Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA) Copyright: 2009 Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact: http://newsreview.com/sacto/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540 Author: Brent Bomia HEMP STIMULUS Re "Buzz kill" by R.V. Scheide (SN&R Race to the Bottom, February 12): As a longtime reader of SN&R, I have to say that the level of journalism is at a low point in regards to this article. Mr. Scheide comes off like he's making fun of the patients that find benefit in using medical marijuana, saying he's "suffering from hope famine." Maybe he's referring to his dwindling emotions on his abilities to write an article worthy of SN&R. Couldn't Mr. Scheide have simply stated that the benefits from marijuana/hemp could help President [Barack] Obama with the "worst hand ever dealt" to an incoming president? [There's] the fact that in European countries factories are being built with hemp blocks, that the introduction of hemp as a new market would help reduce the mass deficit the country is now enduring, the fact that marijuana has been in use as a medical treatment for hundreds of afflictions since the ancient Chinese, [and] the fact that California's state law on use of medical marijuana has set trends on this issue that 11 other states have followed in similar fashion. I have no doubt that the current administration will do what is expected, which in this case will be to stop federal raids on cannabis dispensaries. Give Obama a chance. He's the best shot we had in the last election, period. Brent Bomia via e-mail - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin