tagged w/ Marijuana
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First it was a cough. Then it was bronchitis. Then it was time to say goodbye to Michelle Aldrich.
The year 2011 was supposed to be a good one for the 66-year-old. That June, she and her husband, Michael, were feted with a lifetime achievement award by High Times magazine for their four decades of work on marijuana legalization. Yet something was off. She was smoking a lot, maybe more than ever.
And she couldn't get high.
In the fall of that year — a bad time for the local marijuana movement, as the federal Justice Department began shutting down hundreds of California medical cannabis dispensaries — Aldrich went in to see a series of doctors for what she thought was a flu that just refused to go away.
After six weeks of progressively worse diagnoses — flu became bronchitis, which became pneumonia — a CT scan revealed the cause behind the "heat" she felt in the middle of her chest. A tumor, "poorly-differentiated non-small cell adenocarcinoma." In other words, stage 3 lung cancer.
Lung cancer is a killer, with nearly 70 percent of new cases resulting in deaths, according to statistics published by the National Cancer Institute. "I thought I was going to die," Aldrich says from her Marina District apartment. But she didn't. And now, she is busy telling anyone who will listen that, along with diet and chemotherapy, a concoction of highly concentrated cannabis oil eliminated her cancer in less than four months.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2013-04-24/news/key-words-cannabis-oil-cure-cancer-constance-finley/First it was a cough. Then it was bronchitis. Then it was time to say goodbye to... more
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The Gregory Brothers's latest musical mash-up features Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, former Congressman Ron Paul and special guests who argue for the reform of U.S. drug laws.
http://youtu.be/a5l3BwWjhaIThe Gregory Brothers's latest musical mash-up features Gov. Chris Christie, Gov.... more
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Canadians gathered in cities across the country Saturday — including Robson Square in downtown Vancouver — to mark April 20, an unofficial annual holiday celebrating cannabis culture.
A large crowd rallied on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to promote the legalization of marijuana despite cold weather.
In Montreal, people gathered at the foot of Mount Royal while hundreds turned out for an event in downtown Toronto.
And in Vancouver, hundreds jammed the downtown core to gather around the city's historic art gallery, the centre of the protest culture in the city.
Police officers could be seen chatting with those in the crowd as the smell of pot wafted for blocks..
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/From+Vancouver+Montreal+Canada+going/8273285/story.htmlCanadians gathered in cities across the country Saturday — including Robson... more
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One constable interviewed said the police presence was more for security and health reasons.
"You have some kids here who are used to sitting in their parents' basements playing video games and some of them are gang members," he said.
"We're here as a contingency."
Pressed on the leniency of the open drug use at the event, the officer replied: "I've never had a problem with anybody who's been smoking pot. I have had trouble with people who've been drinking alcohol."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/officer-prefers-pot-smokers-to-alcohol-drinkers-203967841.htmlOne constable interviewed said the police presence was more for security and health... more
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CEOs tend to be somewhat straight edged types, more given to waking up early and working late than for taking time to relax, or for advocating for something as controversial as the legalization of marijuana.
There have been a few notable and very successful exceptions.
Probably the most outspoken of them is Progressive Corporation’s longtime CEO and now Chairman Peter Lewis. In a 1995 profile on him in Fortune, someone close to him said that “he is a functioning pothead.”
Lewis writes, in an editorial for Forbes:
My story is fairly simple. I grew up after college in a world where social drinking was the norm but marijuana was hidden. When I was 39 I tried marijuana for the first time. I found it to be better than scotch. But it wasn’t until I had serious medical problems that I realised how important marijuana could be.
When I was 64 my left leg was amputated below the knee because there was an infection that couldn’t be cured. I spent a year after the amputation in excruciating pain and a year in a wheelchair. So during that period I was very glad I had marijuana. It didn’t exactly eliminate the pain, but it made the pain tolerable—and it let me avoid those heavy-duty narcotic pain relievers that leave you incapacitated.
http://au.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-most-pot-friendly-ceos-2013-4CEOs tend to be somewhat straight edged types, more given to waking up early and... more
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Thousands of people have converged on Denver's Civic Center for what organizers say is the largest marijuana celebration in the country.
The rally — held on a day cannabis enthusiasts regard as a holiday called 4/20 — is expected to draw tens of thousands by 4:20 p.m., when attendees will take a collective exhale that fogs the space between Denver's city hall and Colorado's state Capitol with a thick cloud of marijuana smoke. This is the first 4/20 rally since Colorado voters legalized marijuana use for people 21 and older in November, and rally organizers have said they expected 80,000 people to attend, though city officials say they expect fewer.
Marijuana smoking in public remains illegal, but police — who-are out in force at the event — have said they will take a measured approach.
"We're not going to be tackling 10,000 people and writing them all a citation," said Denver police spokesman Matt Murray.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_23070771/crowds-converge-denver-4-20-marijuana-rallyThousands of people have converged on Denver's Civic Center for what organizers... more
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Dozens of people are marching through Puerto Rico’s capital in support of a recent bill filed by a former police chief that aims to legalize marijuana for personal use, unleashing an unprecedented debate in this conservative U.S. territory.
The crowd marched Saturday to the seaside Capitol building, where Sen. Miguel Pereira filed a bill this week stating it should be legal for those 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. The actions of Pereira, who’s also a former federal prosecutor, have polarized the island.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/19611848-418/puerto-rico-debates-legalizing-marijuana-use.htmlDozens of people are marching through Puerto Rico’s capital in support of a... more
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These are high times for states rights.
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday that would effectively tell the U.S. Justice Department to stop going after marijuana users in states where the drug has been made legal for either medical or recreational use.
Dubbed the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, H.R. 1523 would modify the federal Controlled Substances Act and grant immunity from federal prosecution to any person acting in accordance with state marijuana laws.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bill-give-marijuana-users-protection-feds-article-1.1315540These are high times for states rights.
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of... more
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The city that rejected an early opportunity to ride the wave of herbal acceptance - and instead chose prohibition - is now catching on.The city that rejected an early opportunity to ride the wave of herbal acceptance -... more
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A compound found in marijuana is now gaining some attention and its not THC. Bay area researchers say CBD or Cannabidiol is showing signs of fighting cancerous cells.
Medicinal marijuana supporters believe THC helps terminally ill patients relieve pain and some have medical research to back it. But new research into a different compound found in the leafy green is said to possibly have more medical benefits than any other pharmaceutical drug in the market.
http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/21956443/bay-area-researchers-say-compound-in-cannibis-could-cure-cancerA compound found in marijuana is now gaining some attention and its not THC. Bay area... more
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Darlene Mayes, a 74 year old grandmother in Oklahoma, was accused of being the ringleader of a multi-state drug operation. On Friday, at the request of her defense attorneys Josh Lee and Clint Ward, a judge dismissed the charges, according to court documents (case number CF-2012-69 in District Court of Craig County).
Last year, the arrest of Mrs. Mayes made television and print headlines around the world when, according to court documents, authorities accused her of possessing several pounds of marijuana and nearly $300,000 in cash. Attorney Josh Lee had maintained that Mrs. Mayes is innocent of the charges. Law enforcement officials, however, claimed that she was responsible for a large, multi-state drug operation that was possibly responsible for 40 percent of the marijuana trade in the Grand Lakes area.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/ganja-granny/2013-04/prweb10608296.htmDarlene Mayes, a 74 year old grandmother in Oklahoma, was accused of being the... more
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On Saturday, April 13, Show-Me Cannabis will host a statewide conference on cannabis law reform at the Crowne Plaza Downtown at 200 N. Fourth Street in Saint Louis. Beginning at 11:00 A.M. and running until 6:00 P.M., the conference will attract participants from across Missouri and nearby states. The event is co-sponsored by Missouri NORML and Greater Saint Louis NORML.
The conference will feature panel discussions with individuals who approach cannabis policy from a variety of different perspectives, but all agree that the laws prohibiting marijuana have failed and require immediate reforms. In addition to cannabis law reform activists, speakers will include members of law enforcement, notable progressives and conservatives, and local and state legislators.
http://www.theweedblog.com/missouri-cannabis-law-conference-to-be-held-saturday/On Saturday, April 13, Show-Me Cannabis will host a statewide conference on cannabis... more
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MOSCOW, April 9 - RAPSI, Dmitry Filonov. Experts from the telecoms and drug control regulators have approved the new wording of the Wikipedia article on cannabis smoking and will start the procedure of removing it from the black list of prohibited websites shortly, a telecoms watchdog (Roskomnadzor) representative told RIA Novosti.
"We received the new wording of the article on cannabis and sent it to the experts, who have decided that it now meets our requirements," said Roskomnadzor representative Vladimir Pikov.
On Friday, representatives of Russian-language Wikipedia published the watchdog's notification on the blacklisting of the article on smoking cannabis for containing information about ways of smoking the drug. The Wikipedia authors decided to edit the article, rather than to delete it.
http://rapsinews.com/news/20130409/266957373.htmlMOSCOW, April 9 - RAPSI, Dmitry Filonov. Experts from the telecoms and drug control... more
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On Thursday, Representative Patricia Todd filed The Alabama Cannabis and Hemp Reform Act of 2013. The bill has been issued as House Bill-550 and assigned to the Alabama House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The Bill
The Alabama Cannabis and Hemp Reform Act of 2013, when passed would create a system of reasonable regulation that would end the criminal prohibition of both marijuana and industrial hemp in the state of Alabama.
Personal use of marijuana: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following acts are not unlawful and shall not be an offense under Alabama law or the law of any locality within Alabama or be a basis for seizure or forfeiture of assets under Alabama law for persons twenty-one years of age or older
Medical use of Marijuana: In the interest of patients’ rights, this bill would establish separate guidelines in the authorization of the medical use of marijuana only for certain qualifying patients who have been diagnosed by a physician as having a serious medical condition.
Regulation of Hemp: In the interest of enacting rational policies for the treatment of all variations of the cannabis plant, the people of Alabama further find and declare that industrial hemp should be regulated separately from strains of cannabis with higher delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (thc) concentrations.
http://www.theweedblog.com/rep-patricia-todd-files-groundbreaking-marijuana-legislation-in-alabama/On Thursday, Representative Patricia Todd filed The Alabama Cannabis and Hemp Reform... more
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A long-simmering marijuana driving debate in Colorado appears to be nearing an end. The state House gave unanimous approval Tuesday to a bill setting pot blood limits for drivers.
The proposal has sponsors from both parties who argued that it's time Colorado finally set a pot driving standard. Colorado legalized marijuana last year along with Washington state. But unlike Washington, Colorado did not set a pot driving limit to go along with legalization.
"We have a problem. The problem is, we have people who are deciding to smoke marijuana and get behind the wheel," said Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora.
The bill would say that drivers are too high if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Similar measures have failed three times before in the Colorado Legislature.
This year's pot driving bill is slightly different because people accused of driving stoned would be able to argue that they were sober despite higher blood levels. Marijuana driving limits in Washington and other states are like drunken-driving laws, where drivers in excess of legal standards can't claim they were sober.
Colorado's marijuana driving bill has also been changed to state that police can't use medical marijuana patient cards as evidence in a driving-high case. A medical-marijuana card also can't be used as probable cause to test a driver's blood for THC.
One of the marijuana driving sponsors, House Republican Leader Mark Waller, said the changes were "necessary to get this bill moving forward."
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20130402/NEWS/130409976/1077&ParentProfile=1058A long-simmering marijuana driving debate in Colorado appears to be nearing an end.... more
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