tagged w/ Hemp
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Pot-smoking B.C. residents are increasingly being banned from entering the U.S. as American border guards try to stem the flow of Canadian marijuana tourists in the wake of Washington State's weed legalization vote late last year.
Blaine lawyer Len Saunders said he's seeing more cases of B.C. residents being permanently denied entry after trying to carry pot across the border, thinking it's no longer an issue.
Because marijuana is now legal to possess under state law, Canadians caught bringing less than an ounce across aren't charged, as they were in the past.
"I'm seeing no prosecutions – zero since November," Saunders said. "But there's more confusion."
What happens now, he said, is pot-packing Canucks have their stash confiscated and are then interrogated under oath about their drug-using habits.
Admit that you've ever smoked or used marijuana in your life, he said, and you can be deemed inadmissable to the U.S. because you've confessed to a crime of moral turpitude.
"The key is to not admit that you've ever used it," Saunders said, stressing he isn't counselling anyone to lie under oath.
http://www.surreyleader.com/news/200913351.htmlPot-smoking B.C. residents are increasingly being banned from entering the U.S. as... more
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For nearly 13 years, since Nevada voters approved an initiative petition that allows the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the state has ignored the voters’ will.
Patients have been allowed to use marijuana with the permission of a doctor, but the drug has been nearly impossible for them to obtain legally because the Legislature has been unable to approve a plan to make it available.
That should change this year.
On Friday, Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill in the Legislature that would establish the necessary framework to create marijuana dispensaries for registered medical marijuana patients.
By approving Segerblom’s bill, written following a field trip to Arizona to see that state’s system of dispensaries, the lawmakers would not be taking a position on the issue of medical marijuana or even the more controversial issue of decriminalizing marijuana for all users (a proposal rejected by voters several times already but sure to appear on another ballot in the coming years).
Rather, the Legislature is simply being asked to put into effect a plan approved by the voters in 2000 with no follow-up.
Segerblom hopes that his proposal, Senate Bill 374, will allow the first dispensary to open in Nevada with a year.
“I came away from Arizona realizing the faster we can get this moving, the better,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20130331/OPED01/303310031/Editorial-Time-OK-marijuana-dispensariesFor nearly 13 years, since Nevada voters approved an initiative petition that allows... more
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Welcome to canna-ful Colorado.
Two Denver entrepreneurs with ties to the medical-marijuana industry have started the nation's first marijuana tourism company. For several hundred bucks — prices vary between VIP and economy levels — My 420 Tours will pick visitors up at the airport, connect them to a pot-friendly hotel, set up hash-making demonstrations and dispensary-grow tours, and provide them with tickets to cannabis-themed events and concerts. The company's first package is built around April 20, a date cannabis enthusiasts regard as a holiday known as 4/20.
The tour company is pitching the collection of concerts, conventions and parties surrounding 4/20 in Denver as World Cannabis Week.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/marijuana/ci_22908874/colorado-marijuana-tourism-company-launches-after-pot-legalizationWelcome to canna-ful Colorado.
Two Denver entrepreneurs with ties to the... more
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“Medical marijuana” became legal in Massachusetts on January 1, but the first draft of rules for its use are just out today.
Here are some highlights from the Department of Public Health. The full summary is here:
• Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs): DPH requires each non-profit MMTC organization to operate their own cultivation and dispensing facilities.
• Defining a 60-Day Supply: DPH recommends allowing up to 10 ounces for a personal 60-day supply.
• Debilitating Medical Condition: DPH does not further define which medical conditions qualify patients for medicinal use of marijuana, instead leaving that important decision to physicians and their patients.
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/03/medical-marijuana-mass-rules“Medical marijuana” became legal in Massachusetts on January 1, but the... more
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Wherever new markets open up, trust intrepid Indian entrepreneurs to wade in. Many American states have legalised the use of marijuana with a medical prescription and two now allow it for recreational use. This has led to hopes that, soon, cannabis will be legalised across the US. Some analysts expect the market to grow to as much as $1.7 billion, prompting two Indian entrepreneurs to team up and form a consultancy to advise budding ganjapreneurs. This is good news. Evidence from Europe, where beer and wine are relatively cheap, shows that people prefer these to stronger spirits. In India, costly beer and wine have driven consumers to guzzling spirits. Similarly, the legalisation and availability of weed could drive a lot of hard drugs off the streets. This, in turn, could vastly reduce crime. It could also create the conditions for a legitimate business to grow overnight.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/editorial/india-america-the-business-of-marijuana/articleshow/19284364.cmsWherever new markets open up, trust intrepid Indian entrepreneurs to wade in. Many... more
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While marijuana advocates celebrated the success of Amendment 64 in the November election, other cannabis aficionados began focusing on something new: farming hemp legally.
Hemp industry leaders are starting to discuss opportunities for growing hemp in Colorado as state officials continue to plan how it will be regulated.
Hemp is a fibrous material extracted from the stem of a cannabis plant that can be used for a wide variety of products like food, oils and building materials, according to Tom Murphy, national outreach coordinator for Vote Hemp. Under current regulations, hemp must be imported into the United States, which is not sustainable or cost-effective, he says.
“It would be much better to grow hemp close to a building site and process it locally,” Murphy says.
Unlike marijuana, which is typically cultivated through cloning, hemp is propagated by planting seed and through pollination, according to Anndrea Hermann, president of the Hemp Industries Association. Hemp is grown to have large, fibrous stalks that can be processed into a variety of materials and does not contain high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
“We’re talking about cultural diversification. There is a large market that is to be had on the fiber textiles side, on the human product side and building application,” Hermann says. “This would be an opportunity for diversification of farming systems and the opportunity to cultivate a crop that is, as of now, only allowed as an import.”
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-10881-hemp-the-fiber-side-.htmlWhile marijuana advocates celebrated the success of Amendment 64 in the November... more
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U.S. Army veteran Jeff Crawford and his family have been bounced around a lot over the past three years—living out of hotels and sometimes on the streets. When the Veterans Administration (VA) connected him six months ago with the L.A. chapter of Volunteers of America (a non-profit organization that helps the homeless find permanent housing, among other things), it seemed like things were finally looking up.
Even though Crawford and his wife struggled to raise the money to furnish their apartment with a working stove and a refrigerator, they were grateful for the shelter and the stability it provided for Crawford’s two sons.
Sadly, Volunteers of America is preparing to rescind the brief respite it provided the Crawford family, because Jeff Crawford is a medical marijuana user.
http://reason.com/blog/2013/03/27/should-this-veteran-get-evictedU.S. Army veteran Jeff Crawford and his family have been bounced around a lot over the... more
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Agriculture Commissioner James Comer will lead a Kentucky delegation to Washington to ask for an exemption to allow farmers in his state to grow industrial hemp.
That announcement came a day after the Kentucky Legislature passed a bill that lays the groundwork for licensing hemp growers if the federal government ever lifts a ban on the crop.
Hemp thrived in Kentucky generations ago but was banned after the federal government classified it as a controlled substance.
http://www.lex18.com/news/ky-agriculture-commissioner-to-push-hemp-in-dcAgriculture Commissioner James Comer will lead a Kentucky delegation to Washington to... more
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I got a good bit of reaction to my last piece on cannabis and cancer, so I want follow up on it before moving on to other subjects. Obviously, many folks out there are suffering and seeking relief, but I don’t want to peddle false hope; there is already too much of that going on. However, if you already have a death sentence hanging over your head then you pretty much have nothing to lose.
One of the major medicinal advantages of cannabis, the clinical name for marijuana, is the absence of significant and unintended side effects (no major harms) associated with its medicinal use ¾which is a lot more than can be said for many pharmaceutical drugs that come with a laundry list of side effects, which sometimes include death.
http://metrotimes.com/news/higher-ground/cannabinoids-and-cancer-1.1463656I got a good bit of reaction to my last piece on cannabis and cancer, so I want follow... more
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Elmira, N.Y. - New York could be the next state to legalize marijuana use. Tuesday State Senator Diane Savino introduced a bill in the senate that would legalize medical marijuana for patients with serious medical conditions like cancer or aids.
It's called the Compassionate Care Act. Doctors will be authorized to prescribe marijuana to certified patients or designated caregivers to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana.
http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story/N-Y-Senator-Wants-To-Legalize-Marijuana/EXq3UCKg60mXbeQyGw-DKQ.cspxElmira, N.Y. - New York could be the next state to legalize marijuana use. Tuesday... more
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The Kentucky House and Senate have passed a hemp bill.
Late Tuesday, just minutes before the 2013 General Assembly session was scheduled to end, both chambers passed a bill that would allow the state to quickly license farmers to grow hemp if the federal government lifts its current ban on the crop.
The House vote was 88 to 4. The Senate then voted 35 to one. It now goes to Governor Steve Beshear.
http://www.wtvq.com/content/localnews/story/BREAKING-House-Senate-Pass-Hemp-Bill/jL2MkJbaMUO1mwuNVo3bgQ.cspxThe Kentucky House and Senate have passed a hemp bill.
Late Tuesday, just minutes... more
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The US Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that a drug dog's sniff of a residence's front door is search under the meaning of the Fourth Amendment and that police must therefore obtain a search warrant before unleashing the hounds. The case was Florida v. Jardines.
While the high court has previously ruled that drug dog sniffs of vehicles stopped on the highway, packages at shipping centers, or luggage at airports do not constitute a search under the Fourth, it sets a higher standard for people's homes. When it comes to the Fourth Amendment, "the home is first among equals," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the 5-4 majority.
http://www.alternet.org/scotus-cops-cant-send-drug-dogs-sniffing-around-your-homeThe US Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that a drug dog's sniff of a residence's... more
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When advocates of marijuana legalization in Missouri successfully get a measure on the ballot to end pot prohibition -- voters of the state will support it.
So says new polling data released by advocacy group Show-Me Cannabis Regulation, which says that the legalization of pot could pass as early as 2014 in Missouri, with even better odds in 2016.
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2013/03/marijuana_poll_legalization_regulation_missouri.phpWhen advocates of marijuana legalization in Missouri successfully get a measure on the... more
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About 15 years ago, Daly, a Cheyenne resident, was making non-tobacco chew out of hemp -- hemp imported from a supplier based in Canada, where the crop has been grown legally since the late 1990s.
Daly, a life-long tobacco chewer, said his hemp-chew substitute helped him and his customers kick tobacco, and -- because of hemp's Omega 3 and Omega 6 acids -- also healed his lips and gums after decades of chewing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/workshop-attendees-eager-_n_2940565.htmlAbout 15 years ago, Daly, a Cheyenne resident, was making non-tobacco chew out of hemp... more
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A group of Bay Area and Los Angeles cannabis activists are working to fulfill the dream of late activist Jack Herer with a proposed ballot initiative that would legalize the cannabis hemp plant in its entirety. The California Cannabis Hemp Initiative 2014 is still in the beginning stages, but the group behind the initiative is hoping to drum up enough support to get it on the November 2014 ballot.
"This initiative's goal is to end the prohibition of cannabis similar to how we did with alcohol and wine," said Santa Cruz-based activist Michael Jolson, a proponent of the initiative.
"If our initiative were to be successful in 2015, we would begin the proliferation of the hemp industry of growing hemp for all its uses."
The initiative would legalize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis hemp for industrial and medicinal uses as well as personal use for people at least 21 years old.
The real thrust of the initiative, Jolson said, is the legalization of industrial hemp farming to allow the plant to be used for fuels, medicine, food, paper and textiles, paints, plastics and building materials.
"There are over 10,000 varieties of the plant and 50,000 products. In California, that means just on that, now we will be allowed to start growing a plant that has all these uses, so then we feel here if we can get this initiative going that eventually it can generate a trillion dollars."
The initiative was originally drafted by Herer, an author who died in 2010.
"Part of Jack's message is that we need to legalize the plant completely, but keep the government at bay and keep them from overly regulating and over taxing," Jolson said.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_22843108/cannabis-activists-raising-awareness-new-legalization-initiative-2014A group of Bay Area and Los Angeles cannabis activists are working to fulfill the... more
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A bill that would remove a provision requiring an applicant to meet federal requirements prior to being licensed to grow industrial hemp in West Virginia was introduced last week to the House of Delegates.
The bill was authored by Delegate Mike Maypenny (D-Taylor County), who has also introduced two bills that would legalize medical marijuana in the state.
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/16537/industrial-hemp-bill-introduced-in-west-virginia/A bill that would remove a provision requiring an applicant to meet federal... more
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A bill that would establish a two-year hemp pilot program in Hawaii passed a second reading with amendments on the floor of the Senate last week, and has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill passed unanimously on the floor of the House earlier this month, .
If given favorable approval by the Ways and Means Committee, the bill will be refereed back to the full Senate for a third, and final, reading and vote on the bill. Because the bill has been amended in both the Senate and House, the two chambers will need to agree on the final language of the bill before being sent to the Governor’s desk.
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/16532/hemp-bill-passes-second-reading-in-hawaii-senate/A bill that would establish a two-year hemp pilot program in Hawaii passed a second... more
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When eight former DEA chiefs signed a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this month, demanding that the feds crack down on Washington and Colorado, the states which voted last November to legalize marijuana, there was more than just drug-war ideology at stake. There was money.
Two of the elder drug warriors, Peter Bensinger (DEA chief, 1976–1981) and Robert DuPont (White House drug chief, 1973–1977), run a corporate drug-testing business. Their employee-assistance company, Bensinger, DuPont & Associates, the sixth largest in the nation, holds the pee stick for some 10 million employees around the US. Their clients have included the biggest players in industry and government: Kraft Foods, American Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, the Federal Aviation Administration and even the Justice Department itself.
“These are not just old drug war architects pushing a drug war model they’ve pushed for 40 years,” says Brian Vicente, a Denver lawyer and co-author of Colorado’s Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use. “These guys are asking Eric Holder to pursue prohibition policies that line their own pockets.”
http://www.thefix.com/content/marijuana-legalization-drug-prohibition-lobbying-revolving-door8111?page=allWhen eight former DEA chiefs signed a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder... more
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