It doesnt look anything remotely relating to hemp.
Well it's no Hibiscus cannabinus, but the leaf structure is arguably closer than that of Potentilla pulcherrima.
I think I've heard about that book Trogdor. Doesn't it say something like alcohol kills 100,000 people every year while marijuana's never killed anybody?
What the book says is: "According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the chronic use of booze is associated with approximately 35,000 deaths per year". It also says that cannabis alone has never directly killed anyone because "in moderate and even heavy doses, cannabinoids are virtually non-toxic to healthy cells and human organs".
It also explains, in 2 pages with 6 references, how "Marijuana intoxication plays, at most, a minor role in traffic injuries."
THE PROBLEM with Wisconsin's law is that it unfairly targets cannabis users by requiring that drivers with "a detectable amount of methamphetamine, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his or her blood" be assessed additional penalties. NEWS FLASH: delta-9-THC can stay in your blood for up to a month. It's entirely possible that the guy who killed your brother (which is tragic and I'm sorry for your loss) wasn't even under the influence of cannabis at the time and got hosed into a harsher penalty. I don't know the circumstances. Even if he was, drivers who use cannabis and are significantly impaired are aware of their impairment, and if they decide to drive anyway and cause a death, well, there's already a law for that and it's called "negligent vehicular homicide". Would you be as pissed off at opiates if your brother was killed by Granny Arthritis nodding off? Would you be pissed at benadryl if Mr. Seasonal-Allergies drowsied his car into your brother's? Probably, and I'm sorry. Anyway, it's high time we stop legislating responsibility. If the punishment for negligent vehicular homicide isn't enough, then fix that law and leave us responsible cannabis users alone.
The intent of "Marijuana is SAFER" can be summed up pretty well by the following statement from pages 129-130:
"We can do this by explaining how the prohibition of marijuana, a recreational alternative that is less harmful than alcohol, is literally driving Americans to drink. In turn, the widespread - and encouraged - use of alcohol increases the likelihood of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other forms of violence and is producing serious negative health outcomes, including overdose deaths. In other words, our current laws are perpetuating a society that is demonstrably less safe for our sons and daughters."
Here's 8 different articles on driving & cannabis (from Granny Storm Crow's list - email:
[email protected] ):
Abstracts of several studies
Cannabis Research - driving and testing
Cannabis and driving
Cannabis and driving
CANNABIS AND ROAD SAFETY
CANNABIS AND ROAD SAFETY: AN OUTLINE OF THE RESEARCH STUDIES TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON DRIVING SKILLS AND ON ACTUAL DRIVING PERFORMANCE
Marijuana And Actual Driving Performance
Marijuana And Actual Driving Performance
Cannabis and Driving: A Scientific and Rational Review
Cannabis and Driving: A Scientific and Rational Review - NORML
Fitness to drive in spite (because) of THC
Unbound MEDLINE | [Fitness to drive in spite (because) of THC] Journal article
Drivers With THC in their Blood Have Only a Small Increased Risk to Cause an Accident
http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20051211175543874
The effect of cannabis compared with alcohol on driving.
Unbound MEDLINE | The effect of cannabis compared with alcohol on driving. Journal article