Page 11 - the NOISE December 2012

By CINDy J. COLE
ILLUS By kIkI LATTIMER
NEwSREcAp
CHEMTRAILS:
The chemtrails debate is still raging, both locally and nationally. On any given day in Se- dona, one can observe the crisscrossed streaks across the sky that are left by overflying aircraft and linger for hours, long after the aircraft is gone. For those of you who have already seen Michael J. Murphy’s film What In the World Are They Spraying, you might want to check out his follow-up film released in the fall – WHY In the World Are They Spraying.
Interestingly, the documentary discusses the use of HAARP (High Frequency Active Au- roral Research Program) to manipulate the weather and how chemtrails might be used in conjunction with HAARP to change weather. The film also discusses Project Stormfury which was conducted between 1962 and 1983 by the US government. This was an experiment to see if tropical cyclones could be effected by flying aircraft into them and seeding with silver io- dide.
Just weeks after the release of this film, Hur- ricane Sandy bombarded the East Coast with the worst storm ever recorded. Several experts discuss how aerosols in the atmosphere can be used to increase the violence and severity of hurricanes and other storms. There is a great deal of Internet speculation that chemtrails were used to both intensify and direct the storm, and not just a small amount of visual evi- dence from radar sequences support this idea.
In the film, the manipulation of weather us- ing chemtrails is also tied into the development of Genetically Modified (GMO) crops. Accusa- tions that geoengineering of weather is being used to create drought and crop failure around the world so that land can be grabbed up by corporate interests and used to introduce GMO crops to a region are also discussed.
GMOS:
Demands for labeling of GMO foods in the United States took a major hit with the failure of California’s Proposition 37 in November’s elections. Prop 37 would have required retail- ers and food companies in California to label foods to alert consumers they contain geneti- cally modified ingredients.
Millions of dollars poured into campaigns both for and against Prop 37 — mostly from sources outside of California. GMO labeling advocates around the country had high hopes that, if labeling could be enacted in one state, others would soon follow. However, anti-la- beling supporters such as Monsanto, Kellogg, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo contrib- uted over $44 million, compared to the “Yes on 37” campaigns meager $7.3 million. The results of this financial imbalance were apparent in California, especially in the days immediately before the election.
Opponents of Prop 37 bombarded Califor- nia’s citizens with campaign ads claiming that passage would harm consumers by forcing
higher prices and would also be damaging to small farmers and locally owned businesses. The measure was defeated 53 to 47 percent.
However, the failure of Prop 37 may still have an upside. Michael Pollan, a healthy food activ- ist and author of books such as Food Rules and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, was happy to see the GMO foods issue get so much attention. He stated that “Prop 37 has ignited precisely the kind of debate — about the risks and benefits of genetically modified food; about transpar- ency and the consumer’s right to know — that Monsanto and its allies have managed to stifle in Washington for nearly two decades.”
China, Saudi Arabia, India, South Korea, sev- eral European Union nations, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and Chile are just a few of the countries that already require GMO foods to be labeled. Corporate interests in the US continue to keep us behind the times on this issue but maybe the awareness brought about by Prop 37 will create more demand for label- ing in the future.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA:
Arizona’s first medical marijuana dispensary may be open for business in just a few weeks. State health regulators have issued their first
“approval to operate” to Arizona Organix, locat- ed in Glendale. The company was put through a long and grueling inspection but was given the go-ahead by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Equipped with reinforced walls to prevent drive-through break-ins, se- curity cameras in every corner, and bulletproof windows, the dispensary’s owners Bill and Ben Meyer “want to make sure there isn’t any trou- ble.” But the trouble might not come from rob- bers and recreational marijuana users after all. The state is still embroiled in the controversy over whether the state law can allow medical use of marijuana while federal law still deems any use of the herb illegal. Arizona Organix may never even see its first patient because a judge could still rule that the state law is invalid.
Still another aspect of Arizona Organix’ ap- proval for operation is that it will disallow self- cultivation for medical marijuana users within 25 miles of the dispensary. ADHS Director William Humble stated that “we’ll be declining new ‘requests to cultivate’ among new card- holders in most of the metro area ... because self-grow is only allowed when the patient lives more than 25 miles from the nearest dispensa- ry. The vast majority of the Valley is within 25 miles of this new dispensary.’ Current self-grow cardholders will lose their right to grow mari- juana when their cards expire. Mr. Humble has confirmed that the earliest of those cards will expire in April.
While the licensing of the first dispensary in the state is certainly a landmark in the imple- mentation of medical marijuana laws, it is not without opposition. Current medical marijua- na cardholders are anticipating big price tags at the state authorized dispensaries and are la- menting the loss of the right to grow their own plants. Some are even renewing their cards early so that they can take advantage of the longer expiration date.
The state anticipates that prices may be high at the first few dispensaries due to lack of com- petition. But Humble expects that will change as additional dispensaries open their doors. There are currently 33,600 medical marijuana users in Arizona. A year from now, less than 5,000 of them are expected to be allowed to continue to grow their own plants.
A dispensary in Tucson will likely be licensed by the end of November.
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