Currently the marijuana laws in the Republic of Georgia are quite strict considering that individuals who are caught with more than two grams find themselves facing heavy fines and the possibility of being incarcerated for a year, but that may be about to change.

Mikheil Saakashvili was the president of Georgia at the time those marijuana measures became law back in 2006. Now, Georgia has a new ruling coalition which is led by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili who is considering taking a laxer approach to adult marijuana usage.

Legislation to relax the current marijuana laws in the republic is slated to be introduced in the country’s parliament by the end of May, 2013.

Davit Otiashvili, a doctor specializing in drug addiction, proclaims that the decriminalization of marijuana is most likely foreseeable.

“I think that at some point this process will become the international norm,” Otiashvili explains, “and at some point, Georgia will have to comply with this trend.”

Although Otiashvili believes that the issue will eventually need to be addressed, he and others such as Irakli Gemkrelidze, general director of Tbilisi’s Center for Mental Health and Prevention of Drug Addiction, are quick to point out that the public’s safety must be kept at the forefront of any discussions concerning amending the country’s current marijuana laws.

“It’s correct to think that the use of marijuana should not be a criminal offense,” Gemkrelidze declares. “But we should not encourage the use of marijuana or regard it as something that is completely harmless.”

As with any effort to introduce new legislation as controversial as marijuana decriminalization, there will always be a percentage of individuals that are opposed to the idea, but when governmental officials are the ones initiating the awareness, the chances of those laws being amended increase exponentially.

Keep your cursor parked right here @ The 420 Times for any new developments regarding the marijuana laws in the Republic of Georgia and for all your international and local cannabis community news.

Georgian Government Considering Relaxing Marijuana Laws is a post from: The 420 Times

An inclusive report recently released via a conglomerate of nations regarding drug policy in the Americas suggests that the legalization of marijuana, but not other illicit drugs, be deliberated among a range of ideas in order to reexamine the effectiveness of the current war on drugs.

The report in question was publicized by the Organization of American States which was careful not to endorse any single particular approach to the current situation, but encouraged “flexibility.”

The drafting of the report was incited by President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia at last year’s Summit of the Americas to answer mounting disappointment and demands for new strategies in the drug war.

The report’s 400 pages chiefly encapsulate and refine preceding research and debate on the subject.

The news of the report’s unveiling has pro-marijuana advocates somewhat elated about the message it is sending in respect to searching for answers that makes sense, as opposed to continuing an antiquated policy that is more harmful than helpful.

“This takes the debate to a whole other level,” declared Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “It effectively breaks the taboo on considering alternatives to the current prohibitionist approach.”

The report proclaimed “the drug problem requires a flexible approach,” and “it would be worthwhile to assess existing signals and trends that lean toward the decriminalization or legalization of the production, sale and use of marijuana.”

The report goes on to say that the reform of the world’s marijuana laws is all but inevitable and it’s necessary to address this realization.

“Sooner or later decisions in this area will need to be taken,” the report reads. “On the other hand, our report finds no significant support, in any country, for the decriminalization or legalization of the trafficking of other illicit drugs.”

A State Department spokesman, William Ostick, decreed the report would be prudently reviewed and discussed with fellow Organization of American States members in Guatemala.

“We look forward to sharing our latest research and experiences on drug prevention and treatment, and to strengthening operational law enforcement cooperation with our partners around the globe in support of our common and shared responsibility for the world drug problem,” Ostick said. “We know other leaders will similarly bring their own data, and anticipate a productive and useful dialogue.”

Kevin Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida, claims advocates of drug liberalization are overemphasizing the significance of the report, which he alleged contains a lot of material that the Obama administration would be in agreement with.

If the Obama administration or Kevin Sabet are in agreement with a report that states “it would be worthwhile to assess existing signals and trends that lean toward the decriminalization or legalization of the production, sale and use of marijuana,” then the presidential administration and Kevin are hypocrites and owe America an apology.

Stay with The 420 Times for any new developments regarding this latest controversial report and for all your cannabis community news and entertainment.

Organization of American States Releases Report Recommending Marijuana Legalization is a post from: The 420 Times

Last week a medical marijuana bill in Illinois passed the final hurdle and now sits on the desk of Governor Pat Quinn. Today the Governor told the City Club of Chicago that he’s “open minded” on the issue. Quinn’s Lt. Governor, Sheila Simon, is supportive of the bill.

The Governor, who is up for reelection next year, would be wise to support something as wildly popular as medical cannabis. By the same token, a veto of the bill could go a long way toward crippling the support of Quinn’s Democratic base.

Tens of thousands of patients – and maybe even more – are in desperate need of relief in Illinois. Will their Governor, whom many of them voted for in 2010, help them when they need it the most?

It’s not like people are asking for a handout; they just want the option of choosing cannabis without having to worry about legal repercussions, and maybe someplace they can buy it that’s not an alley or some shady guy’s basement. This is a courtesy extended to millions of people who use much more dangerous prescription drugs all over the country; why can’t those who choose medical cannabis be given the same courtesy?

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

Illinois Governor Says He’s “Open Minded” About Medical Marijuana is a post from: The 420 Times

Tomorrow residents of the city of Los Angeles will be going to the polls, and one of the things they will be deciding on is the future of medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives in the city.

We covered tomorrow’s ballot measures here at The 420 Times, and now it is time for the people to decide. But before you go to the polls tomorrow, we want to hear from you today. So if you are a resident of the city of Los Angeles, please vote in the poll below so that we may get a better idea of which way things are trending.

Thanks in advance from The 420 Times and if you live in L.A., make sure you vote tomorrow! The future of medical cannabis in the city depends on you!

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

Los Angeles Reader Poll: Will You Be Voting For Measure D Or F This Tuesday? is a post from: The 420 Times

The parents of two-year old Vivian Wilson, a recently registered medical marijuana patient in New Jersey, are claiming they discovered the state’s restrictive law and medical community’s reluctance to participate in the program is inhibiting minors from receiving assistance.

Vivian has been diagnosed with an uncommon and severe form of epilepsy identified as Dravet syndrome which causes her to have dangerous seizures.

Brian and Meghan Wilson, Vivian’s parents, enrolled her in New Jersey’s medicinal marijuana program in desperation, with hopes of finding a particular variety or strain of marijuana that has reportedly proven to stop seizures in a select group of children in the medical marijuana states of Colorado and California.

But before Vivian’s medical marijuana registration card arrived in February, her mother claims she was forced to contact lawmakers via telephone and through letters in an attempt to explain her daughter’s condition and plead with them to diminish some of the medical marijuana program restrictions for the few children that it could benefit.

“The state says the (medical marijuana) program is active, but it’s really not,” Meghan avowed.

Meghan goes on to point out that with the state only having one operating medical marijuana dispensary, if someone with cancer can’t get the supply they need, the chances of her daughter advancing in the queue are disheartening.

“When someone with cancer can’t even get what the state has said they need, then Vivian is probably five years away from getting what she needs,” Meghan declared. “I am not going to stop fighting for her. I’m fighting so she can have a childhood.”

Currently under New Jersey’s medical marijuana law it is necessary for a pediatrician, a prescribing physician and a psychiatrist to offer their recommendations in order for a child to be considered for the program.

The Wilsons were unsuccessful when attempting to enlist the assistance of physicians in the past, one reacted with disgust and another dismissed their request directly.

“People just don’t like to hear about marijuana and kids,” Brian Wilson avowed. “It kills me when people say, ‘Oh, we don’t know the side effects and it kills brain cells.’ Well, she’s already killed brain cells on these (prescription) drugs. The seizures have killed brain cells.”

The Wilson family has also considered moving to Colorado, but say they would rather remain close to their families and they are determined to make a case that their state’s medical marijuana law should be amended to facilitate minors.

How frustrating would it be to have a need for medicinal marijuana, your state have a program, but you can’t utilize it due to the fact that they have major restrictions regarding minors and ONE licensed dispensary? What a farce. Let us know what you think in the comment section below and stay with The 420 Times for any updates regarding New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.

Is New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana Program Too Strict To Facilitate Minors? is a post from: The 420 Times

Granted, how much legal marijuana will be purchased for is impossible to know and will vary from state to state and even town to town. But the eventual answer is an important one and depends on a myriad of factors.

A recent study by the Colorado Futures Center attempted to answer the question, at least when it comes to legal marijuana sales in Colorado.

Researchers estimate that in 2014, 642,772 Colorado residents, or about 12.5% of the state population, will take advantage of pot’s newly legal status. Analysts assumed each person would smoke or otherwise “use” 3.53 ounces of marijuana annually, for a total of 2,268,985 ounces (about 142,000 pounds) per year.

Of course, estimates are just estimates, and they could be way off. But the numbers do serve as a baseline for trying to figure out what the legal market will look like. If demand outstrips supply, prices will go up. If supply can keep up with demand, prices can be kept lower. This is why marijuana in a legal market will be priced lower – all other things being equal – than marijuana in the black market, since there will be much fewer supply disruptions in the legal market.

In the Colorado Futures Center study, they estimated a price of $185 an ounce. If this is the price for medical-grade marijuana, then that is a great price indeed, being less than 7 dollars a gram. If that is the price for what many cannabis users refer to as “regs,” then the black market will be able to undercut that price, not just in Colorado, but in most places in the U.S.

According to the study, this is the price they estimate for lower-quality bud, but this estimate is based heavily on the supposed price for black market marijuana in Colorado, a number that is elusive at best. And these numbers don’t take into account the real game-changer when it comes to the price of legal weed: taxes.

Let’s say there is a 25% tax on marijuana in a hypothetical legal market. That makes a $185 ounce a $231 ounce in an instant. Black market drug dealers will easily be able to sell lower-quality marijuana for well under that price. This will keep the black market, and all the violence and criminal activity associated with it, alive and well.

Time will tell what the free market decides is a fair price for legal cannabis in Colorado, Washington and elsewhere. But if it is not less than the price on the black market, then some of the advantages of legalization will be muted.

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

How Much Will Legal Marijuana Cost? is a post from: The 420 Times

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s executive committee has decided to increase the accepted levels of Carboxy-THC in the bloodstream from 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150, which considerably reduces the probabilities of an athlete testing positive for out-of-competition marijuana usage.

“All samples received by laboratories post May 11 will be subject to the new threshold level,” World Anti-Doping Agency officials wrote in a news release. “As a matter of fairness and to provide consistency, World Anti-Doping Agency advises not to pursue cases currently in the results management phase where the reported concentration is less than the new threshold (150 ng/mL). Also, for any analyses conducted from May 11 onwards, laboratories are requested not to report any THC case result below the acceptable threshold, regardless of the sample receipt date.”

Lemonade, that cool refreshing drink.

Seemingly the athletes that will benefit the most from the agency’s decision to raise the Carboxy-THC levels would be those participating in the Olympics and professional mixed martial arts.

Testing for THC metabolites has become a topic of heavy discussion among the sport of mixed martial arts in the past few years with competitors such as Nick Diaz, Dave Herman, Matt Riddle and Robbie Peralta all having been popped for testing positive for pot via a post-bout performance enhancing drug screening.

Recently veteran lightweight Pat “Bam Bam” Healy tested positive for THC metabolites following his UFC 159 victory over Jim Miller, which resulted in a 90-day suspension and Pat’s win being changed to a no-contest. He also saw his post-fight bonus money rescinded, which totaled at a whopping $130,000.

The Association of Boxing Commissions President Tim Lueckenhoff hasn’t commented as of how or even if the agency’s conclusion will affect the world of professional boxing and mixed martial arts.

Tell us how you feel about the raising of the Carboxy-THC levels in the comment section below and keep your cursor parked right here @ The 420 Times for any new developments concerning the World Anti-Doping Agency’s pronouncement.

World Anti-Doping Agency Raises Marijuana Acceptance Level For Athletes is a post from: The 420 Times

The United State Of Weed is a weekly series where we recap all of the cannabis-related political developments happening in The United States at the state level. If you know of any new political developments in your state in regards to marijuana law reform – whether it be medicinal or otherwise – let us know at joe@the420times.com.

TX: Did You Hear About The DFW NORML Marijuana March?

CA: Protest Held At San Bernardino City Hall By Pro-Medical Marijuana Advocates

CA: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Close In Garden Grove, California

CA: Proposal To Permit Marijuana Dispensaries In San Diego Is In Mayor’s Hands

CA: LA’s Measure D Wants to Create a Marijuana Monopoly

CA: Medical Marijuana Advocates Protest U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s Speech In CA

ME: Legislative Committee Rejects Recreational Marijuana Bill In Maine

IL: Medical Marijuana Approved By Legislature In Illinois

CO: Colorado Farmer Hoes First Row Of Hemp Crop

WA: Will Actor Patrick Dempsey Sell Marijuana In His Seattle Coffee Shops?

WA: Could Medical Marijuana In Washington Hamper The Recreational Marijuana Industry?

WA: Washington State Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Speaks Out About Latest Closures

MT: Federal Government’s Investigation Disrupted Medical Marijuana Industry In Montana

VT:Vermont’s General Assembly Voted To Permit Hemp Cultivation

VT: Vermont Legislators Vote In Favor Of Decriminalizing Marijuana Possession

KY: Hemp Supporter James Comer Makes Beneficial Trip To Washington, D.C.

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

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

The United State Of Weed 5/19/13 is a post from: The 420 Times

Another incredible week in the realm of marijuana law reform brought to you by The 420 Times. Here is your weekly collection of cannabis related videos to make you think, laugh or even take action.

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

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

Videos Of The Week 5/12/13 – 5/18/13 is a post from: The 420 Times

Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang will be performing this Saturday, May 18th at Joshua Tree Music Festival. Their set is at 5:30pm local time. After a stellar performance at The Getty in L.A. last fall and dates with Omar Souleyman, the band is back on the road in support of their En Yay Sah LP (Luaka Bop). They doing a handful of west coast dates before heading back to east to perform with Os Mutantes, Zs, Javelin and more. Their show in L.A. last night was great!

Sierra Leonean native Ahmed Janka Nabay single-handedly radicalized bubu, a frantically-paced electronic dance music with ancient, magical origins. As civil war raged in Freetown, his cassettes sold in the hundreds of thousands and kids followed him through the streets. Despite his efforts to make peace, Janka became a target. He was able to escape, and now resides in Washington D.C., joined by members of Gang Gang Dance/Highlife, Skeletons, Zs and Saadi. Together they’ve become the first Bubu band ever in America, releasing their An Letah EP (True Panther), and now En Yay Sah.

Find out more below!

Watch Janka’s new video for ‘Feba’ http://stereogum.com/1349841/janka-nabay-the-bubu-gang-feba-video-stereogum-premiere/video/
Listen to The BBC’s piece on Janka: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19834000
Listen to first single ‘Feba’ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/13639-feba/
Read about Janka in the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444327204577615382965153486.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

See Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang Today At Joshua Tree Music Festival is a post from: The 420 Times

Representative Jared Polis and his colleague Earl Blumenauer speak with Jeff Zeleny from the ABC News and Oliver Knox with Yahoo News about legalizing marijuana in the United States.

Both Representative Blumenauer and Representative Polis continue to make serious labors to end the prohibition of marijuana in our country by attempting to educate their colleagues with logical and scientific knowledge concerning marijuana.

Review the enclosed video interview with these two champions of marijuana law reform and share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Its nice to have politicians that are pro-legalization warriors and are willing to publicly voice their support for change in this country.

Keep your cursor parked right here @ The 420 Times for all you cannabis community news and entertainment. We truly appreciate your dedicated readership!

Representatives Polis and Blumenauer Talk To ABC News About Marijuana is a post from: The 420 Times

From the fine folks at DFW NORML:

On May 4, a sense (and smell) of hope and freedom filled the air as marijuana supporters gathered at Hyde Park in Fort Worth  to participate in DFW NORML’s annual Global Marijuana March. The energy could be felt from the very beginning, as volunteers and vendors gathered early outside of Mambo’s Tapas Cantina to set up for the day’s events. Participants and supporters mingled, danced, shouted and sang as they enjoyed live music played from the Mambo’s 2nd floor roof patio.

Then came the march. At 4:20 pm, DFW NORML’s members and supporters began to march. Flags were waved, signs were held, and the sound of “1-2-3, we want weed!” echoed through the streets. What began as a march of around 300 people soon began to catch the attention of onlookers and passers-by. By the time marchers returned to Hyde Park, we had picked up an additional 200 supporters and a legalization parade that stretched for 9 blocks, resulting in an estimated 500 people!

Those who didn’t join in gave thumbs up, honked, waved, and stopped to video record the march as a show of support. One man even got out of his car at the intersection of 9th and Commerce to video uswith his phone. To top off an already incredible day, the march was also covered by Channel 5 (NBC DFW) and the Fort Worth Star Telegram, along with several other independent media outlets.

The weather that day was perfect and the day’s events, from start to finish, went smoothly without a single incident or need for police involvement. It was a very proud day in history for both DFW NORML and the city of Fort Worth. DFW NORML greatly appreciates the march’s participants, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, the Park Central Hotel, as well as Federal Plaza and the city of Fort Worth for hosting this event.

Our next event is the May meeting on 5/25 at the Whiskey Girl Saloon in Fort Worth so please join us or make a donation to the cause at our online store here: http://dfwnorml.myshopify.com/products/donation

Herb’s the word.

Did You Hear About The DFW NORML Marijuana March? is a post from: The 420 Times

Pro-medical marijuana advocates gathered at the San Bernardino City Hall in California in order to demand that the city officials discontinue shutting down medical marijuana dispensaries in their municipality.

The gathered group of over 30 medical marijuana supporters chanted “patients, not criminals,” “we toke and we vote” and “Mayor Morris, don’t ignore us,” outside of the San Bernardino City Hall building in hopes of gaining the attention of city officials.

“I’m here for a lot of people that should be here, but they’re too sick or in too much pain,” declared San Bernardino resident Rory Murray. “These are people that can only be helped by cannabis.”

The city apparently held back on forcing marijuana dispensaries to close their doors due to the fact the residents of the state voted to permit its usage. But now that the California Supreme Court has ruled to allow cities and counties to outright ban dispensaries from operating, San Bernardino city officials are taking advantage of the court’s decision.

“They have every right to protest,” City Attorney James F. Penman avowed. “We wish them well, but in the meantime we’ll be enforcing the city’s ordinances.”

The San Bernardino city officials are on a mission to close every medical marijuana establishment within their city limits and seemingly won’t cease their labors until they have completed the task.

This truly is a travesty of justice for the medical marijuana patients that reside in San Bernardino and for all the patients throughout the state of California that can only wonder if their municipality will be the next to start closing down dispensaries.

Let us know what you think about the California Supreme Court’s ruling and the numerous closures that are taking place across the state in the comment section below.

Stay with The 420 Times for any updates concerning the medical marijuana dispensary closures in California and for all your cannabis community news and entertainment.

Protest Held At San Bernardino City Hall By Pro-Medical Marijuana Advocates is a post from: The 420 Times

The Drug Enforcement Administration is claiming that the amount of marijuana being seized from Mexico in the El Paso, Texas area has declined by nearly half since the year 2009, which is when drug cartels began a violent drug-route war just across the border in Ciudad Juarez.

“Once the fighting started in Mexico, we didn’t have the amount that was coming through in the past,” an El Paso Police Department undercover narcotics agent proclaims.

Once the drug cartel drug-route war disrupted marijuana smuggling operations, that’s when narcotics officers claim the cultivation of marijuana in the United States increased significantly.

“The majority of this weed is coming from California. A little bit of it is coming from Colorado,” the narcotics officer declared.

Whether marijuana production has increased merely due to the cartel war in Mexico is all quite speculative, but we in the cannabis community are quite certain that legalizing marijuana on a national level would have a substantial impact on the overall violence that the global war on drugs facilitates.

Review the enclosed video news clip and share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. And as always, we thank you for your ongoing dedication to The 420 Times. Stay with us for all your cannabis community news and entertainment.

Does Legalized Marijuana Create Competition For Mexican Drug Cartels? is a post from: The 420 Times

Some of you may remember former President Jimmy Carter saying marijuana legalization was “ok” late last year. For those who do not remember, let us refresh your memory.

“I think it’s OK,” Carter told CNN about legalization. “I don’t think it’s going to happen in Georgia yet, but I think we can watch and see what happens in the state of Washington for instance, around Seattle, and let the American government and let the American people see does it cause a serious problem or not.”

Fast forward 6 months to a very different take on the issue by President Carter.

“I do not favor legalization. We must do everything we can to discourage marijuana use, as we do now with tobacco and excessive drinking,” President Carter told a crowd of legislators and regulators in Georgia. “We have to prevent making marijuana smoking from becoming attractive to young people, which is, I’m sure, what the producers of marijuana….are going to try and do.

“I hope that Colorado and Washington, as you authorize the use of marijuana,” Carter continued, “will set up very strict experiments to ascertain how we can avoid the use of marijuana… There should be no advertising for marijuana in any circumstances and no driving under the influence. We need to avoid the use of marijuana, particularly among young people.”

I would like to personally apologize to President Carter for any false characterizations I may have caused by quoting him directly. When he said legalization was “ok,” he obviously meant “it’s not ok, but if you insist on legalizing, make sure there are a lot of regulations.”

My bad.

And how does this Obama-esque pivot on the issue come about for Carter? Enter Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the fledgling anti-legalization group trying to push a message of forced rehab for cannabis users in place of incarceration because, let’s face it, you are just too stupid to handle legalization.

I wonder how much a position change from a former President goes for these days?

- Joe Klare

- make sure you check out our Forums and our “Stop The Ban in L.A.” Facebook page!

President Carter Proves He Still Knows How To Flip-Flop Over 30 Years After Leaving Office is a post from: The 420 Times