially the same as for any other invention, namely it must be distinctly new. A plant patent cannot be obtained for tuber-propagated plants.

If you've found a new plant variety by discovering it in nature, you cannot obtain a patent for it, unless you can asexually reproduce it and prove the variety is stable, uniform and "new".

[darlene1029]

a 12 % change is all that's required

[villel80]

Healthier people live also longer. And people who live longer, cost more to goverment. Much more.

But of course, if we look further, healthier people can work more, and they are more productive to society.

[NoFreeSpeechonYT]

Canada has made virtually the same choices as to war, drug laws, kowtowing to big business etc. as the US. So get off your fucking high horse and clean your own house before you start inspecting ours. Make your own electric cars, change your own drug laws. You are always quick to blame your big southern neighbor, but never assume responsibility for the idiots you elect who always have their lips on our presidents ass.

[kgbkid02]

The DEA and BIG AMERICAN CORPORATIONS have snuck their way into Canadian society. If the US would stop influencing and nosing around in the business of other countries, then Canada would have Legalized in the late eighties.

In 2003, when we were ready to simply Decriminalize (which we did anyways) John Walters was personally dispatched from Washington to deter us. FUCK THE USA.

[NoFreeSpeechonYT]

Why is it guys that have a great big baby head and arms like a twelve year old girl have the biggest mouths? I bet you ran home from school every day like the little whiny bitch that you are. Influence is only received by the willing, so tell your cunt representatives to quit sucking US cock, because you want a mouthfull yourself. FUCK YOU. I don't make generalizations. Most Canadians are cool, unlike yourself. Asshole.

[kgbkid02]

Instead of actually having an intelligent conversation, you have to get personal because you're offended. "Who is the bitch now?"

You're fucking dumb dude. Enjoy.

[annemariestclaire]

Watch: Irvin Rosenfeld HB 5470 Michigan Medical Marijuana Testimony (YouTube video)

[annemariestclaire]

"Irvin Rosenfeld is the longest surviving federal medical marijuana patient in the United States. He is also a stockbroker (all of his superiors, co-workers and clients are aware of this). He smokes 10-12 joints a day without any adverse affects. He is provided with eleven ounces a month by our federal government and, according to this video, the American government refuses to do a study on his health. They dont want to take a look at the other four federal medical marijuana patients either."

[thefakeyeti]

Blocking marijuana research sure does make them look weak!

If they honestly believe that it wreaks havoc. You would think they would HAPPILY allow someone to smoke it, do some tests on them, and proove them RIGHT.

But they fear it will proove them wrong..

[y2knoproblem]

Good job!  Keep up the good work.

[dada0688]

you down with mpp? yea you know me

[dukeoforegon]

So what did they say ?

[quitearow]

Thank you for taking the time to update the American people.

[SolarEXtract]

Re-legalize it. Tax it. Regulate it.

[SvPVids]

keep it up Aaron, you have millions of people behind you.

[whoo689]

I think you should've argued that the DEA SHOULD NEVER try to 'enforce' state law. After all, isn't that the job of local and state law enforcement? Isn't there a reason why we have the distinction between federal and state law enforcement? If a federal agency like the DEA can legitimately enforce state laws in addition to federal, that sets a bad precedent.

[Dilliboy63]

Great work you're doing there, it really is. Though I live in Canada, you have my support! Keep on doing what your doing!

[TheChubbyKid]

Aaron Houston Thank you!

[CliveSinclairZX]

decriminalize

[blissful420]

Thanks so much for this update.

[Havenfall]

Legalize it! It's only rational option!

[bendtx]

The DEA is no doubt threatened by decriminalization or legalization because it threatens their income. Them and the government make WAY too much money legally and illegally off cannabis, so I see a bumpy road ahead trying to get the policy back to being more based on common sense, but it will happen.

[rhysie21]

The government also spends $40 billion on keeping marijuana violators under prosecution.

Any profiting anti-drug organization will be threatened.

Any organization that gets rewards for hurting and ruining the lives of victimless "criminals" is an organization that shouldn't exist. These "criminals" should barely be slapped on the wrist.

Decriminalize, or legalize, for the sake of the nation.

[michael091703]

We must never give up!!!!!!!!!!!

[crackwhore2007]

legalize.

[ntheAttic]

Keep it up! Cheers!

[777CARL777]

Let's see to it that the DEA is disbanded & exposed for the fascist jack-booted nazis that they are! DOWN WITH THE DEA!!!

[kja30]

The DEA are thieves, plain and simple. They bust in, take the cannabis and other products, take the cash, destroy everything they can, and then leave, most of the time without arresting anyone. Essentially, the DEA is nothing more than a federally sponsored band of thieves, undermining the rights of the people of the state.

[peeggert]

Wouldn't we also save a whole bunch of money by defunding the DEA and appropriate funds elsewhere? We could then leave the marijuana growers and clinics alone to do their good work without threat of DEA harrassment.

[jeremiahmc]

good job keep it up :D

[empbac]

Cool, but isn't this supposed to be a democracy? Isn't the government supposed to serve us? Isn't that what tax payers pay it to do? Couldn't we then simply fire the DEA? They have performed so poorly and unprofessionally, yet they have nothing to fear. We only beg them to stop. What the fuck kind of place is this where you have to beg your employees to do something differently. Fuck the DEA. Fuck the whole government. God Fuck America.

[badjer1785]

FIGHT FIGHT!!

we're all very disappointed in obama's cannabis policies

[zapponsalvia]

Keep up the good fight!

[Sideshowbobx]

proving that the Obama admin. is not going to end the drug war but feed us spin and BS that they might going to.

[cureworks]

Thank you MPP for the heroic work you are doing. The president said science would drive policy. The truth is hemp is a helpful plant. It is not smart to make mother nature illegal.

[namename654]

Keep up the great work!

[jokerbookshop]

good looking out aaron. marijuana is medicine.

[d3v07]

Seconded. Great work, pass this video along.

[jeffreybucks]

good work MPP, we are grateful.