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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.  We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below). 

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy

offsite link Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy

offsite link It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy

offsite link Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left

offsite link Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Fifteen Year-Old Swiss Girl Taken into Care After Parents Refuse to Consent to Course of Puberty Blo... Wed Jul 24, 2024 15:00 | Dr Frederick Attenborough
A Swiss girl has been been taken into care because her parents stopped her taking puberty blockers, breaching a ban on conversion therapy. Is this what Labour means by a "full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices"?
The post Fifteen Year-Old Swiss Girl Taken into Care After Parents Refuse to Consent to Course of Puberty Blockers appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Net Zero is Impoverishing the West and Enriching China Wed Jul 24, 2024 13:30 | Will Jones
The West's headlong rush to jettison fossil fuels and hit 'Net Zero' CO2 emissions is impoverishing us while enriching China, which is ramping up its coal-fired industry to sell us all the 'green' technology.
The post Net Zero is Impoverishing the West and Enriching China appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Threat to Democracy Wed Jul 24, 2024 11:29 | James Alexander
'Populists' like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are a "threat to democracy", chant the mainstream media. In fact, they are just reminding our politicians what they are supposed to be doing, says Prof James Alexander.
The post The Threat to Democracy appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link In the Latest Weekly Sceptic, Nick Dixon and Toby Young Talk About Biden?s Withdrawal, Kamala Harris... Wed Jul 24, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
In the latest Weekly Sceptic, the talking points are whether Biden was the victim of a palace coup, Kamala Harris's staggeringly bad speeches and Kim Cheatle's humiliation.
The post In the Latest Weekly Sceptic, Nick Dixon and Toby Young Talk About Biden?s Withdrawal, Kamala Harris?s Chances and the Kim Cheatle?s Shame appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Wanted: Climate Researcher to Write Extreme Weather Just-So Stories to Serve Up to Credulous Media Wed Jul 24, 2024 07:00 | Chris Morrison
If you wondered where the MSM get all their lurid stories attributing 'extreme weather' to climate change, look no further than a new job ad for a "researcher" focused on creating alarmist propaganda, says Chris Morrison.
The post Wanted: Climate Researcher to Write Extreme Weather Just-So Stories to Serve Up to Credulous Media appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

The war on herbal highs and herbs

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis author Saturday December 06, 2008 11:59author by S.C. - Deep Route Gardening Report this post to the editors

An overview of the recent raids on Irish "Head Shops", and the current controversy surrounding legal alternatives to street drugs.

On the sixth of November the Gardai raided our shops, The Funky Skunk on Lavitt's Quay in Cork and Deep Route Gardening in Limerick. This was part of a country wide campaign on 22 shops to find anything that might be illegal and was specifically targeted at the detection of two hallucinogenic plant-based products, one, LSA, which is contained in some seeds such as Hawaiian Baby Woodrose and Morning Glory and the other, Mescaline which is found in some cacti such as San Pedro and Peyote.

They took away all the Hawaiian Baby Woodrose from our Cork shop and a selection of herbs from our Limerick shop although they left the Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds alone in Limerick as if they didn't know exactly what they were looking for. This is not the first time that they have taken away completely legal things and they have never returned anything to us that they have taken away before. However, this was the first nationwide campaign and it reflects the growing fear from parents and politicians over what head shops sell.

With Magic Mushrooms a loophole in legislation meant that unprocessed or untreated samples could be sold legally over the counter. They were very popular amongst some until an accidental death caused them to be banned entirely. Then there was Ephedra or Ma Huang , a herb that was used for weight loss and was also used as a herbal high. It was banned because of its possible side-effects. St John's Wort, Ginseng, Comfrey and Ginko have also been banned in Ireland for similar reasons. St John's Wort which was used for depression by many people then became a controlled drug because of possible side-effects, such as fatigue and photosensitivity, and the possibility of the herb interacting with prescribed medicines. Kava-kava had been identified as causing liver problems. Ginko and Ginseng have been identified with some other health problems.

Although it seems these herbs cause medical problems, many believe that these problems have been exaggerated and compared to some mainstream medicines they are relativity safe. Many direct deaths are caused by prescription drugs such as the group of tranquillizers called benzodiazepines which includes Valium and many medicines also have side-effects too numerous to mention. However herbs that don't make big money for big businesses are an easy target for control.

To use herbs as medicine or for recreational use requires the user to be responsible. We believe that the herbal highs that we sell are a great alternative to illegal drugs because the money goes through legitimate taxpaying businesses, rather than criminals. Our smoking mixes, Smoke and Spice are a great smoke without the paranoid and mental disabling side-effects of Cannabis while our party pills are a much safer alternative to illegal ecstasy tablets.

How can anything natural be illegal when we can grow it in our garden? Surely we have this right and the right to use things responsibly. More knowledge is also needed about herbs and natural highs in order to use them correctly. The government’s policy of banning everything will effect everyone and who knows when it will stop. Only by stating our case and working together can we have a hope of turning the tide.

We have heard that BZP might be banned in March. It is derived from the pepper plant and it is the main ingredient in many herbal high pills. It has being compared to illegal drugs in strength and dangers but the comparison is unjustified and the law makers don't seem to realize the role that these herbal highs have for people as alternatives to illegal drugs nor do they respect peoples rights to use natural substances.

Herbal highs are just going to increase in popularity and there are many that aren't being sold yet. As one thing gets banned there will be another to take its place and hopefully we will be left with the most safe and effective herbal highs possible. And maybe a fair opinion on them too.

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   crocodile tears.     Randall, Limerick.    Sat Dec 06, 2008 22:23 
   Change your brain chemistry.     Randall, Limerick.    Sat Dec 06, 2008 22:27 
   A Passing Comment     Mr Man    Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:30 
   Responsibility is in our hands, its just how we use them!     Sean Collard    Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:20 
   e heads herald the end of bzp     delb1983    Fri Apr 03, 2009 16:46 
   All food     squirty    Sun Apr 05, 2009 20:14 
   Codex     squirty    Sun Apr 05, 2009 20:15 


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