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tagged w/ Dagga
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Dagga cures asthma, claims Harare man
A Harare man claims he needs four twists of dagga every day to treat asthma.
The 31 year old Fungai Machabvonga of Kambuzuma told a Harare magistrate that he cannot do without dagga to an extent that he has permanent stocks at his house.
He openly told the court that he cannot stop taking the dangerous drug as he needs it for his life.
Machabvonga who had been put on bail was subsequently incarcerated pending finalisation of the case.
The state represented by Miss Ropafadzai Majaja had argued that the accused had not shown signs of repentance and must be incarcerated.A Harare man claims he needs four twists of dagga every day to treat asthma. The 31... more-
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US Congress Ends Decade-Long Obstruction of D.C. Medical Marijuana Law
Medical Marijuana Law Passed in 1998 May Finally Be Implemented-
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Eco-Kitchen: i5000H Eco Plastic (hemp)
Posted by Rita Nov 1, 11:00 PM to domicilia : gadgeteer
It’s tough to be witty when it comes to talking about a kitchen scale. So far, we’ve had to do more explaining as to why one would need or want such an item in their kitchen than anything else. For the sake of clarity, a nice digital scale will do wonders if you enjoy baking. Measuring cups and spoons are not terribly accurate, and baking works best with accuracy. A digital scale will provide you with a way to have foolproof measurements every time you bake.
This particular scale is pretty cool, because it’s made out of hemp plastic. Over the past few weeks we’ve done a fair amount of research on biodegradable plastics, and we’re quickly arriving at the conclusion that they’re great and an underutilized resource.
Our test kitchens are small, and multi-purpose, which means that the equipment we have around must also be reasonably sized and multi-functional. The i5000H Eco-plastic has a scale base with a medium sized bowl. The base is easily turned off and stored, so when not in use it won’t take up counter space. The bowl doubles as a nice mixing bowl when not being used with the scale. Together the two pieces don’t take up much room, so it never felt clumsy having an extra piece of equipment in the work flow.
The i5000H has easy to use controls. It also features net and gross weighing, a tare feature, a count feature and a very easy to read backlit display. The hemp plastic holds onto moisture a bit more than plastics you may be used to, so be prepared to spend a moment drying the bowl in between uses. Hemp plastic is still quite expensive to make, so the unit is being sold very close to cost and isn’t widely available. This unit retails for around $47, and can be found at Old Will Knott Scales. Posted by Rita Nov 1, 11:00 PM to domicilia : gadgeteer It’s tough to be... more-
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Cynical Politicians and Powerful Interests Attacking the Public Good
By Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post. Posted November 2, 2008.
We can't allow a sensible solution to be drowned out by people know the "tough on crime" approach is worthless public policy.
Here is picture that sums up much that is wrong with American politics. Five governors of California, Democrats and Republicans, joining forces to oppose something that is indisputably in the public interest.
This is an image that could be repeated, with different faces, in region after region of our country, involving issue after issue. Public officials standing against the public good, with the disastrous results on display from Detroit to Wall Street. All suffering from the same destructive force: the power of entrenched special interests to cloud the vision of our leaders, causing them to thwart good sense, good legislation, and the will of the people.
In today's version, we have Jerry Brown, Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, George Deukmejian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger coming together to oppose Prop 5, a common sense ballot initiative that seeks to effectively and intelligently tackle the chronic problems facing California's deeply flawed criminal justice system.
California's prisons are a budget-busting debacle. There are currently more than 170,000 inmates crammed into prisons designed to hold 100,000 people. Around 70,000 of these prisoners are nonviolent offenders, with over half of them incarcerated for a drug offense.
A large part of the problem is a parole system the New York Times recently called "perhaps the most counterproductive and ill-conceived" in the U.S.. California's recidivism rate is 70 percent -- twice the national average. This stems in no small measure from the state's insistence on treating paroled murderers the same way as paroled nonviolent drug offenders. They all spend 3-5 years on parole. This overburdens parole officers, who end up spending very little time with any of their charges -- violent or nonviolent (According to the Times, 80 percent of California parolees have fewer than two 15-minute meetings with their parole officer per month.) Wouldn't it make more sense to keep a closer watch on rapists and killers than on nonviolent drug offenders?
As a result of this dysfunctional system, prison costs have risen 50 percent since 2000, to over $10 billion a year -- close to 10% of the state's budget (and roughly the same amount California spends on higher education). It costs $46,000 a year to keep a nonviolent prisoner in the state behind bars. Is it any wonder California is gushing red ink?
Enter Prop 5, a ballot initiative that will reduce prison overcrowding, increase public safety, cut costs, expand drug treatment programs inside California's prisons, and start the state's first drug treatment program for at-risk youth.
Prop 5 is structured to build on the proven success of Prop 36, a law promoting drug treatment over incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. It was approved by 61 percent of California voters in 2000, despite almost unanimous opposition from public officials. Since being enacted, Prop 36 has saved California taxpayers $2 billion -- and graduated 84,000 people who, according to studies, are far less likely to become repeat offenders.
"Prop 5 finally addresses the twin tragedy of crushing prison costs on society and the revolving trapdoor of incarceration that stems from locking up too many nonviolent offenders," filmmaker Gabriel London, who has documented the state of our prisons, told me. By Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post. Posted November 2, 2008. We can't... more-
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Feds say cartels moving pot operations to Utah
More than 90,000 marijuana plants were seized this year in rural Utah, and police say drug cartels may be planning more pot farms for next summer.
Federal drug enforcers say cartels accustomed to the West Coast appear to have moved some operations to Utah, which has a suitable climate and relative proximity to California and Mexico.
"These are large-scale, narco-traffickers," said Scott Burns, the deputy "drug czar" at the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. "These are the big guys."
Beginning in mid-August, federal and local law enforcement raided a slew of marijuana fields. The latest seizure came Oct. 18, when deer hunters found a pot farm in Sanpete County. But on Thursday, a special agent for the U.S. Forest Service said a rancher reported finding a harvested marijuana field in the Dixie National Forest, and it appears the growers got away with the crop.
At least seven people accused of tending the fields or delivering supplies have been arrested.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has said the marijuana likely was destined for out-of-state metropolitan areas.
Utah's appeal to pot farmers may result from tighter borders and successful crackdowns in other states. When the federal government increased security at the Mexican border after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Mexican cartels moved their marijuana-growing operations into the United States, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.
Burns, a former Iron County prosecutor, said the federal government has emphasized eradicating marijuana fields from seven big-producing states: California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. The focus has increased seizures and hurt the cartels, Burns said.
Burns says cartels moved to Utah because of the vast, secluded public lands. Burns said previous experience with marijuana-growing operations has shown cartels look at maps for suitable spots then send someone to conduct reconnaissance.
Michael Root, a supervisory special agent with the DEA, said some of the Utah fields were built around springs. At other fields, Root said, the growers created irrigation systems. Root said federal agents and police have found fields with narrow plastic pipes connected to creeks a half-mile away.
Burns said many of the marijuana-growing cartels are from Michoacán, Mexico, and that's where they recruit the field hands. In most cases, the workers know they are being smuggled into the U.S. to grow marijuana, Burns said, though they may not know the top bosses or the name of the cartel.
In the U.S., the workers are taken to the fields and left there for months at a time. Burns said the field hands can earn $5,000 to $10,000 for three months of tending and living beside the marijuana.
The DEA has said it found some Utah marijuana plots this year by following a man who delivered supplies. But that delivery man never visited the fields found in Sanpete County and another found in Sevier County. That indicates there are multiple cartels growing marijuana in Utah, said Jeff Whatcott, commander of Central Utah Narcotics Task Force. Whatcott said he and his colleagues are discussing how to be proactive, find existing fields and police his six-county area against new plantings.
"It's still like looking for a needle in a haystack," Whatcott said.
Burns said Utah and federal authorities need to fly more aircraft looking for marijuana and educate hunters, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts on signs of a marijuana field. "It might take a couple years to send a message [to the cartels], 'Don't come here,' " Burns said.
ncarlisle@sltrib.comMore than 90,000 marijuana plants were seized this year in rural Utah, and police say... more -
The Union: The business behind getting high.
BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the trade has become an international issue. Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he demystifies the underground market and brings to light how an industry can function while remaining illegal. Through growers, police officers, criminologists, economists, doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie examines the cause and effect nature of the business - an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal. Written by Brett Harvey
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High is a movie about the big industry that creates and selling illegal Cannabis.Cannabis is still illegal most parts of the world,despite that cigarettes and Alcohol is taking more life's than Cannabis. Written by Feltherre BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed... more-
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California's Prop. 5 could change the course of America's drug war
It was in Los Angeles in 1983, while I was attending John Burroughs Junior High, when I recall coming home and tuning into an episode of the popular ABC sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes. I remember watching intently as First Lady Nancy Reagan teetered onto the screen.
I watched that show the way I did most other American sitcoms having to do with race relations, with a studious blend of curiousity, fascination, and burgeoning media criticism. I hadn't been born in the U.S., but I'd been living in the diverse megalopolis since 1977. That was long enough to know that this country had rather serious, unresolved problems when it came to skin color, class, ethnicity, culture and language.
To say nothing of drug use.
There was no way to avoid it. Most of the kids in my public school were not from well-to-do families, but the children of the well-to-do were actually the first kids I saw with illicit drugs and cigarettes -- that was back in elementary school. After that point, I saw cigarette, drug and alcohol use everywhere, all around me, whether at the hands of rich kids buying and selling pills and powder for weekend parties, or self-destructing teens trying to flush trauma out of their bodies with copious amounts of Olde English malt liquor.
Standing in front of the television in our living room, I remember thinking, most vividly, that Nancy Reagan's head was enormous. I also clearly remember the smiles plastered on the cast member's faces as she adopted a motherly tone and explained that what the kids had to do was to "just say no to drugs."
It was an amazing bit of an accomplishment for the federal government's anti-drug crusade: let's work with Hollywood to beam the message straight into American homes, using one of the most popular shows on television at the time.
The thinking behind Nancy Reagan's appearance on Diff'rent Strokes probably went something like this: make it stern, but friendly. We want the kids to know that everything is just fine, and that everything will stay calm, as long as they say "no."
With the War on Drugs, the accompanying, implicit threat is also always there, whether it's spoken or not: If you don't listen to us, if you make a different decision, all bets are off. Once you use actually use an illicit drug -- and especially if you dare to sell one -- you have become something 'other.'
You have become a criminal.It was in Los Angeles in 1983, while I was attending John Burroughs Junior High, when... more-
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Drug test proposal prompts threat of ACLU lawsuit
THIBODAUX — Enactment of a law requiring drug testing of all Louisiana public employees would undoubtedly be met with a lawsuit, an official with the American Civil Liberties Union said.
Any such law would have to be approved by state legislators and signed by the Governor.
But it was a Lafourche Parish councilman who has floated the proposal, and wants the Parish Council to formally ask the legislature to act.
District 6 Councilman Lindel Toups’ suggestion has -- in addition to inflaming the ACLU -- drawn the ire of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.
Marjorie Esman, executive director of the ACLU’s Louisiana branch, said in a Friday interview that such a law, if passed into law and then acted on by any local government -- would result in a suit.
“That don’t scare me,” Toups said. “I might be barking up the wrong tree, but I’m not going to slow down on it. If you don’t want a drug test you got something to hide.”
The threat follows a letter sent to all nine council members from the ACLU urging them to kill their proposed resolution of support for the law, which the organization says violates the Fourth Amendment. That’s the portion of the U.S. Constitution which protects citizens from unlawful searches and seizures by government.
Article 1, Section 5 of the Louisiana Constitution holds similar protections.
“The job of teachers is to instill respect for our system of laws. The notion that ‘those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear’ is antithetical to our system of justice and renders our most sacred rights utterly meaningless,” Esman wrote.
“Indeed, the best way to protect our students now, as well as to provide them the tools to protect themselves in the future, is to instill respect for the Constitution,” she added.
Toups’ proposal began as a formal request to the Louisiana legislature to randomly drug test public school employees statewide.
After a decision on the matter was delayed until Nov. 11 out of legal concerns, Toups said he planned to return with a broadened proposal to drug test government employees statewide, including parish council members.
Steve Monaghan, President of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, called Toups’ proposal “ludicrous” and said besides its clear violation of the U.S. Constitution its cost would heavily outweigh its benefits.
A drug test administered by a professional agency costs about $45, not including other costs that grow from it such as defense of the policy, second tests in case of a false positive and any following litigation.
A congressional study of government workers found that discovery of each positive drug user cost about $70,000 total in drug testing, Monaghan said.
The study contested that about 0.5 or 1 percent of people registered positive results, which doesn’t necessarily mean they were using drugs, Monaghan added.
Three of 10 new teachers in Louisiana leave after five years, Monaghan said, expressing concern that Toups’ proposal could worsen that trend.
“Let’s not darken the day by proposing that every teacher, regardless of their performance, have to submit themselves now to what we believe, as the ACLU does, is an unreasonable search without any probable cause,” he said.THIBODAUX — Enactment of a law requiring drug testing of all Louisiana public... more-
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Cilla: My night smoking pot at 61
CILLA Black has spoken of her “moment of madness” at being a pot-smoking pensioner.
The veteran Liverpool singer and presenter was talking for the first time about being asked on a TV chat show if she had tried cannabis in later life.
She said: “I am a good Catholic girl, and you know the Catholic guilt thing, so I admitted I had.
“But I do not advocate it. What do they say – it was my moment of madness.”
Cilla, who is starring in pantomime at the Liverpool Empire this year, revealed it happened four years ago, in Los Angeles, on her 61st birthday.
She said: “It was a young guy at a private party.
“He asked if he could smoke.
“He took out this spliff, and I was kind of flattered, and he offered it to me.
“But I have not done it since.
“But I tell you what, it got me over my jet lag. I had the best sleep ever.”
She added: “It was my birthday, and I thought, well, I am a pensioner now.
“And, after all, I had jumped out of a plane the year before.”
Cilla told the ECHO she expects it to be confirmed next week she is returning to television to host a new dating show for Sky One.
The star, who presented ITV’s Blind Date for 18 years, said: “It brings the whole dating process into the 21st century using animation.”
She said: “I enjoyed the pilot. They’re taking me out to dinner next Thursday. Now, they wouldn’t do that if they didn’t want to know. And I need to know so I can organise my social life. A couple of weeks after I finish the panto I would normally go to Barbados. I think it will be a well deserved trip this year.”
Cilla stars as fairy godmother in Cinderella at the Empire from December 11 to January 4.
The all-Liverpool cast also includes Jennifer Ellison, Les Dennis, Ted Robbins and Pete Price.CILLA Black has spoken of her “moment of madness” at being a pot-smoking... more -
Police To Use Portable Drug Detector In Pubs And Clubs
Clubbers face random hi-tech drugs checks this weekend as part of a campaign to rid city centres of dealers.
Grampian Police will be the first force in Scotland to use a portable "Itemiser" which enables officers to swab a person's hands and instantly check if they have handled illegal drugs.
The licensees at Aberdeen nightclubs Liquid and Espionage have volunteered to take part in the operation. If clubbers do not agree to a swab they will be refused admission - police officers on the doors will decide who of those seeking entry should be checked.
The £25,000 Itemiser, which has already been used in a successful trial in the city, will pick up traces of all the commonly used drugs including cocaine, cannabis, heroin and ecstasy.
It will also give a reading which indicates whether the person being tested has simply picked up a trace while exchanging money at a bar or from touching a toilet door handle or has handled significant quantities of drugs. Those in the latter category face being searched and arrested.
Chief Inspector Innes Walker, of Grampian Police, said: "We are able to raise awareness of people when they are coming into contact with traces of drugs and to identify those who may be illegally involved in drug supply in Aberdeen.
"The licensees are doing it because along with us they want to make sure their premises are free of the negative effect of drugs and we are doing all we can to provide a safe city centre environment on a Friday and Saturday night, the eradication of the drug problem being one plank of that.
"We want a safer city centre where people can have confidence they will be free from the negative dangerous effects of drug takers, drug dealers and those involved in the drug scene.
"There is a raft of problems caused by the drug scene in Aberdeen from those who lose their lives because of drug abuse, are seriously ill, the anti social behaviour and annoyance caused by drug dealing and the involvement of serious criminal groups in this area."
He said there had been a good response from licensees in the city centre. "A trial project was initiated in October and the initial reaction from the public and the licensed trade as well as local police officers was extremely positive."
He said there had been no significant seizures during the trial but it had achieved its aims and there would be a visible police presence on those premises where the checks were being conducted.
"We are not looking to surprise folk, we are looking to educate people and show we are taking measures to prevent drug dealing."
The project comes during the last phase of Operation Oak, Grampian Police's weekend antisocial behaviour operation which brings together the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), Aberdeen Alcohol and Drug Action Team, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council Licensing Board as well as licensees.
Detective Superintendent Willie MacColl, national drugs co-ordinator for the SCDEA, said: "The SCDEA and the Scottish police service are committed to tackling drug dealers through our enforcement role and we have achieved success in this area with a number of significant seizures."Clubbers face random hi-tech drugs checks this weekend as part of a campaign to rid... more-
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Manitoba pot crusader convicted of trafficking
Mike McIntyre , Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
WINNIPEG - A medical marijuana crusader with multiple sclerosis says he will likely die in prison now that a Winnipeg jury has found him guilty of selling pot to clients across Canada who suffer from chronic pain or terminal illnesses.
"I'm ashamed to be a Canadian," Grant Krieger, 53, said Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of trafficking.
The Calgary resident said the verdict shows how little the country cares for the sick and dying and represents a wasted opportunity to make a statement.
"They had a chance to change the law," he said.
"It's a victimless crime they've convicted me of. Now they're gonna kill me when they put me in jail."
Krieger admitted he broke the law but was seeking to be acquitted on sympathetic grounds.
Jurors took only about 30 minutes to reach their unanimous guilty verdict. Krieger is expected to be sentenced early in 2009 and remains free on bail.
"I know I didn't have a legal ground to stand on, but our society is not supposed to discriminate. They're penalizing the sick," said Krieger.
Krieger - who runs the Grant W. Krieger Cannabis Research Foundation of Canada - has been battling progressive MS since 1978 and says his only relief comes from smoking and ingesting cannabis.
He admits selling pot to dozens of people across Canada but insisted there is a major difference between him and a garden-variety drug dealer.
Krieger said his many customers suffer from chronic pain, disease and even terminal illness and have come to him looking to improve their quality of life.
Krieger testified in his own defence earlier this week about how his disease had driven him to the point of attempting at suicide before he started using marijuana.
"Without it, I wouldn't be standing here before you today," he told jurors. "I'd be in a wheelchair or dead right now."
The Crown's case against Krieger was simple - although he had permission to possess pot for his own medical reasons, he didn't have permission from the federal government to sell marijuana.
There is a program in place to distribute the drug to those who get special clearance from doctors, but Krieger said the whole system is flawed.
He said most doctors are afraid to make such a declaration. And Krieger criticized the federal government for the quality of their drugs, which are produced in Flin Flon in northern Manitoba.
"It's grown in a dirty mine shaft," Krieger told jurors. He said the drug is overly processed and diluted by the time it gets to those in needs, mitigating the relief it can provide.
Krieger said his pot is prime quality stuff, especially when extracted and reduced to "cannabis butter."
"I can't get a good night's sleep from anything else," Krieger told jurors.
He denies profiting from his crime, saying he's "in the red" and frequently gives away drugs to those on fixed incomes who desperately need it.
Krieger's trial began Monday with only one witness being called to testify - Krieger himself.
The Crown didn't call any evidence other than presenting a statement of agreed facts, which outlines the details surrounding Krieger's 2004 arrest near Headingley, outside Winnipeg.
Krieger is no stranger to the justice system and is appealing another drug conviction from Alberta that netted him a four-month jail sentence.
That hearing is set for next week. Krieger also had another conviction overturned by the Supreme Court.
His lawyer, John Hooker, admitted they had a difficult task in getting Krieger acquitted of a crime he readily admits to committing.
But he said Dr. Henry Morgentaler once faced a similar challenge when accused of murder for performing abortions.
The lawyer hopes the federal government will closely study Krieger's case and eventually change the laws so people like his client are permitted to distribute marijuana in addition to possessing and cultivating it.Mike McIntyre , Winnipeg Free Press Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008... more-
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Government should look toward hemp as a viable alternative fuel
By Brian Tschiegg
Staff Writer
Do you feel your wallet shrinking as you drive your car? Many people are resorting to carpooling, public transportation, and many other forms of cheaper transportation, but some researchers have found a way for you to keep driving and save money: hemp. Hemp Global Solutions researches the use of hemp as a biofuel. They advocate hemp as a "potential solution to some of the major social and environmental challenges of the 21st century."
Industrial hemp has a long history in America already. During World War II, Japan cut off America's supply of hemp. In response, Congress lifted marijuana prohibition and encouraged farmers to grow hemp. The response was a boom in hemp crops in America, reaching 375,000 acres in 1943. In 1941, Henry Ford built a plastic car made from hemp and wheat straw. Hemp is still used today in most printed currency because of its resilient strength and water resistance.
Perhaps one of hemp's best characteristics is its environmental friendliness. It grows faster than other crops like corn or rice and it comes with the added benefit of improving soil quality where it's grown. Similarly, it does not need cleared land to grow and is naturally pest resistant, meaning that pesticides are not necessary which would help to ultimately reduce CFCs and nutrient leeching. Furthermore, hemp even kills pests in the soil, further reducing the need for pesticides. Unlike fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide and sulfur into the air, hemp actually converts carbon dioxide back into biomass at an astounding rate. The crop itself is extremely diverse and able to grow in conditions that other biofuel crops cannot. Its drought resistance makes it an ideal crop for farmers in the Midwest and other areas that are so-called "dust bowls."
Although researchers have been looking at corn as a possible biofuel, hemp is much more productive and cost-effective. One acre of hemp can produce ten times as much methanol as an acre of corn, with an exponentially faster rate of growth. Capable of producing ten tons of biomass per acre in less than four months, hemp would only take six percent of the American land mass to grow enough hemp to completely eliminate our need for fossil fuels. The infrastructure change would not be a problem either, as traditional farming equipment could be used to harvest hemp.
Hemps psychoactive properties are largely a myth. Industrial hemp contains less than one percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Currently, there are over 25,000 known uses for hemp. It can be used to make wood and pulp byproducts such as paper, and produces four times as much cellulose as trees do, making it ideal in reducing deforestation. Plastic made from hemp is biodegradable while synthetic plastic is not.
As our country starts to look elsewhere for our energy needs, let's hope that the government's irrational stigma against THC containing crops like hemp will not cause them to overlook its inherent benefits. It could be a boom to our nation's economy and a solution to our long-term energy problem all while helping the environment instead of polluting it.By Brian Tschiegg Staff Writer Do you feel your wallet shrinking as you drive your... more-
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Research Shows That Hemp Seed Can Help Fight Heart Disease
Hemp seed is an ancient superfood that has a rich history of culinary enjoyment, as well as use by cultures as a traditional medicine to enhance health and well-being. Over the past few years, this nutritious and eco-friendly seed has been gaining more attention from nutrition and health experts – and deservedly so. Scientists in Canada, a country where hemp agriculture is thriving and experiencing a rebirth, recently performed research to study hemp seed’s role in maintaining heart health. The title of the abstract from their research sums things up well, “Cholesterol Induced Stimulation of Platelet Aggregation is Prevented by a Hempseed-Enriched Diet.”
In somewhat technical terms, the authors of the scientific paper establish that “Hypercholesterolemia indirectly increases the risk for myocardial infarction by enhancing the ability of platelets to aggregate.” Their research, published in the April 2008 edition of the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology*, investigated whether hempseed, a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), inhibits platelet aggregation under normal and hypercholesterolemic conditions. “The results of this study demonstrate that when hempseed is added to a cholesterol-enriched diet, cholesterol-induced platelet aggregation returns to control levels,” noted the authors
The Abstract of the research highlights the elevated concentration of Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) in the test subjects, and notes that the heart health benefits may be attributable to the increased levels of GLA. Hemp is a plentiful and rare plant food source of the “super” omega-6 EFA gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). “GLA can be difficult to obtain in the diet,” notes Meghan Atkinson CN, a nutrition consultant based in Los Angeles, California. There are only 4 significant natural sources of GLA: Hemp Seed, Evening Primrose, Borage, and Black Courant. “Of these, hemp seed is the only whole food source that has a wide variety of culinary functions,” notes Atkinson.
In addition to GLA, nutrition experts tout hemp due to its balanced and high concentration of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids, strong digestible protein profile, plentiful fiber, and abundance of vitamins and minerals. Hemp foods offer the richest vegetable source of the Omega 3 & 6 Essential Fatty Acids, and hemp’s overall protein content is comparable to soy beans without containing hormone inhibitors, and is higher than that found in nuts, other seeds, meats, dairy products, fish and poultry.
Hemp Foods Feature Gourmet Flavor and Versatility
Manitoba Harvest hemp food products have a sweet nutty flavor and add a boost of nutrition and taste to a wide variety of delicious recipes, dozens of which are available at www.manitobaharvest.com/recipes. There are many forms of healthy hemp foods to choose from. For example, Hemp Seed Oil is a wonderful base for salad dressings and can be added to juices, smoothies, soups and sauces to create a rich creamy texture. Shelled Hemp Seed is delicious sprinkled over salad, cereal, yogurt and soup or as a healthy snack right from the bag. Hemp Seed Butter is a creamy and satisfying spread for sandwiches, breads, bagels, crackers, fruit and croissants or it can be combined with herbs to create delicious sauces, spreads and dips. There is no better way to start the day than with a fruit smoothie packed with the nutritional benefits of Hemp Protein Powder with Fiber.
Last year, Manitoba Harvest launched Hemp Bliss (the first and only line of organic non-dairy hempmilks), which earned the 2007 Best New Food Product Award at Natural Products Expo East. This tasty and nutritious dairy milk alternative provides 1,200 mg of Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), 5 grams of highly digestible protein and 250 mg of powerful Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) per serving. A Hemp Bliss recipe is listed below.Hemp seed is an ancient superfood that has a rich history of culinary enjoyment, as... more-
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Depression - Cannabis - Euphoria
Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician Pharmacologist and Toxicologist.
Marijuana leaf
Image courtesy: c-ville.com
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Merck Manual indicates 20 percent of women and 12 percent of men will suffer clinical depression. This is a rather depressing world we’re living in.
Antidepressant drugs are among the most prescribed medications but their adverse side effects can often be paradoxically lethal with suicide being prominent.
Todays TV news presents a new electromagnetic machine for depression which stimulates the brain which probably causes cannabinoid secretions which makes patient subjects feel better. It had better, a treatment series costs 6 thousand dollars.
Well, I have a surprise for some people. The U.S. Govt says cannabis as an alleged drug causes euphoria which (surprise surprise) causes euphoria which is addicting. Imagine, a very safe replacement for amphetamine, once the most prescribed and addicting mood stimulants being replaced with cannabis.
The U.S. Govt estimates about 70 million cannabis users. I have medically interviewed at least 4000 of them. Almost all were long time users. None complained of adverse euphoria.
If such a high percentage of the population have clinical depression certainly many of my 4000 patients had depression which unfortunately is not an acceptable condition for an Oregon medical marijuana permit. The Oregon “egg heads” in charge of the program will not accept ANY psychological problem – it must be physical!
This is really strange. One of my largest patient groups are PTSD Veterans (about 400 of them). Most found out in Vietnam that cannabis gives best relief for battle stress. Whether battle stress produces/causes depression may be arguable. For a Combat Infantryman his only real relief is a “million dollar wound” which will get him away from certain death. If that doesn’t cause depression nothing will. Anxiety and blood curdling fear are certainly part of this PTSD syndrome. The worst factor is that once a person has PTSD, there is usually no escape…most people know that severe battle Veterans cannot talk about their experiences it hurts too much.
When these PTSD Veterans get/got home with nightmares etc., the VA doctors and non-doctors prescribed every kind of drug available. The Vets usually found out most of their drugs made them worse. They rediscovered cannabis but the VA non-doctors said you can’t use illegal drugs (even if they work best) and have VA treatment. How absurd. Believe it or not the VA system is supposed to HELP Vets.
In the meantime, with 70 million cannabis users many vets are using. Alternately many are alcoholics or tobacco addicts. Both of these cause hundreds of thousands of deaths. Cannabis has never killed anybody.
YES CANNABIS WILL ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION.Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician Pharmacologist... more-
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Hell freezes over: White House Drug Czar backs decriminalization
John Walters Backs a Mexican Proposal Far More Sweeping Than U.S. Measures He Has Opposed
(Washington, D.C.) The Marijuana Policy Project today congratulated White House “drug czar” John Walters for backing a Mexican government proposal that would remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
“I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but John Walters is right,” said MPP executive director Rob Kampia. “We heartily second his support for eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana users in Mexico, and look forward to working with him to end such penalties in the U.S. as well.”
On Oct. 22, The New York Times reported Walters’ public support for a drug decriminalization proposal by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, quoting Walters as saying, “I don’t think that’s legalization.” Under Calderon’s proposal, individuals caught with small quantities of marijuana would receive no jail sentence or fine and would not receive a criminal record so long as they complete either drug education or, if addicted, drug treatment. Unlike proposals supported by MPP, the Mexican president’s proposal would also decriminalize possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
“It’s fantastic that John Walters has recognized the massive destruction the drug war has inflicted on Mexico and is now calling for reforms there, but he’s a rank hypocrite if he continues opposing similar reforms in the U.S.,” Kampia said. “The Mexican proposal is far more sweeping than MPP’s proposals to decriminalize marijuana or make marijuana medically available, both of which John Walters and his henchmen rail against.”
In a March 19, 2008, press release from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, deputy director Scott Burns called a New Hampshire proposal to impose a $200 fine rather than jail time for a small amount of marijuana “a dangerous first step toward complete drug legalization.”John Walters Backs a Mexican Proposal Far More Sweeping Than U.S. Measures He Has... more-
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Seattle Hempfest 2008: A celebration of all things cannabis
This weekend on the Puget Sound waterfront, Myrtle Edwards Park plays host to America's largest marijuana law reform event in the 17th annual Seattle Hempfest. The festival, the purpose of which is to educate the public on the many uses and benefits of the cannabis plant, runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and promises nonstop entertainment.
Hempfest will include five stages featuring hundreds of speakers and music performers. Key speakers include PBS travel show host Rick Steves, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes Jack Herer, and NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) founder Keith Stroup.
The Hemposium Stage will offer attendees a chance to participate in panel discussions with many of the Hempfest speakers, which John Davis, the event's board chairman, said is an opportunity not to be missed.
"The panels will provide a chance to hear people that really know what they're talking about discuss the issues," Davis said, adding, "It's really a neat experience to get to talk directly to the speakers."
Among the issues on tap for this weekend, industrial uses of cannabis will be at the forefront, as this year's theme is "Industrial Hemp, and what it can do for America."
"There are a lot of issues that surround the big issue, which is the legal status of the plant, but we do like to bring up industrial usage," Davis said.
Although the issue of marijuana legalization is at the center of Hempfest, the festival's always-impressive band lineup is a major reason why it is expected to draw more than 150,000 people to the waterfront this weekend. Among the many bands performing on the event's five stages will be L.D.T. Mo-Thugs (featuring members from Grammy-winning Bone Thugs-n-Harmony), Vains of Jenna, and Herbivores. Because the event is free and run by a nonprofit organization, most of the acts are volunteering their time to support the cause.
Any event involving the legality of marijuana is sure to raise the question of police presence. However, Seattle Hempfest has a fairly clean bill on this issue and works closely with Seattle Police to ensure a safe festival environment. Davis said he has been especially impressed with the efforts put forth by police during past Hempfests.
"The police have really shown our group the meaning of protect and serve," Davis said.
Hempfest is free and largely put on by volunteers, with funding coming from a combination of vendor revenue, sponsorships, and donations. However, Davis estimates that the average donation at last year's event was somewhere around 15 cents. 15 cents! So with two days chock full of complimentary entertainment, enjoy some speeches and concerts and then open up that billfold and contribute a little more than a nickel and dime for a great cause.
Posted by Joe Darda at August 14, 2008 4:45 p.m.
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A Hempfest attendee flies a marijuana flag at a past festival. Getty ImagesThis weekend on the Puget Sound waterfront, Myrtle Edwards Park plays host to... more-
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If the drug war works, why did teen access to marijuana increase this year?
Today, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) released a new study that perfectly demolishes one of the central myths underlying the war on drugs. The National Survey on American Attitudes on Substance Abuse shows that youth access to marijuana has increased significantly in the past year:
According to the report, half of the 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed said their peers use marijuana more than tobacco. More teens say it’s easier to acquire marijuana than beer. And there’s a 35% increase from last year in the number of teens who say they can buy marijuana within an hour and a 14% increase in the number of teens who say they can find it in a day. [MPP]
It almost speaks for itself. Nothing could more directly obliterate the false notion that the war on marijuana is reducing youth access. Just days ago, the drug czar stood on a California mountaintop proudly pronouncing the importance of marijuana eradication. He's bent over backwards to explain that reductions in youth marijuana use provide proof that the war on marijuana is working.
What then can be said about marijuana's ever-increasing availability to young people? Rather obviously, recent declines in youth marijuana use owe nothing to the brutal and controversial tactics the drug czar is duty-bound to defend. After another year of dead dogs, dead informants and dead cops, marijuana is more available to our children than ever before. If fewer of them are using, then that is because they don't feel like it, not because they don't know where to get any.
Of course, the drug war supporters at CASA must have realized how badly their data reflects on marijuana prohibition, so they cooked up one the most embarrassingly backwards statistics possible:
Teens who can obtain marijuana readily are more likely to use it. Forty-five percent of teens who say they can get marijuana in an hour or less have used the drug, compared to 10 percent of those teens who say it would take them a day to get it and less than one percent of teens who say they would be unable to get it.
Oh, mercy. Is it really necessary to explain that teens who smoke marijuana are more likely to know where to buy it? This is just a crime against the scientific method, a pathetic face-saving ruse to defend marijuana prohibition within a report that unintentionally – yet transparently -- humiliates the drug war status quo.
Today, the drug war's failure to keep drugs out of the hands of our young people has been revealed in stark, unambiguous terms. No, the debate won't end here, but it is moments like this that cause one drug warrior after another, after another to jump ship and admit that the whole thing is just a monumental travesty.Today, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) released a new... more-
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Voters say yes to decriminalizing marijuana
(Media-Newswire.com) - BOSTON – Of the three questions on the Massachusetts ballot this November, only one question -- #2 the decriminalization of marijuana -- appears all but certain to pass, according to a poll analysis released today by 7NEWS/Suffolk University. Seventy-two percent favored the proposed law, which would replace the criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana to a civil penalty of forfeiture of the marijuana and a fine of $100. Twenty-two percent opposed the proposed law.
"The public may be signaling that pursuing small-time marijuana users is a waste of taxpayer resources," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University. "This issue suggests that there is a Libertarian streak in the thinking of Massachusetts voters."
Question #1, which would reduce and ultimately eliminate the state income tax, was opposed 50 percent to 36 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
"Voters considering the no-tax scenario seem to be aware of their New Hampshire neighbors’ contending with high property taxes to fund programs," said Paleologos. "They appear reluctant to eliminate the income tax and risk paying more with some other tax."
Question #3, which would, beginning in 2010, prohibit any type of dog racing in Massachusetts that entailed wagering on the speed or ability of the dog, won support from 50 percent, while 37 percent opposed, and 13 percent were undecided.
On the national front, if John McCain were to select former Gov. Mitt Romney as his running mate, it could be the kiss of death for McCain in Massachusetts. When asked if voters would be more or less likely to vote for the Republican ticket if Romney were the vice presidential candidate, 33 percent said more likely, while 41 percent said less likely, and 24 percent indicated no difference. Romney’s presence on the ticket moved voters positively in Western Massachusetts, while voters in every other region of the state said they would be less likely to vote for McCain.
The 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll was conducted Thursday, July 31, 2008, through Sunday, August 3, 2008. The margin of error on the study of 400 is +/- 4.9 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the statewide survey were registered voters form all parties in Massachusetts. Marginals and cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html -- on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008. The complete set of marginals and the 328-page cross-tabulation report will be available at noon Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310. (Media-Newswire.com) - BOSTON – Of the three questions on the Massachusetts... more-
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Farmer in court over pot
NASHUA – Lull Farm owner David Orde didn't flinch when Hollis Police Officer Angelo Corrado asked him to explain the 16 marijuana plants growing in pots just outside his home, police reported.
"Orde did not look surprised," Detective Sgt. Richard Mello wrote in his application for a warrant to search Orde's home at 2 Blood Road, Hollis.
Mello quoted Orde as saying, "Yes, I'm not going to hang my head in shame; I smoke a little pot."
Orde added, "It's my first year growing on the deck," Mello wrote.
On Wednesday, Orde, 53, waived formal arraignment in Nashua District Court on a felony marijuana manufacturing charge. A probable cause hearing was set for Aug. 28.
Orde's lawyer, Steven Maynard of Nashua, said he expects to challenge the legality of the Hollis Police Department's search of Orde's home on July 29.
"Mr. Orde is an outstanding citizen, and we're going to defend this vigorously," he said.
Orde's son, Andrew Orde, 18, also has been charged with growing marijuana at the home, and is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 27 in Nashua District Court.Responding to public speculation about the nature of the alleged marijuana crop, Maynard noted that police have not accused Orde or his son of selling or intending to sell any marijuana.
Orde himself told police the marijuana was for his own use, and denied that he ever sold it, Mello reported.
Officer Corrado discovered the potted plants after going to Orde's home to serve a summons for an unlicensed dog at about 5:05 p.m. on July 29, Mello reported. It's not clear why police went to Orde's home, rather than trying to contact him at Lull Farm.
Corrado went to the side door after getting no answer when he knocked at the front door, which was open, police reported. A car was in the driveway, police reported.
Walking up to the side door, Corrado saw 11 marijuana plants growing in pots on a deck, and five more on the ground beside the deck, police reported.
Each of the plants was about three to four feet tall, and police estimated that each would produce roughly two to four ounces of marijuana, which they claim to be worth $1,000 to $2,000.
Corrado reported his find by radio, and Mello came to check it out. Police contacted Orde at Lull Farm, and police met with Orde at his home at about 6:15 p.m., Mello reported.
Searching the house, police found and seized four plastic bags of marijuana, a pipe and other paraphernalia, 'how to' books for growing marijuana, a five-gallon bucket with a black light and "papers, receipts and e-mails," police reported.
David Orde was freed after posting $2,000 bail after his arrest, and his son is free on personal recognizance.
News of the arrests brought mixed reaction in the community, and prompted debate over the nation's drug policies and laws.
Andrew Wolfe can be reached at 594-6410 or awolfe@nashuatelegraph.com.NASHUA – Lull Farm owner David Orde didn't flinch when Hollis Police... more-
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Hempfest's grass is greener this year
That aroma you're picking up as you walk near Myrtle Edwards Park or downwind from the Olympic Sculpture Park this weekend?
Smells slightly sweet, familiar even, with hints of patchouli and body odor? Does it bring back memories of dorm-room chats or crowded, sweaty concerts?
Yeah, you got it.
It's time for the country's biggest "protestival" - Seattle Hempfest - on Saturday and Sunday. All "Reefer Madness" jokes aside, this is a serious event that is expected to draw more than 150,000 people who support reforming laws pertaining to marijuana - especially legalizing the domestic production of that less fun strain, hemp. Of course, some people might be there to check out a festival at which being stoned is no big deal. It's open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
As usual, hundreds of booths - food and products - will give festival attendees plenty to peruse. They'll also be able to listen to five stages of music and dozens of speakers, including the return of PBS and NPR travel show host Rick Steves, who has spoken out for the decriminalization and regulation of marijuana; Magic Black-Ferguson, the executive director of Grammas for Ganja; and David Frankel, director of the Hemp Industries Association. Headlining musical acts include Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Laura "Piece" Kelley.
In this 17th year of Seattle Hempfest, "Industrial Hemp" is the dominant theme.
"It's a different strain of marijuana, a nonintoxicating strain with no THC that has 5,000 applicable uses, including textiles and fiberboards," said Vivian McPeak, Hempfest's executive director. "Hempseed is more nutritious than soybeans, hemp plastics stronger than other plastics, and because it's a weed, it's one of the most fibrous plants on the Earth and it fights soil erosion. There is literally an endless array of uses for the industrial hemp plant. Everything sold in America - jewelry, clothing, the hempseed oil, waffles, ice cream, hemp bread, hemp nuts/seeds sold at Whole Foods - has been imported. The U.S. doesn't allow it to be grown domestically.
"It sounds kind of Pollyanna, but there really are all of these uses. It's a crime we can't grow it in America because it happens to look like pot."
Although marijuana was outlawed in 1937, McPeak said the U.S. government produced a film called "Hemp for Victory" in 1942 that extolled the ways the plant helped fight World War II.
McPeak said the event is also becoming more eco-friendly this year.
"Some people think Hempfest is about as green an event as it can get, but we can go greener," he said. "We are looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprints. We are composting both at the cafe and staff kitchen; using biodegradable food utensils (corn, plastics that dissolve); a company called General Biodiesel is harvesting the used cooking oil from vendors; we're running the main stage and Hemposium stage on biodiesel; and printing programs on 100 percent consumer-recycled paper with soy inks."
The all-volunteer event is free, but donations are encouraged. In alignment with the green theme, attendees are urged to ride public transportation to the event. That might work out better since parking on Elliott Avenue West and surrounding streets can be hard to find that weekend.
The event began in 1991 as a "humble gathering of stoners" but has since grown into "a premier Northwest summer attraction, adding to Seattle's notoriety as a marijuana-friendly city," according to the news release.
McPeak gives support for that notion: A statewide medical marijuana initiative passed in 1998; in 2003, simple possession of marijuana was given the lowest police priority; and medical marijuana distribution in the city has not reached the level of "exploitation" that it has in California.That aroma you're picking up as you walk near Myrtle Edwards Park or downwind... more
