Photo: Anti-pot paranoia in the U.K. This scratch & sniff card being mailed to citizens in hope they will rat on their neighbors. (SOURCE: Crimestoppers N.K)
The powers-that-be in the United Kingdom want their citizenry to rat on one another. At least, that’s the plan with a series of marijuana-scented scratch-and-sniff cards that were mailed to more than 200,000 people in the UK recently.
The ridiculously daft plan by the group Crimestoppers U.K. is that by handing out ganja-scented cards to the community, people will run to the police any time they smell anythingremotely skunky. . . . Read Complete Report
In “The War on Weed,” Christof Putzel travels coast to coast to investigate the bizarre range of marijuana laws and enforcement in America. In California, legalized medical marijuana has led to something of a free for all and the Feds are cracking down. In Colorado, medical marijuana is protected by the state constitution and millionaire entrepreneurs have set up shop. In New York City, African-American men are arrested by the tens of thousands for low-level pot possession.
DENVERWith reggae music pumping in the background and flashing disco-style lights, members of the recreational pot club lit up in celebration of the new year — and a new place to smoke legally among friends.
Club 64, in an industrial area just north of downtown Denver, opened at 4:20 p.m. on Monday, with some 200 people signed up. The opening came less than 24 hours after organizers announced they would charge a $29.99 admission price for the bring-your-own pot club. . . . Read Complete Report
The Berlin Wall of pot prohibition seems to be crumbling before our eyes.
By fully legalizing marijuana through direct democracy, Colorado and Washington have fundamentally changed the national conversation about cannabis. As many as 58 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal. And our political establishment is catching on. Former president Jimmy Carter came out this month and endorsed taxed-and-regulated weed. “I’m in favor of it,” Carter said. “I think it’s OK.” In a December 5th letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) suggested it might be possible “to amend the Federal Controlled Substances Act to allow possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, at least in jurisdictions where it is legal under state law.” . . . Read Complete Report
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Published: Dec 19, 2012 at 10:58 AM PST Last Updated: Dec 19, 2012 at 11:27 AM PST
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Will the Marlboro Man light up a joint soon?
The states of Washington and Colorado legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in the November elections, but it is unclear if any cigarette makers plan to supply either market.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. President Barack Obama indicated last week that going after individual users won’t be a priority, but there’s no firm indication yet what action the Justice Department might take against states or businesses that participate in the nascent pot market, which has the potential to be large. For example analysts have estimated that a legal pot market could bring Washington state hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue for schools, health care and basic government functions.
Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA, maker of Marlboro, based in Richmond, Va., was vague when asked about the future intentions of the nation’s largest tobacco company. . . . Read Complete Report
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:23 PM Updated Friday, Dec 7 at 4:38 PM
DENVER — Pot may be legal, but workers may want to check with their boss first before they grab the pipe or joint during off hours.
Businesses in Washington state, where the drug is legal, and Colorado, where it will be by January, are trying to figure out how to deal with employees who use it on their own time and then fail a drug test. . . . Read Complete Report
In the late-1980s heyday of the anti-drug “Just Say No” campaign, a man calling himself “Jerry” appeared on a Seattle talk radio show to criticize U.S. marijuana laws.
An esteemed businessman, he hid his identity because he didn’t want to offend customers who — like so many in those days — viewed marijuana as a villain in the ever-raging “war on drugs.”
Now, a quarter century later, “Jerry” is one of the main forces behind Washington state’s successful initiative to legalize pot for adults over 21. And he no longer fears putting his name to the cause: He’s Rick Steves, the travel guru known for his popular guidebooks. . . .Read Complete Report
During an interview with HuffPo Live yesterday, Newark Mayor and potential gubernatorial candidate Cory Booker made some very strong statements in favor of drug law reform. When asked about medical marijuana, a program that was approved in his state, but has been slow in implementation, Mayor Booker spoke strongly in favor of allowing patients access to cannabis, but thought we could do even more: . . . Read Complete Report
President Barack Obama pledged on Friday that he will not go after Washington state and Colorado for legalizing marijuana.
Obama was asked — in a Barbara Walters interview airing Friday on ABC — whether he supports making marijuana legal, reported The Associated Press. “I wouldn’t go that far,” the President said.
But Obama said he wouldn’t press the issue by going after recreational users in states where voters legalized marijuana in the November elections. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry,” he said. . . . Read Complete Report
by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy DirectorDecember 12, 2012
Adults with a history of marijuana use have a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and possess a lower risk of contracting the disease than those with no history of cannabis consumption, according to clinical trial data published in the British Medical Journal.
Investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles assessed the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and marijuana use among adults aged 20 to 59 in a nationally representative sample of the US population of 10,896 adults. The study included four groups: non-marijuana users (61.0%), past marijuana users (30.7%), light (one to four times/month) (5.0%) and heavy (more than five times/month) current marijuana users (3.3%). Diabetes was defined based on self-report or abnormal glycaemic parameters. . . . Read Complete Report
A majority of Americans want the federal government to keep out of state marijuana laws, even as overall sentiment on whether marijuana should be legalized is split, according to a new poll.
“The significant majority of Americans would advise the federal government to focus on other issues,” wrote Frank Newport of Gallup.
In Washington and Colorado, where citizens last month voted to legalize marijuana possession, the issue of federal interference is especially salient as residents face a confusing mishmash of federal and state laws when it comes to whether and where they can get high. . . . Read Complete Report
from youtube
Majority Of Americans Believe The FEDs Should STAY OUT Of The Legalization Movement
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and County Counsel hold closed-door meeting Tuesday after 9 a.m. public comment period.
The Mendocino Board of Supervisors and County Counsel Thomas Parker met in a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss a pending federal subpoena for records held by the Sheriff’s now-defunct medical marijuana cultivation program, County Code 9.31, in which registrants were allowed to grow collectively up to 99 plants and were sold zip ties for $25 per plant to show they were being cultivated in compliance with state law. . . . Read Complete Report
We at Toke of the Town certainly couldn’t think of anyplace more appropriate to visit than the Mile High City — and Denver, here we come, for the Medicated Chef Contest in February. It’s for sure that authoring aSeattle Weekly “Voracious” food blog column, “Incredible Medibles,” has certainly nourished our keen interest in and enjoyment of cannabis-infused cooking. . . . Read Complete Report
In the late-1980s heyday of the anti-drug “Just Say No” campaign, a man calling himself “Jerry” appeared on a Seattle talk radio show to criticize U.S. marijuana laws.
An esteemed businessman, he hid his identity because he didn’t want to offend customers who — like so many in those days — viewed marijuana as a villain in the ever-raging “war on drugs.”
Now, a quarter century later, “Jerry” is one of the main forces behind Washington state’s successful initiative to legalize pot for adults over 21. And he no longer fears putting his name to the cause: He’s Rick Steves, the travel guru known for his popular guidebooks.
“It’s amazing where we’ve come,” says Steves of the legalization measures Washington and Colorado voters approved last month. “It’s almost counterculture to oppose us.” . . . Read Complete Report
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s medical marijuana law is constitutional and federal drug laws don’t stand in the way of public officials implementing it, a judge said Tuesday in a ruling that sets the stage for the opening of the state’s first pot dispensary.
“This court will not rule that Arizona, having sided with the ever-growing minority of states and having limited it to medical use, has violated public policy,” wrote Judge Michael Gordon of Maricopa County Superior Court.
The case started over a dispute over whether Maricopa County had to approve zoning for a dispensary in Sun City. It grew to include the larger legal question of whether federal drug laws pre-empt Arizona’s medical marijuana law. Read Complete Report
This has been around for several years, but I decided it was worth posting again. If this guy isn’t the Cop Poster Child for keeping the “Killer Weed” off the streets then there ain’t one. . . . Editor
So this story comes out of the “Ignorance Undenied” folder. A cop takes marijuana from evidence and makes brownies with his wife. Then in his paranoia that he is dying, he calls 911. Hilarity ensues. As far as I can find he was not charged, and stepped down from the force as a result of this incident.
