This Week: Even More Science Suggested Cannabinoids Halt Diabetes; Scientists Say Banning Drugs Like Cannabis Hurts Research; Is Weed Really Bad for You?; Canada: New Rules Ban Home Grows; The Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Now; Maine Senate Refuses to Let Voters Decide on Marijuana Legalization; Activist Marc Emery Locked in Solitary Confinement on False Charges; The Confusing Science of Stoned Driving; Colorado’s Marijuana “Porn” Law Found Unconstitutional; and more.

Medical/Health

Even More Science Suggested Cannabinoids Halt Diabetes – Preclinical study data published online in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes reports that tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) — a naturally occurring analogue of THC — possesses positive metabolic effects in animal models of obesity.  Researchers concluded: “Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus.”

Scientists Say Banning Drugs Like Cannabis Hurts Research — The outlawing of drugs such as cannabis, magic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances amounts to scientific censorship and is hampering research into potentially important medicinal uses, leading scientists argued on Wednesday.  Laws and international conventions dating back to the 1960s have set back research in key areas such as consciousness by decades, they argued in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Politics/Legal

Canada: New Rules Ban Home Grows — The new rules are heavily tilted towards the demands of law enforcement, with very little input from actual medical marijuana patients. In effect, anti-marijuana government officials are taking from patients the right to grow their own medicine, doing so under the ruse of “protecting public health and safety” and “preventing home fires.”

The Confusing Science of Stoned Driving — David Bienenstock explores the confusing and often conflicting scientific studies on driving while stoned.

The Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Now – Prohibition creates, sustains and handsomely rewards the illegal drug industry while pretending to fight that very same industry.

Is Weed Really Bad for You? – Rolling Stone magazine explores the question and puts to rest some of the most popular (or should I say infamous) marijuana myths.

Activist Marc Emery Locked in Solitary Confinement on False Charges – Marc Emery, the Vancouver businessman and political dissident currently imprisoned in the US for his marijuana activism, has been locked in solitary confinement for an indefinite period over false charges.  Prisoners in the SHU are locked up for 23 hours a day and receive none of the basic amenities afforded to regular prisoners.

5 Myths About Legalizing Marijuana — With 16 states having decriminalized or legalized cannabis for non-medical use and eight more heading toward some kind of legalization, federal prohibition’s days seem numbered. You might wonder what America will look like when marijuana is in the corner store and at the farmers market. In three years spent researching that question, I found some ideas about the plant that just don’t hold up. Click for details.

States News

Colorado’s Marijuana “Porn” Law Found Unconstitutional — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers wrote yesterday that marijuana-related magazines like High Times are not the same as pornography. The statement is a major blow to a law that would have forced cannabis periodicals off newsstands in the state. Recently passed Colorado law HB 13-1317 would have placed High Times next to Penthouse and Hustler, behind the counter in liquor stores. High Times and the American Civil Liberties Union sued, saying the bill violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Nevada Now to Allow Dispensaries –  After 13 years of waiting, medical marijuana patients in Nevada will soon have a legal way to obtain the drug without growing it themselves.  Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval signed SB374 into law Wednesday. The measure establishes the framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, imposing fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries of pot. It also contains provisions to continue to allow home-growing until 2016.

Maine Senate Refuses to Let Voters Decide on Marijuana Legalization — The Maine Senate on Monday blocked a chance for the state’s voters to decide for themselves at the ballot box whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.  The Senate voted 24-10 Monday morning against sending the question to November’s ballot, reports Christopher Cousins at the Bangor Daily News. That followed a Friday vote in the House of Representatives where the measure, LD 1229, sponsored by Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland), fell four votes short of passage.

Oregon: 2 Marijuana Initiatives Filed in State Legislature — Hemp News and The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF) owner Paul Stanford has filed two new initiatives to legalize marijuana in Oregon.  One of the measures is similar to an 2012 initiative that fell short by just six points at the polls, but with a couple of major changes, reports Jeff Mapes at The Oregonian. The commission would no longer be chosen by cannabis growers, retailers and others in the marijuana community, but instead would be appointed by the governor, according to Stanford.

Lifestyle

The Stoner’s Guide to Strawberries — Celebrate the season with medicated strawberry recipes, strawberry strains and even strawberry themed music!

The post The Week in Weed 6-15-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: The Shocking Cost of Enforcing Marijuana Laws; Vermont Becomes 17th State to Decriminalize Marijuana; Lawmakers to Vote on Hemp Amendment to Farm Bill; Dutch Cannabis Cafes Win Damages; Melissa Etheridge: Pot Got Me Through; New York Doctors Say Bloomberg’s Outrageous Statement Flies in the Face of Science; Medical Marijuana for Pets; Fed War on Medical Marijuana Claims Another Innocent Victim; and more.

Medical /Health

New York Doctors Say Bloomberg’s Outrageous Statement Flies in the Face of Science — Mayor Bloomberg ran afoul of medical science and the opinions of more than 600 New York physicians when he called medical marijuana “one the great hoaxes of all time.”  The statement came just one day after NY Physicians for Compassionate Care held a press conference announcing the support of more than 600 physicians from across New York for medical marijuana legislation pending in Albany.

It Takes a Child to Raise a Village — Meet Mykayla, a brave and inspiring little girl fighting leukemia and winning, thanks to medical cannabis.

Melissa Etheridge: Pot Got Me Through — Rock star, mother, and medical marijuana patient Melissa Etheridge talks about how cannabis got her through cancer and about why the time for legalization is now.

Medical Marijuana for Pets — More and more people are using medical marijuana to treat their pets for all sorts of medical conditions, from separation anxiety and noise phobia to cancer, reports the Journal of the American Veterinary Association (JAVMA News). As more states are legalizing cannabis for humans, veterinarians and pet owners are calling for more studies into the use and safety of the drug in pets

Politics/Legal

The Shocking Cost of Enforcing Marijuana Laws — States together spent somewhere around $3.6 billion enforcing marijuana possession laws in 2010, according to a new study by the American Civil Liberties Union, entitled “The War On Marijuana In Black and White.” That’s the authors’ “best estimate,” though approximations using different methodologies put the cost as high as $6 billion and as low as $1.2 billion.

Vermont Becomes 17th State to Decriminalize Marijuana – Democrat Gov. Peter Shumlin  signed legislation into law eliminating criminal penalties for adults who possess personal use amounts of cannabis and/or hashish.

Fed War on Medical Marijuana Claims Another Victim — Matthew R. Davies, a California man facing a litany of charges stemming from his work as a medical marijuana provider, pleaded guilty Friday to 10 federal felony offenses.  Davies was indicted on federal charges last July for manufacturing marijuana, after agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration raided his grow warehouse in 2011.  The operation came amid a larger pot crackdown by federal authorities in the Sacramento area, where marijuana dispensary owners have been repeatedly targeted despite California state law, under which medical cannabis is legal.

Hemp

Lawmakers to Vote on Hemp Amendment to Farm Bill — It is possible that, for the first time ever, the United States Senate will vote to approve industrial hemp cultivation in the coming days. Please take a moment of your time to encourage your Senator to support this measure. You can easily do so by clicking here.

International

Dutch Cannabis Cafes Win Damages — The Dutch government has been ordered to pay damages to owners of cannabis cafes in the south of the Netherlands.  A court in The Hague said new measures imposed by the government that have turned cafes into members-only clubs – barring foreigners – were too harsh.

Cannabis Hero

Ethan Nadelmann: The Real Drug Czar — Rolling Stone magazine profiles “the most influential man in the battle for legalization,” the Drug Policy Alliance’s Ethan Nadelmann.

The post The Week in Weed 6-8-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: Low Doses of THC Can Halt Brain Damage; The Latest Cannabis Health Studies the Government Doesn’t Want You to Know About; Colorado Establishes First Legal, Regulated Commercial Marijuana Market; The IRS Is Also Abusing Marijuana Providers; Olympics Relax Regulation of Marijuana; The Insane Cost of Sending a Medical Marijuana Patient to Prison;  New Study Fails to Link Marijuana and Crime; and more.

Medical/Health

The Latest Cannabis Health Studies the Government Doesn’t Want You to Know About – Paul Armentano summarizes the latest astounding medical cannabis breakthroughs.

Low Doses of THC Can Halt Brain Damage — Prof. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University’s Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that cannabis has neuroprotective qualities. He has found that extremely low doses of THC — the psychoactive component of marijuana — protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs.

Politics/Legal

Colorado Establishes First Legal, Regulated Commercial Marijuana Market – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed several historic measures to implement marijuana legalization in the state, establishing Colorado as the world’s first legal, regulated and taxed marijuana market for adults.

The IRS Is Also Abusing Marijuana Providers — Long before the IRS began singling out groups with the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their names, “marijuana” was a political buzzword that elicited special attention from the IRS. Specifically, nonprofit organizations that contest the federal government’s anti-marijuana policies and propaganda are the organizations that appear to experience more scrutiny than most.”

The Insane Cost of Sending a Medical Marijuana Patient to Prison — American taxpayers could spend upwards of $1.2 million over the next decade imprisoning Jerry Duval, a Michigan medical marijuana patient who was convicted of distributing the drug. Duval has a kidney and pancreas transplant, as well as glaucoma and neuropathy. His family grew marijuana on his Michigan farm in part to treat his ailments. But when the Department of Justice prosecuted him in federal court, Duval was barred from presenting evidence of his compliance with Michigan’s medical marijuana law. He will report to prison on June 11.

Why the OAS Report on Alternatives to Drug Prohibition is Such a Big Deal — This report is a big deal. It’s the first time that any multilateral institution anywhere in the world has critically analyzed the war on drugs and considered new approaches for the future — giving equal weight to options like decriminalization and legalization in the process.

CA Dispensary Owner Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison  — “The case resulted from an investigation by the Elk Grove Police Department, who, oddly, seem more interested in enforcing federal law rather than the California state law they are sworn to uphold. Perhaps tellingly, they got help from the federally funded Sacramento High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.”

US Woman Held in Mexico on Drug Smuggling Charges Freed – An Arizona woman held in a Mexico jail for a week on a drug-smuggling charge was freed after a court reviewed her case, including key security footage, and dismissed the allegations.

To Honor Fallen Officers, End the War on Drugs — A retired police lieutenant talks about the best to honor fallen officers is to end the insane drug war.

New Study Fails to Link Marijuana and Crime — Slate.com calls out the Drug Czar’s hypocrisy concerning a new pot and crime study.

Sports

Olympics Relax Regulation of Marijuana — Good news for marijuana-loving Olympians: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has loosened its regulations of cannabis use in Olympic sports, prohibiting athletes from using the drug only in the days or hours leading up to a competition.

The post The Week in Weed 6-1-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: Study Substantiates Benefits of Cannabinoids for PTSD; Bongs and Grow Books Banned in Canada; San Diego Mayor Urges Jury Nullification in Medical Marijuana Case;  Marijuana, the Next Diabetes Drug?; Chris Christie Thinks Kids Shouldn’t Use Medical Marijuana; Cops Go Undercover at High School to Bust Special Needs Kid for Pot

Medical/Health

Study Substantiates Benefits of Cannabinoids for PTSD – Brain imaging research published this month in the journal Molecular Psychiatry provides physiological evidence as to why cannabis may mitigate certain symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Marijuana, the Next Diabetes Drug? – Toking up may help marijuana users to stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, according to the latest study, which suggests that cannabis compounds may help in controlling blood sugar.

Legal/Politics

Bongs and Grow Books Banned in Canada — All bongs, pipes and vaporizers have been banned in Canada by the Conservative government. Selling these items is punishable with jail terms and some of the highest fines in the Criminal Code.

San Diego Mayor Urges Jury Nullification in Medical Marijuana Case – ury nullification doesn’t typically get much attention outside of libertarian circles, but San Diego Bob Filner is looking to change that. He held a press conference yesterday to encourage potential jury members to reject federal charges against Ronnie Chang of San Marcos, who was arrested by feds in 2009 for operating a medical marijuana dispensary, legal under state law.

Chris Christie Thinks Kids Shouldn’t Use Medical Marijuana — Acting as if cannabis were alone among all medicines in somehow being uniquely dangerous and simply unacceptable to give children, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Monday said he is “not inclined to allow” children to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, despite the fact that state law says the program is open to minors.

Cops Go Undercover at High School to Bust Special Needs Kid for Pot — Californians Doug and Catherine Snodgrass are suing their son’s high school for allowing undercover police officers to set up the 17-year-old special-needs student for a drug arrest.

The post The Week in Weed 5-25-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

Medical/Health

Cannabis Reduces Risk of Bladder Cancer –  People who smoke marijuana may be less likely to get bladder cancer than those who smoke cigarettes, a new study says.  Researchers compared the risk of bladder cancer in more than 83,000 men who smoked cigarettes only, marijuana only or both substances, USA Today reports.  “Cannabis use only was associated with a 45 percent reduction in bladder cancer incidence, and tobacco use only was associated with a 52 percent increase in bladder cancer,” study author Dr. Anil A. Thomas, a fellow in urology at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles, told USA Today.

Smoking Pot Causes Complete Remission of Crohn’s Disease — Marijuana performed like a champ in the first-ever placebo-controlled trial of the drug to treat Crohn’s Disease, also known as inflammatory bowel disease.  Smoking pot caused a “complete remission” of Crohn’s disease compared to placebo in half the patients who lit up for eight weeks, according to clinical trial data to be published the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Why Pot Smokers Are Skinnier – “Marijuana use is associated with an acute increase in caloric intake,” goes the clinical jargon for popular lore. Still despite eating more while high (by some measures, over 600 extra calories per day), marijuana users’ extra intake doesn’t seem to be reflected in increased BMI. Indeed, studies have identified a reduced prevalence of obesity in the pot smoking community.

Politics/Legal

Congressmen Help Launch Drug War Exit Strategy — The Drug Policy Alliance will release An Exit Strategy for the Failed War on Drugs. This comprehensive report contains 75 broad and incremental recommendations for legislative reforms related to civil rights, deficit reduction, law enforcement, foreign policy, sentencing and re-entry, effective drug treatment, public health, and drug prevention education. The guide will be released at a forum on the Hill cosponsored by Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), both of whom fought for major drug policy reform at the local level before running for Congress and winning.

Hemp

First Hemp Crop in 60 Years Growing in Colorado –  Colorado’s first industrial hemp crop in almost 60 years is now growing.  Ryan Loftin, a farmer in Springfield, Colorado, on Monday began planting 60 acres of industrial hemp in fields previously used for alfalfa, according to the Denver Post.

Entertainment

In Country Music, Pot is the New Whiskey — How today’s country music stars are embracing cannabis.

The post The Week in Weed 5-18-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: Nationwide Support  for Medical Marijuana at 85%; Maryland Legalizes Medical Marijuana; Regular Marijuana Smoking NOT Linked to Lung Cancer; Synthetic THC Mitigates HIV Infections; CA Supreme Court Upholds Cities’ Rights to Ban Dispensaries; Kentucky Hemp Lobby Makes DC Inroads; Lou Gehrig’s Patient Sues for Cannabis Protection; Feds Will Only Study Negative Impacts of Marijuana; 40 Years for Landlords Renting to Pot Shops.

Medical/Health

Regular Marijuana Smoking NOT Linked to Lung Cancer –  Regular marijuana smokers are no more likely to develop lung cancer than those who smoke only occasionally, according to a new study. The study’s results back up those of other large-scale studies.  The finding of no significant increase in lung cancer risk held true whether marijuana users smoked once, twice, or more each day, and regardless of how many years they had smoked, Dr. Li Rita Zhang reported at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research

Synthetic THC Mitigates HIV Infections — The administration of synthetic cannabinoid agonists limits HIV infection in macrophages (white blood cells that aid in the body’s immune response), according to preclinical data published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. Macrophages are one of the first type of cells infected by the HIV virus when it enters the body.

AZ Governor Signs Bill Permitting Medical Cannabis Research — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill that would allow public colleges and universities to conduct medical marijuana research.  Brewer’s action Tuesday comes roughly a year after she signed a bill banning medical marijuana on higher education campuses.

Politics/Legal

Nationwide Support  for Medical Marijuana at 85% – Nearly nine out of ten Americans — including 80 percent of self-identified Republicans — say that marijuana should be legal if its use is permitted by a physician, according to nationwide Fox News telephone poll of 1,010 registered voters.

Maryland Legalizes Medical Marijuana –  Maryland became the 19th state to approve medical marijuana. Governor Martin O’Malley will sign the legislation at a ceremony Thursday.  The medical pot bill establishes “academic medical research centers” that will act as dispensaries for qualified patients. However, it is unclear when the program will be fully operational. Some have projected that Maryland will not implement the program until 2016.

CA Supreme Court Upholds Cities’ Rights to Ban Dispensaries –  The California Supreme Court ruled that municipalities possess the legal authority to prohibit the establishment of medical cannabis dispensaries.  The unanimous ruling upheld a 4th District Court of Appeals opinion (City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients’ Health and Wellness Center, Inc.) which held that local zoning measures banning the establishment of brick-and-mortar facilities that engage in the distribution of cannabis to state-authorized persons are not preempted by state law.

Lou Gehrig’s Patient Sues for Cannabis Protection — Longtime Florida activist Cathy Jordan, a 63-year-old woman who consumes cannabis to mitigate symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), a debilitating condition that she has lived with since 1986, today filed a suit against Sheriff Brad Steube of Manatee County, FL. Ms. Jordan alleges wrongful conduct on the part of the sheriff’s department when, on February 15, 2013, they raided her home and confiscated 23 medical cannabis plants, which were being cultivated for her by Cathy’s husband Robert Jordan.

Effort to Repeal Prop 64 Fails — A last-minute effort by some Colorado lawmakers to repeal Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use in the state last November, was abandoned late Monday night, dying on the calendar.”

Feds Will Only Study Negative Impacts of Marijuana — One federal agency controls all the marijuana research done in the United States. And that agency has admitted that it won’t fund research into the benefits of marijuana — only the supposed “negative consequences.”  A spokesperson for the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) told the New York Times in 2010 that the agency “does not fund research focused on the potential medical benefits of marijuana.”

40 Years for Landlords Renting to Pot Shops –  In several West Coast cities, federal officials are initiating a new round of crackdowns against dispensaries that are seemingly complying with state medical marijuana law. In Seattle,  11 dispensaries received shutdown warnings. In San Francisco,  almost half of the city’s small number of state-licensed dispensaries received similar warnings. And in neighboring cities like San Jose, several others were warned.  The cease-and-desist letters from the Drug Enforcement Administration warn harsh federal punishment, including  as much as 40 years in jail even for landlords that rent to marijuana dispensaries.

Hemp

Kentucky Hemp Lobby Makes DC Inroads – A chance encounter at last weekend’s Kentucky Derby may have given the hemp industry the break it’s been looking for since the crop was banned in 1970, when the federal government classified it as a controlled substance related to marijuana.  Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer, a Republican, told The Huffington Post that he was at a private pre-derby party on Saturday when he found himself chatting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his chief of staff Mike Sommers. Comer talked shop.

The post The Week in Weed 5-11-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

Thanks to the folks at Cheeba Chews for the fun souvenir photo!

This Week: GAO: Administration’s Anti-Drug Strategies Fail to Meet Stated Objectives; Using Cannabis to Break Narcotic Dependency; Pat Boone Family Credits Medical Marijuana and Faith with Sustaining Injured Family Member; DEA Threatens Seattle Dispensaries; NJ Weedman Publishes Legal Motion to Aid Those Arrested for Marijuana; Hypocrite Assemblyman Caught with Pot Gets Charges Dropped.

Medical/Health

Using Cannabis to Break Narcotic Dependency — The latest on this amazing use for cannabis.

Pat Boone and Family Credit Medical Marijuana and Faith with Sustaining Injured Family Member   –  Prayer and, at times, medical marijuana have proved essential for Lindy Boone Michaelis as she cares for her son, who was severely injured in a three-story fall through a skylight a dozen years ago.  “I’m very grateful that this is available legally for Ryan right now,” Michaelis told Matt Lauer Wednesday on TODAY, where she was joined by her father, Pat Boone, and sister Debby Boone.

Politics/Legal

GAO: Administration’s Anti-Drug Strategies Fail to Meet Stated Objectives — The federal government’s anti-drug efforts are inefficient and ineffective, according to a report issued last week by the Congressional watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  The report assessed whether the Obama administration’s anti-drug strategies, as articulated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in its 2010 National Drug Control Strategy report, have yet to achieve its stated goals. In virtually all cases it had not, authors reported.

DEA Threatens Seattle Dispensaries – Another wave of threatening letters has been sent out to Seattle area dispensaries by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Nearly a dozen local business owners are in legal limbo after receiving letters from the DEA telling them to shut down or face federal prosecution.

NJ Weedman Publishes Legal Motion to Aid Those Arrested for Marijuana – Ed Forchion is a veteran when it comes to advocating for marijuana legalization, but now the “N.J. Weedman” has turned his attention to the criminal marijuana laws themselves.  The Pemberton Township resident has posted online a 12-page legal motion that he said can be used by anyone arrested for possession.  “I’m tired of being a one-man gang,” Forchion said. “I’ve been arguing these arguments for years. I’m just putting it out there. I don’t care who does it, but let’s get it done.”

Hypocrite Assemblyman Caught with Pot Gets Charges Dropped – NY State Assemblyman Steve Katz, who was arrested for alleged pot possession last month after voting against the legalization of medical marijuana last year, apparently won’t be forced to feel the full weight of his hypocrisy: an upstate judge has dismissed his case thanks to a plea deal.

The post The Week in Weed 5-4-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: Boise Police Seize Children of Marijuana Activists; Harvard Law School  Offers Tax Planning for Marijuana Dealers Seminar; Miracle Cannabis Oil May Treat Cancer but Money and the Government Stand in the Way;  Denied a Liver Transplant Because of Medical Marijuana and Dying for It; Pot Legalization Would Raise Billions in Annual Tax Revenue; Bong Ban Bill Passes Florida House Overwhelmingly; Action Bronson hooks Up Coachella Audience with Free Weed; and more.

This week’s photo: I am modeling my Peter McWilliams t-shirt. You can get one too as well as learn more about this legendary activist at www.PeterMcWilliams.org.

Medical/Health

Miracle Cannabis Oil May Treat Cancer but Money and the Government Stand in the Way — Anecdotal evidence of cannabis oil’s curing powers abound, but politics is keeping us from serious research.

Denied a Liver Transplant Because of Medical Marijuana and Dying for It – The tragic fate of Norman B. Smith is all you need to know about to see how senseless it is to make consumption of marijuana a crime.

Politics/Legal

Boise Police Seize Children of Marijuana Activists — The home of Idaho marijuana activists Lindsey and Josh Rinehart was raided on Tuesday by Boise Police and Child Protective Services while Lindsey, Josh and their friend Sarah Caldwell, a fellow marijuana activist, were on a small trip to the mountains.  Lindsey and Josh’s two children were taken into “protective custody,” and because Sarah’s two children were also at the residence with the babysitter, they were taken as well.

Pot Legalization Would Raise Billions in Annual Tax Revenue –  The federal legalization of marijuana would offer a large new revenue stream, according to research from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.  According to a 2010 study from Cato, legalizing marijuana would generate $8.7 billion in federal and state tax revenue annually.

25 Surprising People More Evolved Than Barack Obama on Marijuana Legalization — It’s becoming more and more evident that Obama’s policy of prohibition is growing increasingly unpopular. Take a look at 25 people who are more “evolved” in their marijuana views than the president. Some of them might surprise you.

Business

Harvard Law School Offers Tax Planning for Marijuana Dealers Seminar – Harvard’s recent tax planning seminar tackled some of the tough questions facing the industry’s legal marijuana providers, from a tax liability standpoint.

States News

Bong Ban Bill Passes Florida House Overwhelmingly — Bad news, potheads. The House voted 112-3 on a bill that bans the sale bongs and pipes that could be used to smoke marijuana.  Ex-crackhead Rep. Darryl Rouson believes that The Pot is a gateway drug to things like The Crack. Therefore, he sponsored the bill to ban all bongs, glass bowls, roach clips, and other things that can be used as a marijuana smoking device

Entertainment

Doonesbury Character Eyeing Marijuana Grow — Colorado is becoming so alluring to those hoping to cash in on cannabis that even cartoon characters are joining the green stampede.  Zonker Harris, the unrepentant stoner who has lounged around the “Doonesbury” comic strip for roughly four decades, is journeying to Colorado to become a “bajillionaire” marijuana producer, bringing along his underachieving and aimless nephew, Zipper.

Action Bronson Hooks Up Coachella Audience with Free Weed – Hip Hop performer Action Bronson carried a giant white plastic garbage bag  full of what looked like green bottles of medical marijuana on stage at Coachella and started tossing them out to the audience one by one to celebrate 420.

The post The Week in Weed 4-27-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

Cheri in Denver, CO on 4-20, 2011

Happy 4-20 everyone.  How will you celebrate?  No matter how much fun you have, please take a moment to remember our POWs who are still in jail for plant.

Historic 4-20 Celebration!!!

High Times to Hold First Recreational Competition in the US in Denver– The Rocky Mountain High may never come down again after this April 20th marijuana smoke-a-thon in Denver.  The “420″ marijuana holiday is expected to draw more than 50,000 pot enthusiasts to Denver’s Civic Center Park.  At EXDO Event Center, just a couple miles away from Civic Center Park, thousands are expected to attend the High Times event as judges from around the world vote for the best in marijuana.

What is the story behind 4-20?

I have had heard more versions than I can count.  Almost as many versions as I have heard of the “true” meaning of OG.  And everyone swears that their is the honest to god true version.  I have no idea.  But I AM contemplating making up a few more to throw into the mix just to see how long they take to circulate back to me (evil grin).  In the meantime, here are some different perspectives to contemplate:

The Real Story of 420 — Former High Times editor Steven Hager let’s us in on the story.

420: Birth of a Stoner Nation — And for another take on the origins of 420 story, check out former High Times writer Steve Bloom’s piece in Celeb Stoner.

The Meaning of 420 – The Huffington  Post’s Ryan Grim Examines the Question Further:  “Depending on who you ask, or their state of inebriation, there are as many varieties of answers to the origins of 420 as there are strains of medical bud in California.”

Urban Legends — And check out this site which offers more theories and debunks many popular versions.

The post Happy 420!!!!!!!!!!!! appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.

This Week: Dana Rohrbacher Introduces Protect State Medical Marijuana Laws Act in Congress; Bill to Introduce Federal Marijuana Commission Introduced in Congress; DEA Seizes OR Medical Marijuana Patient Records; Well Controlled Studies Proving Efficacy of Medical Marijuana Exist But Are Ignored by Regulators; Drug Czar Says States Can’t Nullify Fed Law; Congressional Research Service Says States Can legalize Marijuana; Feds Firm on Gun Denials for Pot Users; High Times to Hold First Recreational Competition in the US in Denver

Medical/Health

Well Controlled Studies Proving Efficacy of Medical Marijuana Exist But Are Ignored by Regulators — Dr. Amanda Reiman and Dr. Sunil Kumar Aggarwal weigh in on the credible scientific evidence the DEA conveniently chooses to ignore.

Politics/Legal

Dana Rohrbacher Introduces Protect State Medical Marijuana Laws Act in Congress — Hours after his Republican colleagues in the House called for Pres. Obama to crack down on legal marijuana in Colorado and Washington, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Cali.) introduced H.R. 1523, a bill that would immunize from federal prosecution “individual marijuana consumers [as well as] medical and non-medical marijuana businesses operating in states in which they are legal,” according to a Marijuana Policy Project announcement.

Bill to Introduce Federal Marijuana Commission Introduced in Congress — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) on Thursday introduced legislation in Congress today that would establish a federal commission to review current marijuana policies and explore ways to resolve the conflict between federal laws prohibiting marijuana and state laws that make marijuana legal for medical or personal adult use.

DEA Seizes OR Medical Marijuana Patient Records — The fears of some medical marijuana patients that state patient registries could be used against them appear, unfortunately, to have been well-founded. A federal search warrant forced the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) to hand over patient records, according to recently discovered court papers.

Drug Czar Says States Can’t Nullify Fed Law — Doubling down on flawed, failed policy, Gil Kerlikowske once again towed the hypocritical, corrupt, disingenuous party line.  Perhaps he should read the story below.

Congressional Research Service Says States Can Legalize Marijuana — If you’ve wondered just whether Colorado and Washington can make marijuana legalization stick in the face of federal law to the contrary, the Congressional Research Service has a (partial) answer for you. In a report dated April 5 of this year, the CRS concludes that states can’t be dragooned into federal prohibitions. While the federal government can ban what it wants, the Tenth Amendment allows the states to opt out of participating in the law or assisting in enforcement in any way, leaving federal officials to do the heavy lifting themselves.

Feds Firm on Gun Denials for Pot Users — Apparently gun control in America doesn’t exist…unless you are a pot user or medical marijuana patient.

Cannabis Culture/Lifestyle

High Times to Hold First Recreational Competition in the US in Denver — The Rocky Mountain High may never come down again after this April 20th marijuana smoke-a-thon in Denver.  The “420″ marijuana holiday is expected to draw more than 50,000 pot enthusiasts to Denver’s Civic Center Park.  At EXDO Event Center, just a couple miles away from Civic Center Park, thousands are expected to attend the High Times event as judges from around the world vote for the best in marijuana.

The Real Story of 420 — Former High Times editor Steven Hager let’s us in on the story.

420: Birth of a Stoner Nation — And for another take on the origins of 420 story, check out Steve Bloom’s piece in Celeb Stoner.

Entertainment

Steven Colbert on America’s Pot-Astrophe — “Stoners will soon demand the civil right to marry their Mary Jane, and Republicans surrender their values for the youth vote. “

The post The Week in Weed 4-20-13 Cannabis News appeared first on Cannabis Cheri.