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Johnson: Drug enforcement pricey waste
The Prohibition against drug use is causing more trouble and expense than the drug use itself, former Gov. Gary Johnson said in a live interview on KRQE News 13.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljwGPwu428UThe Prohibition against drug use is causing more trouble and expense than the drug use... more-
- copperdragon
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CCHQ's Reality Check - November 9th, 2009
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-
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Lies About Marijuana Drive People to a Much More Harmful Drug - Booze
Anti-pot propaganda drives most people to drink alcohol instead. But booze is far more dangerous than marijuana.
Professor David Nutt didn’t play the game. As the chief drug policy advisor in the British Government, an unspoken part of his job description was to help maintain a public fiction about marijuana – or cannabis, as it is known in the U.K. and other parts of the world. Specifically, he was expected to further the misperception of cannabis as a substance worthy of being classified and prohibited in a manner similar to more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.
He made a big mistake at the end of last month. In a lecture at King’s College in London, he spoke honestly – and truthfully – about the fact that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and urged the government to factor the relative harms of substances into their policy-making. Moreover, he accused the British government of ignoring the evidence about the true harms of cannabis in order to reclassify the drug and increase penalties for possession.
Reacting with the logic and reason of pub patron after last call, Home Secretary Alan Johnson immediately demanded that Prof. Nutt resign as the head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. He said Prof Nutt had "crossed the line between offering advice and … campaigning against the government on political decisions."
More accurately, Prof. Nutt crossed the line between deceiving citizens and being honest with them. The home secretary, a former member of Parliament, is no doubt comfortable with a little verbal jousting over public policy decisions. What he could not abide by was a top ranking official threatening the anti-cannabis mythology embraced at the very top level of government. Based on Nutt’s fateful bout of truthfulness, Johnson said he had “lost confidence” in Nutt as an advisor.
In a letter to Professor Nutt, Mr. Johnson explained how the system is supposed to work. He said: "As Home Secretary it is for me to make decisions, having received advice from the [Council] ... It is important that the Government's messages on drugs are clear and as an adviser you do nothing to undermine the public understanding of them ... I am afraid the manner in which you have acted runs contrary to your responsibilities."
The Home Secretary’s chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson put a similar spin on this hostile reaction to fact-based statements to the public. "These things are best sorted out behind the scenes,” he said, “so that the government and their advisers can go to the public with a united front."
In the real world, what this means is that advisors are free to provide research or reports based on an honest assessment of the scientific evidence, but when this research is completely ignored in setting policy, they are expected to keep their mouths shut and move on as if nothing ever happened.
This is all part of the game the government plays in order to maintain marijuana prohibition. In the United States, there are many examples of significant advisory opinions related to marijuana being completely ignored – even where the opinions were part of a decision-making process that should have led to action by the federal government.
In 1970, Congress established the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to study marijuana and make recommendations about how to control its use. The Commission’s final report suggested removal of criminal penalties, noting, “The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior.” President Nixon ignored the Commission’s findings and launched and all-out war on marijuana users.
In 1988, Francis Young, an administrative law judge at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), following hearings to determine whether marijuana should be placed into a less restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act, wrote that marijuana should be moved from Schedule I (theAnti-pot propaganda drives most people to drink alcohol instead. But booze is far more... more-
- copperdragon
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Oregon NORML’s groundbreaking Cannabis Café opening this Friday
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.
http://blog.norml.org/2009/11/10/oregon-normls-groundbreaking-cannabis-cafe-opening-this-friday/Riding on the wave of President Obama’s memo to end DEA interference in states’... more-
- copperdragon
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Should cities tax marijuana?
Taxing medical marijuana sales is an idea worth considering, not because it is a potential cash cow for fiscally constrained governments, but because it could raise revenue needed to cover the services the flourishing businesses will require.
But caution is in order. There are some dominoes that need to fall first.
The topic came up again last week, as Denver City Council members Chris Nevitt and Charlie Brown publicly expressed support for imposing a city sales tax on medical marijuana sales. "We've got to tax this damn thing at the city rate, which is 3.62 percent," Brown told us. "We're talking millions of dollars here."
And that may be. But some questions about legality of taxation and the future of medical marijuana have to be answered first. And we think that overall, cities such as Denver ought not look to the emerging industry as a windfall that could close budget gaps.
First, the legality of taxing the commodity is up in the air.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers is researching the issue, and his decision will turn on whether the substance is deemed a prescription or something more like an herbal remedy.
The latter seems more likely, since marijuana isn't a drug that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And herbal remedies are already taxed.
Second, we don't think governments ought to take advantage of the medical marijuana laws in the way that so-called "ganjapreneurs" have been doing.
Meaning, governments would be just as wrong to reap great wads of cash from back-door legalization efforts as are the mass dispensaries, some of which are just barely pretending to be serving the most infirm among us.
Amendment 20, which passed in 2000, did not approve the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, despite the wishful thinking of some.
Furthermore, legislators are poised to address the medical marijuana issue in the upcoming session, which begins in January, and their decisions could seriously affect how medical marijuana is delivered in Colorado. (See Alicia Caldwell's article from today's Perspective section.)
If their decisions shrink the number and reach of distributors, then a basic sales tax should be enough.
But if lawmakers create a structure that encourages a broader distribution model — with attendant regulatory and service requirements — then other fees and taxes would be worth contemplating.
It would seem prudent, we think, to wait until the shape of medical marijuana is more clearly defined before settling on a taxing structure.
It's smart to get ahead of the game and contemplate the tax and revenue-generating alternatives. But we hope governments will exhibit some foresight and restraint before they make decisions they might have to revise once the medical marijuana landscape is clearly defined.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_13725482
http://blog.buzzflash.com/files/hemp-washington.jpgTaxing medical marijuana sales is an idea worth considering, not because it is a... more-
- copperdragon
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- 3 days ago
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An end to road prohibitions
Are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try -- with good results.
http://www.psfk.com/2007/09/no-signs-lead-to-better-driving-more-considertation.htmlAre streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are... more-
- blondie420
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- 5 days ago
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Restaurateur, pot-smoking patron take fight to court
Federal government lawyers will ask a judge today to throw out the case of an Ontario restaurant owner who wants one of his former patrons stripped of his right to smoke medical marijuana.
This is the latest manoeuvre in the legal battle between Ted Kindos, owner of Gator Ted's Tap and Grill in Burlington, and former customer Steve Gibson.
The restaurant owner is facing a human rights complaint for asking Mr. Gibson not to light up outside his business.
So Mr. Kindos is looking for a declaration from the Federal Court that people with a permit to smoke medicinal marijuana cannot do so in a public place or any licensed establishment.
He also wants the court to order Health Canada not to renew the permit of his former patron, arguing Mr. Gibson has not been in compliance with its terms of use.
Mr. Gibson contends in his human rights complaint that he's being discriminated against because he has a disability. Mr. Kindos argues he could lose his liquor licence if he allows Mr. Gibson to smoke or hold the controlled substance in or out front of his restaurant.
The case is one of three dealing with medical marijuana working its way through the human rights complaints process in Ontario.
In court documents, federal government lawyers said they are seeking to dismiss the case, arguing there is no dispute that requires adjudication because Health Canada does not purport to authorize permit holders to smoke marijuana in violation of any applicable law or in an establishment subject to Ontario's liquor licensing laws.
The regulations are "completely silent" in terms of where and when Mr. Gibson is authorized to use marijuana for medical reasons and there is no evidence he disregarded the terms of his permit in any way, according to the documents.
In addition, they argue Mr. Kindos lacks the standing to challenge Mr. Gibson's permit renewal and that the regulations do not authorize Health Canada to refuse renewal of a permit on the basis an applicant has "flagrantly disregarded its terms."
But Mr. Kindos's lawyer, Gary Graham, said in court documents the medical marijuana regulations do allow Health Canada to refuse to renew a permit if any information, statement or other item in the renewal application is false or misleading.
He said compliance with the regulations also includes following an information document issued to permit holders advising that controlled substances should not be consumed in public places or in contravention of other applicable federal or provincial laws.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2171162Federal government lawyers will ask a judge today to throw out the case of an Ontario... more-
- copperdragon
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- 7 days ago
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Marijuana Laws Spur Small Businesses
An incremental acceptance of medical marijuana has spurred a cottage industry of business ventures — from iPhone applications to lobbyists — whose expansion shows no sign of slowing despite the recession. Instead, pot is the new growth industry.
The market began to take off in 1996, when California became the first state to approve the sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Today, medical marijuana sales in California are estimated at $700 million to $2 billion per year. Profits from "canni-businesses" as a whole are potentially much greater.
"It is a social movement with cash flow," said James Anthony, an activist and attorney who has advised numerous dispensaries, of which there are at least 2,100 nationwide, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
The group estimates that Californians alone consume nearly $6 billion of marijuana annually.
The money has always been there, Anthony said. It has just risen to the surface because people think there is less risk of being prosecuted.
The most obvious beneficiaries of what has been dubbed a "hempire" are dispensaries, growers and doctors, who charge up to $200 per consultation.
Newer are the small business ventures such as delivery services and publishers of books about how to start pot-related businesses. Pharmacologists are standardizing the safety and strength of the pot consumed in everything from lemon bars to olive oil.
Companies are preparing special machines, packaging and containers for the industry.
Hotels also are affected by cannabis-related tourism, conventions and competing trade shows that draw thousands to cities. And if anyone has trouble finding what they need, the iPhone and iTouch offer a cannabis application that allows users to locate resources worldwide.
Media involved with pot also have expanded. The Web-based station "Marijuana Radio" has been featured on the front page of the iTunes comedy podcast section, and the Denver Westword news weekly went further by posting a help wanted ad for a reviewer of Colorado's marijuana dispensaries and their products.
In addition, the number of pot lawyers and political consultants have exploded, and a half-dozen marijuana lobbying groups have sprung up in Washington, D.C., a few on K Street. Oakland activist Richard Lee said he spent more than a $1 million gathering signatures for a measure that would permit adults to possess cannabis for personal use and allow local governments to tax it.
Cannabis has become a regular political issue instead of just a crazy, hippie dream, Lee said. His "Oaksterdam University" was the first cannabis college. There are now at least a half-dozen in California, and others are looking at creating online versions of the classes available for about $50 a seminar.
Lee said last year he took in between $4 million and $5 million from his businesses, which also include an advertising agency, a tour company, a bicycle rental and glassblowing business, a gift shop selling souvenirs and merchandise, and the Bull Dog Café in downtown Oakland. (Visitors can take an "Oaksterdam" tour of the city's cannabis dispensaries through Segway of Oakland.)
The Harborside Health Center, an Oakland dispensary that offers numerous services, had about $20 million in gross revenues last year and expects to pay $400,000 in taxes to Oakland in 2010, according to founder and longtime activist Stephen DeAngelo. He employs 76 full-time workers, up from 43 in 2008.
"We are seeing the first stages of this industry that has been in the shadows come into the light," said DeAngelo, a longtime advocate for cannabis legalization. "A legal cannabis industry would be a huge economic benefit."
Those potential benefits have prompted cash-strapped cities and states to take another look at marijuana. Oakland in 2004 became the first city to license medical cannabis outlets. That year, the city's four licensed dispensaries reported $26 million in revenue. Advocates projected income to reach $64 million in 2009.
Those numbers are dwarfed by the $280 billion pharmaceutical industry. But the pot-based figures were enough to convince Oakland voters in July to approve a tax on the proceeds of medical marijuana sales that could raise $300,000 per year for the city.
Advocates also were heartened recently by signals from President Barack Obama's administration that federal authorities were backing off pursuing smokers or distributors of medical cannabis as long as they operate according to the laws of their state.
That does not mean selling marijuana is legal or that the patchwork of local, county, state and federal law has been coordinated. But, DeAngelo said, "it is a significant change."
"Every day I went to work," he said, "I didn't know if I would be going to prison or coming home at night."
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_13679216An incremental acceptance of medical marijuana has spurred a cottage industry of... more-
- copperdragon
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- 7 days ago
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Maine Votes 'Yes' on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
AUGUSTA, Maine- In a landmark vote, Maine voters today approved Question 5, making the state the third in the country to license nonprofit organizations to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients and the first ever to do so by a vote of the people.
With 49 percent of the vote tallied, the measure was cruising to an easy win with 60.2 percent voting “yes” and 39.8 percent voting “no.”
Under the measure, the state will license nonprofit organizations to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients and set rules for their operation. While 13 states permit medical use of marijuana, only Rhode Island and New Mexico have similar dispensary provisions, both of which were adopted by the states’ legislatures. Maine’s original medical marijuana law was passed in 1999.
“This is a dramatic step forward, the first time that any state’s voters have authorized the state government to license medical marijuana dispensaries,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., which drafted the initiative and provided start-up funding for the campaign. “Coming a decade after passage of Maine’s original marijuana law, this is a huge sign that voters are comfortable with these laws, and also a sign that the recent change of policy from the Obama administration is having a major impact.”
In October, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a formal policy indicating that federal prosecutors should not prosecute medical marijuana activities authorized by state law.
Question 5 also expands the list of medical conditions qualifying for protection under Maine’s law to include several conditions that are included in most other medical marijuana states, including intractable pain, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“Lou Gehrig’s disease”).
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november032009/main_pot.phpAUGUSTA, Maine- In a landmark vote, Maine voters today approved Question 5, making the... more-
- copperdragon
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- 7 days ago
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Marc Emery 24/7 Prison Vigil - Day 28
Free Marc Emery! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d00VGxPGuEE&feature=player_embedded-
- copperdragon
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- 9 days ago
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Why gay marriage, getting high, and going to Cuba will soon be legal.
The End of Prohibition
"I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D. Roosevelt said upon signing a bill that made 3.2-percent lager legal again, some months ahead of the full repeal of Prohibition. I hope Barack Obama will come up with some comparably witty remarks as he presides over the dismantling of our contemporary forms of prohibition—laws that prevent gay marriage, restrict cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, and ban travel to Cuba. "You may now kiss the groom," perhaps, or—a version of the comment he once made about smoking pot—"I inhaled—that was the point."
Prohibition now is different from Prohibition then. When the 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920, it was a radical social experiment challenging a custom as old as civilization. Its predictable failure—the gross insult to individual rights, the impossibility of enforcement, the spawning of organized crime—came to an end when Utah, of all places, became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment in 1933. Today prohibition is a byword for futile attempts to legislate morality and remake human nature.
Our forms of prohibition are more sins of omission than commission. Rather than trying to take away longstanding rights, they're instances of conservative laws failing to keep pace with a liberalizing society. But like Prohibition in the '20s, these restrictions have become indefensible as well as impractical, and as a result are fading fast. Within 10 years, it seems a reasonable guess that Americans will travel freely to Cuba, that all states will recognize gay unions, and that few will retain criminal penalties for marijuana use by individuals. Whether or not Democrats retain control of Congress, whether or not Obama is re-elected, and whether they happen sooner or later than expected, these reforms are inevitable—not because politics has changed but because society has.
Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2234017/The End of Prohibition "I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D.... more-
- atomiclegion
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- 9 days ago
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The Other ‘L’ Word: Lying
In the media rush to cover the DOJ memo on the Obama administration’s redirecting federal law enforcement efforts away from arresting and prosecuting state compliant medical cannabis providers CNN’s Lou Dobbs interviewed former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey and Cato Institute’s Tim Lynch…
Checkout Tim’s on-point rebuttal of McCaffrey’s usual double-speak, and that of others like blogger Joe Campbell, who’ve simply called out McCaffrey as, in Mr. Campbell’s view, “a liar”.
http://current.com/items/91353991_mccaffrey-on-marijuana-being-effectively-decriminalized.htm
Any long time observer of Mr. Caffrey’s m.o. when being interviewed is to tell some whoppers to an unquestioning media, but in these recent videos McCaffrey, again, wrongly claims that no one gets arrested for cannabis; no one goes to jail or prison for cannabis-related offenses; that he didn’t lose in the seminal case Conant vs McCaffrey; cannabis is de facto legal in the United States, etc…Geesh! I guess when the hundreds of cannabis consumers who call the toll-free number (888-67-NORML) or email NORML this week post arrest looking for legal information and assistance, we”ll just inform them, ‘Don’t you know, according to Barry McCaffrey, cannabis is de facto legal, and that you didn’t really get arrested.’
Makes one wonder how honest and credible McCaffrey has been for the last nine years as a paid, on-air military consultant for NBC News when his track record for anti-pot prevarications (I’m in DC…and therefore not suppose to use the word ‘lie’) are so obviously refuted. If he’d so obviously twist the truth about cannabis, would he mislead an audience or interviewer about America’s military and defense contractors?
http://blog.norml.org/2009/11/01/the-other-l-word-lying/In the media rush to cover the DOJ memo on the Obama administration’s redirecting... more-
- copperdragon
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- 9 days ago
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McCaffrey on Marijuana Being Effectively Decriminalized
McCaffrey talks prohibition and how weed is already "legal"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YcHoPC6YTk&feature=player_embeddedMcCaffrey talks prohibition and how weed is already "legal"... more-
- copperdragon
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- 9 days ago
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- 4 comments
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5 weeks ago was our last full day together
It's almost 11pm on Sunday, November 1st. Five weeks ago, Marc and I were spending our last night together, counting down the 11 hours until his court appearance and incarceration on Monday, September 28th.
We spent our last Saturday and Sunday nights staying late at the office with our friends/employees, smoking a lot of cannabis and talking about good memories. Marc signed the last sets of "Prince of Pot" DVDs, large and small "FREE MARC" posters, and copies of CC #57 (printed the day of the raid, and released with a warning sticker on the final seed catalogue).
We took some photos of everyone together in our store/office those nights, and cherished every moment, knowing that we would soon be torn apart for what could be five long years...
I'm crying now, remembering how precious and important those last few days were. It was hard to come to terms with the fact he was going to jail. We knew it was coming and we accepted that, but it doesn't make being separated any less painful. We tried to do everything as we would normally do, but also take time out to just love each other, and had a beautiful final few days together (though every day we spent together was wonderful, and the last few months especially so).
Everything seems much more intense lately. I cry almost every day because I miss Marc so much, and sometimes I cry when reading the newspaper because I'm just so sad and concerned about the way our country is changing. The Stephen Harper Conservative government is taking Canada in a very scary direction -- they've doubled the prison budget, introduced laws to eliminate parole and early release, passed laws that take away the double time credit for pretrial imprisonment, restrict prisoners' rights and rehabilitation programs (no more farming or animals, fewer in-person visits, and possibly even taking away voting privileges like in the USA), and spending undisclosed billions of dollars on the military... Those are just some parts of the overhauling of Canada, and there is so much more everyone should know...
Marc wrote an incredible review of the Conservative Party's terrible impact on Canada called "Stephen Harper and The End of Days (of Canada as we know it): Revelations about the Conservative Party's direction for Canada", and it can be heard on his fourth "Prison Pot-cast" audio report (click here to listen). You should also listen to his other "Prison Pot-cast" recordings, as it gives you a look into his daily life and thoughts while behind bars.
It's difficult accepting what has happened but I'm staying very strong, and I'm learning a tremendous amount running every part of our organization and business, and managing various campaigns. I get through each day with a lot of support, and Marc calls me at least 4 times every day. I get to visit him every Sunday; in fact, I saw him earlier tonight. Visiting Marc is one of the best parts of my life -- seeing him, looking into his eyes, examining his face and remembering what it was like to kiss and touch him...
The glass barrier and awful little metal sound grate prevent us from being able to make any physical contact, but we put our hands up to the glass and stare into each others' eyes. I so cherish that one hour together each week... I can't imagine what it'll be like to not see Marc this often. I don't know if I'll be able to visit him in the USA, as he might be far away in Florida, Georgia, Texas, or wherever there's space in the federal prison system, and I might not be able to make it to his facility...
I wish he could just serve his time in Canada. People should be contacting the Justice Minister and asking him to have Marc charged for the same crimes in Canada -- after all, selling seeds is against the law, the Vancouver Police investigated Marc in 2003 (but the Crown refused to lay charges), Marc conducted his activities in CONTINUED> http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/node/20407It's almost 11pm on Sunday, November 1st. Five weeks ago, Marc and I were spending our... more-
- copperdragon
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- 9 days ago
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UK drug adviser fired after marijuana comments
LONDON — Britain's top drug adviser was fired Friday after saying that marijuana, Ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol.
David Nutt's comments have embarrassed the British government, which toughened the penalties for possessing marijuana earlier this year over the protests of many prominent British scientists.
Nutt said he was disappointed by his sacking, telling Sky News television that it might have something to do with the upcoming general election, which must be called by the middle of next year.
"Politics is politics and science is science, and there's a bit of a tension between them sometime," he told the broadcaster by telephone.
In later comments to BBC radio's "PM" program, Nutt accused British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of making "completely irrational statements" about the dangerousness of marijuana.
"I'm not prepared to mislead the public about the harmfulness of drugs like cannabis and Ecstasy," he said.
A call and an e-mail by The Associated Press seeking comment from the scientist were not immediately returned.
Britain's Home Office confirmed that Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology, had been removed from his position and said it would be seeking a replacement shortly.
In Britain, drugs are classified in three different categories, with Class A the most dangerous one. Marijuana was recently upgraded to Class B from Class C, joining amphetamines, Ritalin and pholcodine as drugs whose unlawful possession could result in up to five years in prison.
But the move ran counter to recommendations made by Nutt, who has long argued that marijuana is far less dangerous than legal drugs such as alcohol, which is responsible for nearly 9,000 deaths a year in the U.K., according to recent government statistics.
Nutt argues that while all drugs are dangerous, the restrictions placed on them should be proportional to their potential harm. Britain's Home Office has rejected his advice, saying the scientific evidence is uncertain and that a message needs to be sent to marijuana users that possessing the drug is a serious crime.
The move prompted a flurry of protest from scientists — among them two former chief scientific advisers to the government. They and others wrote an open letter to the government warning that reclassifying marijuana would send confusing messages about how dangerous it and other drugs really were.
Although Nutt's views have long been public knowledge, the government seems to have been angered by a recent lecture for the Center for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College in London during which Nutt accused former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of "distorting and devaluing" researchers' work.
In the lecture, Nutt said Smith's decision to tighten restrictions on marijuana had undermined public faith in government science.
"I think we have to accept young people like to experiment — with drugs and other potentially harmful activities — and what we should be doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their lives," he said.
"If you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g11SRHRYdrp_hpd_a-b0QlBqZmpgD9BLJECO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwJ87LEsoecLONDON — Britain's top drug adviser was fired Friday after saying that marijuana,... more-
- copperdragon
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- 11 days ago
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Marijuana growers turn nasty
Crop Protection; Booby traps, armed guards getting common
Marijuana growers in Ontario are resorting to an increasing array of brutal tactics to protect their outdoor crops, including bear traps, spike boards and armed guards, warn provincial police.
The alarming security measures were a common discovery during the OPP's annual marijuana eradication program that wrapped up earlier this month. Newly released figures show the eight-week operation, scheduled to coincide with the end of growing season, yielded 118,443 marijuana plants -- 10,000 more than last year -- that police estimate would have amounted to a street value of about $118-million. More than 200 grow-ops were discovered, resulting in 110 charges against 56 people.
"Marijuana grow-ops pose a real threat to both public and police safety. The cultivation of marijuana in Ontario has reached epidemic proportions," OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said.
Police found grow-ops in the Brockville, Bancroft and Owen Sound areas, some fields with as many as 9,000 plants. At one grow-op near Smiths Falls, a barn was found to contain more than 1,500 kilograms of processed bud ready for sale.
"Since 2002, we've seen a steady increase in outdoor marijuana growth," said Inspector Bryan Martin of the OPP's drug enforcement section. "It's economics. It makes sense to have one large plantation with a single harvest than to have several indoor grow operations to get the same number of plants."
One grow-op discovered by police near Renfrew last summer contained 40,000 plants, with an estimated street value of more than $40-million.
With more tracts of rural Ontario land being taken over by marijuana plantations comes a growing need for organized crime to ward off police, other criminal groups intent on stealing crops and the public.
Insp. Martin said police are encountering an alarming increase in the number of booby traps, cameras, armed guards and other security devices surrounding grow-ops. Common booby traps include hidden animal traps with metal claws and spike boards suspended from trees designed to impale trespassers when they step on trip wires. Armed guards, usually illegal immigrants hired by organized crime, are also becoming increasingly common, Insp. Martin said.
This summer, police discovered an armed guard and several pitbulls at a grow-op in Apsley, near Bancroft. The guard was found with a diary that contained instructions to shoot trespassers.
In another case, two people driving ATVs near Minden last summer stumbled across a grow-op and were pistol-whipped by armed guards. When they managed to escape, the guards opened fire, but no one was injured.
"This isn't a couple of good ole' boys growing a couple of plants in their backyard. This is a criminal operation and they want to protect it at any cost," said Insp. Martin, noting his department spends about 60% of its workload dealing with marijuana grow-ops.
The growth of marijuana production in Ontario has also made for a lucrative trade business with organized crime in the United States, he said. In a criminal operation known as "brown south, white north," marijuana is shipped south in exchange for crystal meth and crack cocaine, which are then imported to this country.
The U.S. Department of Justice now calls Canada a "source country" for marijuana. Police also say gangs are trading Ontario-produced marijuana for cash and guns.
"It's not just grow-op locations that are a public safety threat because if the marijuana makes it south, drugs and guns come back to our local communities," Insp. Martin said. "It's a reciprocal effect."
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2161970
id=2161970http://www.teensavers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/potskull.jpgCrop Protection; Booby traps, armed guards getting common Marijuana growers in... more-
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The Prohibitionist Argument in Under a Minute
This video is being distributed by a group opposing legislation to tax and regulate marijuana in California. Seriously?
http://vimeo.com/7322089This video is being distributed by a group opposing legislation to tax and regulate... more-
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Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana
Marijuana has been smoked for its medicinal properties for centuries. Preclinical, clinical, and anecdotal reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana. Although the indications for some conditions have been well documented, less information is available about other potential medical uses.
Additional research is needed to further clarify the therapeutic value of cannabinoids and determine optimal routes of administration. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana, and the debate over legalization. ACP believes the science on medical marijuana should not be obscured or hindered by the debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana for general use. In this paper the College lays out a series of positions on research into, and the use of, marijuana as medicine.
http://cannabisasmedicine.com/sites/default/files/Medical%20Cannabis%20-%20Tending%20Buds%20-%20Great.jpegMarijuana has been smoked for its medicinal properties for centuries. Preclinical,... more-
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Assembly Public Safety Committee: Marijuana Legislation Part I
Informational Hearing surrounding AB 390 (Ammiano). Part 1 of 3.
http://www.calchannel.com/channel/viewvideo/798
FOLLOW LINK TO PART 2 AND 3Informational Hearing surrounding AB 390 (Ammiano). Part 1 of 3.... more-
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Why California is studying marijuana tax
Buried by deficits amid the crisis, U.S. states are getting increasingly creative in dealing with budget challenges
The Golden State is searching for economic salvation in California Gold.
Living up to its long track record of legislative firsts, California lawmakers are looking at legalizing and heavily taxing marijuana as they struggle to close a gaping budget hole.
Radical, yes. But California isn't alone. Across the country, states are getting increasingly creative – and in some cases desperate – as they deal with unprecedented budget challenges.
Tumbling sales and income tax receipts have left once-bursting state coffers badly depleted.
And with many states legally bound to balance their budgets, the choices are never easy.
Hawaii has declared regular “furlough Fridays” in its public schools, Delaware has grounded its state aircraft and closed museums and Virginia has shuttered its highway rest stops.
States have already chopped their work forces by 2 per cent in the past year, throwing more than 100,000 teachers, health care workers, nursing home employees, cops and firefighters out of work. Many states have also slashed the pay of government employees, while raising various user fees and levies. Some school boards, for example, are charging high school students hundreds of dollars a year to park their cars on school grounds.
“Unfortunately for states, an emerging economic recovery does not spell instant budget relief,” said Donald Boyd, senior fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York.
State tax revenues plunged a record 16.6 per cent nationwide in the second quarter, compared to a year earlier, according to a recent study by the Rockefeller Institute. Thirty-six states experienced double-digit declines, as the recession bit into sales and income tax revenues.
The study's authors predicted it could be several years before revenues return to their peaks of 2008, leaving many services badly under-financed.
Under the Obama administration stimulus package, the federal government is giving states $150-billion (U.S.) to help deal with budget problems, easing some of the short-term pain.
But as that runs out, at least 32 states are predicting budget shortfalls for fiscal 2011, with combined deficit of more that $60-billion, according to the national Conference of State Legislatures.
Nowhere is the situation more dire than in California, the most populous U.S. state. Since February, California has chopped $32-billion from spending, raised taxes by $12.5-billion and covered $6-billion more with accounting maneuvres to close a budget deficit that threatened the state with insolvency. Among the more extreme measures, the state recently began paroling hundreds of “low-risk” prison inmates.
California still facing $38-billion in deficits over the next three fiscal years.
And so hard times are giving the high times movement surprising new momentum in the left-leaning state.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he welcomes the debate about legalizing marijuana as the state struggles to avoid insolvency. A recent poll shows 56 per cent of Californians want pot legalized. A major push is on to put the issue to statewide referendum next year. And yesterday, state lawmakers held an initial hearing into a proposed law to end California's 96-year-old pot ban.
“I think it's time for a debate,” acknowledged Mr. Schwarzenegger, who as an actor portrayed a drug fighting undercover police officer in Kindergarten Cop.
A spokesman for the governor insists Mr. Schwarzenegger is opposed to legalization.
The move could generate as much as $1.4-billion (U.S.) in new tax revenue and save the state “tens of millions of dollars” in prison and police costs, state officials told the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee. They based their estimates on a $50-per-ounce levy.
“It is time to take our heads out of the sand and start to regulate this $14-billion industry,” said committee chairman Tom Ammiano, who is sponsoring the legalization bill. “By doing so, we can enact smart public policy that will bring much-needed revenue into the state and improve public safety by utilizing our limited law enforcement resources more wisely. The move toward regulation is simply common sense.”
California could use the cash by taxing pot, just as it does cigarettes and alcohol. But legal experts, economists and law enforcement officials who testified Wednesday before a state committee warned that the proposal is fraught with unknowns.
And chief among them is how the U.S. government would react.
Possession, distribution and sale of marijuana remains a federal crime. And while California can eliminate state penalties and charges, it can't fully legalize.
“We don't know how the federal government would respond,” Paul Golaszewski, an official of the California Legislative Analysts' Office, told the hearing. “It creates a great deal of uncertainty.”
Curt Hagman, the committee's Republican vice-chair, wondered how California could collect any taxes unless the federal government legalizes marijuana.
Several court rulings have upheld the right of federal authorities to enforce its ban, even in cases involving medical use.
California was the first state to legalize marijuana for medical use in 1996.
Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced that it would not prosecute users and sellers of medical marijuana. But Justice department officials made it clear that leniency doesn't apply to recreational use.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/why-california-is-studying-a-marijuana-tax/article1342595/Buried by deficits amid the crisis, U.S. states are getting increasingly creative in... more-
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