TEMPLE SPEECH TO BE GIVEN AT NEXT BANGOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Written And Presented By The Rev. Kevin A. Loring Before The Bangor
City Council On Dec. 8, 2008

Hello and thank you for your valuable time. The Temple of Advanced
Enlightenment would like to collaborate with the City of Bangor to
distribute medicinal cannabis to qualified patients under Maine law.
Currently there is no safe place for patients to receive this
medication, or even seeds and instructions on how to grow their own.
Under Maine law a patient may choose a caregiver for this task we
would like to be that caregiver. We are not talking about simply
dolling out cannabis to anyone who shows up, quite the opposite.

We want to create a HOSPICE style care giving program that extends all
the same care giving functions as an actual caregiver would.

This program would be made of volunteers and weekly dispersal overseen
by the Bangor Police Department to ensure the continuity of public
safety & awareness.

The drug laws are not generally applicable criminal laws. Federal laws
have spiritual use exemptions for peyote.

The Maine drug law has exemptions for marijuana, such as medical
exemptions for qualified Maine patients.

The very nature of the drug laws shows they are not your usual garden
variety criminal laws. There is no administrative process for asking
that the murder laws be repealed, changed, or an exemption granted.

There is no administrative process for asking that the robbery laws be
repealed, changed, or an exemption granted.

The drug laws have such an administrative process because criminal
penalties only attach for using drugs illegally, not for using them
legally as defined by State, Federal & International law.

State law enforcement officers cannot arrest medical marijuana
patients or seize their medicine simply because they prefer the
contrary federal law. On Dec. 1st of this year the U.S. Supreme Court
refused to review a landmark decision, in which California state
courts found that its medical marijuana law was not preempted by
federal law. Advocates assert that better adherence to state medical
marijuana laws by local police will result in fewer needless arrests
and seizures.

In turn, this will allow for better implementation of medical
marijuana laws not only in California, but in all states that have
adopted such laws.

The Supreme Court also granted a permanent injunction against the DEA
in 2006 for interfering with the sincere religious practices of the
UDV, a Brazilian sect with 200 members in the United States. This sect
also utilizes natural plants as an entheogen; in fact they too use a
powerful hallucinogen, DMT made into a tea called hoasca.

This decision, coupled with the longstanding religious use exemption
for peyote show three things very clearly. One; that sincere religious
use is an acceptable use not abuse. Two, the United States has no
compelling interest in stopping the sincere religious practices of a
faith, as long as they are a credit to their community and add
peacefully to the celebrated diversity of those communities. And
three; that the responsible and spiritual use of DMT and Peyote help
keep these substances from becoming abused or diverted to sources
outside their faith.

Due to the press coverage provided by the Bangor Daily News, we have
made a lot of new friends and unfortunately also a lot of new enemies.

Drug Dealers are afraid of our Temple, because we place a new value on
cannabis that is not monetary.

We are taking the money out of their pockets.

This will lead to a decline in the number of drug dealers on our proud
Maine streets.

Less trafficking, less crime, and less violence, these are measurable
results in the War on Drugs. Safer streets and safer medicines for
Maine, absolutely free of charge to the Maine people.

Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastia is also worried about budget cuts at
the MDEA. Bangor Daily News quoted him as saying, "I just met with the
[City] Council and told them that we don't have a handle on the drug
problem at all. I informed them of the very real risk that MDEA [the
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency] was at risk of losing one-third of its
staff, and we can not pick up that ball."

President Bush called for renewed religious freedom internationally
and also called for new faith based initiatives to help provide much
needed services to our communities. With new budget restraints and
less officers statewide, we need more community involvement to ensure
our beloved State can continue pursuing and providing for the safety,
welfare and quality of life, for all Maine people.

Please seriously consider what we are offering.

We welcome you to work with us for a positive, responsible
change.

You need not condone or personally believe our faith for us to work
together as friends, to stand united against drug abuse and bring
creative and proactive solutions to complex social problems within our
State. Thank you.