Honestly, we're surprised that this doesn't already exist: Tribudesign, a young Lebanese firm, has secured a distributor for White, which is basically a bong that looks like an iPod.
Maybe bong is too cavalier a word. It's supposed to be a hookah, and it's going to be distributed by Airdiem, a Parisian company that appears to specialize in high-end Persian smokers.
White is made of a palette that includes stainless steel, acrylic, and leather, and that's more healthful because those materials are easier to clean and would thus produce less marijuana resin carcinogenic tobacco soot. Its slim design also makes it easily stashable. And if that isn't enough, you can just throw it next to your computer in a pinch, and pray that the cops mistake it for a USB drive.
Only college kids smoke out of hand-blown bowls with swirly colors. Adults spend their hard-earned money on well-designed products made of stainless steel, acrylic and leather. This thing is the perfect compliment to the Volcano.
PORTLAND, Oregon – The United States' first marijuana cafe opened on Friday, posing an early test of the Obama administration's move to relax policing of medical use of the drug.
In this episode of Cannabis Culture's "Reality Check" - Footage of the Canada-wide FREE MARC RALLY (Saturday November 7th, 2009) at Dona Cadman's(Conservative Party) North Surrey, BC office. A special Thank You goes out to all of you across Canada that participated in the Free Marc Rally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLTu2E2ZrWc&feature=player_embeddedIn this episode of Cannabis Culture's "Reality Check" - Footage of the Canada-wide... more
Riding on the wave of President Obama’s memo to end DEA interference in states’ medical marijuana laws and an unprecedented response from the media, Oregon NORML’s Cannabis Café opens at 4:20pm on November 13, 2009 at 700 NE Dekum St, Portland, OR 97211.
“The response has been overwhelming,” says Madeline Martinez, Executive Director of Oregon NORML. “We are excited to be able to provide a safe place for patients to medicate that is out of public view within the guidelines of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA).”
Many patients travel to Portland for medical care and treatment and have no place they can go to use their medicine during those often exhausting and intensive trips. “Do they go out into an alley and hide in the back of their car?” Martinez said. “There needs to be a place, much like our meetings, where people can socialize and network.”
In the week since the announcement of the café’s opening, stories have appeared in most major Oregon newspapers and television stations. Martinez appeared on OPB’s Think Out Loud talk show and attended the local neighborhood association meeting to reassure the public that the café will be operated at the highest of standards and strives to be a positive addition to the area.
Members must be registrants of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) and members of Oregon NORML to gain entrance to the café. Please contact Oregon NORML for more information on the message line 503-239-6110. Details and information will also be available at www.ornorml.org as they become available.
Seven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000 of them are rotting in federal and state prisons. Thousands of other pot users and sellers are confined in local jails. But the public is starting to rebel against “the preposterous war on pot,” two political scientists say.
At a time when American prisons are overflowing and government budgets are busting, authorities across the United States continue to arrest and prosecute hundreds of thousands of people for marijuana possession, sometimes even for small amounts.
In this guest essay, journalist Sherwood Ross examines this excessive use of government power against citizens engaging in personal behavior that many doctors say isn’t as dangerous as drinking alcohol and far less risky than smoking cigarettes.
Read on to see what Sherwood Ross has to say, it is very informative and I recommend everyone read it once or twice. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/110709c.htmlSeven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000... more
Check out part 1 of the new Hip Hop movie "Up in the Attic. It's about teenagers growing up in the 1980's Hip Hop era whose hang out was the attic of one of the guys houses and is filled with comedy, romance, drama and real life situations. It features cameos by members of the Crash Crew, Chill Rob G, Zulu Nation Members and more! These dudes get high, snap on each other, party hard and love the women, but will they ever get serious?
Executive Producer Kamal Imani
Directed by Kamal Imani Co-director Christopher Brown
Editor Jonathan L of Newblackmusic.net
Starring Jamian Jamal BlackmonPeace,Love,Unity & Having Fun”
Check out part 1 of the new Hip Hop movie "Up in... more
We're going for a world record here folks. Come join the hundreds upon thousands of us who will trip balls and BLAST Pink Floyd's most famous album for all the world to hear. ONE NIGHT ONLY, SATURDAY NOV 7th at 11pm pt. We have been designing a mountain of speakers all month and the sound should carry at least 100 miles. Previous Dark Side of the Moon Blast records have reached 88 miles an hour, but we're hoping to hit the 100 mark, so you DON'T want to MISS IT!
Just get to Weed and you'll see the crowds formingWe're going for a world record here folks. Come join the hundreds upon thousands of us... more
"WARM SPRINGS, Ore. -- Police Chief Carmen Smith says he knows three things about suspected drug trafficker Artemio Corona: He's from Mexico, prefers a Glock .40-caliber handgun, and is quite possibly growing marijuana on the Indian reservation that Mr. Smith patrols.
Cultivating marijuana in Indian country represents a new twist in the decades-old illicit drug trade between Mexico and the U.S., the world's largest drug-consuming market. For decades, Mexican drug gangs grew marijuana in Mexico, smuggled it across the border, and sold it in the U.S. But in the past few years, they have done what any burgeoning business would do: move closer to their customers.
Illicit pot farms, the vast majority run by gangs with ties to Mexico, are growing fast across the country. The U.S. Forest Service has discovered pot farms in 61 national forests across 16 states this year, up from 49 forests in 10 states last year. New territories include public land in Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama and Virginia."
We gotta take our country back. If we abide by the Constitution, end prohibition and let people be free, we wouldn't have these problems."WARM SPRINGS, Ore. -- Police Chief Carmen Smith says he knows three things about... more
he skiing town of Breckenridge voted Tuesday night by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 to legalize the adult possession of marijuana.
Breckenridge voters passed Measure 2F, which removes criminal penalties from the town code for the private possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and older. The ordinance also removes criminal penalties for the possession of bongs, pipes and other drug paraphernalia.
It passed 73 percent to 27 percent.
"This votes demonstrates that Breckenridge citizens overwhelmingly believe that adults should not be punished for making the safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol," said Sean McAllister, a Breckenridge attorney who proposed the ordinance.
The measure's victory is considered symbolic because it conflicts with state and federal laws. However, supporters of the measure say it inches the whole state closer to full legalization.
Other cities around the country have taken similar action in recent years, including a measure in Denver that decriminalized possession of marijuana up to one ounce.
Advocates say the Breckenridge proposal goes further than others because it allows paraphernalia as well. Drug paraphernalia possession in Colorado is considered a petty offense. Though "head shops" selling bongs and pipes are common in Colorado, the wares are ostensibly for smoking tobacco.
Paraphernalia charges are usually only filed along with possession charges. Both are misdemeanors punishable by a $100 fine and court fees.
The penalties aren't serious, but about 100 people a year in Breckenridge are cited for possession of either marijuana or paraphernalia, often both. Supporters of the effort say it's not right to leave small-time pot smokers with a criminal record.
The Breckenridge campaign, which had no formal opposition, received endorsements from Breckenridge Town Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron, Fmr. Colorado State Rep. and Breckenridge resident, Gary Lindstrom, and the Summit Daily News.
Measure 2F was placed on the ballot when more than 1,400 people signed a petition supporting it. It only needed 495 signatures to get on the ballot. The ordinance change will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.
Several Breckenridge residents heartily backed the local marijuana effort.
"People think it's a waste of time for the police to be prosecuting these people," said Elisabeth Lawrence, 30. Smoking pot, she said, is "not the worst thing in the world to be doing."
Nancy Skaj, a clerk at a Breckenridge grocery store, said the measure could be a boon for ski tourists who don't have clearance for medical marijuana. "With all the injuries people get skiing up here, instead of popping pills, they should just be doing this. It's a lot more natural," she said.
The Colorado ski town of Breckenridge has voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana.
Early returns Tuesday night showed the proposal winning with 72 percent of the vote. The measure would allow adults over 21 to have up to 1 ounce of marijuana.
Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientist, would not be drawn on whether the Home Secretary was wrong to sack Professor David Nutt.
David Nutt was chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
He was fired after using a lecture to say cannabis was less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.
Asked whether he agreed with Professor Nutt's view that cannabis was less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol, Professor Beddington replied: "I think the scientific evidence is absolutely clear cut. I would agree with it."Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientist, would not be drawn on whether the... more
I support the legalization, cultivation, responsible use, and taxation of marijuana, and what's happening in this small California town is indicative of the need for rational laws. Marijuana can harm young people's physiological, social, and emotional well-being, and children below age 18 should be prohibited from using it. It can delay social maturity, harm the pulmonary system, and provoke harmful side effects in some individuals.
That being said, the current legal situation promotes the kinds of behavior and disruption that are occurring in Hayfork, California, and we must stop treating marijuana as if it were some sort of religious taboo and, instead, develop a new, responsible approach.
Marijuana must be treated as a valuable, potentially-dangerous substance which should be made available for therapeutic use and for thoughtful recreational use as well. Keeping it in people's back yards is a recipe for trouble.,0,6540031.story
I support the legalization, cultivation, responsible use, and... more
"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use."
-President Jimmy Carter: Message to Congress, August 2, 1977.
Introduction
Since the 1970s, more than a dozen government-appointed commissions have examined the effects of marijuana, and made public policy recommendations regarding its use. Overwhelmingly, the conclusions of these expert panels have been the same: marijuana prohibition causes more social damage than marijuana use, and the possession of marijuana for personal use should no longer be a criminal offense.
Disturbingly, these findings have typically fallen on deaf ears, often being dismissed by the very governments that appointed them. Taken together, however, they exemplify the consensus that exists among the scientific community in support of liberalizing the legal status of marijuana. Conversely, their omission in the present debate reflects the unfortunate reality that marijuana prohibition is perpetuated not by science, but rather by emotion and rhetoric. We do not let these factors dictate other public policies, nor should we let them dominate the debate over marijuana-law reform.
NORML encourages the role of science in this debate, and applauds the efforts of previous commissions that have examined this issue. In an effort to better publicize this work, NORML has compiled the findings from more than a dozen government-appointed drug advisory committees, and highlighted their recommendations regarding the legal status of marijuana. Their conclusions, as well as those of several prominent private commissions, are listed chronologically.
Government Commissioned Reports
“We believe … that the continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself or the regulated marketing of the substance. In addition, we believe that the continued criminalization of cannabis undermines the fundamental values set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and confirmed in the history of a country based on diversity and tolerance.
… It is for this reason that the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a criminal exemption scheme, under which the production and sale of cannabis would be licensed, [and] … to permit persons over the age of 16 to procure cannabis and its derivatives at duly licensed distribution centers.”
- Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. 2002. Cannabis: Summary Report: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy. Ottawa.
"We accept that cannabis can be harmful and that its use should be discouraged. However, ... we do not believe there is anything to be gained by exaggerating its harmfulness. On the contrary, exaggeration undermines the credibility of the messages that we wish to send regarding more harmful drugs. We support, therefore, ... reclassify[ing] cannabis from Class B to Class C ... [so that] possession of cannabis would cease to be an 'arrestable offense.'"
- British House of Commons Home Affairs Committee. 2002. Home Affairs Third Report. British Home Office: London
“Cannabis ... is less harmful than other substances (amphetamines, barbiturates, codeine-like compounds) within Class B of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971. The continuing juxtaposition of cannabis with these more harmful Class B drugs erroneously (and dangerously) suggests their harmful effects are equivalent. This may lead to the belief, amongst cannabis users, that if they had no harmful effects from cannabis than other Class B substances will be equally safe. The Council therefore recommends the reclassification of all cannabis preparations to class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971.”
- British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs."Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use... more
