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Medical Marijuana Press Conference at Minnesota Statehouse

Legislators and patients will launch what they expect to be the final push for passage of bipartisan medical marijuana legislation in Minnesota at a statehouse press conference. The Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee will hold a hearing on the bill, S.F. 97, at 12:30 p.m. A previous version of the bill passed the Minnesota Senate as well as every House committee, but did not receive a House floor vote. Presenters include bill sponsors Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina), Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) and Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia); K.K. Forss of Ely, who has used medical marijuana to relieve pain from multiple neck surgeries; Dr. George Wagoner, physician from Manitee, Mich. (and formerly licensed in Minnesota), whose wife used medical marijuana during her battle with ovarian cancer and who campaigned for the Michigan medical marijuana initiative that passed in November with 63 percent of the vote. Also testifying at the hearing will be Joni Whiting of Jordan, whose daughter's battle with malignant melanoma was made bearable by using medical marijuana, and Kathy Rippentrop of Lakeville, whose mother used medical marijuana during her treatment for liver cancer. Written testimony from other patients will be presented to the committee and will be made available to the media.
In The Trenches

ALERT: #395 Three B.C. Newspapers Call for the Legalization of Drugs

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #395 - Tuesday, 10 February 2009 Three major British Colombia newspapers have called for Canada to at least consider legalizing drugs. The violence associated with the drug trade has escalated to the point where the newspapers are calling for new directions to be considered. The Province published an editorial Sunday "Legalization Needs Study". The editorial starts by plainly stating "This newspaper has traditionally opposed the legalization of drugs." While the editorial doesn't jump headfirst into support for legalization, it does acknowledge that now is time to debate the issue. Read the editorial at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n146/a01.html Then Monday the Victoria Times-Colonist published an editorial "Gun Epidemic Prescriptions" which ends stating: "And it is time to recognize that gangs and guns are linked inextricably to the huge profits in the drug trade. Those profits are possible because of a failed, prohibition-based drug strategy. It's time to begin legalizing and controlling distribution as part of an entirely new approach to reducing the damage done by guns." See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n155.a02.html Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun columnist, addressed the same topic Monday with this column: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n155.a03.html With the facts on our side, we may influence the debate. Please read the editorials and column at the above links where you will also find contact information for sending letters to the editor.
In The Trenches

Press Advisory: Press Conference Wednesday to Launch Final Drive for Medical Marijuana in Minnesota

Minnesota Cares logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
FEBRUARY 10, 2009

Press Conference Weds. to Launch Final Drive for Medical Marijuana in Minnesota
Hearing in Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee to Follow

CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest..................................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- Legislators and patients will launch what they expect to be the final push for passage of bipartisan medical marijuana legislation in Minnesota at a statehouse press conference at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee will hold a hearing on the bill, S.F. 97, at 12:30 p.m. A previous version of the bill passed the Minnesota Senate as well as every House committee, but did not receive a House floor vote.

    WHAT: Press conference to launch drive for final passage of medical marijuana legislation, S.F. 97 and H.F. 292, followed by Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee hearing.

    WHO: Bill sponsors Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina), Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) and Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia); K.K. Forss of Ely, who has used medical marijuana to relieve pain from multiple neck surgeries; Dr. George Wagoner, physician from Manitee, Mich. (and formerly licensed in Minnesota), whose wife used medical marijuana during her battle with ovarian cancer and who campaigned for the Michigan medical marijuana initiative that passed in November with 63 percent of the vote.
    Also testifying at the hearing will be Joni Whiting of Jordan, whose daughter's battle with malignant melanoma was made bearable by using medical marijuana, and Kathy Rippentrop of Lakeville, whose mother used medical marijuana during her treatment for liver cancer. Written testimony from other patients will be presented to the committee and will be made available to the media.

    WHERE: Rm. 125, State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul.

    WHEN: Press conference at 11 a.m. Hearing at 12:30 p.m.
   

####

In The Trenches

Dump Kellogg's like it dumped Michael Phelps

Dear friends:

As you probably know, cereal giant Kellogg's has announced that it won't renew Olympic swim champion Michael Phelps' endorsement contract because he was photographed smoking marijuana.

If Phelps had been photographed hoisting a Budweiser, no one would have said a word. In fact, Phelps was arrested for drunk driving in 2004 — which could have resulted in someone being hurt or killed — and Kellogg's never took issue with that. Alcohol is far more toxic and addictive than marijuana and tends to make users reckless, aggressive, and violent.

Would you take a minute to speak out against this hypocrisy, by adding your voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who are pledging to boycott Kellogg's products until the company changes its decision? Just visit MPP's action center here and fill out the easy online form.

Meanwhile, MPP has been all over the news to point out the hypocrisy of the situation.
For instance, check out this video of MPP's Bruce Mirken discussing the issue on CNN last week.

Please join me in rejecting the farce of the condemnation of marijuana users — one that has already long been abandoned by the general public.

Sincerely,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

In The Trenches

ALERT: #394 Kellogg's Gets Stupid Over A Bong

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #394 - Monday, 9 February 2009 By now just about everybody who may read this Alert is aware of the photo of Michael Phelps inhaling from a bong which was printed on Sunday, February 1 by the British tabloid newspaper News of the World. A high resolution .jpg copy of the photo, which you may download - and perhaps print out for your own use, like pasting on a Kellogg's cereal box - is here http://www.mapinc.org/images/phelps.jpg The News of the World article is here: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n140/a11.html The result has been a firestorm of articles and opinions printed in newspapers as you may read at this link: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Michael+Phelps Please target the newspapers with your letters to the editor. Other suggested actions you may wish to take: Please take time today to contact the Kellogg Corporation. Tell them that you oppose their decision to drop Michael Phelps and that, as a result of their actions, you will not be purchasing any Kellogg's related products for the next three months (or until the company decides to reinstate the Phelps as their spokesperson). There are several ways you may make your opinion known to the company. You can call Kellogg's main telephone number during east coast business hours, Monday through Friday, at: (269) 961-2000 or toll free at: 1 (800) 962-1413. You may email Kellogg's consumer services department by visiting: http://www2.kelloggs.com/ContactUs.aspx You may contact Kellogg's media relation department at: 269-961-3799 or via e-mail at [email protected] You may email Kellogg's corporate responsibility department at: [email protected]. You may email Kellogg's investor relations department at: [email protected]. Or you may write the Kellogg Company a letter at: One Kellogg Square P.O. Box 3599 Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599. Join the Students for Sensible Drug Policy's petition campaign. Phelps still faces a potential four-year suspension from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. If you have a Facebook account, please join thousands of others in signing a petition demanding that the IOC and WADA not suspend Phelps from international competition. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/62.
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In The Trenches

MPP to Boycott Kellogg's Over Dismissal of Phelps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
FEBRUARY 9, 2009

MPP to Boycott Kellogg's Over Dismissal of Phelps
Policy Reformers Accuse Cereal Giant of Hypocrisy

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Joining a growing coalition of individuals and organizations, the Marijuana Policy Project today lent its support to the burgeoning boycott of cereal giant Kellogg's over its treatment of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. Kellogg's announced last week that it would not renew its endorsement contract with Phelps in light of a published photo of the swimmer inhaling from a bong, saying his behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

    "Kellogg's dismissal of Phelps is hypocritical and disgusting, and our members are angrier than I've ever seen them," said MPP executive director Rob Kampia. "Kellogg's had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone. To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that's safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people."

    MPP noted that compared to alcohol, marijuana is scientifically documented to be less addictive and far less toxic. While alcohol is a well-documented contributor to violent, aggressive and reckless behavior, marijuana "reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication," according to the journal Addictive Behaviors. Organizations endorsing the boycott include the Drug Policy Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

    "Kellogg's is telling young people that drunk driving is okay, but using a social relaxant that's safer than beer gets you fired," Kampia said. "That's not just outrageous, it's potentially lethal. We all know that boycotts are difficult to pull off, but the 100 million Americans who've made marijuana this nation's number one cash crop represent a lot of buying power -- buying power that Kellogg's may wish it hadn't alienated."

    On Saturday, the Huffington Post reported that the company is getting so many complaints that it had set up a special line to handle them all -- with the line for comments about Phelps actually listed ahead of one for concerns or questions about the recall of salmonella-tainted peanut butter.

    With more than 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

In The Trenches

Just Say No to Kellogg's

You Can Make a Difference

 

Dear friends,

Olympic champion Michael Phelps was photographed taking a hit from a bong. 

Amidst the media uproar that ensued, Kellogg's announced that it would not renew its sponsorship deal with Phelps.

Call Kellogg's now and tell them that if they dump Phelps we dump them. 

Like you, we're sick and tired of the public outings and forced apologies and recantations, which perpetuate this shameless hypocrisy.

More than 70 percent of Americans say that marijuana should be decriminalized and that no one should go to jail for its use.

We agree. Even the residents of Kellogg's home state of Michigan recently passed (by an overwhelming margin) a ballot initiative legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.

Dropping Phelps hurts the Kellogg's image far more than associating with someone who smoked marijuana.  Call them to tell them what you think (you'll find helpful instructions and talking points if you follow this link to our website).

Sincerely,

 

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance Network

P.S. You can also read my piece in the Huffington Post on this issue.

In The Trenches

420 Drug War NEWS 02/09/09

Today Marks 100 Years of DRUG WAR! 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston and dozens of radio affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia & on the web at www.kpft.org. 4:20 Drug War NEWS 02/09/09 to 02/15/09 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - Texas Judge John Delaney, member Drug Policy Forum of Texas Pt 2 Sat - Cliff Schaffer of Marijuana Business News discusses impact of Califonia's financial fiasco on the drug war Fri - Former Sheriff Richard Mack now with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Thu - Phil Smith with the Corrupt Cop Story Wed - Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, meth scare, again? Tue - Ethan Nadelmann, Dir of Drug Policy Alliance: "Just Say No To Kelloggs" Mon - Texas Judge John Delaney, member Drug Policy Forum of Texas Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed (Now With Transcripts): - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Dana Larsen, Canadian Activist - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT: Texas Judge John Delaney Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, and www.audioport.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net
In The Trenches

Release: Congress Includes Billions in Stimulus Package for Controversial Grant Program Linked to Civil Rights Abuses

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2009 Contact: Tony Newman at 646-335-5384 or Bill Piper at 202-669-6430 Congress Includes Billions in Stimulus Package for Controversial Byrne Grant Program Linked to Racial Disparities, Police Corruption and Civil Rights Abuses More Byrne Grant Money Means More Arrests and Incarceration for Marijuana and other Low-level Drug offenses Funding of Program without Reform a Slap in the Face to Victims of Tulia and Hearne Scandals Last week the U.S. House approved a stimulus package including $3 billion for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants program, a controversial law enforcement grant program linked to racial disparities, police corruption and civil rights abuses. The Senate is currently considering the package. Critics say increased funding for the Byrne Grant program is going to backfire by increasing costs on one of the least productive sectors of the U.S. economy: the prison industrial complex. "The last thing we need in a stimulus plan is an incentive for more arrests, more jail time and more prisons," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug policy Alliance. "If Congress wants to give away billions to local law enforcement, it needs to make clear that the objective is public safety, not catching more young people for possessing a joint." Law enforcement agencies, especially narcotics taskforces, are often evaluated and funded based on how many people they arrest. Since low-level drug offenders are plentiful and easy to catch, it's easy for police to pad their numbers by arresting them, even as violent criminals roam free. The more nonviolent drug offenders the police arrest, the more federal money they receive. The number of Americans behind bars grows, and taxpayers are left footing the bill. It's no wonder, criminal justice reformers say, that the United States ranks first in the world in per capita incarceration rates, with 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners. The U.S. locks up more of its citizens on a per capita basis than China, Cuba, Mexico, Russia or any other country in the world. Police made more than 1.8 million drug arrests in 2007 (the latest year data is available), about 775,000 were for nothing more than simple possession of marijuana for personal use. The Byrne Grant program is also at the center of some our country's most shocking civil rights abuses. The most notorious Bryne-funded scandal occurred in 1999 in Tulia, Texas where dozens of African-American residents (representing nearly half of the town's black population) were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to decades in prison, even though the only evidence against them was the uncorroborated testimony of one white undercover officer with a history of lying and racism. The undercover officer worked alone, and had no audiotapes, video surveillance, or eyewitnesses to corroborate his allegations. Suspicions arose after two of the defendants accused were able to produce firm evidence showing they were out of state or at work at the time of the alleged drug buys. Texas Governor Rick Perry eventually pardoned the Tulia defendants (after four years of imprisonment), but these kinds of scandals continue to plague the Byrne grant program. In another Byrne-related scandal, a magistrate judge found that a regional narcotics task force in Hearne, Texas routinely targeted African Americans as part of an effort to drive blacks out of the majority white town. For the past 15 years, the Byrne-funded task force annually raided the homes of African Americans and arrested and prosecuted innocent citizens. The county governments involved in the Hearne task force scandal eventually settled a civil suit, agreeing to pay financial damages to some of the victims of discrimination. In a recent letter to House and Senate leaders, fifteen national civil rights and criminal justice organizations urged members of Congress to shift the Byrne Grant money in the stimulus bill to treatment, rehabilitation and other effective programs instead. The groups include included the ACLU, the National African-American Drug Policy Coalition, the National Black Police Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Justice Policy Institute, and the United Methodist Church. "The war on drugs is a new form of Jim Crow, systematically targeting communities of color and filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders at great taxpayer expense," Nadelmann said. "It is doubtful states could afford their punitive criminal justice polices without federal subsidies. Members of Congress who support the Byrne Grant program are perpetuating injustice and burdening taxpayers" ###
In The Trenches

Help Michael Phelps!


Send a strong message to Kellogg's and the Olympics.
http://ssdp.org/helpphelps

Dear friends,

By now you're probably aware that Olympic hero Michael Phelps was photographed lighting an orphanage on fire, and has now been suspended from competing and is getting dropped by a major sponsor.

Oh, wait. Actually, he was photographed lighting marijuana on fire, not an orphanage.

Smoking marijuana is hardly unusual behavior for a 23 year old. In fact, Phelps is being crucified for something that more than half the adult American population has done at some point in their lives.

Yet, Phelps is facing suspension from competing in the Olympics and Kellogg's cereal has decided to drop their sponsorship of the athlete, claiming "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

Kellogg's needs to hear from the public that their decision will hurt their company far more than Phelps's marijuana use.  Please contact Kellogg's today and tell them that you will boycott all of their products until they reverse their decision on Phelps's sponsorship (you can find a list of Kellogg's products at the bottom of this e-mail).  You can contact Kellogg's by visiting http://www2.kelloggs.com/ContactUs.aspx

Just cut and paste the following message into the webform on the Kellogg's website (or edit it if you like):

I am deeply disappointed by your decision to drop your sponsorship of Michael Phelps simply because he was photographed smoking marijuana. Over half of all adult Americans, including our last three presidents, have smoked marijuana during their lives. It is outrageous that Kellogg's would hold Michael Phelps to such an unreasonable standard, rather than standing by a 23 year old who has brought more inspiration and joy to millions of Americans than most will accomplish in a lifetime.  Until you reverse your decision to drop Michael Phelps' sponsorship, I will be boycotting all Kellogg's products.

Meanwhile, USA Swimming, the governing body of American swimming events, has suspended Phelps for three months for his use of marijuana.  While this will not cause him to miss any major competitions, he still faces a potential four-year suspension from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.  If you have a Facebook account, please join thousands of others in signing a petition demanding that the IOC and WADA not suspend Phelps from international competition. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/62

Have a great weekend, and please keep an eye out for further action on this next week. We're working with a coalition of organizations to send a strong message to the media that a single bong hit should never ruin a person's career.

Regards,

Kris Krane, Executive Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

P.S.  If you support SSDP's work to bring sanity and reason back to the national discussion around drug policy, please consider investing in our work with a tax deductible donation to SSDP today at http://www.ssdp.org/donate

P.P.S.  Below is the list of Kellogg's products that we hope you consider boycotting until they reverse their decision to drop Michael Phelps as a sponsor:

Kellogg's
All-Bran(R)
Apple Jacks(R)
Complete(R)
Kellogg's Corn Flakes(R)
Cracklin' Oat Bran(R)
Crispix(R)
Crunch™
Crunchy Blends(R)
Eggo(R) Cereal
Froot Loops(R)
Frosted Flakes(R)
Frosted Mini-Wheats(R)
Fruit Harvest(R)
Honey Smacks(R)
Pops(R)
Product 19(R)
Kellogg's Raisin Bran(R)
Rice Krispies(R)
Smart Start(R)
Special K(R)


Kashi
GOLEAN(R)
Organic Promise(R)
Good Friends(R)
Mighty BitesTM
Heart to Heart(R)
7 Whole Grains

Pop-Tarts(R)
Pop-Tarts(R) Toaster Pastries
Kellogg's Go-Tarts!™

Snack Bars
Kashi(R) Chewy Granola Bars
Kashi(R) GOLEAN(R) Bars
Kellogg's(R) Crunch™ Bars
Kellogg's(R) Crunchy Nut™
Sweet & Salty Bars
Kellogg's(R) Granola Munch'ems
Rice Krispies Treats(R) Squares
Special K(R) Bars

Breakfast Bars
All-Bran™ Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Cereal Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Muffin Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Yogurt Bars

Fruit Flavored Snacks
Fruit Steamers™
Fruit Twistables™
Kellogg's™ Yogos™

Fruit Leather
Stretch Island(R) Fruit Leather

On-the-Go Snacks
Gripz(R)
Rite BitesTM

Keebler(R) Cookies
Keebler(R) Cookies
Chips Deluxe(R) Cookies
E.L. Fudge(R) Cookies
Fudge Shoppe(R) Cookies
Golden Vanilla Wafers(R) Cookies
Sandies(R) Cookies
Soft Batch(R) Cookies
Vienna Fingers(R) Cookies

Carr's(R)
Carr's(R) Cookies

Famous Amos(R)
Famous Amos(R) Cookies

Murray(R)
Murray(R) Cookies
Murray(R) Sugar Free Cookies

Keebler(R) Crackers
Club(R) Crackers
Gripz(R)
Keebler(R) Grahams
Munch'ems(R) Baked Snacks
Town House(R) Crackers
Wheatables(R) Crackers
Toasteds(R) Crackers
Zesta(R) Crackers

Austin(R)
Austin(R) Crackers

Carr's(R)
Carr's(R) Crackers

SunshineTM
Cheez-It(R) Crackers
Sunshine Krispy(R) Crackers

Kashi(R)
Kashi(R) TLCTM Crackers

Natural
Worthington(R)
Loma Linda(R)

Organic
Morningstar Farms(R) Organic

Frozen
Eggo(R)
Kashi GOLEAN Waffles
Morningstar Farms(R)

Keebler(R) Graham Crackers Crumbs
Keebler(R) Cones
Ready Crust(R) Pie Crust
Kellogg's(R) Stuffing Mix
Kellogg's(R) Corn Flake Crumbs

In The Trenches

Drug Truth 02/05/09

The Unvarnished Truth About the Drug War From the Drug Truth Network: (To downlad these 29:00 files, click on links below. To simply listen, go to www.drugtruth.net and select the arrow below the shows description.) Cultural Baggage for 02/04/09 Former Sheriff Richard Mack now with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition & Philppe Lucas of Vancouver Island Compassion Society reports Canadians supreme court has once again declared marijuana laws unconstitutional + more regarding Michael Phelps from Radley Balco of Reason MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2284/FDBCB_020409.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: TBD Century of Lies for 02/03/09 Cliff Schaffer of DrugLibrary.org re financial impact on waging the drug war & Radley Balko on Michael Phelps, Doug McVay with Drug War Facts, Phil Smith on cartel support of banks & Winston Francis with the Official Government Truth MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2283/COL_020309.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2283#comments PLEASE NOTE: We now have transcripts, potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed, listen online at www.kpft.org: - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Now Australia!!! Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston. www.kpft.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: More than 55 Drug Policy Videos online) Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net
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