NORML’s Reefer Madness Du Jour: Bad Journalism 101

Ummm…if marijuana was deemed not responsible for Mr. Lewis’ death, why the lead in the headline regarding marijuana?

C-L-A-S-S-I-C media Reefer Madness!

Coroner’s report: Lewis had marijuana in system

Feb 04, 2010 1:21 PM
INSIDE 14WFIE.com

OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) – USI basketball player Jeron Lewis died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to the final report issued by the Daviess County coroner.

Toxicology tests showed Lewis also had marijuana in his system when he collapsed in a game against Kentucky Wesleyan January 14.  There is no evidence the marijuana contributed to his death, however.

Lewis fell to the floor at the Owensboro Sportscenter late in the game.  He went into cardiac arrest and died on the way to the Owensboro Medical Health System emergency room.

Daviess County coroner Bob Howe conducted an autopsy the day after Lewis died and indicated that the senior from Ft. Wayne had an enlarged heart.

The final report, issued Thursday, confirmed that Lewis’ death came as a result of a previously unknown heart condition.

NORML SHOW LIVE Saturday night: Reefer Madness Special!

This Saturday night at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific), “Radical” Russ takes on all the top lies told by prohibitionists for a two-hour “Reefer Madness” special on NORML SHOW LIVE! From the idea that today’s pot “is not your father’s Woodstock Weed” to claims of schizophrenia, psychosis, cancer, lung disease, birth defects, and even “man boobs” being caused by marijuana use, to the latest scare that taxes from legalized marijuana would not cover the public health costs of marijuana, “Radical” Russ breaks them all down and gives you the simple replies you need to easily win the debate. We’re taking your calls all show long at 347-994-1810; ask us your reefer madness questions and we’ll give you the science that debunks it.

You can listen to the show LIVE Saturday at 9pm using the player on the right, which will also give you access to our archived shows from Madison Harvest Fest and NORML CON in San Francisco, or just by visiting http://live.norml.org.  You can also subscribe to the archived shows as a podcast through iTunes.

Next week on NORML SHOW LIVE we’ll bring you exclusive live access to the Cypress Hill Smokeout in San Bernadino, California, featuring Cypress Hill, the DefTones, SlipKnot, Kottonmouth Kings, and the first ever reunion of the band Sublime with their new lead singer.  Steve Bloom and I will be on hand, as well as Ed Rosenthal, Adrienne Curry, Ngaio Bealum, Tommy Chong, Alison Margolin, and many others, plus surprise guests I’m not allowed to mention.

Please check out the show every Saturday night and mark as us a favorite on BlogTalkRadio.

From the Stash: “Stoners in the Mist” – More prejudiced propaganda from ONDCP

Please enjoy this post from NORML podcaster ‘Radical’ Russ Belville, from the NORML Daily Audio Stash blog:

The latest prejudicial stereotyping of cannabis consumers comes as part of the ONCDP’s “Above the Influence” ad campaign. It is a website and interactive Flash video called “Stoners in the Mist”, and it copies the look and feel of a National Geographic-style safari documentary, complete with a white-mustachioed “explorer” in a pith helmet introducing us to the hunt for his elusive prey:

Stoners in the Mist | Fun | AboveTheInfluence.com

It is a beautiful day. And while most people are out and about enjoying friends, activities, life in general…the creature that we seek is sedentary, uninspired, and remarkably unmotivated. My associate and I are in search of the lair of a magnificent specimen: the mature stoner.

Oh, goody! I wonder which mature, sedentary, uninspired, unmotivated stoner he’s seeking out? Ricky Williams, that former NFL running back? That guy is so lazy, what with his two-a-day workouts, yoga, and 3% body fat. Willie Nelson? Yup, there’s a mature stoner who never amounted to anything. Montel Williams? Talk about amotivational syndrome, hosting a TV show and running an MS foundation! Too bad Carl Sagan is dead, because there you had one completely uninspired stoner.

In this interactive feature, we will explore and attempt to explain the social interactions and natural responses of this elusive and baffling creature. I am your host, Barnard Puck and this… is Stoners in the Mist.

Apparently, “Dr.” Puck and his assistant have no problem being peeping Toms. Well, this should be fun. More screenshots and offensive stereotypes follow after the jump…

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Reefer Madness, Old World Style

The British press enjoys a cozier relationship with their government than their American counterparts. Perhaps this is the reason why the British media has campaigned shoulder to shoulder with Parliament to recriminalize cannabis — just four years after bureaucrats made its possession a verbal infraction.

Just last week, NORML reported on a BBC television reporter’s absurd ‘documentary’ that purportedly showed the “dramatic” and “unpleasant” effects of marijuana by injecting herself with pure THC on film-a manner of administering cannabis that no recreational user would ever engage in.

With this in mind, we were hardly surprised to see this recent headline from across the Atlantic: Cannabis-smoking mum stabbed herself to death. Never mind that she was on meth and thought her dog was talking to her.

Excerpts after the jump. (more…)