UN Says Los Angeles is Violating International Drug Treaties

The U.N. is declaring Los Angeles in violation of UN treaties.

If there is any further proof needed that the extranational, unelected bureaucrats at the United Nations would like to extend their power over the United States, look no further than this story.

Last week, we detailed the opening of vending machines in LA dispensing marijuana. (Marijuana Vending Machines Debut in California)

The vending machines in Los Angeles violate international treaties and should be shut down, the U.N.-affiliated drug control board said Friday.

"The International Narcotics Control Board is deeply concerned about reports that computerized vending machines to dispense cannabis (marijuana) have been put into operation in Los Angeles," Philip O. Emafo, president of the board, said in a statement.

Will pot smokers be burning UN flags in LA?

They might, provided they can muster the energy to do so.

At least three Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries have installed vending machines to distribute the drug to people who carry cards authorizing marijuana use. The drug is said to alleviate chronic pain, loss of appetite and other ailments.

Supporters say the machines, which dispense 1/8th or 2/8th of an ounce of marijuana at a time, offers users lower drug prices and increases security.

In a modern-day clash of our federal system, marijuana use is illegal under U.S. federal law, which does not recognize the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states.

And now the UN wants to get involved?

The international busybody--which seats terror-sponsoring nations on its anti-terror board, sponsors conferences (i.e., vacations) for such media-shilled "problems" like climate change and has diverted more American tax dollars into the private bank accounts of corrupt officials than any old-style big-city political machine every could accomplish--ought to stick to what it does best: endlessly issuing statements warning countries about the United States and Israel.

And bungling everything its massive bureaucracy touches.

"Kiss My Ass and Pass the Oreos".

Translate that.

[hat tip: Brock Lorber, Freedom Phoenix]
by Mondoreb
image: mrmat
Source: UN board says Marijuana Machines Illegal



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Marijuana Vending Machines Debut in California

"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson



It may not be a better mousetrap, but there's a feeling that at least some people will be beating a path to the new marijuana vending machines that open today in California.

The first of their kind in the U.S.A--one speculates the world--the machines will dispense medicinal marijuana for patients who are prescribed marijuana for health reasons.

Patients have to jump through a few hoops before they can use the machines: they have to present a prescription, be photographed and be fingerprinted and then they are issued a pre-paid credit card that stores the dosage and type of drug prescribed.

Only in the U.S.

Only in California.

No, the machines can't be used by the paperboy down the street to get ready for a "party hard" weekend--unless the paperboy has been prescribed the drug for health reasons.

At present, eleven states allow the medicinal use of marijuana, primarily for pain relief, but, in the land of the drug crusaders, it remains controversial. Although, one wonders why giving relief to, in some cases, terminally ill patients would cause anyone but drug warriors any cause for concern.

Vince Mehdizadeh, owner of the Herbal Nutrition Centre in Los Angeles, where one of the two first machines is based, said it would allow patients to buy extra supplies whenever needed.

America is the land of consumer satisfaction and fast food--so it makes sense that it is also the land of the marijuana vending machine.

"They'll be greeted by a security guard right there. They'll slide the card in and they'll fingerprint in to verify that it's them," Mehdizadeh was quoted as saying.

"A camera takes a picture of them, verifying that they're actually at the machine. And they get the medicine and they move on."

At least some of the operators think that the machines might become a common sight in across the U.S.A.

Proponents say marijauna is a valuable tool for relieving pain and stimulating appetite in the sick.

What we're wondering is will the operators take the next logical step?

And dispense Oreos and Gummy Bears along with the pot.

by Mondoreb
images: boingboing; weedtalk
Sources:
* Marijuana Vending Machines in U.S.
* Marijuana vending machines open today in California
* Video: ebaum'sworld



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

The Bill Richardson Platform: UFOs, Drugs and Iraq 'N' Roll

It's something that's often heard by second-tier candidates and their followers. "If only we could get our message out, people would be flocking to us". Fair enough. In an effort to help get one man's message out, we took a look at New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

What is Richarson's message? What can we do to help disseminate it?

We looked at dozens of Bill Richardson fund-raising letters and articles and tried to boil down what it was that made Richardson different from the others in the Democrat field. What we came up with was: UFOs, drugs and Iraq 'N' Roll.

The Bill Richardson Fascination with UFOs

There's no denying it: this is one issue that Governor Richardson has completely to himself. There is no one else trying to crowd him on the UFO political spectrum, either from the Left or the Right. While he does strike a chord with a certain crowd of Americans here, is this really a Presidential issue? Richardson's camp certainly thinks it is. And it garnered him some coverage this past weekend.




A look at Bill Richardson's UFO background:

Governor Richardson also served in the Clinton administration after
spending 14 years in the House of Representatives. He served one year as
Ambassador to the United Nations and two years as Secretary of Energy. He
then became a successful governor and participated in numerous foreign
missions. In a foreword to "The Roswell Dig Diaries" published in 2006 by
Pocket Books Governor Richardson wrote:

".....the mystery surrounding this crash (at Roswell) has never been
adequately explained - not by independent investigators, and not by the
U.S. government."

"It would help everyone if the U.S. government disclosed everything it
knows. With full disclosure and our best scientific investigation, we
should be able to find out what happened on that fateful day in July of
1947. The American people can handle the truth no matter how bizarre or
mundane, and contrary to what you see in the movies."

[Above photo: Richardson gets all three of his issues in one sentence when he vows that 'Iraq is not worth the life of one more pot-smoking space alien?']


Richardson's Plan to End the War in Iraq

The Richardson plan to end the War in Iraq can't be faulted for its complexity. Bill would just pack up and leave. al-Qaeda be hanged. In place of the U.S. Army Corps, he'd insert the U.S. dipolmatic corps. Richardson on Richardson ending the War in Iraq:

There are seven components to my plan to end the war and stabilize Iraq, but the most important step, upon which all others depend, is to remove ALL of our troops quickly.

What we need to do:

1-Remove ALL Troops:
Only when the Iraqis know we are leaving will they start seeing us as partners, instead of occupiers.
[Ed. note-That al-Qaeda will also see us as more of a partner after this step is not mentioned here.

2-Withdraw as Quickly as Possible: We should start redeploying now. The longer we stay, the more people die, the further the situation deteriorates, and the more damage we do both to our military and to our reputation. Only when we are out of this quagmire can we refocus on the real war against Al Qaeda -- the terrorists who attacked us on 9-11, and who are still headquartered along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border -- not in Iraq.
[Apparently, Richardson is privy to info the U.S. Government can't secure.]
[Members of the Richardson Diplomatic Surge Team?]

3-A Diplomatic Surge: Iraq's crisis is a political crisis. It cannot be solved militarily. We need a surge of diplomacy to bring Iraq's factions together, to engage all of Iraq's neighbors in stabilization, and to put together a coalition of donor nations to aid reconstruction. [Note: As effectively diplomacy is a matter of carrots and sticks, what's the stick here? That the U.S. will re-invade?]

4-De-authorize the War and Fund Redeployment: Last November, the American people voted for the Democrats because they expected them to end the war.

5-Lead a Regional and Global Diplomacy: The hard political work begins as our troops start to leave. We must use the leverage of our withdrawal to bring the factions to the negotiating table.
[Something akin to saying "I'm going to leverage my nose against that bully's fist to get him to quit hitting me".]

6-The United States must lead this effort and involve all of Iraq's neighbors, including Syria and Iran, in a regional conference modeled on the Dayton conference which ended the war in Bosnia. Key objectives of the conference should be assurances of non-interference and the creation of a multilateral, UN-led Muslim peacekeeping force.

7-We must also convene a donor conference of wealthy Arab states to fund Iraqi reconstruction. All of Iraq's neighbors have an interest in preventing Iraq's civil war from spiraling even further out of control, and they should all play a part in stopping the violence.

So basically, the Richardson Plan for ending the War in Iraq boils down to: we leave, talk nice and everyone lives happily ever after. He should be in the thick of the fight for the Extreme Left portion of the Code Pink vote with this plank.

It's easy to sit on the sidelines and snipe at the proposals of others, but this hodge-podge of Iraqi points, makes one wonder: Who's writing Richardson's material? He better get some help in that department--and fast.

Richardson And (Medical) Marijuana

This is the Richardson issue that DBKP can cheer. Save the money, save the human cost of one portion of the inane War on Drugs? We're not objective on this issue. So, we present a view from a disinterested observer.

More on Richardson's and medicinal marijuana from Washington Post:

SANTA FE, N.M. -- Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, poised to sign a bill making New Mexico the 12th state to legalize medical marijuana, said Thursday he realizes his action could become an issue in the presidential race.

"So what if it's risky? It's the right thing to do," said Richardson, one of the candidates in the crowded 2008 field. "What we're talking about is 160 people in deep pain. It only affects them."

Richardson has supported the proposal since he first ran in 2002. But he pushed especially hard for it this year, leaning on some Democrats to change their votes after the bill initially failed.

"Give him credit. It's not something you do because you're going to garner great political support for it. It is a bit controversial," said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington. By the same token, Mann says, it is not likely to hurt him in the Democratic contests.

"If he were to surprise us all and actually win the Democratic nomination, he's got an interesting mix of positions" that would not be undercut by his support of medical marijuana, Mann said.

So this is Bill Richardson's message in the nutshell. Is this an unfair portrayal? Not if one listens to the candidate's own words.

Bill Richardson's message seems to be a collection of niche messages to niche groups. That's enough to snag the 2-4% support that many polls give him. The mainstream finds his issues wanting.

Some candidates are second-tier for a reason. The problem is not that their message isn't getting out: it's that it is. We said at the beginning of this piece.

"Bill Richarson: UFOs, Drugs and Iraq 'N' Roll."



by Mondoreb
& Little Baby Ginn
[images: file photos and e-graphics]



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