Honestly, we're surprised that this doesn't already exist: Tribudesign, a young Lebanese firm, has secured a distributor for White, which is basically a bong that looks like an iPod.
Maybe bong is too cavalier a word. It's supposed to be a hookah, and it's going to be distributed by Airdiem, a Parisian company that appears to specialize in high-end Persian smokers.
White is made of a palette that includes stainless steel, acrylic, and leather, and that's more healthful because those materials are easier to clean and would thus produce less marijuana resin carcinogenic tobacco soot. Its slim design also makes it easily stashable. And if that isn't enough, you can just throw it next to your computer in a pinch, and pray that the cops mistake it for a USB drive.
Since its founding in 1970, NORML has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana smokers. A nonprofit public-interest advocacy group, NORML represents the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly.
Because NORML lobbies state and federal legislators, donations to NORML are not tax deductible.
During the 1970s, NORML led the successful efforts to decriminalize minor marijuana offenses in 11 states and significantly lower marijuana penalties in all others.
Today NORML continues to lead the fight to reform state and federal marijuana laws, whether by voter initiative or through the elected legislatures. NORML serves as an informational resource to the national media on marijuana-related stories, providing a perspective to offset the anti-marijuana propaganda from the government; lobbies state and federal legislators in support of reform legislation; publishes a regular newsletter; hosts, along with the NORML Foundation, an informative web site and an annual conference; and serves as the umbrella group for a national network of citizen-activists committed to ending marijuana prohibition and legalizing marijuana.
Our sister organization, the NORML Foundation sponsors public advertising campaigns to better educate the public about marijuana and alternatives to current marijuana policy; provides legal assistance and support to victims of the current laws; and undertakes relevant research.
The oldest and largest marijuana legalization organization in the country, NORML maintains a professional staff in Washington, DC, headed by Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, and a network of volunteer state and local NORML Chapters across the country.
NORML supports the removal of all penalties for the private possession and responsible use of marijuana by adults, including cultivation for personal use, and casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts. This policy, known as decriminalization, removes the consumer -- the marijuana smoker -- from the criminal justice system, while maintaining criminal penalties against those who sell or traffic large quantities of the drug.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon's National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse recommended that Congress adopt this policy nationally in the United States. Since then, more than a dozen government-appointed commissions in both the U.S. and abroad have recommended similar actions. None of these commissions have endorsed continuing to arrest and jail minor marijuana offenders. Summaries of these studies are available here.
Since 1973, 13 state legislatures -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon -- have enacted versions of marijuana decriminalization. In November 2008, Massachusetts voters passed a statewide initiative making the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana an infraction punishable by no more than a $100 fine. The law took effect on January 2, 2009. In each of these states, marijuana users no longer face jail time (nor in most cases, arrest or criminal records) for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana. According to national polls, voters overwhelmingly support these policies. In Oregon, voters recently reaffirmed their state's decriminalization law by a 2-1 margin in a statewide referendum.
More than 30 percent of the U.S. population lives under some form of marijuana decriminalization, and according to government and academic studies, these laws have not contributed to an increase in marijuana consumption nor negatively impacted adolescent attitudes toward drug use. Summaries of these findings are available here.
Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 829,000 individuals per year -- far more than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. This policy is a tremendous waste of national and state criminal justice resources that should be focused on combating serious and violent crime. In addition, it invites government unnecessarily into areas of our private lives, and needlessly damages the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens. NORML believes now, as former President Jimmy Carter told Congress in 1977, that: "Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use."
Responsible Use
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.
Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose. According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."
As with alcohol consumption, marijuana smoking can never be an excuse for misconduct or other improper behavior. For example, driving or operating heavy equipment while impaired from marijuana should be prohibited.
Most importantly, marijuana smoking is for adults only, and is inappropriate for children. There are many activities in our society that are permissible for adults, but forbidden for children, such as motorcycle riding, skydiving, signing contracts, getting married, drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco. However, we do not condone arresting adults who responsibly engage in these activities in order to dissuade our children from doing so. Nor can we justify arresting adult marijuana smokers on the grounds of sending a "message" to children. Our expectation and hope for young people is that they grow up to be responsible adults, and our obligation to them is to demonstrate what that means. Further information regarding the responsible use of marijuana is available here.
Legalization
NORML supports the eventual development of a legally controlled market for marijuana, where consumers could buy marijuana for personal use from a safe legal source. This policy, generally known as legalization, exists on various levels in a handful of European countries like The Netherlands and Switzerland, both of which enjoy lower rates of adolescent marijuana use than the U.S. Such a system would reduce many of the problems presently associated with the prohibition of marijuana, including the crime, corruption and violence associated with a "black market."Since its founding in 1970, NORML has provided a voice in the public policy debate for... more
A massive police raid against marijuana grow operations seven locations across eastern Ontario and Toronto Tuesday left eight people facing organized crime charges.
An estimated $11.7 million worth of drugs were seized by the Ontario Provincial Police, RCMP, and Belleville and Toronto police.
The investigation began this spring after suspicious property transactions were reported in Belleville.
An earlier series of raids in June led to drug and paraphernalia seizures in Belleville, Brighton, and Toronto.
Barrhaven bust uncovers basement grow-op
Meanwhile, Ottawa police seized $803,000 worth of marijuana from a basement grow-op inside a Barrhaven home on Tuesday.
Two people were arrested during the raid on the 100 block of Len Lunney Crescent. About 800 four-feet-tall plants were discovered.
Thi Chuc Nguyen, 43, and Alex Nguyen, 23 were each charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, producing a banned substance, and electricity theft.
The pair will appear in court on Sept. 30.A massive police raid against marijuana grow operations seven locations across eastern... more
A man briefly lit up a cannabis joint in Parliament before being nabbed by security yesterday. The man lit the joint in the public gallery about 5.30pm during the second reading of the Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill.More…A man briefly lit up a cannabis joint in Parliament before being nabbed by security... more
When Deputy Ryan Huizenga entered Derek Copp’s apartment with a .40-caliber Glock in hand, his finger should have been on the outside of the trigger guard, a Michigan State Police lieutenant told a Holland judge Monday, April 6.
Instead, Huizenga’s finger was on the trigger itself — not standard procedure for a deputy entering a residence on a search warrant.
“Based on my investigation, Derek Copp posed no threat to the officers, including Deputy Ryan Huizenga,” Lt. Curtis Schram told Holland District Court Judge Bradley Knoll Monday, April 6, while seeking an arrest warrant for Huizenga. A transcript from that hearing was released Tuesday, April 7.
Follow link for full story by By MEGAN SCHMIDT an The Holland SentinelAllendale, MI —
When Deputy Ryan Huizenga entered Derek Copp’s apartment with a... more
The feds smoked out a massive pot smuggling ring that stretched from Canada to Queens, raking in more than $100 million over the past six years, sources said.
Ten people were arrested after the two-year investigation - including Middle Village residents Mersim Kolenovic, 29, Slobodan Pavicevic, 29, and Walter Baus, 39, according to court documents.
The cartel smuggled more than 50,000 pounds of weed grown in Vancouver, British Columbia, and smuggled to New York in cars outfitted with secret compartments to hide the stash, since 2003, the sources said.
The government wants to seize the assets of the suspects, including a home on Penelope Avenue in Middle Village.The feds smoked out a massive pot smuggling ring that stretched from Canada to Queens,... more
My name is Becca Ray Dylan, and I thought you might want to check out my slideshow featuring Barack Obama and Coldplay, with a twist. I found a new organization called Heads of Humanity, the Hemp Education and Decriminalization Society, which I am describing as a revolutionary new marijuana movement.
Obama is going to be the next great human rights champ, and I'm hoping to get this video out to every young or undecided voter before November 4, 2008.
Look me up on My Space, member name Becca Ray Dylan. Time is of the essence!
Thank you.
VOTE! Go Obama! My name is Becca Ray Dylan, and I thought you might want to check out my slideshow... more
Barack Obama will be the next president, and the next great human rights champ. He will lead America into a new era of social evolution. In short, the world will be a nicer place to live in.
I'm Becca Ray Dylan, and I founded a new organization called HEADS of Humanity, the Hemp Education and Decriminalization Society. I'm hoping all young or undecided voters, along with the many members of the counterculture, will have a chance to see my video before November 4, 2008.
There will never be a politician to actively support pro-pot legislation until HEADS come together and make some noise. I'm not suggesting Obama is in favor of marijuana legislation, but he will help bring about a political and social environment conducive to this revolutionary new marijuana movement.
VOTE! Go Obama! Barack Obama will be the next president, and the next great human rights champ. He... more
Hey everyone, welcome to Monday...or mid-Monday. It's time, once again, to wrap up what went down in the Current community last week, so let's jump right in.
// Hack the Debate III //
The much anticipated debate between VP candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden rocked the world last Thursday, and it sent ripples throughout the community. Did Palin meet expectations? Did Biden blow her out of the water? Plenty of discussion took place (check out the Most Commented Stories section below), but that's just the beginning.
The stage has been set for John McCain and Barack Obama to meet up once again, this time in a Town Hall setting, and we are all ready to go with Hack the Debate III. That's right, fire up your Twitter account and get ready to #current all night long. Head to our debate page for more details:
The economic crisis has stirred up some pretty raw emotions, and last week illdoctrine took a minute to give his take on the situation in a pod he called Economics and Annoying Smart Guys. Check out his take on the situation here:
He must've struck a chord with people because his pod ended up being last week's VC2 leaderboard winner. Kudos to you, illdoctrine, and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the situation here at home. BTW -- nice Dr. Strangelove reference.
// Top 5 Contributors on Current.com //
What would we do without contributions to pour over on a daily basis? What would we put in Current:News? What would we comment and vote on? Contributions are what keep the wheels turning here at Current.com, so let's all take a minute to thank our top 5 contributors from last week:
As you can see, starr111 came back with a vengeance and reclaimed the top spot last week. We'll see what happens next week. We have a few new faces in the top 5 this week, so let's give kudos to itenerantsurf, Apocalipstick, and ivxx. Keep it up, guys!
// Most Commented Stories //
Last week's most commented on stories centered around the plummeting Dow, religious beliefs, the VP debates, and the safety of cannibis. There's plenty to enjoy, so take a look at last week's most commented stories:
As always, these are just a few of the stories discussed at length last week. If there is another one out there that caught your eye, point us in the right direction by linking to it in a response below.
Well, there's another week on Current.com in the books, and it looks like we're off to a good start for the next one. I'll see you back here next Monday!
