In the DVD Jorge shows you the “Green Giants” of northern California, the ten pound mega plants. Not only does it contain valuable growing information, but the stories behind some of the growers as well.

- Joe Klare

Jorge Cervantes On NORML Show Live With “Radical” Russ is a post from: The 420 Times

We reported on the voters of Fort Collins narrowly approving a ban on medical marijuana businesses last  November in what should be considered a clear case of discrimination.

As I said then:

As a libertarian I am all for local political control, but as I pointed out yesterday 1) Closing functioning businesses in this economy is madness at best and 2) The discrimination being shown toward medical marijuana patients would never be tolerated if it were aimed at another minority group.

Yet because of the stigma that surrounds cannabis, sick people who choose the safer alternative of medical marijuana are allowed to be treated like second-class citizens and most people won’t say a word about it.

These points are just as true now. We must continue to speak out against these injustices wherever we find them. Discrimination is not right, no matter who it is practiced against.

The ordinances in Fort Collins are scheduled for a second reading on February 21st, with the ban going into effect on the 14th. There is still the matter of cultivation rules, and who will be allowed to grow. Under current city law a caregiver is allowed a maximum of 12 plants in a single-family residence with no limit on multi-family residences.

There is still much work to be done to eradicate medical marijuana discrimination, all across the country. Fort Collins is just a very large and blatant example of it.

- Joe Klare

Fort Collins, CO One Step Closer To Closing All Medical Marijuana Businesses is a post from: The 420 Times

Kentucky is the newest entry in the growing list of states considering medical marijuana legislation. Sen. Perry Clark (D-Louisville) has introduced SB 129, a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients with debilitating illnesses and reschedule marijuana under state law. There are some technical problems with the language in the bill vis-à-vis federal law, but those issues can be worked out through amendments down the road.

For now, it’s important that you write your state legislators and urge them to support this compassionate measure. Using our simple one-click email system, it’ll take you less than 30 seconds to send an email now.

The bill is known as the Gatewood Galbraith Memorial Medical Marijuana Act, after the late Gatewood Galbraith, a five-time gubernatorial candidate and outspoken proponent of ending marijuana prohibition. Galbraith would be delighted to see the passage of effective medical marijuana legislation in the Bluegrass State, but not as happy as the thousands of patients in Kentucky living with conditions that marijuana can safely and effectively treat.

So please, take a moment to email your legislators now. If you get a response, please forward it to me. Thanks for all you do!

Gatewood would be delighted to see this attempt at medical marijuana legalization in his home state, something that wouldn’t even be possible without the groundwork he laid from one end of the state to the other. While it’s not likely to pass anytime soon, every state has to start by getting a dialogue going among legislators and voters.

If you live in KY it’s imperative that you let your state representative know how you feel about medical marijuana, as I’m going to.

- Joe Klare

Medical Marijuana Coming To Kentucky? is a post from: The 420 Times

The folks behind the “Legalize 2012″ campaign in Colorado put out a press release yesterday detailing the ruling and thie reaction to it.

{Denver} — The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on 2/2/12 that medical
marijuana patients on who are on probation should not be allowed to use
cannabis as medicine.

This ruling is a huge blow to medical marijuana patients statewide, many of
whom will be forced off of their safe, effective and natural cannabis
medicine and forced to use dangerous and expensive pharmaceutical
alternatives. For many patients, cannabis is the *only* medicine that works
for them, especially for patients who are using cannabis as a non-toxic
alternative therapy to treat their cancer.

Previously, probation departments across Colorado had wide discretion into whether or not a patient on probation would be allowed to use their medicinal cannabis. With the Court of Appeals ruling, the ability of probation officers to address individual patient situations on a
case-by-case basis has been eliminated and replaced with a statewide “Zero Tolerance” policy for medical cannabis use and probation.

The case is People v. Watkins (Court of Appeals No. 10CA0579). You can read
the full opinion here:
http://www.cobar.org/opinions/opinion.cfm?opinionid=8371&courtid=1

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that, since people on probation in
Colorado are required to refrain from committing further offenses while on
probation, the use of medical marijuana cannot be allowed, since marijuana
is illegal under *federal* law. The Court of Appeals case comes, not
surprisingly, out of Arapahoe County District Court where prohibitionist
District Attorney Carol Chambers once threatened to prosecute patients if
they testified at a trial on the Centennial medical marijuana ban.
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14030017

The Court also cited a 2011 ruling in the case of Beinor v. ICAO, which
stated that the authors of Colorado’s medical marijuana law failed to
establish a “right” to medical marijuana use.
http://www.cobar.org/opinions/opinion.cfm?opinionid=8188&courtid=1

THE SOLUTION: CANNABIS RE-LEGALIZATION ACT
The Cannabis Re-Legalization Act citizen’s ballot initiative, which was
also filed on 2/2/12, would solve this problem by replacing the flawed
language of Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Amendment with a broader and
better-written law. First, the Cannabis Re-Legalization Act makes cannabis
use a fundamental Constitutional right for Colorado citizens. Then, the
Cannabis Re-Legalization Act protects all cannabis users by prohibiting the
government from punishing them or denying them any right or privilege for
their cannabis use.

We feel strongly that, in order to protect patients, cannabis must be legal
for all citizens. It is only through full legalization that medical
cannabis patients will no longer be singled out as a second class of
citizens. The Cannabis Re-Legalization Act also requires state Attorney
General John Suthers to file lawsuits against the federal government to
stop their enforcement of federal marijuana prohibition laws, something he
currently refuses to do.

SIGN THE PETITION!
Sign the virtual petition online:
http://www.Legalize2012.com

Of course it makes no sense that you are allowed to break federal law in Colorado by using medical marijuana, but not if you’re on probation. But that is the nature of medical marijuana laws as long as the federal threat looms over them.

While it’s true that state legalization is a great step toward protecting all cannabis users, there will come a time when federal law will have to bend to the will of the states. Imagine someday there being 40 states with legal medical marijuana; how will the feds justify continued prohibition in the face of opposition from most of the country?

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

CO Court Says People On Probation Can’t Use Medical Marijuana is a post from: The 420 Times

Cannabis growing legend and author Jorge Cervantes is currently answering your question live on Reddit/IAmA in an “Ask Me Anything” post. Get over there to ask your questions, and vote up the post so more people can benefit from the knowledge being spread.

Check to see if your question has been asked and/or answered yet, and if it has been, vote is up so more people can see it and so Jorge has a better chance of seeing it and answering.

For more information from Jorge and to get his print and ebooks, check out his website and spread the word on good growing techniques and habits.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Ask Jorge Cervantes Anything On Reddit/IAmA is a post from: The 420 Times

Suthers main point it seems is that medical marijuana makes cannabis more available and acceptable to kids. His contention that marijuana being made more acceptable leads to more kids trying it leaves out some crucial facts.

Colorado AG John Suthers

1) Many minors experiment with all manners of stupidity, from whip-its to crack, and those things are not considered “acceptable” to the vast majority of society. 2) Cannabis is much safer than many of the things parents give their kids on purpose, like Mountain Dew (did you know Mountain Dew can dissolve a mouse?) or McDonalds.

Suthers also contends that medical marijuana makes cannabis more available to kids. Let’s assume this is true. First, see my above point about how safe marijuana is compared to other things. Second, there are already laws in place about adults giving certain substances to kids; why can’t we just enforce those laws instead of making it illegal for sick people to have the option of medical cannabis?

And lastly, and most importantly, under AG Suther’s system, instead of kids getting marijuana from patients they get it from drug dealers who are often dangerous criminals who can also sell kids crack and heroin for the better profit margins.

Most would agree that kids shouldn’t use marijuana except in cases where it is medically beneficial to them and their doctor and parents agree it is the right course of action. But the notion that drug use goes down with stricter laws simply has not been shown by history.

Maybe AG Suthers should be more worried about prosecuting patients who sell to kids instead of trying to increase business for drug dealers.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Colorado’s AG Says Medical Marijuana Is A Threat To Children is a post from: The 420 Times

The bill, introduced by CA State Senator Mark Leno (D-SF), would have kept medical marijuana patients from being fired solely for their medical cannabis use. He pulled the bill when he knew he didn’t have numbers to pass it.

Then Assemblymember Leno first introduced this bill in 2008, following the California Supreme Court decision in Ross v. Ragingwire. The Ross decision held that medical cannabis patients are not protected from employment discrimination by Proposition 215. The state legislature approved AB 2279 that year, but it was vetoed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Senator Leno re-introduced the bill as SB 129 last year, in hopes that Governor Brown would be more sympathetic. Unfortunately, we have run out of time to persuade a handful of ambivalent Democrats to support the bill before today’s deadline for a vote on bills from last year.

While advocates are sure to return to this issue in the future, they may not have to. The The Medical Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act (MMRCTA), which is currently waiting to see if it has passed the ballot language barrier before moving on toward signature gathering, protects employees in much the same way SB 129 would have.

Persons using marijuana medicinally pursuant to Section 11362.5 [Proposition 215] are entitled to the same rights and protections from civil and criminal liability as users of prescription drugs under California law.

With this bill and a recreational legalization bill likely to be on the ballot this November, election day 2012 in California is shaping up to be very interesting.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Bill To End MMJ Employment Discrimination In California Fails is a post from: The 420 Times

Diane Sands’ name came up during a federal drug investigation when a witness was asked by a DEA agent if Sands was involved in selling medical marijuana. Sands denies being involved in medical marijuana in any way other than legislatively.

“Because of the federal supremacy clause, federal law always trumps state law,”  [Sands] says. “We fought a civil war over this. There is nothing a state can do to make marijuana legal, or even to make medical marijuana legal, but there is a process to change that at the federal level. Now that so many states have made medical marijuana legal, the federal government should remove marijuana from Schedule One of the Controlled Substances Act, and let the states regulate marijuana as they see fit,” she says.

“I don’t believe I should be investigated by the DEA for saying that. Any suggestion that the federal government is investigating me is very chilling. I’m an historian, so yes, I connect present activities to past activities, such as the Sedition Act of 1918 and the McCarthy hearings. When you have government officials investigating lawmakers because of how they pursue their official duties, you have a problem,” she contends.

Chilling indeed. Even more chilling is that the DEA doesn’t care. They have seemingly unlimited power and are answerable to no one. If they don’t like a Montana legislator, they can eliminate them if they want.

For now Diane Sands must wait and see what the DEA – who will not comment on the matter – plans to do. Hopefully this intimidation will not stop her from voicing her views on cannabis.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Pro-Marijuana Legislator In Montana Being Investigated By The DEA is a post from: The 420 Times

As we’ve pointed out many times before, 2012 is a pivotal year in the realm of marijuana law reform with several states having a shot at legalization, including California and Washington.

Of course, there is still the hostility to medical marijuana from the Obama Administration that the pharmaceutical companies have paid so much for. But the truth about cannabis can only be suppressed so long, and the wall of propaganda built around cannabis is crumbling.

Combine this with a majority now favoring marijuana legalization in the U.S. according to Gallup, and you have a recipe for major reform.

But as we have also pointed out before, none of this is possible without you. You are the mainstream, but only if you act. Polls and signature drives are great, but unless you make your voice heard with your vote, none of it matters.

Reform is a word we use a lot, but when it comes down to it, “reform” is just people like you and I. If enough people decide they want to vote for reform, they can make it happen.

When it comes to marijuana law reform this will be put to the test like never before in 2012.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Marijuana Legalization In The Mainstream is a post from: The 420 Times

It’s odd that the federal government will stick their nose into so many areas that they have no business in but are ready to abdicate their responsibility in one of the few areas they are mandated to act, namely protecting the rights of citizens.

In no instance should a private company get to make money off violating the rights of citizens. The potential for corruption and false imprisonment in the scenario is off the charts.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Drug War Profiteering With Private Prisons is a post from: The 420 Times

From The 420 Times:

CA: Poll: 62% Support Regulating Marijuana Like Wine In CA

CA: Over $1 Million In Marijuana Plants Seized In California

OR: How Much Medicine Does A Medical Marijuana Patient Need?

NY: Pot Arrests Top 50K In 2011 Despite NYPD Order

NY: Massive Marijuana “Factory” Busted In The Bronx

WA: 42 Washington State Legislators Ask DEA To Reclassify Marijuana

From Around The Web:

CA: Medical pot clubs under a cloud as federal crackdown, court decisions loom

RI: Marijuana Reform Polling Well in Rhode Island

CO: More Signatures Needed for Colorado Marijuana Initiative

VA: Va. proposal to study possibility of marijuana sales at state-controlled liquor stores fails

If your state didn’t make this week’s “United State Of Weed,” it’s most probably because there is no recent political cannabis news coming from that state. If there is a story I missed, let me know at joe@the420times.com.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

The United State Of Weed 2/5/12 is a post from: The 420 Times

A wonderful, loving relationship is based in large part on intimacy. More to the point, it’s based on a good sex life.

So we want to hear from our readers. Does consuming marijuana enhance and improve your sex life? Let us know in the poll below and leave us a comment if you want to expand on your answer.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Reader Poll: Does Marijuana Enhance Your Sex Life? is a post from: The 420 Times

If you know of a video we should see, let us know at joe@the420times.com.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Videos Of The Week 1/29/12 – 2/4/12 is a post from: The 420 Times

A whopping 62% in a new poll by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, Inc. of 800 likely CA voters say they favor regulating marijuana like wine, versus 35% against it.

Digging deeper into the numbers shows why there is such strong support. 80% of respondents say they agree with the statement “State and federal drug laws are outdated and have failed, therefore, we need to take a new approach that makes sense for today.”

71% of respondents say they feel authorities waste too much time and money enforcing marijuana laws. When it comes to a definite yes vote versus a definite no vote, the numbers still hold up, 41% to 28%.

Two years ago Prop 19 started off with poll numbers in the 50% to 55% range, numbers that dipped into the 30′s toward the end of the campaign. With this campaign starting with higher numbers, it certainly looks better so far.

The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine initiative also has something else going for it, and that’s the fact that turnout will be higher this year due to the Presidential election. The more people at the polls, the better the chance marijuana law reform has.

2012 is going to be an historic year for marijuana legalization, and as usual, California will likely lead the way.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Poll: 62% Support Regulating Marijuana Like Wine In CA is a post from: The 420 Times

I dismissed it at the time as a publicity stunt for her reality show, saying, “time will tell how long Roseanne’s ‘run’ lasts, but I’m sure as soon as the joke runs its course we won’t hear anymore about it.”

Well, we didn’t hear about it for almost 6 months, but it appears it is not a joke, since Roseanne has filed the necessary paperwork to run for The Green Party nomination for President.

She is in favor of marijuana legalization and any publicity she can bring to the cause is welcome and helpful. She still has a well-known name and we’ll see how far that will carry her in the political battlefield.

- Joe Klare

And be sure to check out our Open Letter on Behalf of 30 Million Cannabis Users and join us in our fight!

Roseanne Barr Makes Her Presidential Run Official is a post from: The 420 Times