tagged w/ Legalization
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Check out the website to see how you can help
It’s Time to Reform California’s Cannabis Laws!
California voters believe that our laws criminalizing cannabis (marijuana) have failed. According to a recent statewide Field Poll, a majority, 56 percent support legalizing cannabis.
The time for reform is now.
The Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative will:
• Control cannabis like alcohol: Allow adults 21 and older in California to possess up to one ounce of cannabis
• Give local governments the ability to tax the sale of cannabis to adults 21 and older
• Generate billions of dollars in revenue to fund what matters most in California: jobs, healthcare, public safety, state parks, roads, transportation, and moreCheck out the website to see how you can help
It’s Time to Reform... more
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Law enforcement and pot smokers don't often see eye-to-eye, but some medical marijuana activists have something in common with the police: They don't like Tax Cannabis 2010, the much-ballyhooed ballot initiative that would make California the first state in the union to legalize — and tax, tax, tax — recreational cannabis use.
Of course, they oppose the November ballot measure for different reasons. Cops predictably don't like it because it deals with "dope," while medical pot advocates complain that its fine print actually creates new criminal penalties for marijuana use.
The stated purpose of the measure's authors was to craft a law that treats marijuana more or less like alcohol while creating an additional $1 billion in tax revenue for cash-strapped California. But while it is legal to drink a beer or a fifth of scotch in front of a minor, Tax Cannabis 2010 would make it a crime to use medical marijuana in front of a minor, or pass the dutchie on the left-hand side to a 20-year-old with AIDS or cancer. These heinous acts — some of them hard-won rights provided by the Compassionate Use Act (1996's Proposition 215) — would carry new penalties of up to a $1,000 fine or six months in county jail, on top of the three-to-seven-year minimum state prison sentences for providing cannabis to a minor currently in California law.
"It creates more crime — why?" asks Dennis Peron, one of Prop. 215's authors, and an activist who is credited with opening one of the nation's first cannabis clubs in the Castro. "Why would we want to create more marijuana crime and add more police?"
Peron says he's dead-set against Tax Cannabis 2010, and he isn't alone. Dispensary owners like Kevin Reed of San Francisco's Green Cross wonder whether the nearly 700,000 people who signed petitions qualifying the ballot measure knew exactly what they were signing, and questions whether the push to tax and regulate will do more harm than good to the medical cannabis movement.
Jeff Jones, the measure's cosponsor along with Oaksterdam University's Richard Lee, says Peron and Reed are overreacting. Prosecutors rarely, if ever, pursue the tough mandatory minimums provided by law now; why would they do so if the measure passes? The new penalties affect a "minute population in our society," he says, and points out that if the measure passes, law enforcement officers would be forced to shift focus away from pot. "Right now, if someone has a plant in their backyard, they can be a felon," he says. "We're trying to remove that felon status. You cannot tell me that [Tax Cannabis 2010] is worse than [penalties] we have right now."Law enforcement and pot smokers don't often see eye-to-eye, but some medical... more
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WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia Council approved a measure on Tuesday that would allow people with certain chronic illnesses to obtain medical marijuana from a handful of dispensaries regulated by the city.
The 13-member Council voted unanimously to allow doctors to recommend marijuana for people who are infected with H.I.V., as well as people with glaucoma, cancer or a “chronic and lasting disease.”
The legislation permits Mayor Adrian M. Fenty to establish up to eight dispensaries where patients could receive two ounces of marijuana a month. The measure gives the mayor the option of raising the amount to four ounces without further council action.
Some doctors say marijuana helps relieve nausea, vomiting, certain AIDS symptoms and some side effects of chemotherapy. For glaucoma patients, the drug is believed to help lower eye pressure.
The measure, which Mr. Fenty is expected to sign into law, thrusts the debate over medical marijuana into the hands of Congress and the White House, which must decide within 30 days whether to allow the city to proceed with the plan. To block the law from taking effect, the House and the Senate must pass a joint resolution and President Obama must approve it.
If federal lawmakers do not intervene, Washington will join California and 13 other states that allow residents to use marijuana for medical purposes.
David A. Catania, a sponsor of the measure, said he was confident it was “a thoughtful approach toward implementing a medical marijuana program that will be a model for other states that will be defensible before Congress.”
The measure requires patients, their caregivers, dispensaries and cultivators to register with the city, restricts dispensaries to a maximum of 95 plants, and prohibits district agencies from arresting medical marijuana users or denying them other services.
The Council rejected amendments that would have spelled out patient protections, limited dispensaries to nonprofits and permitted patients to use recommendations from doctors in Maryland and Virginia.
Nikolas Schiller, the secretary of the D.C. Patients’ Cooperative, a nonprofit group that advocates legal medical marijuana, said the amendments would have clarified ambiguities in the bill. He pointed to an example of a Wal-Mart worker in Michigan, where medical marijuana is legal, who was fired in March after he tested positive for the drug, which he used to cope with sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.
“We asked the Council to introduce the protection for that and they refused to,” Mr. Schiller said. “And it was very infuriating to sit and watch the best practices from other states, other jurisdictions be ignored.”
Dorothy Brizill, the executive director of D.C. Watch, a local government watchdog, expects a fight over where to locate the dispensaries and raised concerns about medical marijuana ending up being illegally sold on the streets.
“I don’t have confidence in the district’s ability to carry out the regulation," Ms. Brizill said. "I hope to be proven wrong."
Sixty-nine percent of district voters approved a 1998 ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana. Congress blocked the money needed to create a medical marijuana program until it lifted that ban in December.
In October, the Justice Department urged federal district attorneys to back off of prosecutions of people in possession of medical marijuana who are acting in accordance with state law.
Public support for medical marijuana has remained constantly high in recent years. In an Associated Press-CNBC poll conducted in April, nearly two-thirds of the respondents supported legalizing medical marijuana.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/us/05marijuana.html?hpwWASHINGTON — The District of Columbia Council approved a measure on Tuesday that... more
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The surge of gunbattles, beheadings and kidnappings that has accompanied Mexico's war on drug cartels is an entirely predictable escalation in violence based on decades of scientific literature, a new study contends.
A systematic review published Tuesday of more than 300 international studies dating back 20 years found that when police crack down on drug users and dealers, the result is almost always an increase in violence, say researchers at the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, a nonprofit group based in Britain and Canada.
More in the article...The surge of gunbattles, beheadings and kidnappings that has accompanied Mexico's... more
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By:John Russo
When it comes to marijuana policy, California has been stuck in a fairy tale for decades.
This particular fairy tale is like "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Everybody can see that marijuana prohibition has done nothing to prevent its use, and that arresting tens of thousands Californians every year for misdemeanor possession diverts police resources from violent felonies.
And nobody is blind to the fact that marijuana has funded and empowered the sociopathic drug cartels responsible for untold suffering and violence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
It's time for Californians to acknowledge the truth about the war on marijuana. Not only is it ineffective -- it directly compromises public safety in our state.
In November, California can become the first state to recognize this reality by passing the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010.
This smart initiative would legalize personal cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Individual cities and counties could strictly regulate distribution and sales as they see fit. It would increase the penalty for providing marijuana to minors. Sales by unlicensed dealers -- those now funding the cartels and wreaking havoc in our cities -- would still be illegal.
California banned cannabis almost a century ago based on sensational and unscientific notions about the plant.
Modern prohibition, based on some of the same anachronistic ideas, has failed to control widespread availability and use. Like the 18th Amendment's prohibition against alcohol, it is routinely overlooked by millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
Others have made commonsense arguments about the economic benefits of taxing this major industry. Cannabis is by far the largest cash crop in the state, with an estimated value of about $14 billion. Estimated tax revenue from sales alone would be $1.4 billion -- money that could go to police, public schools and other critical services now being gutted by California's budget crisis.
As the City Attorney of Oakland -- a city where dozens of people are killed in drug-related murders every year -- my primary concern is the war on marijuana's collateral damage to public safety.
Black market marijuana is a main source of fuel powering the vast criminal enterprises that threaten peace on our streets and weaken national security on our borders. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Mexican drug cartels get more than 60 percent of their revenue from selling marijuana in the United States.
Money is the oxygen of these organizations. For decades, our approach to fighting violent drug gangs has been like trying to put out a house fire with a watering can. Why not try shutting off the fire's oxygen supply?
The cost of enforcing prohibition is hard to estimate. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars and countless law enforcement hours arresting people for low-level marijuana crimes, further overburdening courts and prisons. Jail beds needed for marijuana offenders could be "used for other criminals who are now being released early because of a lack of jail space," the state Legislative Analyst's Office wrote.
More than 61,000 Californians were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2008. That same year, about 60,000 violent crimes went unsolved statewide. The reality is that resources tied up fighting marijuana would be better spent solving and preventing violent felonies and other major crimes.
Regulating and controlling marijuana is really a law-and-order measure. It takes marijuana off street corners and out of the hands of children. It cuts off a huge source of revenue to the violent gangsters who now control the market. And it gives law enforcement more capacity to focus on what really matters to Californians -- making our communities safer.
It's time we call marijuana prohibition what it is -- an outdated and costly approach that has failed to benefit our society. In November, we will finally have the chance to take a rational course with the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act.
John Russo is the City Attorney of Oakland.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/detail?entry_id=62294By:John Russo
When it comes to marijuana policy, California has been stuck in a... more
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If you live in Oregon, please e-mail to volunteer to mail back a petition. Come on, the minimum is 10 signatures! Everyone knows 10 people who support this!!! We CAN make this happen!If you live in Oregon, please e-mail to volunteer to mail back a petition. Come on,... more
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_ap_poll_legalizing_marijuana;_ylt=Alp.mNNHDQoH6OVFZEX5iBqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFoaGE5ZDY4BHBvcwMyOARzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNhcC1jbmJjcG9sbG0-
Most Americans still oppose legalizing marijuana but larger majorities believe pot has medical benefits and the government should allow its use for that purpose, according to an Associated Press-CNBC poll released Tuesday.
Respondents were skeptical that crime would spike if marijuana is decriminalized or that it would lead more people to harder drugs like heroin or cocaine. There also was a nearly even split on whether government spends too much or the right amount enforcing marijuana laws. Almost no one thinks too little is spent.
Marijuana use — medically and recreationally — is getting more attention in the political arena. California voters will decide in November whether to legalize the drug, and South Dakota will vote this fall on whether to allow medical uses. California and 13 other states already permit such use.
The balloting comes against the backdrop of the Obama administration saying it won't target marijuana dispensaries if they comply with state laws, a departure from the policy of the Bush administration, which sought to more stringently enforce the federal ban on marijuana use for any purpose.
In the poll, only 33 percent favor legalization while 55 percent oppose it. People under 30 were the only age group favoring legalization (54 percent) and opposition increased with age, topping out at 73 percent of those 65 and older. Opposition also was prevalent among women, Republicans and those in rural and suburban areas.
Some opponents worried legalization would lead to reefer madness.
"I think it would be chaos if it was legalized," said Shirley Williams, a 75-year-old retired English teacher from Quincy, Ill. "People would get in trouble and use marijuana as an excuse."
Those like Jeff Boggs, 25, of Visalia, Calif., who support legalization said the dangers associated with the drug have been overstated.
"People are scared about things they don't know about," said Boggs, who is married and works for an auto damage appraisal company.
Americans are more accepting of medical marijuana. Sixty percent support the idea and 74 percent believe the drug has a real medical benefit for some people. Two-thirds of Democrats favor medical marijuana as do a slim majority of Republicans, 53 percent.
Peoples' views on legalizing marijuana or on allowing its use for medicinal purposes were largely uniform across different regions of the country, despite the fact that legal medical marijuana use is concentrated in the West.
Bill Hankins, 77, of Mason, Mich., opposes legalizing marijuana but strongly favors using the drug medicinally. Michigan is among the states that allow medical pot.
"It has been shown through tests to alleviate pain in certain medical conditions," said Hankins, who said he experimented with pot when he was younger. If Hankins fell gravely ill and "my doctor said I should have it to control the pain, I would use it," he said.
California was the first state to approve medical marijuana, in 1996, and has been the hub of the so-called "Green Rush" to legalize marijuana. But a patchwork of local laws in the state has created confusion about the law and lax oversight led to an explosion of medical marijuana dispensaries in some places.
In Los Angeles, the number of dispensaries exploded from four to upward of 1,000 in the past five years. Police believe some were nothing but fronts for drug dealers to sell marijuana to people who have no medical need, and the city recently adopted an ordinance to reduce that number to 70 in coming months.
Among those surveyed, 45 percent said the cost of enforcing existing laws is too high and 48 percent said it's about right. Democrats, men and young people were most apt to say the cost is exorbitant.
With state and local governments desperate for cash, some legalization proponents are pushing marijuana as a potential revenue stream. But only 14 percent of those surveyed who oppose legalization would change their mind if states were to tax the drug.
John Lovell, a spokesman with the California Narcotics Officers' Association, said he wasn't surprised by the poll results because people already are aware of widespread abuse of legal prescription drugs and alcohol.
"Given that reality, we don't need to add another mind-altering substance that compromises people's five senses," Lovell said.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_ap_poll_legalizing_marijuana;_ylt=Al... more
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Jack Herer, legendary hemp activist and author of the seminal The Emperor Wears No Clothes, has passed away at the age of 70.Jack Herer, legendary hemp activist and author of the seminal The Emperor Wears No... more
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by:Bill Piper
April 20th (4/20) has long been associated with marijuana, both marijuana use and marijuana activism. Thousands of Americans will gather on that day at rallies in Boston, Boulder, New York, Santa Cruz, Seattle and other cities. For people who prefer to relax with a joint instead of a beer or martini it's a time to celebrate. For those who don't use marijuana it's a time to stand up in support of their friends, family, and fellow citizens who face arrest for nothing more than what they put into their body. For the Drug Policy Alliance and the drug policy reform movement 4/20 represents something even bigger.
The movement to end marijuana prohibition is very broad, composed of people who love marijuana, people who hate marijuana, and people who don't have strong feelings about marijuana use one way or the other. We all agree on one thing though - marijuana prohibition is doing more harm than good. It's wasting taxpayer dollars and police resources, filling our jails and prisons with hundreds of thousands of nonviolent people, and increasing crime and violence in the same way alcohol Prohibition did. Police made more than 750,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2008 alone. Those arrested were separated from their loved ones, branded criminals, denied jobs, and in many cases prohibited from accessing student loans, public housing and other public assistance.
Fortunately, the tide is quickly turning against the war on marijuana. Legislators in California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Virginia are considering legislation to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. The Economist magazine noted that "marijuana could follow the path that alcohol took in the 1930s" out of prohibition into a regulated market. Celebrities are speaking out. The musician and activist Sting, for instance, recently urged people to oppose the entire war on drugs. In November Californians will vote on whether to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol; the measure is ahead in the polls. Local California papers like the Orange County Register and the Long Beach Press-Telegram have editorialized in favor of the initiative, seven months before the vote. Nationally, support for making marijuana legal is about 44 percent, with support increasing about two percent a year. A recent Gallup poll predicts a majority of Americans will favor marijuana legalization within just four years if current trends hold.
The war on marijuana won't end, however, if everyone who supports reform stays silent. Maybe you smoke marijuana and are tired of being considered a criminal. Maybe you work in law enforcement and are tired of ruining people's lives by arresting them. Maybe you're a teacher or public health advocate tired of politicians cutting money for education and health to pay for the construction of new jails and prisons Maybe you're a civil rights activist appalled by racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement. Or maybe you just don't want your tax dollars wasted on ineffective policies.
Regardless of your motivation, April 20th (4/20) is a good opportunity for you to make a pledge to end marijuana prohibition. The Drug Policy Alliance is asking people to use 4/20 as the time to commit to doing something in 2010 to end the war on people who use marijuana. There are many ways to help end marijuana prohibition. Donate to a drug policy reform organization. Tell your elected representatives to end marijuana prohibition. Talk to your friends and family about why people who use marijuana shouldn't be arrested. Twitter this oped. Change your Facebook status to announce your support for ending the war on marijuana. Stand up today with other Americans and get the word out there. This war will end; how soon depends, in part, on you.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/146412/don%27t_just_smoke_a_joint_on_4_20_--_take_action_against_marijuana_prohibitionby:Bill Piper
April 20th (4/20) has long been associated with marijuana, both... more
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Reporters from The Cornell Daily Sun interviewed a student who sells drugs to classmates at UCLA. He has mixed emotions about legalization...
"It's time that the government legalized pot," John, who declined to give his last name, said. "I probably need to find something else to do, but in terms of pot itself, everyone already does it. There's no point in keeping it restricted."Reporters from The Cornell Daily Sun interviewed a student who sells drugs to... more
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[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="marijuana joint by Torben Bjørn Hansen on flickr"][/caption]
While the New Jersey legislature deliberates plans to legalize medical marijuana, and become the 14th state in the nation to do so, larger debates continue to looms. In one corner, defenders of legalization point to people like convicted MS-sufferer John Wilson, jailed for first degree maintaining or operating a drug production facility. His motivation for growing 17 pot plants in his backyard stemmed largely from his inability to afford the monthly cost of $2000 for prescription pain relief.
On the other side of the spectrum, medical and ethical questions have been raised. Does marijuana use cause cancer? What message does this send to children? Sure, it's a difficult debate to navigate, and in order to get anywhere in these murky waters, one must ask some other complex questions. Where does marijuana fall on the spectrum of recreational drug use? Is it any more egregious in comparison to alcohol or cigarette smoking? The desire to ease pain and suffering is an understandable argument, but it's also tough to justify in context of legalized substance use. And abuse.
Consider other legalized prescription drugs that have been co-opted for recreational use, and in turn resulted in an epidemic. I'm thinking, of course, of the overabundance of legal oxycontin and pain pill mills in South Florida which result in trafficking to areas like the Appalachian Mountains.
Our own Mariana Van Zeller filed a report on South Florida based oxycontin pill mills last October for Vanguard. One of the subjects in Mariana's report was Todd, an oxycontin addict whose family had been impacted by oxy abuse several times. Shortly after filming, Todd decided to quit abusing prescription drugs altogether. Through therapy and hard work, Todd has managed to stay oxy free. However, Todd still thinks about using, and frequently smokes marijuana.
Visit Vanguard on Current to watch the full episode of The OxyContin Express
Which brings us back to the legalization debate, and the values of marijuana for prescription use.
Certainly, nobody wants to see a replication of the pill mills in South Florida, but would the same situation develop with marijuana legalization? Amanda Reiman PhD from UC Berkeley has a supportive perspective regarding marijuana use based on findings that 65% of the people at the Berkeley Patient's Group use marijuana because it has less adverse side effects than alcohol, illicit or prescription pills.
“Substituting cannabis for alcohol has been described as a radical alcohol treatment protocol,” said Reiman. “This approach could be used to address heavy alcohol use. People might substitute cannabis, a potentially safer drug than alcohol with less negative side effects, if it were socially acceptable and available.”
We'll wait and see if New Jersey manages to push the medical marijuana legalization initiative through, until then John Wilson remains in prison awaiting trial, still suffering from the pains associated with MS. Sen. Lesniak has stated that he is going to urge Governor Jon Corzine to pardon Wilson before his trial begins.[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"... more
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We're well into Tuesday, and the Current community has set their sights on a few choice stories. These recently submitted stories have quickly risen in popularity, so give them a read and feel free to join in on the discussion.
Depleted Uranium: Dead and Deformed Babies in Iraq and Afghanistan are no joke -- [via The Public Record]
WARNING: THE PHOTO ACCOMPANYING THE LINK TO THE PUBLIC RECORD IS GRAPHIC. CLICK WITH CAUTION.
It's no surprise that this story is picking up steam, considering the photo evidence accompanying it. Growing up in the wake of the Vietnam War, the real world use of Agent Orange seemed like the stuff of horror movies. The aftereffect of depleted uranium simultaneously reminds me of those days spent fearing Agent Orange, and trumps them in one fell swoop.
Shocking pictures of bird corpses filled with plastic -- [via Planet Green]
If this trend continues, I'm going to title this post the "shocking and revealing photos" edition of the top 5. Planet Green showcases the work of photographer Chris Jordan, who travelled to the Midway Islands to photograph decomposed bird bodies full of consumed plastic litter.
There are 5 million children who could be potentially orphaned by ICE deportations
-- [via Univision.com]
Jubal pulled this story from Univision.com, a group of orphaned children from the US were featured on the Cristina show. Cristina reports that based on ICE estimates roughly 5 million children born from illegal alien parents living in the US. Here is a link to the translated Univision story.
Gallup poll finds record support for legalizing marijuana -- [via The Raw Story]
Our community always keeps us abreast of the latest in marijuana legislation (and more!). Gallup has released new data taken from a recent poll, which shows an unprecedented record number of supporters of the legalization and taxation of marijuana for recreational use in the US.
The poll clearly illustrates a generational and political divide on the issue, with 78 percent of self-described liberals saying they would like to see the drug legalized and 72 percent of self-described conservatives being opposed. Gallup also found that 50 percent of Americans under 50-years-old are in favor of legalization, but just 28 percent of seniors agree.
Perhaps the most important demographic to advocates of legalization are the moderate voters, among whom 51 percent now support ending prohibition.
Nobel winner slams Bible as ‘handbook of bad morals’ -- [via The Raw Story]
Jose Saramago, who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, made the following statement yesterday:
"The Bible is a manual of bad morals (which) has a powerful influence on our culture and even our way of life. Without the Bible, we would be different, and probably better people"
Saramago made these remarks at a launch event for his new book, "Cain" -- an ironic retelling of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. The Roman Catholic Church has accused Saramago of pulling off a publicity stunt by criticizing a "cruel, jealous and unbearable God (who) exists only in our heads." What do you think?
We're well into Tuesday, and the Current community has set their sights on a few... more
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Health insurer sued Maine to increase profits
Healthcare Watch is taking on WellCare, the health insurance provider that recently made headlines for alleged illegal actions such as coercing employees to lobby against healthcare reform. The put this video together to tell their side of the story. You can weigh in here.
Should Obama meet with the Dalai Lama?
Over on the Current News blog, Andrew posed the titular question in response to news that the White House asked the Tibetans to 'postpone' a meeting with the President. My take? I don't know what you're complaining about, Andrew. Obama's decision to postpone his meeting with the Dalai Lama only opens the door for you to spend more time with his Holiness. What are you waiting for? Weigh in on this story here.
California mulls legalizing marijuana
In a shocking change of pace, this legalization story is picking up some steam on Current.com, this time from a UK perspective (e.g. the source article comes to us from the BBC). These days California is either seen as a trailblazer (as this article points out, should we adopt a legalization plan to profit off the legal sale of the plant), or a ripe candidate for the title of "America's first failed state." Tell us what you think here.
‘Too big to fail’ must end for all, FDIC chief says
F.D.I.C. Chairman Sheila Bair told the Institute of International Finance:
"I believe that the new regime should apply to all bank holding companies that are more than just shells and their affiliates regardless or not whether they are considered to be systemic risks."
Bair's comments are striking a chord with community members who are tired of the "rewarded failure" approach, but we want to hear your thoughts, too. Add to the conversation here.
Apple sues someone because their logo looks like fruit
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="It's Woolworths, not *that* Woolworths"][/caption]
Okay, I agree with all of the unjustified lawsuit claims on the basis that Woolworths and Apple couldn't be further from each other. On an unrelated note, whenever I read word "Woolworths" I can't help but think of John McConnell's mispronunciation of the store's name in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, "And stay outta the Woolsworth!"
But, I have to say, if I were Woolworths I'd have to be loving this lawsuit. I mean, what better way to announce the five-and-dime's return? Oh wait, this is an unaffiliated Australian supermarket named after the original Woolworths. Nevermind. WTF Apple? Let Apple know how off-base they are over here. jh6wcyrsf5
Health insurer sued Maine to increase profits
Healthcare Watch is taking on... more
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It's Monday, and while the wheels are slowly starting to pick up steam, here are the top 5 stories being discussed on Current.com:
California dreaming of full marijuana legalization
Medical marijuana has become big business in California and the drug is approved for a range of conditions and for “any other illness for which marijuana provides relief”. In these straitened financial times, booming sales and healthy tax revenues mean that full legalisation of cannabis may be just around the corner.Across California there are an estimated 2,100 dispensaries, co-operatives, wellness clinics and taxi delivery services in the sector known as “cannabusiness”. That is more than all the Starbucks, McDonald’s and 7-Eleven outlets in the state put together.
Honeybees, Bumble Bees, and now Ladybugs-- they're all going on strike
A citizens-science group is calling for children, adults, families, and educators to help native ladybugs.
During the past two decades as invasive look-alike ladybugs expanded their territories and pollution and habitat loss have crowded them out, species of Native ladybugs began vanishing and the invasive species began increasing. These include the multicolored Asian ladybug, checkerboard ladybug and the seven-spotted ladybug.
“This has happened very quickly and we don't know how this shift happened, what impact it will have, and how we can prevent more native species from becoming so rare,” said John E. Losey, Cornell University entomologist.
McDonalds Density: Never more that 145 miles away
Data can be truly eye-opening. Take a look at this visualization of McDonald's locations across the United States, and take comfort (?) in knowing that the golden arches are always less than 145 miles away from wherever you are.
This map was created by Stephen Von Worley, who used location data on the 13,000 plus MickeyD's locations along with some coding-fu to generate the above map. What we see is as expected, a network of the franchises largely following the freeway and highway system and increasing in density in proportion to the population density.
Community organizing for comprehensive immigration reform
This video by allanfrieux is rather timely.
The Center for Community Change and the Reform Immigration FOR America
Campaign organized state-wide youth trainings in Colorado and Florida. This video takes an inside look at what happens at these trainings, it talks about what Comprehensive Immigration Reform is, and shows how the youth is organizing their communities to fight for C.I.R.
Community organizing for comprehensive immigration reform
Sneak Attack at Oakland Whole Foods
Personally, I'm a big fan of creative demonstrations. This sneak attack at an Oakland Whole Foods falls right into that category -- complete with choreographed dancing and a backing band.
In case you're not keeping up like some of us are, Whole Foods' CEO, John Mackey, recently penned an op-ed in the WSJ in which he opined that, because he is able to provide private health insurance benefits for his (mostly young and w/o pre-existing conditions, like arthritis or CAD or osteoporosis) workforce, he is opposed to health-care reform that would make health-care a "right" in America.
He even (surprisingly) went so far as to call it "ObamaCare," right in line with the nut-jobs who don't want our government to mess with their MediCare.
Sneak Attack at Oakland Whole Foods
It's Monday, and while the wheels are slowly starting to pick up steam, here are... more
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It's Friday, but before you head off for a weekend of fun in the sun, take a look at some of the stories rising in popularity over on Current.com. Remember, votes and comments help make stories more popular.
Here we go!
Holocaust survivor gets in fight with protesters comparing Obama to Hitler -- I'm pretty sure the headline speaks for itself here. Join in the discussion!
What would you like to ask President Obama? -- some members of our community want the president to answer questions about legalization. What would you ask?
ACORN's Katherine Conway Russell rebuts Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe's claims [VIDEO] -- you've seen the videos, and the debate continues to rage on. Now ACORN is speaking out in their defense with evidence of a police report in support of their claims. Watch for yourself.
Wolf Blitzer bombarded on Celebrity Jeopardy -- Does this take Blitzer down a peg? I mean, he was mopped up by Andy Richter.
During WWII UK used Monopoly Games to Help Free British POW's! -- !! AWESOME WWII POW ESCAPE STORY ALERT !! This is, by far, one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
It's Friday, but before you head off for a weekend of fun in the sun, take a look... more
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We saw a lot of debate this year about legalizing marijuana. Especially in light of California's budget crisis, just the economics of taxing all that marijuana that could be bought and sold in the state was particularly tempting for some legislators. Well in light of all that debate, advocates for legalization say they've collected enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot in 2010. (Clipped by many, including saytenvoneryk).
The signature campaign cost over $1 million and collected over 680,000 signatures from California voters. If the ballot initiative were to pass, it would regulate marijuana like alcohol and tobacco and limit its purchase and consumption to those 21 and over.
It's funny, at the end of the Top Ten Stories of 2009 video I did I asked whether California legalizing marijuana would be one of the big stories of 2010. And now it looks like it's a possibility. But there are a lot of question marks standing between today and legal weed. Will California voters be as easy to sway as petition signers? And could the federal government stand in the way? More to come.
For those interested in the topic there are a fair number of discussion groups you can join on Current (H.E.M.P. and Make Marijuana Matter are two examples).
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Over on Current News user current89 pointed us to this story: Obama Issues New Medical Marijuana Policy.
The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.
This is a much different tact than the Bush Administration, which carried out federal raids over the protests of state and local officials.
As more states relax their laws around medical marijuana and dispensaries like California's become more common - should we anticipate a shift in federal law that follows this trend? Or will marijuana legalization prove to still be too divisive of a national issue to tackle during Obama's term?
Comment over here on Current News.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's official: Californians will decide whether legal marijuana should be used to plug the state's $20 billion budget gap.
California residents are expected to vote this year on whether legalization should be approved to raise nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue. That's based on an estimate from the State Board of Equalization, a tax administration agency.
"It would be another source of revenue for the state," said Anita Gore, spokeswoman for the board. The board has not issued an opinion on legalization as a means of easing the state's budget crisis, she added.
California Secretary Debra Brown confirmed on Wednesday that enough signatures had been collected to put AB 390, a marijuana legalization bill, on the ballot for Nov. 2. A press release from the secretary said that legalization proponents submitted 694,248 petition signatures for the bill, easily surpassing the required 433,791.
"The momentum for reform has grown exponentially since we introduced the bill last year," said Quitin Mecke, spokesman for Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, the lead sponsor of the bill. "We're excited about the prospect to reform drug laws again."
Mecke noted that California was the first state to pass legislation allowing medicinal marijuana, 14 years ago.
more at link...
That's what I call a cash crop!NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's official: Californians will decide whether legal... more
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It's actually possible. Wow.
"On Wednesday, Los Angeles elections officials must turn in their count of valid signatures collected in the county on a statewide legalization initiative. The number is virtually certain to be enough to qualify the initiative for the November ballot, according to a tally kept by state election officials."It's actually possible. Wow.
"On Wednesday, Los Angeles elections... more
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