Hemp Facts

Decriminalization: A Step in the Right Direction

2011-12-20T13:17:00.001-08:00

Decriminalization: A Step in the Right Direction

The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world. -- Carl Sagan

If the words “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” don’t include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it was written on. -- Terence McKenna

It doesn’t take an expert to see that things are very wrong with the current legal status of cannabis. Our government says there is no accepted medical use for it, yet it holds a patent (#6630507) for medicinal use of cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants, and it distributes canisters of rolled joints to a few select patients in the Compassionate Use Program. Sativex, a whole plant extract that is administered sublingually, is being approved in other countries as a prescription drug, but not in the United States. Our government says it needs proof that marijuana is in fact therapeutic, though it makes this impossible to prove, with its monopoly on substandard plant material from the one FDA-approved farm in Mississippi, and the maze of federal approval required for research to proceed. FDA requires NIDA to sign off on cannabis studies, a hoop that no other drug researchers need jump through.

Palo Alto City Council Unanimously Approves Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. Will Voters Agree?

2011-10-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Canna Central reporting:

In a display of democracy at work, voters will soon be able to decide if Palo Alto, California – the home of Stanford University and birthplace of tech giants such as Facebook and Google – will become the first city on the San Francisco Bay Peninsula to allow medical marijuana dispensaries. The city is determining whether to allow 3 dispensaries to operate within its jurisdiction.

Forbes: What The People Want is Marijuana Legalization

2011-09-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

From the Not-So Private Parts where technology & privacy collide:

Three weeks into its launch, there are already eight petitions that will warrant a response from the White House per its own rules. The site appears to have attracted civil libertarians, pro-marijuana advocates, and atheists.

The most popular petition with almost 20,000 signatures petitions the gov to “Legalize and Regulate Marijuana in a Manner Similar to Alcohol.”

The petitioner writes: “Marijuana prohibition has resulted in the arrest of over 20 million Americans since 1965, countless lives ruined and hundreds of billions of tax dollars squandered and yet this policy has still failed to achieve its stated goals of lowering use rates, limiting the drug’s access, and creating safer communities. Isn’t it time to legalize and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol?”

Over just two days since the Forbes article, quoted above, the number of petitioners has nearly doubled from 20,000; today approaching 40,000.
Add your vote NOW, and spread this link far and wide! Now is the time to bring justice, logic, and common sense to marijuana regulation.
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Prohibition: Ken Burns Documentary on PBS this Fall

2011-09-02T19:36:00.001-07:00

Knowledge is Power. Resisting ignorance is never futile.

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

From the PBS site:

Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country.

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

From this clip:

"How the hell did that happen? How does a freedom loving people, a nation that's built on individual rights and liberties decide -- in one kind of, crazed moment it almost seems -- that we can tell people how to live their lives?" Daniel Okrent, author, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.

“This is a story about a single-issue campaign that metastasized.” – Ken Burns

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning New York Times columnist Timothy Egan adds:

The obvious echo will be about drugs. You will hear “if only” in many variants this fall — as in, if only the most popular of illicit substances were brought out of criminal shadows to be legalized and taxed.
But the film and book are much more instructive on the political fevers of the early 21st century, particularly those aroused by monomaniacal anti-tax pressure groups and their foot soldiers, the increasingly unpopular Tea Party.

Lynn Novick: "Prohibition didn't happen overnight."

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

Ken Burns on the Prohibition Idea:

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

President Jimmy Carter: Call Off the Global Drug War

2011-06-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Read President Jimmy Carter's New York Times Op Ed, Call Off the Global Drug War.

"The report describes the total failure of the present global antidrug effort, and in particular America’s “war on drugs,” which was declared 40 years ago today."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Legalizing Pot: Will It End the Mexican DrugCartels?

2011-04-07T23:55:00.001-07:00

"People on that dang weed aren't as senseless as on whiskey, I can tell you that much." -Texas Prosecutor

Willie Nelson's Texas prosecutor —a 78-year-old fan, who plans to let the country singer off on a marijuana charge as long as he performs a song in court (and pays a fine) —wants to decriminalize pot. Hudspeth County Attorney C.R. "Kit" Bramblett favors a bill before the Texas Legislature that would end jail sentences for minor marijuana possession. "That makes sense to me," he told the Raw Story website last week. Bramblett is otherwise a fairly conservative guy who wouldn't want to legalize heroin or cocaine. But his experience as a prosecutor has convinced him not to seek jail time on small possessions charges, and the very fact that the Texas Legislature is considering a bill to decriminalize pot suggests a way forward in the failed American war on drugs. "I may not like it," Hudspeth told Raw Story, "but can't no one can stop people from smoking it no matter how hard you try. Besides, people on that dang weed aren't as senseless as on whiskey, I can tell you that much."

SOURCE: http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/legalizing-pot-will-it-end-the-mexican-drug-cartels-29836/

Timeline of Facts You Need To Know About Ending Marijuana Prohibition

2011-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Just as the hemp plant has changed, so must we, in our relationship to it

2010-10-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Washington Post:

Many Americans of a certain age will remember that in the 1970s, seedy homegrown pot was reviled for its raw, throat-burning quality. Now dope-smoking locavores steer clear of cheap, low- and mid-grade weed in favor of organically grown boutique strains. They speak of "presentation" and varieties so agreeably complex that "you inhale one flavor and exhale another." Just as in the vineyards of the Napa Valley a few miles to the north, complexities come from the soil, from the fruits of labor, from careful breeding. Suddenly, pot has terroir.

It's surreal, even for California, but it may be our future.

Rosenthal sees a day when cannabis will be grown like another popular and ubiquitous crop. "I like the tomato model," he said, rattling off a possible hierarchy of breeders and growers: giant industrial companies; regional companies; farmers; individuals raising marijuana for cash from their own big back yards, then home growers. "There's room for everybody in that model," he said. "But with all the commercial ways tomatoes are grown, home growers still grow the most tomatoes in the U.S."

DeAngelo argues that just as the plant has changed, so must we, in our relationship to it. Marijuana, he says, can teach us how to be kinder to the earth and our fellow travelers on it. "We are at a different time in the history of this plant," he said.

Less than 2 weeks to Vote to End Prohibition! Pledge your vote NOW!

2010-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's not enough to "believe" in Prop 19 or "believe" that marijuana should be legalized.

We Must Take Collective Action on November 2nd, 2010 to put the disastrous nightmare behind us.

By signing the YesOn19.com petition today, you can make the pledge to:

ACTUALLY break the daily routine.
ACTUALLY go outside, go somewhere new, do something different on November 2.
ACTUALLY take action to make the actual real world a better place by going to where all those stupid people usually go out and fuck everything up for everyone else.
ACTUALLY Vote YES on Prop 19 on November 2.

We're ACTUALLY completely dependent upon YOU to ACTUALLY get this done. If you don't, then it won't. It's as simple as that.

So let's git 'er done!

U.S. Surgeon General: Legalize Marijuana, Stop Criminalizing Youth

2010-10-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders told CNN Sunday she supports legalizing marijuana.

"What I think is horrible about all of this, is that we criminalize young people. And we use so many of our excellent resources ... for things that aren't really causing any problems," said Elders. "It's not a toxic substance."

Oh, OH, OOOOHHHHH! Now what, biatches? NOW WHAT???

How Legalized Pot Factories Work

2010-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Via Gizmodo:

This proposed pot factory would produce $50 million of weed annually in an super-sterile, eco-friendly environment.

Guv signs marijuana decriminalization bill

2010-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today, California Guv signed marijuana decriminalization bill.

Effective immediately, driving in the car pool lane is nearly 4x more costly to your wallet and criminal record than possessing an ounce or less of weed.

We're getting there.

Please click http://j.mp/HerbKits Support Our New Affiliate Sponsor!

2010-09-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Time to give thanks for New Affiliate Sponsor: HerbKits.com! Please support our site by supporting our sponsors!

Medical Marijuana Supporters Against Legalization

2010-09-22T22:24:00.001-07:00

Reason Magazine

Reason Magazine: SEIU Endorses Pot Legalization

2010-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Reason Mag:

Former San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara, who lists three reasons to support Prop. 19 in the November issue of Reason, elaborates in the San Jose Mercury-News. In a recent Washington Post op-ed piece, historian Héctor Aguilar Camín and former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge G. Castañeda argue that legalizing pot in California could help end the prohibition-related violence that has killed more than 28,000 people in Mexico since 2006.

Nightline Twittercast: Marijuana on Four Ballots Energizes Political Debate

2010-09-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

"The California government projected that the new law would bring in about $1.4 billion in revenues for the state. Several members of Congress, such as Reps. Pete Stark, Barbara Lee and George Miller have spoken candidly in favor of it." -- ABC News

Gary Johnson, former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, supports legalization of marijuana and argues that it will lead to a more effective fight against drugs. He blames the stalemate on the federal government and on both Republicans and Democrats.

"For the most part, politics is about following the herd as opposed to providing leadership," Johnson, who is speculated to be considering a run for the White House in 2012, told ABC News. "For me, it was a cost-benefit analysis, period. It's the fact that half of what we spend in law enforcement and the courts and the prisons is drug related, to what end?"

Johnson disagrees with the idea that dabbling in the politics of drugs would be harmful -- he cites his own approval rating as governor, saying it was steady even after he made his position known.

"It's a really good political issue because it's the truth. It's the emperor wears no clothes," he said. -- ABC News

False Fears v Real Facts: Cal. Prop. 19 Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010

2010-08-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Smart comments in San Jose Mercury News forums:

Posted on Wednesday, 8/04/2010 - 6:01 a.m. PDT — by Conservative Christian

Conservative Christian

Current Posts: 32

Allowing American citizens to grow a little marijuana in their own backyards will carve the guts out of the drug gangs, get the drug cartels out of our communities, put an end to most of the border violence, and reduce illegal immigration. As the discussion goes forward, let’s remember to ask ourselves, “If my child or grandchild got a little off track and got caught with a little marijuana, would I want him or her to go to jail, lose their college financial aid, spend a few days locked up with the sexual predators...?” Proposition 19 will put an end to this huge injustice being done to our own children and grandchildren.

Californians: register to vote at https://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/ Just fill out the form and mail it in! (Please go for it RIGHT NOW while ur thinking about it!)

Citizens of other states can Google your state name and “voter registration” to find out how to register; a lot of states allow instant on-line registration. Do it now so you can vote in November!

Read the original article:

Opinion: Critics of Prop. 19 on marijuana rely on fear, not facts
By Paul Armentano

Research all the details for yourself at Ballotpedia:

Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, is a California ballot proposition which is on the November 2, 2010 California statewide ballot as an initiated state statute.

It's the Cops! Quick! Open the door so they can give us our WEED!

2010-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Weedy Delivery!

From Toke of the Town:

Billings Police Chief Rich St. John said FedEx and UPS call police when employees discover packages that appear to contain medical marijuana -- which has been legal in Montana since voters approved it in 2004.

FedEx won't take the risk of being prosecuted under federal drug laws for accepting any such shipments, even within Montana, according to spokeswoman Sally Davenport.

Chief St. John said when that happens, police pick up the package and "determine if it's legal," then notify then person who sent it, or deliver the package themselves.

Cannabis 101: Welcome to 'Pot School'

2010-06-27T16:24:00.001-07:00

"This week, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors chose 16 locations, where medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed to operate, and local real estate agents, mothers, fathers and business owners gathered on Saturday to learn about the growing marijuana industry" (KGTV News 10).

Study: Marijuana Doesn't Affect Driving Performance

2010-06-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

The federal study says that "It appears not possible to conclude anything about a driver's impairment on the basis of his/her plasma concentrations of THC... determined in a single sample."

SOURCE: Toke of the Town - Study: Marijuana Doesn't Affect Driving Performance

Marijuana legalization will be on California ballot

2010-03-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Marijuana legalization will be on California ballot | Reuters

'Nuff said. Now, we gotta' GET THAT VOTE OUT, people!

Steve Gillmor's Massive Head Buzz

2010-03-08T08:11:00.001-08:00

Wow, Steve Gillmor jumps to Google's defense with great advice and some key advantages of everyday use, in context. According to Gillmor's statement below, the productivity improvements inherent to Buzz apparently far outweigh the initial, knee-jerk, populist misconceptions of privacy infringements. Apparently, Gillmor sees little or no privacy concerns at all, since he sings the praises of buzz's signal-to-noise improving capabilities in his own everyday use:

"the biggest bang for Google’s buck will be to double down on the email integration. Scorned as a privacy invasion, the built-in integration of relevant Buzzes lets me keep the noise down by only commenting on threads I want to track."

I'm confident he'll clarify for us, if we're mistaken; but for now, remember that the best buzz is always the most authentic and organic buzz!

Is My Health Condition Covered by Medical Marijuana Law in My State?

2010-02-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

KOB.com ran a story last Sunday that announced the addition of a new condition to New Mexico's list of approved conditions for which medical marijuana may be used to treat.

The article stated that inflammatory auto immune-mediated arthritis was recently approved to be added to the list. It also stated that migraine and bi-polar disorder were up for consideration, but did not get added to the list.

This got me to thinking (and researching) and I found that in each of the 14 states that currently have medical marijuana laws on the books, the section in the law called "approved conditions" tends to differ slightly from state to state.

Considering some of the other inconsistencies and frankly, bizarre interpretations of the laws (see last two posts), it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the conditions under which medical marijuana is approved vary from state to state and leave plenty of room for disagreements over interpretation.

Before you apply for a medical marijuana card, I highly recommend going to your state's government web site and looking up the exact wording in the law, but here is an overview of some of the current laws.

Almost all the states agree on 8 main conditions:

Cachexia – Physical wasting with loss of weight and muscle mass caused by disease.

AIDS/HIV – AIDS is a disease that weakens the immune system to the point where an affected person is vulnerable to a wide range of infections and cancers that result in death if not treated.

Chronic Pain – Pain that persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments. Maine does not list this condition.

Epilepsy – brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior, or sometimes convulsions , muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. Nevada doesn’t call this out, or MS specifically, but lists persistent muscle spasms or seizures.

Multiple Sclerosis – a disease in which the nerves of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) degenerate.

Severe Nausea – the sensation that the stomach wants to empty itself, while vomiting (emesis) or throwing up, is the act of forcible emptying of the stomach.

Cancer – the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous cells are also called malignant cells.

Glaucoma – a disease of the major nerve of vision, called the optic nerve. Vermont does not list this condition.

Beyond these eight, some states add some interesting conditions to the list.

New Mexico is the only state that includes Hospice patients in the list. Considering that the main purpose of Hospice is to give supportive care to people in the final phase of a terminal illness and focus on comfort and quality of life, this seems extremely appropriate. New Mexico also calls out painful Peripheral Neuropathy and I expect this could probably fall under the chronic pain classification of other states.

Michigan includes Nail Patella, a hereditary condition characterized by abnormally formed or absent nails and underdeveloped or absent kneecaps. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Certification Center states that medical marijuana helps with the associated pain of this condition, so I expect this could probably fall under the chronic pain classification of other states as well.

Rhode Island is joined by Michigan in adding Alzheimer's disease to their lists, although a recent study published in the latest issue of “Current Alzheimer Research” challenges the assertion that marijuana is beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients.

New Jersey specifies terminal illness, if the physician has determined a prognosis of less than 12 months of life. This specification seems to be able to overlap into many of the aforementioned conditions.

California in the only state to specify Migraine, although I can say from 23 years of personal experience that this disease can fall into both the chronic pain and the severe nausea category.

Several states do include a caveat at the end of their list that is reminiscent of the beloved last words on every job description (the infamous, 'and all other duties as assigned') stating things such as: "other conditions are subject to approval by" … or, "any other medical condition or treatment for a medical condition adopted by" … and, "any other medical condition or its treatment that is approved by …"

So once again, Joe and Jane Public are left sifting through the convoluted and conflicting legalese of his or her state to see if their condition is covered. I think that you will agree that the conditions listed above deserve to be treated by any and all means available to bring relief to the patient. If Marijuana is empirically, experimentally shown to bring even some level of comfort for the people who are suffering, then nothing should stand in the way of all states passing a federal medical marijuana law - the first step to the real goal of Ending Prohibition, once and for all.

And To Add To The Confusion

2010-02-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick follow-up on the last post about the confusion being created by the here and there; by this and that medical marijuana law and the conflicting, even hypocritical enforcement thereof. Yesterday a jury in Pueblo, Colorado found a man not guilty on a charge of cultivating marijuana but guilty on a charge of possessing it.

Hmmm ...

The defendant in the case shared his confusion in a phone interview saying,

"Under this verdict, a caregiver may grow the marijuana but it would be illegal for them to possess it. It just makes sense that if you can grow it, you should be able to possess it."

His lawyer was a bit more clear (cough, cough) on the subject stating, "... the jury's decision delivered a clear message.

"The jury really got it, they sent home the message loud and clear that government can't stop people from growing their medicine."

Right ... but they can't possess it during or after they grow it ... sooo, what exactly did they get?

OMG! will the craziness ever end?

Failing a Drug Test

2010-02-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Picture this ... you have chronic pain and the only thing you have found to ease that pain is marijuana. So you take the time, pay the fee, get the card, go to the dispensary (also a LEGAL entity) and get yourself LEGAL marijuana to relieve your symptoms ... and you lose your job by failing a drug test.

That's exactly what happened to Luke in Colorado. Luke worked as a guard at a private jail and they have a no drug tolerance policy and all employees are tested regularly. Well, Luke failed the test ... not surprising ... and he was fired.

The way the current medical marijuana law in Colorado works, there is no protection for employees if they fail a drug test, even though the drug was legally obtained ... does anyone see the problem here?

Lawyers make the case that although the herb may be legal by state's decree, smoking marijuana is still illegal by federal law, so employers have the right to let someone go based on the federal law. And it gets even messier when, "employer who knowingly hires a medical marijuana user is "arguably complicit in an activity that's illegal under federal law." WOW!

In both California and Montana the courts have found in favor of the employers in these cases. The California court ruled that, "Proposition 215, which allows use of marijuana for medical purposes with a doctor's recommendation, does not protect workers for being fired for violating federal drug laws before, during, or after work hours." In Montana the issue is addressed in their medical marijuana FAQ as follows:

38. What should I tell my employer if I am subjected to a drug test?

The law is silent on this issue.

Seriously, that is really what it says, "The law is silent on this issue." What the hell does that mean?

The wording of each state's law concerning medical marijuana is different and as always, open to interpretation -- which varies depending what side of the lawsuit you stand on. And although advocacy groups say that they already have hundreds of complaints of employer discrimination, not enough cases have been brought to trial to create anything resembling a standard precedent across the board.

In Michigan the law states that, a registered user can't be "subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty in any manner or denied any right or privilege including ... disciplinary action by a business." But then goes on to say that, "nothing in this act shall be construed to require an employer to accommodate the ingestion of marijuana in any workplace or any employee working while under the influence of marijuana."

So that should make it clear as mud when someone goes to court in Michigan.

We've said it before, we'll say it again, the best way out of this regressive tar pit of contradictory and extraordinarily costly policies is by passing Federal Legislation that Ends Prohibition by decriminalizing marijuana, once and for all. If you haven't done so already, please dig deeper into the specifics of HR5843 (Thomas | GovTrack) and get involved educating your family, friends, community, and especially your church that there is active federal legislation that could address all these and many more issues, almost overnight, once passed.