Just posted new videos on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jeffreymfox
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Legislation seeks to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania
Legislation seeks to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania By Larissa Theodore, Times Staff Published: Sunday, May 17, 2009 11:47 PM EDTA
Pennsylvania legislator has introduced a bill that would allow the sick and suffering to legally use small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes.State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, said he introduced the bill because it seemed, after talking to people, that marijuana had a legitimate use in easing the pain and suffering of patients diagnosed with life-threatening or painful illnesses. For Cohen, the sensitive issue also hits close to home. His father died four years ago with Crohn’s disease and glaucoma. Evidence has shown marijuana is helpful in treating both conditions, he said.Medical marijuana was legally prescribed for many years in the United States until prohibition and there is now a stigma attached, Cohen said. He said it’s time to stop criminalizing people suffering from a painful disease or a treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy.“Today, tens of millions of people use marijuana. Making it illegal has clearly not stopped the flow of it. If anything, it’s increased it. Make it legal for those who can use it for legitimate medical purposes.”Benjamin Wilhelm, president of Western Pennsylvania NORML, a Baden-based advocacy group that tries to spread awareness and educate the public about marijuana, said he wholeheartedly supports the bill. He says he has been in contact with people who say medical marijuana would take the edge off and help ease their condition. He said many prescription medications that people take don’t cure patient conditions.“The medication that they give you for those types of conditions can hold you back in a lot of the way you live your life,” Wilhelm said. “They’re often a lot more dangerous and destructive to your body and your system than marijuana would be.”For example, Dilaudid — prescribed to patients such as those with multiple sclerosis — is a narcotic pain-relieving drug with adverse side effects that can include withdrawal symptoms, respiratory depression, seizure and cardiac arrest, according to the Food and Drug Administration.Center Township Police Chief Barry Kramer, who is against decriminalization, said he believes legalizing marijuana for medical purposes will only introduce more users into society. He said alcohol use has increased since 1933, when prohibition was repealed, and is now the number one drug problem in the United States. Kramer said the same can happen with marijuana. He said there will always be ways to circumvent the system to get the drug. For example, in California, where medical marijuana has been legal, Kramer said people who might not need it are finding ways to get prescriptions.And with legalized usage come other issues, he said, such as dependency, crime, and introducing nonusers to the drug-user culture.“I think that these bills fail to see a lot of the peripheral effects of making something legal or decriminalizing.”Whether or not marijuana is physically addictive has been disputed by advocates.Cohen said there are 35,000 marijuana arrests in Pennsylvania each year, many of whom are people suffering from a painful condition. He believes if marijuana was legal for the sick, it would lose its appeal as a recreational drug.“Once passed, this would seriously protect patients who really need it from arrest,” Derek Rosenzweig, co-chairman of Philly NORML and an advocate for Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana. “If they’re within state law, the chances of them getting arrested are slim to none.”Rosenzweig and Wilhelm are urging supporters to call or write to their legislators.Cohen said the bill, which has six co-sponsors, needs 102 votes in the state House and 26 votes in the Senate to pass. The bill is currently in committee with the Health and Human Services.“I personally think Pennsylvania doesn’t have to wait and be the last state. We have shown we can recognize a good idea. We don’t have to wait until all 49 other states have done it,” Cohen said.Larissa Theodore can be reached online at ltheodore@timesonline.com.LOCAL LEGISLATORS SKEPTICAL Sen. Elder Vogel Jr., R-47, New Sewickley Township, said he hasn’t had time to review all aspects of the bill and couldn’t comment one way or the other.“There are other things in Harrisburg that are more important right now than legalizing marijuana,” Vogel said.Rep. Jim Christiana, R-15, Beaver, said he doesn’t think this is a political debate that state government should be involved in.“The FDA has not approved it, and that’s the first step in legalizing it.”Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14, Big Beaver, said unless he hears some overwhelming support from the district, he would likely vote against the bill.“My gut feeling would be that I would not support it. ... I’ve heard that chemically, carcinogens in marijuana are the same that are in tobacco. Inhaling could cause lung cancer or other internal damage.”A message left for Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Ambridge, was not returned.Personal experienceA former local woman agreed to speak with The Times about her use of marijuana as a treatment for Bipolar Type I disorder on condition of anonymity.On some nights, she said, she is jolted awake by panic attacks and heart palpitations. A couple drags from a marijuana pipe and a prescription Xanax are usually enough to calm her nerves and allow her to get back to sleep.Now in her 30s, the woman said marijuana has benefited her many times when prescription medication has failed. She has been prescribed Xanax since her late teens and says she is now addicted to it. She has been on a number of other medications over the years that she said didn’t work. Today, her medications include Lexapro and Geodon, used to treat anxiety and major depressive disorders, and Prilosec to combat stomach problems and nausea.She said nothing works better than pot. It stops her nausea.“But they want me to take this addictive drug,” she said. “If I lived in a state that allowed medical marijuana, I would be a candidate for it.”She said marijuana has helped ease not only her anxiety, but also her horrible stomach problems. But it’s not something she would readily tell her doctors, she said.“I don’t want to be put in that (drug-abuser) category,” she said.H.B. 1393
Cohen’s H.B. 1393 would allow anyone with a “debilitating medical condition,” including people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, Crohn’s disease, severe nausea, muscle spasms or a condition for which treatment produces severe or chronic pain, to use small amounts of medicinal marijuana.
The bill would bring Pennsylvania in line with 13 other states where prescription cannabis is legal. Neighboring New York and New Jersey, along with Illinois, Minnesota and New Hampshire, are considering similar bills.
People in Pennsylvania under Cohen’s proposal would have to go through the normal process of being diagnosed with a written record and certification from a doctor. Patients would need to apply to the state Department of Health for an identification card.
Once approved, patients would be allowed to purchase, grow or possess no more than six plants and have up to one ounce of marijuana in their personal stash at one time. Nonprofit “compassion centers,” would legally sell the medical marijuana. All sales would be subject to Pennsylvania’s 6 percent sales tax, and buyers would have to pay an annual $50 state fee. Cohen said the bill would generate millions of dollars for Pennsylvania.
http://phillynorml.org/forum/index.php?topic=808
Pennsylvania legislator has introduced a bill that would allow the sick and suffering to legally use small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes.State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, said he introduced the bill because it seemed, after talking to people, that marijuana had a legitimate use in easing the pain and suffering of patients diagnosed with life-threatening or painful illnesses. For Cohen, the sensitive issue also hits close to home. His father died four years ago with Crohn’s disease and glaucoma. Evidence has shown marijuana is helpful in treating both conditions, he said.Medical marijuana was legally prescribed for many years in the United States until prohibition and there is now a stigma attached, Cohen said. He said it’s time to stop criminalizing people suffering from a painful disease or a treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy.“Today, tens of millions of people use marijuana. Making it illegal has clearly not stopped the flow of it. If anything, it’s increased it. Make it legal for those who can use it for legitimate medical purposes.”Benjamin Wilhelm, president of Western Pennsylvania NORML, a Baden-based advocacy group that tries to spread awareness and educate the public about marijuana, said he wholeheartedly supports the bill. He says he has been in contact with people who say medical marijuana would take the edge off and help ease their condition. He said many prescription medications that people take don’t cure patient conditions.“The medication that they give you for those types of conditions can hold you back in a lot of the way you live your life,” Wilhelm said. “They’re often a lot more dangerous and destructive to your body and your system than marijuana would be.”For example, Dilaudid — prescribed to patients such as those with multiple sclerosis — is a narcotic pain-relieving drug with adverse side effects that can include withdrawal symptoms, respiratory depression, seizure and cardiac arrest, according to the Food and Drug Administration.Center Township Police Chief Barry Kramer, who is against decriminalization, said he believes legalizing marijuana for medical purposes will only introduce more users into society. He said alcohol use has increased since 1933, when prohibition was repealed, and is now the number one drug problem in the United States. Kramer said the same can happen with marijuana. He said there will always be ways to circumvent the system to get the drug. For example, in California, where medical marijuana has been legal, Kramer said people who might not need it are finding ways to get prescriptions.And with legalized usage come other issues, he said, such as dependency, crime, and introducing nonusers to the drug-user culture.“I think that these bills fail to see a lot of the peripheral effects of making something legal or decriminalizing.”Whether or not marijuana is physically addictive has been disputed by advocates.Cohen said there are 35,000 marijuana arrests in Pennsylvania each year, many of whom are people suffering from a painful condition. He believes if marijuana was legal for the sick, it would lose its appeal as a recreational drug.“Once passed, this would seriously protect patients who really need it from arrest,” Derek Rosenzweig, co-chairman of Philly NORML and an advocate for Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana. “If they’re within state law, the chances of them getting arrested are slim to none.”Rosenzweig and Wilhelm are urging supporters to call or write to their legislators.Cohen said the bill, which has six co-sponsors, needs 102 votes in the state House and 26 votes in the Senate to pass. The bill is currently in committee with the Health and Human Services.“I personally think Pennsylvania doesn’t have to wait and be the last state. We have shown we can recognize a good idea. We don’t have to wait until all 49 other states have done it,” Cohen said.Larissa Theodore can be reached online at ltheodore@timesonline.com.LOCAL LEGISLATORS SKEPTICAL Sen. Elder Vogel Jr., R-47, New Sewickley Township, said he hasn’t had time to review all aspects of the bill and couldn’t comment one way or the other.“There are other things in Harrisburg that are more important right now than legalizing marijuana,” Vogel said.Rep. Jim Christiana, R-15, Beaver, said he doesn’t think this is a political debate that state government should be involved in.“The FDA has not approved it, and that’s the first step in legalizing it.”Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14, Big Beaver, said unless he hears some overwhelming support from the district, he would likely vote against the bill.“My gut feeling would be that I would not support it. ... I’ve heard that chemically, carcinogens in marijuana are the same that are in tobacco. Inhaling could cause lung cancer or other internal damage.”A message left for Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Ambridge, was not returned.Personal experienceA former local woman agreed to speak with The Times about her use of marijuana as a treatment for Bipolar Type I disorder on condition of anonymity.On some nights, she said, she is jolted awake by panic attacks and heart palpitations. A couple drags from a marijuana pipe and a prescription Xanax are usually enough to calm her nerves and allow her to get back to sleep.Now in her 30s, the woman said marijuana has benefited her many times when prescription medication has failed. She has been prescribed Xanax since her late teens and says she is now addicted to it. She has been on a number of other medications over the years that she said didn’t work. Today, her medications include Lexapro and Geodon, used to treat anxiety and major depressive disorders, and Prilosec to combat stomach problems and nausea.She said nothing works better than pot. It stops her nausea.“But they want me to take this addictive drug,” she said. “If I lived in a state that allowed medical marijuana, I would be a candidate for it.”She said marijuana has helped ease not only her anxiety, but also her horrible stomach problems. But it’s not something she would readily tell her doctors, she said.“I don’t want to be put in that (drug-abuser) category,” she said.H.B. 1393
Cohen’s H.B. 1393 would allow anyone with a “debilitating medical condition,” including people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, Crohn’s disease, severe nausea, muscle spasms or a condition for which treatment produces severe or chronic pain, to use small amounts of medicinal marijuana.
The bill would bring Pennsylvania in line with 13 other states where prescription cannabis is legal. Neighboring New York and New Jersey, along with Illinois, Minnesota and New Hampshire, are considering similar bills.
People in Pennsylvania under Cohen’s proposal would have to go through the normal process of being diagnosed with a written record and certification from a doctor. Patients would need to apply to the state Department of Health for an identification card.
Once approved, patients would be allowed to purchase, grow or possess no more than six plants and have up to one ounce of marijuana in their personal stash at one time. Nonprofit “compassion centers,” would legally sell the medical marijuana. All sales would be subject to Pennsylvania’s 6 percent sales tax, and buyers would have to pay an annual $50 state fee. Cohen said the bill would generate millions of dollars for Pennsylvania.
http://phillynorml.org/forum/index.php?topic=808
Monday, November 2, 2009
You Tube link and videos
I just created a You tube account to host all of my gig and jamming videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jeffreymfox
http://www.youtube.com/user/jeffreymfox
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
New pictures of my daughter
I just put up new pictures and videos of Jennifer
http://jenniferskylarfox.com/pictures/2009/july09/
http://jenniferskylarfox.com/pictures/2009/july09/
Monday, July 13, 2009
Jennifer Skylar Fox: New pictures
I just added new pictures to Jennifer's website
www.jenniferskylarfox.com/pictures/2009/july09
www.jenniferskylarfox.com/pictures/2009/july09
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lebanon Daily News: Medical Pot More Than Pipe Dream
Daily News
MEDICAL POT MORE THAN PIPE DREAM by Rick Methot, (Source:Lebanon Daily News)
writeNewsItems();
Regional News
Check State Laws18 Jun 2009
Share This Article Pennsylvania-------My friend from the "old neighborhood" sent me an e-mail with an attachment. I detest attachments. My aging computer chokes and gags on them, so I'm a little gun shy. I was hesitant, but I opened the darn thing. It was a pitch from my friend Bill to legalize marijuana. Why, Bill, you old "head," and of course I'll bong-bond with you ( dream on ) and watch your Mets games, reminding you that the '62 team was the worst ever, eat M&Ms by the bushel and drive home at 5 miles an hour with a buzz looking for the nearest White Castle and a bag of grease-bomb burgers. Got the munchies, man. But you want to make pot cool with the heat? One toke over the line, pal. Full disclosure: I tried pot back in the early 60s -- when we really had good music and the East Village wasn't trampled by tourists. We pulled the blinds and hunkered around a water pipe, a great pretender circle to summon up the magical powers of Mary-J-Wanna. A few puffs gave me a raging headache, and that was it for me, I went back to cheap six packs of beer for my high, plus it was legal. Forget the bong thing. It was my first and last experience with reefer madness -- 40 plus years ago. But here it is, 2009; he's pushing 60 and wants the weed. However, it's not like he sees a far-out country full of dazed, stoned soul picnickers, but the legalization has a caveat, for medical use only. Some might argue that all grass is for medical use, "it makes me feel good, dude," but in this case it's the legit use of a controlled substance, like prescription drugs, to ease the pain and suffering. In Bill's case, it's multiple sclerosis, one of the conditions that would allow use of cannabis along with cancer, AIDS, seizures, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or any other malady a doctor says makes a point for a joint. My friend has dealt with MS for about a dozen years and is doing remarkably well, all things considered. He's still a business exec but looking for a decent retirement package. We make one or two saltwater fishing trips this time of year, but at day's end he's wobbly afoot, and his hands can't be willed to perform the tasks he once took for granted. His wife doesn't want him to take the boat out alone, but he does. The dream dies hard in most of us. Despite the myriad of meds, he's still game for a few "shooters" with the boys apres fishing and the annual MS walk that begins and ends at a popular bar at the Jersey Shore each spring. Bill's right there with a hot dog and cold beer after the 6-mile trek. His team is captained by his daughter. We walk; he rides his bike these days. Some make it in wheelchairs. Any person who has a serious health problem will repeat the cliche, "there are good days and bad days." A lot of folks believe there would be more of the former if marijuana becomes legal. In my book it's called compassion, and it's the right thing to do. I realize there are some who still cling to the idea that it's not the message we want to send to our children; that pot it OK ... sometimes. But if you believe you can shelter your kids from what's being sold out of high-school lockers, you're living in fantasy land. Remember Prohibition? Beer was illegal. Seems kind of silly now, doesn't it? In New Jersey, where Bill and I live, medical-marijuana legislation is gaining support. An assembly committee has cleared it for further action. Last I heard it would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow the use of the weed, home-grown stuff in some cases, for severe medical conditions. Last month, Rep. Mark Cohen ( D-Philadelphia ) introduced a bill to protect Keystone State citizens from the cops if they use marijuana under a doctor's consent. I think it will pass in Jersey. I'm not so sure about the General Assembly of Pennsylvania. I'm not for legalizing drugs across the table, but as my colleague Jeff Edelstein writes in his newspaper column, it's a bit disingenuous to have politicians, including the current president of the United States, admit to prior pot smoking while the police are putting people in jail for the same thing. But unlike Jeff, I'm not a proponent for lifting all restrictions on marijuana, but the time is right to allow it for people who live in physical pain on a daily basis. Besides, I always wanted to see if pot could grow in the backyard. Here's hoping Bill has a green thumb. And has a long life of better days as a result.
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom
http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v09/n634/a08.html
MEDICAL POT MORE THAN PIPE DREAM by Rick Methot, (Source:Lebanon Daily News)
writeNewsItems();
Regional News
Check State Laws18 Jun 2009
Share This Article Pennsylvania-------My friend from the "old neighborhood" sent me an e-mail with an attachment. I detest attachments. My aging computer chokes and gags on them, so I'm a little gun shy. I was hesitant, but I opened the darn thing. It was a pitch from my friend Bill to legalize marijuana. Why, Bill, you old "head," and of course I'll bong-bond with you ( dream on ) and watch your Mets games, reminding you that the '62 team was the worst ever, eat M&Ms by the bushel and drive home at 5 miles an hour with a buzz looking for the nearest White Castle and a bag of grease-bomb burgers. Got the munchies, man. But you want to make pot cool with the heat? One toke over the line, pal. Full disclosure: I tried pot back in the early 60s -- when we really had good music and the East Village wasn't trampled by tourists. We pulled the blinds and hunkered around a water pipe, a great pretender circle to summon up the magical powers of Mary-J-Wanna. A few puffs gave me a raging headache, and that was it for me, I went back to cheap six packs of beer for my high, plus it was legal. Forget the bong thing. It was my first and last experience with reefer madness -- 40 plus years ago. But here it is, 2009; he's pushing 60 and wants the weed. However, it's not like he sees a far-out country full of dazed, stoned soul picnickers, but the legalization has a caveat, for medical use only. Some might argue that all grass is for medical use, "it makes me feel good, dude," but in this case it's the legit use of a controlled substance, like prescription drugs, to ease the pain and suffering. In Bill's case, it's multiple sclerosis, one of the conditions that would allow use of cannabis along with cancer, AIDS, seizures, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or any other malady a doctor says makes a point for a joint. My friend has dealt with MS for about a dozen years and is doing remarkably well, all things considered. He's still a business exec but looking for a decent retirement package. We make one or two saltwater fishing trips this time of year, but at day's end he's wobbly afoot, and his hands can't be willed to perform the tasks he once took for granted. His wife doesn't want him to take the boat out alone, but he does. The dream dies hard in most of us. Despite the myriad of meds, he's still game for a few "shooters" with the boys apres fishing and the annual MS walk that begins and ends at a popular bar at the Jersey Shore each spring. Bill's right there with a hot dog and cold beer after the 6-mile trek. His team is captained by his daughter. We walk; he rides his bike these days. Some make it in wheelchairs. Any person who has a serious health problem will repeat the cliche, "there are good days and bad days." A lot of folks believe there would be more of the former if marijuana becomes legal. In my book it's called compassion, and it's the right thing to do. I realize there are some who still cling to the idea that it's not the message we want to send to our children; that pot it OK ... sometimes. But if you believe you can shelter your kids from what's being sold out of high-school lockers, you're living in fantasy land. Remember Prohibition? Beer was illegal. Seems kind of silly now, doesn't it? In New Jersey, where Bill and I live, medical-marijuana legislation is gaining support. An assembly committee has cleared it for further action. Last I heard it would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow the use of the weed, home-grown stuff in some cases, for severe medical conditions. Last month, Rep. Mark Cohen ( D-Philadelphia ) introduced a bill to protect Keystone State citizens from the cops if they use marijuana under a doctor's consent. I think it will pass in Jersey. I'm not so sure about the General Assembly of Pennsylvania. I'm not for legalizing drugs across the table, but as my colleague Jeff Edelstein writes in his newspaper column, it's a bit disingenuous to have politicians, including the current president of the United States, admit to prior pot smoking while the police are putting people in jail for the same thing. But unlike Jeff, I'm not a proponent for lifting all restrictions on marijuana, but the time is right to allow it for people who live in physical pain on a daily basis. Besides, I always wanted to see if pot could grow in the backyard. Here's hoping Bill has a green thumb. And has a long life of better days as a result.
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom
http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v09/n634/a08.html
medical-marijuana bill in Pa. House
Cohen proposing medical-marijuana bill in Pa. House
HARRISBURG - State Rep. Mark Cohen (D., Phila.) said yesterday that he was introducing a bill to permit the use of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania under certain restrictions.
Cohen said that people in pain should not be forced to choose between moving out of state for treatment or buying drugs from criminals. The bill has only six cosponsors, but Cohen said he was optimistic about its prospects because polls show high levels of public support and lawmakers have to respond to their constituents. - AP
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20090430_Cohen_proposing_medical-marijuana_bill_in_Pa__House.html
HARRISBURG - State Rep. Mark Cohen (D., Phila.) said yesterday that he was introducing a bill to permit the use of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania under certain restrictions.
Cohen said that people in pain should not be forced to choose between moving out of state for treatment or buying drugs from criminals. The bill has only six cosponsors, but Cohen said he was optimistic about its prospects because polls show high levels of public support and lawmakers have to respond to their constituents. - AP
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20090430_Cohen_proposing_medical-marijuana_bill_in_Pa__House.html
Monday, June 15, 2009
Fran O'Hanlon Lafayette College Head coach and Jeff Fox
Fran O'Hanlon Lafayette College Head coach. Saturday June 13th billy lake basketball 2009
Phil Martelli St Joe's Head coach and Jeff Fox
Phil Martelli St Joe's Head coach
Saturday June 13th billy lake basketball 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
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