Weed for Thought

Barack Obama on Medical Marijuana

2008-05-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Looks like Obama will set the federal government's priorities straight on medical marijuana if elected.

Noam Chomsky on Marijuana

2008-05-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

A brief history of marijuana and how it become illegal in the United States.

Time to Legalize Drugs? YES!

2008-05-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

High as Fuck

2008-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

We all know what he's talking about.

Build Your Dream Pipe!

2007-09-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Update: This site is a scam. They will not send you a pipe!
I don't mean to advertise any products but this new website is just awesome!

It's a new website that uses what I suppose is flash to design and build your very own custom water pipe. A really cool idea. I haven't ordered from the site but if you have, please share!

Check it Out

Members of Congress Ask DEA to Stop Obstructing Medical Marijuana Research

2007-09-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Link to Orginal

It's always a good thing to see members of congress taking action for medical marijuana.

A letter signed by 45 members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be delivered today to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) demanding an end to the obstruction of scientific research aimed at developing marijuana as a legal prescription medicine.

More people are starting to realize that this is an issue of state rights and the professional health care providers within the states.

“The DEA is ignoring the vast scientific evidence that clearly shows medicinal use of marijuana benefits patients who are extremely ill,” said Congressman Nadler today. “When it comes to providing the best treatment options to sick Americans, we should trust doctors and medical researchers and not federal bureaucrats.”

Just incase you are not aware of the problems regarding marijuana research.

"Patients, scientists, and researchers are caught in a Catch-22," said Professor Craker, who is the director of the Medicinal Plant Program in the Department of Plant, Insect and Soil Sciences at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. "DEA continues to arrest patients on the basis that marijuana is not approved by FDA, while simultaneously obstructing the very research that would be required for FDA to approve marijuana as a medicine."

Here is a list of the respective members who signed the letter.
List Obtained from Drug WarRant

John W. Olver, Dana Rohrabacher, George Miller, Howard Berman, Ron Paul, Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, Sam Farr, Jim McGovern, Steve Rothman, Maurice Hinchey, Raúl M. Grijalva, Henry A. Waxman, Jerrold Nadler, Lynn Woolsey, Dennis Kucinich, Mazie Hirono, Michael Capuano, Jim Moran, James Oberstar, Barbara Lee, Julia Carson, Robert Wexler Jan Schakowsky, Steve Cohen, Danny Davis, Zoe Lofgren, John Lewis, Fortney Pete Stark, Michael M. Honda, Ed Pastor, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Gary L. Ackerman, Neil Abercrombie, Donald M. Payne, John F. Tierney, Lois Capps, Rosa L. DeLauro, LorettaSanchez, James R. Langevin, John Campbell, David E. Price, Peter A. DeFazio, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Edolphus Towns

If you would like to see a copy of the letter sent out it can be obtained from the ACLU's website here.

Found!

2007-07-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Check out what the Drug WarRant found in the Capitol building bathroom.

History of Marijuana

2007-07-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you want to learn about the history and politics of marijuana check out this full video documentary, "Grass". This video may not stay up for long so I suggest you run to your local Blockbuster and rent this if it is no longer available online.

Fireman Gets Stoned on the Job

2007-07-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Pot is Legal in Canada

2007-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Check out Mark Emerys hand cam cover the news of a new ruling in a Canada court.

"In Pot We Trust"

2007-07-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

A new special aired on Showtime this month for its subscribers. Small video clips have been uploaded to youtube for promotion. Check them out here.
Rhonda

Steve

Jacqueline

Irvin

Aaron

"The Weed Files"

2007-07-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

This video is basically the Drug War: Marijuana 101

Shaggy and Scooby an Innocent Cartoon?

2007-06-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

Shaggy and Scooby - Drugs and Bestiality

Director Description:

A video project from many years ago by Joe Chun (1996) at UCSD on Shaggy and Scooby, analyzing evidence that suggests they were on drugs (and maybe even into bestiality).

"Connoisseurs of Cannabis"

2007-06-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Check this great read about "cannabis connoisseurs" and all the different kinds of buds that get offered thanks to the medical marijuana system in California. The full article can be found here.

“In the Bay Area if you hand a joint to someone, they’ll say, ‘What kind is that?’ “said DeAngelo. “In Wisconsin, they’ll just say, ‘Oh, thanks …’ It is a great time to be in the cannabis business.”
As in any industry, say some insiders, some of this is hype and bluster. Dale Gieringer, California coordinator of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), says smoking various strains and being able to tell the difference is “a mystery to me.”

Medical marijuana user with AIDS sues state

2007-06-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Colorado

Their should be no limit on how much medical marijuana a caregiver can supply to the patients that need it. A caregiver should be able to supply marijuana to any patient who is ill and claims it as a medical necessity.

Mendencino Bust Music Video

2007-06-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

A video picture slideshow with random pictures from the Mendocino County marijuana bust. Music is Darryl Cherney's "It's Camp".

"Get Stoned"

2007-06-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

An inquiry into past generations of drug use in American culture... clips taken from UCLA Film Dept and Georgia State Film Dept.

Pretty interesting hearing views from generations ago.
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Rehab for Marijuana?

2007-06-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

A funny clip from "Half Baked" with addicts making fun of a newcomer who claims he is addicted to marijuana. Features Dave Chappelle and Bob Saget.

KRS One - Beef

2007-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

A good video from old school rapper KRSOne based on the beleif you are what you eat.

Barry Cooper on The Verdict

2007-06-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

A good video from The Verdict. Barry Cooper holds himself well and presents good arguments and tells the origin of the marijuana tax acts.

These are clips from his DVD, it seems that this DVD may have some good information and insight on police encounters.

Fooling the Drug Dogs

Conceal Your Stash!

K9's False Alert

Actual Marijuana Arrest

Hidden Compartments

MedPot in Prison? Grant Krieger: Marc Emery vs. Doctor

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

A great debate with some good points being brought up from both sides of the argument. Mary Emery finishes the debate with an awesome statement. Mr. Doctor and Mr. State you are not god!

Live Above the Influence - Don't Give into the Lies

2007-06-22T13:49:00.001-07:00

All those live above the influence ads always make me wonder if they are anti-marijuana and actually pro hallucinogen because of all the crazy crap that goes on in those things. Here is a parody of those ads.

And if you want to see the original here it is...

Blast from the Past: Ron Paul on Drug Policy

2007-06-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul apposes the drug war.

Every year, our government—which is to say, the taxpayers—spends $9.2 billion to lock up people who use, produce, or sell illegal drugs. That figure does not include the cost of state or federal law enforcement, or international programs, such as military support and crop-killing in countries such as Colombia and Afghanistan. The total annual cost for the Drug War is roughly $40 billion.

You don't need to approve of drug use to believe that this is financial insanity. We are spending an outrageous amount of money trying to reign in the consequences of a black market created by drug prohibition, and we are demonstrably losing the "war." It is time to recognize that we are making the problem worse by driving it underground.

Incarcerex: It's Time for a New Bottom Line

2007-06-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many members in congress take this...

Pass the Marijuana - Mystic Roots

2007-06-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Most of you have heard this song. Pass the Marijuana by Mystic Roots is a great reggae type song. The video is nothing special (its just one single slide) but the song is good and I very much enjoy it in the summer for some reason.

Police Officer Steals Marijuana

2007-06-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is a hilarious video that also raises some questions. Why are there no charges against a cop who busted people for having pot, confiscated it and went home and made them into brownies for him and his wife to consume?

You can find the full audio conversation here.

Contessa Brewer Vs Tommy Chong

2007-06-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

This was interesting on MSNBC the other day. Tommy Chong is invited on the show to discuss Paris Hilton's recent arrest and starts to question why Contessa and other members of the media are partaking in this circus. Contessa shows her profesional journalism skills when she asks Tommy, "Have you smoked anything today?" after he states his opinion that republicans have strong control over media stations.

This whole Paris Hilton thing shouldn't even be on the news, whats the big deal? People go to court everyday but since Paris Hilton goes to jail we are all supposed to stop caring about real issues and report on this?

The media is ridiculous and Contessa Brewer should be embarrassed that her journalistic skills are being put to use to cover a story about some rich girl going to jail.

Marijuana "Worth Its Weight In Gold," US Government Says

2007-06-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

Prohibition has turned a plant that would otherwise be worth a few cents into a plant that is worth as much as gold according to the U.S. government.
Article is Here

Authors report that the average price for pot fell in the 1990s, but began rising once again after 2000.

"This recent price increase leaves current marijuana prices near their 20-year averages," the study concludes. "Marijuana is quite literally worth its weight in gold."

Now only if I could trade all this bud in for gold hmmmm...

Smoke While Watching this Movie

2007-06-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Meh I don't know how many people will actually like this video but I found it quite amusing espeically after a good smoke session ;)

Ladys and gents I present the,
"Psychedelic loituma Trance"

Note: You will notice the video suggest the very opposite of the post title ;)

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

2007-06-12T19:25:00.001-07:00

This is a very interesting trailer for a movie that has been featured at this years Winnipeg International Film film festival. The documentary looks great and has received a lot of positive feedback. Too bad this film is never going to be released to movie theaters in the US but it is coming to DVD.

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

It's Been a Long Time

2007-06-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time but I am finally going to keep this site regularly updated again with current news, videos, pictures and other entertainment to feed your cannabis craving heads!

10 Steps to End the Drug War from DrugSense

2006-10-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is a very interesting read from Mark Greer at Drug Sense.

Click the link below to read the post at the Drug WarRant
Click Here

After reading this I scrolled to the bottom to check out the comments posted. Brian Bennett, the owner of the Homepage of Truth with a slogan "It's Not About Legalizing Drugs -- It's About Correcting a Terrible Mistake", posted this very interesting and fresh take of the situation.

actually, this "plan" is useless. the crux of the matter is that our society has lost its focus on its true purpose: to protect individual liberties.

each of these steps, in and of itself, is something that could be accomplished -- but how would that impact the overall waging of the drug war?

i submit that all of these "goals" could be accomplished and not have any impact at all on the overall drug war.

working at this piecemeal has been the standard approach for 40 years. sorry -- it doesn't work. it is analogous to trying to tunnel through a mountain with a teaspoon. or, as arnold trebach puts it: this would be like improving housing conditions for slaves and offerring them a dental plan.

it is the institution of drugwar that is evil and that is what must be vanquished.

i want this bullshit to end long before i'm dead -- and this approach is not likely to accomplish anything at all.

there is only one way to truly, effectively (and quickly) win: get americans to start acting like americans.

p.s. opiates, cocaine, and amphetamines are already legally available. so why is the war against the use of (and users of) those substances still going on?

The quote that I think is the most important part of the comment is, "there is only one way to truly, effectively (and quickly) win: get americans to start acting like americans."

So true.

Legal Drugs by 2020?

2006-10-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

Orginal Article

LEGALISING DRUGS IS AN OPTION THE WORLD IS NOW CONSIDERING
by Paul Walker, (Source:Western Mail)
25 Oct 2006

United Kingdom
-------
The other day I found myself chairing a meeting on the topic of legalising drug use.

Reading the runes, it would seem that there is an international movement growing in opposition to the current United Nations-led universal policy of prohibition and, that by the year 2020, regulated use and supply will replace prohibition in many UN member states.

But the year 2020 is a long way away.

So can we expect any change in the present policy in the nearer future?

Interestingly, the Parliamentary Science and Technology Select Committee has recently produced a report, Drug Classification: Making a Hash of it? which calls for a major overhaul of the existing system.

The way drugs are currently categorised into Class A, B and C is done on the basis of the penalties they attract under the criminal justice system rather than on the harm that they do.

Common sense suggests that the penalties should be proportional to the harm done.

The Select Committee proposes that any classification system based on harm done must include tobacco and alcohol which together cause about 40 times the total number of deaths from all illegal drugs combined.

Applying a new categorisation system based on harm done proposed by the committee, alcohol would probably be listed as a class A drug, the fifth most harmful of all, and tobacco as a class B one, the ninth most harmful.

This report shows how illogical the whole system is and how confusing to the public.

On the basis of the current system, where drugs such as ecstasy and LSD are categorised as harmful class A drugs and alcohol and tobacco are not classified at all and are freely available, the public might reach the conclusion that alcohol and tobacco are not harmful.

This, of course, is not true and the proposed new classification system would make this apparent.

It is time for a mature debate about our attitude to mind altering drugs.

Alcohol use is legal but is increasingly problematic. Drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine are illegal and, while undoubtedly they can cause problems, these are on nothing like the scale of those caused by alcohol and tobacco.

So why are they illegal when by being so a huge global criminal industry is given a licence to print money?

It is worth remembering that the United States tried alcohol prohibition and lived to regret it and repealed it.

In this country the equivalent of prohibition was introduced with the enactment of the Misuse of Drugs Act in 1971.

It is time to reconsider this and see whether it is not time to go back to the pre-prohibition condition that existed in the UK before 1971.

At the very least we should initiate a mature debate on the topic and perhaps not have to wait until 2020 for a change in policy. Which is what my meeting was about.

Talking of alcohol and smoking, I was disappointed to learn at the same meeting that the biggest drinks and tobacco companies in the world are British.

It seems paradoxical that a nation that is so pre-eminent in public health research and scholarship is also pre-eminent in profiteering from harmful products like alcohol and tobacco.

And on a slightly lighter note, I also learned that the pint glass was introduced by the brewers in the 1930s to boost the sales of beer.

Apparently, until then half pint glasses were the norm.

Top 10 Pot Studies Government Wishes it Had Never Funded

2006-10-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this post the other night on a marijuana activism blog.

Check It Out

Marijuana Sales, Distribution Major Part of Local Economy

2006-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

MARIJUANA SALES, DISTRIBUTION MAJOR PART OF LOCAL ECONOMY
by John Hazlehurst, (Source:Colorado Springs Business Journal)
27 Oct 2006

Colorado
-------
Impact in Colorado Springs Could Be Equivalent to $80 Million in Retail Sales, Account for 1,100 Jobs

On Nov. 7, Colorado voters will decide whether to legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by any person over 21.

Initiative 44, which is modeled after an ordinance that Denver voters approved in 2004, is seen by both supporters and opponents as a first step toward comprehensive legalization and regulation of marijuana.

Eliminate the legal, social and moral arguments, and one thing becomes very clear: even without Initiative 44, the marijuana trade in El Paso County is a major contributor to the local economy.

According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, 13.3 percent of Colorado residents use marijuana. Use spikes between the ages of 18 and 25, a demographic in which fully a third of all Coloradoans are users.

In Colorado Springs, where age demographics trend younger than statewide figures, as many as 15 percent of residents might be marijuana users. Given a metropolitan population of 550,000, that translates to 80,000 people.

Law enforcement officials, users and dealers estimated that the average marijuana user in Colorado Springs purchases/consumes about three ounces annually at a cost of about $1,000.

That translates into a yearly retail market of $80 million, derived from the distribution of 1,250 pounds of marijuana every month, or 41 pounds a day.

A typical Wal-Mart superstore, such as the one currently under construction on Baptist Road south of Monument, generates $45 million in annual retail sales. Is the impact of the marijuana trade, then, roughly equivalent to a pair of big-box superstores?

Difficult to Compare

Sue Piatt of the Colorado Office of Economic Development is cautious about making any such comparisons. She points out that such stores not only pay sales taxes, but, unlike the marijuana trade, also rely upon a complex infrastructure of buildings, suppliers, transporters and administrators.

A better measure of the magnitude of the marijuana trade, she suggested, might be to compare it to the gross annual sales of selected jurisdictions -- information that's available from the state Department of Revenue.

Manitou Springs, for example, has gross annual retail sales of about $65 million. Buena Vista is a little higher, at $90 million, while Crested Butte, at $79.5 million, nearly matches the estimated annual volume of the local marijuana trade.

At the Business Journal's request, Fred Crowley, a research economist at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, created an input/ output model of the marijuana business ( see sidebar ). In an e-mail, Crowley commented briefly on the model.

"[My] analysis is based on the assumption the money from the sale of marijuana is spent in the local community. It was assumed $80,000,000 income is made from the sale of marijuana.

"It was assumed the income is earned by a cross section of households selling the drug from lower to higher income levels.

"Needless to say, the analysis is not an endorsement of the activity. Rather, it is an effort to identify the economic effects of the money being spent in El Paso County as a result of the sale of the marijuana. Social costs have not been included since I do not have the data on these items."

This is what the input/output analysis determined:

* Job creation: 1,100

* Income creation: $29.83 million annually

* Sales tax collections ( state, county and city ): $1.76 million

Tough to Quantify

Underground economies are notoriously difficult to quantify, since the usual metrics simply don't apply. You can't track store receipts, or sales tax collections, or wholesale inventories or bank deposits.

But you can track people -- people who are supplementing their incomes by selling or growing marijuana. Their ranks include not only bartenders and musicians but also middle-aged businessmen and spirited grandmothers.

"Dave," a slender, cheerful man in his early 20s, is seated at a rickety wooden table in the kitchen of his modest downtown apartment.

"You won't see anything better than this," he says, passing over a plastic bag of high-grade marijuana. "This is B.C. bud. You want an ounce -- it's $400."

B.C. bud is a generic term for high-potency marijuana, much of which is thought to originate in British Columbia.

Dave is a small-time marijuana dealer -- the last link in the supply chain. He's been selling to a small circle of friends and acquaintances since he was in high school.

"I used to ride my bike around Rockrimmon to make deliveries," he said. "Now I just e-mail my list, and they come by."

For Dave, selling marijuana is a simple, painless and, he thinks, relatively risk-free way to make extra money.

"I don't make much, maybe a thousand a month," he said. "But I can work part-time doing construction, and have plenty of time for my music. Next year, I'm going to finish up at UCCS. I'd like to go to law school after that. I don't want to be doing construction all my life."

Projecting the Size

Law enforcement officials have long sought to estimate the size of drug markets by applying a multiplier to the quantity of drugs seized in transit. Typically, authorities have estimated that no more than 5 percent of marijuana shipments are successfully interdicted.

As a point of reference, last year, 2,391 pounds of "processed marijuana" were seized in Colorado, as well as 7,383 cultivated plants. Of the plants, 3,919 came from indoor "grows," and 3,464 from outdoor plots.

According to local dealers, native-grown marijuana is almost exclusively cultivated indoors, under the lights. If undetected, it's a profitable business.

"Jim," a popular Springs bartender, described one such grow. "It's almost as big as the bar," he said, indicating, with a sweep of his hand, an area about 30 feet by 50 feet. "And the plants are like six feet tall."

As a retail business, the marijuana trade appears to have several unique characteristics:

* It requires none of the infrastructure associated with similarly-sized retail businesses. There are no fleets of delivery trucks, no warehouses, no inventory control systems, no point-of-sale systems, no licensing and no direct tax payments.

* Retail distribution is entirely in the hands of small individual entrepreneurs, with little access to capital.

* There is little incentive for most of those individuals to increase their sales activity beyond a certain point. Every additional customer heightens the risk of detection and arrest.

* It seems likely that most small-time dealers net $1,000 or less per month, and expend the money as it is received.

Might Be More

Sitting in her light-filled North End home, "Lilith," a 50-something professional who has lived in Colorado Springs for more than 20 years, reflects on her years as a marijuana dealer. Told that NSDUS estimates suggest that there are more than 80,000 marijuana users in the Pikes Peak region, she smiles gently.

"I think that's low," she said. "You wouldn't believe who my customers are -- they're very straight, very respectable. I've never had more than half a dozen. The problem has always been finding suppliers. I need to find a grower."

If marijuana were to be legalized and regulated, what would be the economic impact of such a change?

Present channels of sales and distribution would likely disappear. Prices also would likely plummet, even if the product was, like tobacco, heavily taxed.

Thousands of individuals would lose a substantial portion of their income.

If, as Crowley's model suggests, the marijuana trade is responsible for more than a thousand jobs in the Pikes Peak Region, the economic impact of legalization would be comparable to the closure of a manufacturing business employing a thousand people.

"We'd be out of business -- just like the bookies and numbers runners went broke when Lotto came in," said "Gary," a former hippie and now a successful Springs businessman. "Back then, there weren't so many gamblers, the odds were better, and it was a nice, quiet little business -- so there'd be a lot more stoners, bad dope and nobody would make any money.

"But", he added, brightening, "I guess the cops would be out of work, too."

Britain: Pot Use Down Dramatically Following Cannabis Reclassification

2006-10-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

Britain: Pot Use Down Dramatically Following Cannabis Reclassification

October 19, 2006 - London, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom: Self-reported cannabis use among Britons has declined dramatically following a 2004 Home Office decision to downgrade cannabis possession to a non-arrestable offense, according to statistics published this week in the UK government's 2005-2006 British Crime Survey.

The report finds that the use of cannabis by the general population is now at its lowest level in ten years, and that much of this decline has taken place since 2003. Among young people age 16 to 24 years old, self-reported cannabis use has also declined dramatically since the late 1990s.

Approximately 21 percent of British young adults reported having used cannabis in the past year, the survey found. By contrast, 28 percent of Americans age 18 to 25 have used pot in the past year, according to statistics published in 2006 by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Commenting on the British report, Martin Barnes, executive director of the British think-tank DrugScope, said: "The fact that cannabis use has continued to fall to its lowest level in nearly 10 years is further evidence that the decision to reclassify the drug to class C was sound. Some warned that the change would lead to an increase in cannabis use yet the reverse has happened, possibly because there is more awareness of the possible harms."

Under the 2004 reclassification scheme, Britons found in possession of "personal use" amounts of marijuana are typically cautioned by police, but not arrested.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.

Spongebob Hempplants

2006-10-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

A hilarious parody of the Spongebob Squarepants kid television show.

Stoned in Suburbia

2006-10-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

If you have some time on your hands, defiently check out this video.

Video Description:

Stoned In Suburbia is a social history film, examining the change in people's opinions to cannabis over the past 50 years. Discussing the impact of the 60's sexual revolution, the Hippie movement, the emergence of the Punks right up until the modern day.

A Stoner's Sci-fi Fantasy...Turned Real!

2006-10-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Battle of the 10ft Plants!!!

Orginal Article

Troops battle 10-foot marijuana plants

Fri Oct 13, 8:48 AM ET

Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet-high marijuana plants.

General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said on Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana.

"The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices ... and as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa.

"We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.

Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.

"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hillier said dryly.

One soldier told him later: "Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I'd say 'That damn marijuana'."

Stop Picking On Stoners

2006-10-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

STOP PICKING ON STONERS

Am I the only one not impressed by all of the marijuana seizures lately? Talk about your pre-election, vote-inciting tricks.

No matter where you stand on legalizing marijuana, you have to admit that you have never heard of a marijuana-induced shooting spree. What's the worst crime committed under the influence of pot? I don't think eating too many Cheetos is a crime, even under the Bush administration.

If the government wants to impress me, start catching more drunken drivers, and keep them in jail. How about closing down some crank houses? You know crank, right? It's the drug that actually does father many violent crimes.

I don't know whether marijuana should be legalized or not, but quit acting like you've accomplished something by taking away the peace pipes. That's right, "peace" pipes; it is no coincidence the Indians called it that.

People smoke pot for many reasons: pain control, anxiety control, nausea control and, yes, just to get stoned. Whatever their reasons, when they do smoke it, they do not get violent; they do not rob banks, rape, attack or cross the double yellow line; instead, they sit at home watching TV with a bag of chips.

Traci Piazza,

Orangevale

KRNV (6pm): Religious Leaders Support Marijuana Initiative

2006-10-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

KTVN: Religious Leaders Support Marijuana Initiative

2006-10-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Don't YouTube While Stoned

2006-10-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Speedy Gonzales...Pothead?

2006-10-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Marijuana Christmas - Short film by Jet Baker

2006-10-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Only two more months to everyone's favorite time of year!

True

2006-10-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

Drug Survey: More Teens Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes

2006-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — A new teen drug use survey released today by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer confirms the failure of the government's war on marijuana to keep the drug away from teenagers, officials of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) said today.

According to the 11th biennial California Student Survey, more California ninth and eleventh graders currently smoke marijuana than smoke cigarettes. Among ninth graders, 12.6 percent smoked marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to 10 percent who smoked cigarettes. For eleventh graders, the figures were 19.2 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively. This trend has been consistent since the 2001-2002 survey, but represents a reversal from 1997-1998, when cigarette use exceeded marijuana use in all age groups.

"The good news is that both cigarette and marijuana use have declined markedly in the last decade, and predictions that Proposition 215 would lead to an explosion in teen marijuana use have proven totally wrong," said Bruce Mirken, San Francisco-based director of communications for MPP, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. "But it's clear we're doing a better job in preventing kids from using tobacco than we are in keeping them away from marijuana, and the reason is our dysfunctional, counterproductive laws.

"Tobacco merchants are licensed and regulated," Mirken added, "while drug dealers are completely unregulated. Walk into any supermarket or convenience store that sells cigarettes, and you'll see a great big red-and-yellow sign saying, 'Under 18, No Tobacco: We Card.' Have you ever seen a drug dealer with a 'We Card' sign? Instead of wasting millions of tax dollars on marijuana 'eradication' campaigns that are an exercise in futility, it's time to put marijuana under the same sort of common-sense controls that work for tobacco."

With more than 20,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
Date: 10/4/2006

Nevada Commercials

2006-10-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Current television commercials airing in Nevada.

Visit the website at the end of the ad for more information and to help make a big jump in the Marijuana legalization movement.

Polittically Incorrect with Bill Maher 2001

2006-10-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

An old video that help ignite the medical marijuana debate

O'Reilly Vs "Real Time" Bill Maher

2006-10-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

"It is very hard for me to imagine Jesus Christ going up to a medical marijuana suffer and taking the joint out of his mouth and saying 'Goood luck with your bone marrow'"

Fight for Legalization

2006-10-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

MARIJUANA FEST IGNITES FIGHT FOR LEGALIZATION
by Ellen Williams-Masson, Correspondent for The Capital Times, (Source:Capital Times)
09 Oct 2006

Wisconsin
-------
The skies were clear but a haze hung over hundreds of marijuana activists as they paraded up State Street to the Capitol for the 36th Annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival.

Some who marched advocated marijuana for medicinal purposes, while others championed hemp as an answer to the state's agricultural woes.

And more than a few undoubtedly toked up for the sheer pleasure of smoking a doobie on a sunny afternoon on State Street.

"The sky didn't fall, nothing happened, nobody got hurt, and we went all the way down the road in full public view and nothing went wrong," activist Jim Miller from New Jersey said.

"It makes no sense that if this is the way it works, why are people going to jail for doing that, when nothing happened?"

Miller is part of the "Commando Squad" that has fought for the legalization of medical marijuana and carries on the battle in memory of his wife, Cheryl.

Cheryl had lobbied for medicinal marijuana to ease her pain from multiple sclerosis before her death in 2003, and Miller played a tape of her agonized screams during physical therapy treatments without benefit of the drug.

Marijuana proponents have been fighting to legalize cannabis for decades since its criminalization in 1937, and local activist and Harvest Festival organizer Ben Masel believes they are slowly making headway.

"We've gotten a lot better, at least at the political level, at stopping new bad legislation," Masel said. "A lot of progress is happening on hemp agriculture."

Masel lost the U.S. Senate Democratic primary to incumbent Herb Kohl last month but secured more than 51,000 votes, more than half of which he attributes to marijuana supporters.

Masel also lost a Republican primary to Tommy Thompson in the 1990 governor's race when he ran on a platform advocating the use of hemp in agriculture.

Gary Storck, cofounder of the Madison branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML ), lamented the death of the medical marijuana bill during the past congressional session and pointed to the Capitol building behind him when he spoke at the rally.

"The people in this building are responsible for that bill dying in committee," he said. "It's time to turn these mothers out. We need you to vote, and we need to get your friends to vote."

Storck, Miller and other activists will be traveling throughout the state before the Nov. 7 election in an attempt to get candidates' positions on record regarding the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Storck cited a 2002 poll conducted by his activist group "Is my medicine legal yet?" ( IMMLY ) that reported over 80 percent of Wisconsin residents support legalized medical marijuana.

"No candidate should be able to run for office and get elected without stating their position on medical marijuana," Storck said. "Why won't they just do the people's will?"

Joann Price of Verona suffers from spinal muscular atrophy and also questioned why her medicine of choice isn't legal.

"I don't see why something that is a gift from God, a herb, made in the ground. . .can't be legalized," Price said from a wheelchair. "You've never heard of anybody getting into a fist fight or beating their spouse after they smoked a joint."

Proponents like Price say cannabis provides pain relief and alleviates a host of other medical conditions without the harmful side effects or high costs of many prescription drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a statement in April 2006 that the FDA, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of National Drug Control Policy "do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes" because of a lack of sound scientific studies required for the FDA drug approval process.

Plenty of patients continue to self-medicate with marijuana, however, often as an alternative to prescription drugs. Cassius, a 23-year-old veteran who served in the Airborne Rangers, returned home from Baghdad with bottled up rage and a hand-rolled remedy to ease the pain.

"I smoke weed, and I'm going to die smoking weed," he said, declining to give his last name. "If I want to smoke marijuana, I can be judged, but I can fight and die for the country, and see my battle buddies blown up on land mines in Fallujah."

Cassius, a Gary, Indiana native, says he never used drugs before joining the military but now smokes pot on a daily basis to "mellow out" since he came home to a life of unemployment and disillusionment.

"A lot of rich guys, Caucasians, like to pull out their scotch with two ice cubes," he said. "War gives you a gift, because when you come back, you look at things differently."

Drug Licensing Will 'Save Lives'

2006-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Orginal Article

DRUG LICENSING WILL 'SAVE LIVES'
(Source:Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News)
05 Oct 2006

United Kingdom
-------
Halton MEP Chris Davies hosted a meeting where a senior police representative said lives could be saved if illegal drugs were licensed.

Inspector Jim Duffy, chairman of Strathclyde Police Federation, was speaking at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton at the invitation of Mr Davies, a leading campaigner for drug policy reform.

Inspector Duffy, part of Britain's second largest police force, said that so far prohibitionist policies had failed and that criminals would lose control of the drugs market if a licensing regime were established in its place.

He said: 'The police are not winning the war against illegal drugs.

'We are fighting hard, becoming smarter and sharper; but so are those we fight against.

'If the current rules of engagement do not change then we are destined to continue to fail.

'Lives could be saved if addicts purchasing regulated drugs could be sure of their strength and purity.'

Chris Davies has spoken out in favour of legalising drugs several times in his career.

He points out that more than 50% of burglaries in Britain are attributed to drug use and says this country has the highest rate of drug-assisted deaths in Europe.

Mr Davies added: 'By breaking the link with criminals and bringing drugs under licensed control we can save lives and reduce harm to the rest of society.'

The MEP even acquired a criminal conviction for his views, after holding a small quantity of cannabis resin stuck to a postage stamp to show his support for Dutch-style cannabis coffee shops at a political rally in 2002.

Crack the CIA

2006-10-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

I was over at I'm Not Paranoid It's True and checked out the newest post. It's a great video on YouTube that presents information about the CIA involvement in Drug Trafficking. Is this real or just another conspiracy?

Marijuana May Slow Alzheimer's

2006-10-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

A new article from WebMd.com

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/128/117022.htm

Marijuana May Slow Alzheimer's

Key Marijuana Compound Beats Current Alzheimer's Drugs in Test-Tube Study
By Daniel DeNoon
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Friday, October 06, 2006

Oct. 6, 2006 -- THC, the key compound in marijuana, may also be the key to new drugs for Alzheimer's disease.

That's because the marijuana compound blocks the formation of brain-clogging Alzheimer's plaques better than current Alzheimer's drugs.

The finding -- in test-tube studies -- comes from the lab of Kim Janda, PhD, director of the Worm Institute of Research and Medicine at Scripps Research Institute.

"While we are certainly not advocating the use of illegal drugs, these findings offer convincing evidence that THC possesses remarkable inhibitory qualities, especially when compared to [Alzheimer's drugs] currently available to patients," Janda says in a news release.

"Although our study is far from final, it does show that there is a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which THC may directly affect the progression of Alzheimer's disease."

Janda's team found that THC blocks an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase, which speeds the formation of amyloid plaque in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's drugs Aricept and Cognex work by blocking acetylcholinesterase. When tested at double the concentration of THC, Aricept blocked plaque formation only 22% as well as THC, and Cognex blocked plaque formation only 7% as well as THC.

"THC and its analogs may provide an improved [treatment for] both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's disease," the researchers conclude.

The findings appear in the Aug. 9 online edition of the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, a publication of the American Chemical Society.

Governor vetoes the legalization of hemp over the weekend

2006-10-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2006

"Governor vetoes the legalization of hemp over the weekend
By TOM RAGAN
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER
WATSONVILLE — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekend decision to veto a bill that legalized growing hemp in California was greeted with disdain by the state assemblyman who supported it.

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau also was frustrated with the veto, saying growers are always looking for viable crop alternatives, and that hemp could have been one given demand.

But Schwarzenegger, in a statement Saturday, said while he supports the development of new crops in the state, he felt he could not approve the legalization of hemp, a type of cannabis related to marijuana but without the euphoric effects: "Unfortunately, I am very concerned that this bill would give legitimate growers a false sense of security and a belief that production of 'industrial hemp' is somehow a legal activity under federal law."

State Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced AB 1147 this year to reduce the reliance of U.S. man-ufacturers on imported hemp from Canada and China. Monday, Leno called the veto just "short of absurd."

"It's just another example of myth and politics trumping science and sound public policy," Leno said. "But we're not through yet. We're not going to give up. I'll probably try to introduce it again ... in January."

The bill passed both the Assembly and the Senate, with backers stressing that industrial hemp is a $300 million industry in the United States but that it cannot be grown here legally.

"Farmers could have made so much money by capitalizing on the popularity of the industry, but now they're just going to continue to lose it," Leno said.

Products made of hemp are common, and it can be found in clothes, food, snack bars, even paper. Proponents of the bill pointed to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which was penned on hemp.

But the governor, with advice from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said there currently is no legal distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana, which contains tetrahydrocannabinols. THC creates euphoria when consumed; its production and consumption are outlawed by the federal government.

Any person wishing to grow hemp or marijuana must first obtain permission and register with the DEA. Failure to do so is a violation of federal law and subject to criminal penalties.

But Leno said there are huge differences between the two plants and that there was "no way" that law enforcement would have trouble distinguishing one from the other — a reservation expressed by bill opponents in Sacramento.

"What's the problem?" Leno said. "Marijuana grows 6 feet tall. Hemp grows as high as 16 feet. People plant marijuana 4 feet apart. Hemp is planted inches from one another. I don't know what was so difficult. They're two entirely different plants we're talking about here."

North Dakota is the only state that allows growing hemp for industrial purposes.

"You'd have to smoke a joint the size of telephone pole in order to get a headache," said Ken Junkert of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture in Bismarck.

The state's decision to legalize hemp was to diversify crops in a state where agriculture has taken a financial hit of late but still remains the No. 1 industry.

Hemp is a perfect plant, Junkert said, because it grows in all sorts of conditions and requires no pesticides or herbicides. It also serves as a rotational crop, putting nutrients back in the soil.

But even Junkert anticipates legal problems.

Though farmers can now apply for a license to grow hemp, he expects DEA opposition, which could lead to legal battles.

"We'll know in the next couple of months as farmers come in and start to apply for the permits," he said.

Contact Tom Ragan at tragan@santacruzsentinel.com."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can find this story online at:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/October/03/local/stories/03local.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical marijuana protest in Modesto

2006-10-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

A video news story on the recent medical marijuana protest in Modesto, California. There is actually a lady on the video who suggest that Marijuana is more dangerous than methamphetamines.

Hemp Benefits

2006-09-30T11:33:00.001-07:00

Pothedz Couch

2006-09-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wow I have never seen these videos before. Its called "Pothedz Couch" and its a Internet series with pot heads on a couch. Check out the trailer and then head on over to PothedzCouch.com and check out the full episodes!

Wild Life

2006-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a sweet montage for all those wild life stoners.

"Marijuana is not a gateway drug. It's the drug of gated communities."

2006-09-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

A very interesting read from the LA Times.

http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v06/n1267/a07.htm

CTV News: Ganja in Canda

2006-09-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

This video is excellent and a must watch!

It has been split into four parts and uploaded on to YouTube.

Your Brain

2006-09-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

And here is another one that I picked up from somewhere on the web,

Ali G and the Drug Czar

2006-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

A very amusing video :) Enjoy

Description: Ali G at his brilliant best taking on the drug czar and proving that a good spliff goes a long way.

Tommy Chong On Jimmey Kimmel Live

2006-09-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

Descent!

2006-09-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

A funny montage of clips of two guys smoking. Its the only video of two guys smoking thats ever keep me entertained. Enjoy.

Ganja Love

2006-09-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

This video is for the rap heads that come here. Its Cypress Hill and some other dudes, if you know the name of this song please post it in the comment section please :)

The Legal Market Vs. The Black Market

2006-09-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon a post at I'm not paranoid, it's true and thought it would be excellent to share.

Click here and check out videos of the legal market currently set up in other countries and then watch a few videos of the black market currently in the United States.

Teen Drug Use Down; Adult Drug Use Up

2006-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

TEEN DRUG USE DOWN; ADULT DRUG USE UP
(Source:Washington Post)
08 Sep 2006

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

United States
-------
Youngsters are using fewer illegal drugs, but new data show a rise in use among older adults, perhaps because a few aging baby boomers have clung to their youthful ways, the government reported Thursday.

Just 6.8 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 17 said they had used marijuana in the past month in 2005, down from 8.2 percent in 2002, according to the annual survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Overall illicit drug use by teens also fell, from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2005.

Illegal use of alcohol also fell among teens, with 16.5 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds saying they were drinkers and 9.9 percent reporting binge drinking -- having five or more drinks in a row. Both are down more than a full percentage point from 2004.

Among adults ages 50 to 59, however, the rate of illicit drug use increased from 2.7 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2005.

Overall drug use barely changed among Americans age 12 and older. About 19.7 million Americans, or 8.1 percent, reported that they had used an illicit drug in the past month in 2005, a rise from 7.9 percent in 2004.

New Report: "98 Percent Of All Domestically Eradicated Marijuana Is 'Ditchweed,' DEA Admits"

2006-09-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yep the DEA has finally been pushed to admit that they have been spending millions of our tax paying dollars on the eradication of "Ditch Weed".

Read the article here.

HIGH: The true tale of American Marijuana (Trailer)

2006-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have been watching the production of this movie for awhile and they have finally got a trailer out for the movie. They are currently in talks with a distributor so hopefully we can all pick up this movie on DVD soon :)

Holy Crap...I'm Back!

2006-09-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I've been busy lately but now I have freed up a lot of time. Keep this site bookmarked and expect frequent updates!

A Comprimise in the Workings?

2006-07-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

BOARD TO VOTE ON MARIJUANA PLAN
by Emily Hagedorn, Californian, staff writer, (Source:Bakersfield Californian)
10 Jul 2006

California
-------
After the issue of medical marijuana dispensary regulations came up a few weeks ago, county officials and cannabis proponents met to find a compromise.

It was a nice try, but not good enough, says the Bakersfield chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

A revised ordinance is now up for vote at the Kern County Board of Supervisors' meeting Tuesday morning.

The original measure, which was brought up June 13, would have enabled the Sheriff's Department to know each person involved in every medical marijuana transaction, limited hours of operation and required disclosure of any firearms on the dispensary premises, among other things. Since then, those actions have been scaled back.

The Sheriff's Department can only see the names of patients and caregivers when they get a warrant or court order. Dispensaries can be open until 8 p.m. The requirement for disclosure of firearms was deleted.

"We worked it out," said deputy county counsel John Irby. "We want to have a system under which the sheriff can inspect the premises to ensure they are complying with state medical marijuana law."

But NORML, along with some local dispensaries, doesn't want the sheriff involved at all.

"I don't have a problem with there being an ordinance," said Ed Sulla, vice president of Bakersfield NORML. "But we think it should be the health department to handle it."

Jim McGowen, owner of the American Caregivers Collective, a dispensary on Gillmore Avenue, worries this oversight by the Sheriff's Department will allow for an abuse of power.

McGowen's customers are worried they will be outed as marijuana users and lose their jobs, he said.

"I see this as a cover-up the police are using to get what they want," McGowen said. "It's probably going to put these dispensaries out of business, put these patients back on the street ( to find marijuana )."

The sheriff is involved because that department manages regulatory business licenses in Kern County, Irby said. Other businesses that the sheriff regulates include pawn shops, massage parlors and bingo halls.

Other measures in the proposed medical marijuana dispensary ordinance include:

* Grounds for suspension and revocation of the license.

* Requiring documentation of patient physician recommendations and financial records.

* Restrictions on minors using medical marijuana.

* Limit on the number of dispensaries allowed in the county.

The supervisors also will vote on requiring the dispensaries to pay a $166 yearly fee.

Maryjane

2006-07-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Maryjane

For the rap fans out there, here is a song by an artist I have never known.

The Blunt Truth

2006-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Blunt Truth

An hilarious old educational video in the 70's.

The narrator is hilarious. He tells you that will drop from school and that your life will end up hopeless.

New Domain Name!

2006-07-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

We have moved! To get the newest updates visit our new URL!

You can now visit this blog at

http://www.weedforthought.com

Sweet

I've Waited All My Life To Say This Bob...420

2006-07-10T14:15:00.001-07:00

The Price is Right 420

Does This Look Like Fun?

2006-07-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Anti-Marijuana Public Service Ad

It Taste Like the Chronic...And Yet It's Not!

2006-07-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

O'DWeeds

High Times June 2006 Issue Preview

2006-07-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Special 4/20 Episode / June 2006 Issue Preview

This video is from the previous 4/20 of this year brought to you by High Times magazine.

Its a very cool video that opens up with an interview on ABC.

Marijuana Harmless?

2006-07-10T13:27:00.001-07:00

Marijuana Harmless Commercial

This video is worth watching. Nothing too special. It does make as much sense as the "harmless?" commercials you do see on TV though.

13th Annual Cannabis Cup with Jefferson Starship

2006-07-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Miracles - Jefferson Starship Music Video

A great live performance by Jefferson Starship at the 13th Annual Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam.

Jon and Marijuana

2006-07-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

Jon and Marijuana

A funny clip from the recent airing of The Daily Show.

We have a kitchen!?

2006-07-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

Homer: We have a kitchen?!

This is Homer Simpson on ganja.

DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Stores Again...

2006-07-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Once again during the week the DEA has raided San Diego Medical Marijuana shops.

Click here to read about how demonstrators are fighting back.

Shhh - Fools In Love

2006-07-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Shhh - Fools In Love

Another music video for the day that was just added to YouTube.

The music video for the song "Fools In Love" by Shhh. Featuring footage from the 1938 classic 'Reefer Madness'.

Hashish - The Drug of a Nation

2006-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hashish - The Drug of a Nation

A very cool foreign music video

Good News for Arkansas

2006-07-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

MARIJUANA GROUP TRYING TO GET TWO ISSUES ON BALLOT
by Trish Hollenbeck, Northwest Arkansas Times, (Source:Northwest Arkansas Times)
07 Jul 2006

Arkansas
-------
Members of a group who support medical use of marijuana and making enforcement of marijuana laws a low priority by local police conducted a press conference Thursday in front of the Fayetteville Town Center.

Luke Vinze, a representative with Fairness for Fayetteville, gave a presentation of the organization's goals during the conference. There were a handful of people attending.

The group is circulating two local initiatives: one to allow doctors to recommend the use of medical marijuana for seriously ill patients, and another to make adult misdemeanor marijuana possession a lower priority for the city's police. Vinze said 5,000 signatures are needed for each petition to be put on the ballot, and the group has so far collected at least 1,000 signatures for each petition. There is a September deadline.

The group, Vinze said, will probably be set up each Saturday on the Fayetteville downtown Square to try to collect signatures.

"These are both very controversial issues and each side has its pros and cons," Vinze said.

The group's goal, he said, is to open the subject up to debate.

The proposal on medical marijuana would allow seriously ill patients who obtain a physician's recommendation to use medical marijuana without penalty. It would also allow physicians to recommend medical use of marijuana to a person who is seriously ill, without fear of prosecution.

The low priority initiative would make violent and property crimes a higher priority for law enforcement than an adult misdemeanor marijuana possession.

As a medicine, Vinze said, marijuana is routinely used to treat multiple sclerosis, AIDS, the effects of chemotherapy, epilepsy and glaucoma, among others.

Twelve states, he said, have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana and results have been successful.

There is a synthetic use of marijuana regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in pill form and prescribed by thousands of physicians, Vinze said. It is called marinol. While it works for some patients, he said, it lacks several therapeutic compounds and is more psychoactive than natural cannabis.

Twelve states, he said, have passed legislation similar to a low-priority initiative and marijuana has not been shown to increase in use.

Ryan Denham, president of the organization, wrote in an e-mail that the medical petition simply says that a doctor is allowed to recommend the use of marijuana, not prescribe it.

The low priority petition, he said, states that marijuana is the lowest priority in the city of Fayetteville, but it would not change any fines.

"Arkansas is not a home rule' state, which means we are not allowed to pass laws in a municipality or county that contradict state code. So instead of lowering the fines, we said that adult misdemeanor offenses are the lowest priority, and also limited Fayetteville's budgetary process to not allow any money to be spent to enforce state or federal marijuana laws, " he stated.

Columbia, Mo., he said, passed similar petitions, even though there is a state law that states that marijuana is illegal.

Tommy Chong 'Marijuana Martyr'

2006-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

MARIJUANA MARTYR
by Mark Leiren-Young, (Source:Georgia Straight)
06 Jul 2006

Ontario
-------
TORONTO--It wasn't the marijuana that made Tommy Chong paranoid. It was the jail time. The world's most famous stoner figures he was busted by the U.S. government for being the world's most famous stoner.

When half of the counterculture comedy duo Cheech & Chong had his Los Angeles--area home raided by the DEA in 2003, his first response beat the late-night comics to the inevitable punch line. Asked if there were any drugs on the premises, he replied, "Of course--I'm Tommy Chong."

A/K/A Tommy Chong, Josh Gilbert's documentary about the comedian's trial and transformation into marijuana martyr and reluctant activist is more chilling than funny as it looks at the lengths the U.S. government went to set the comedian up and send him to jail.

Chong, wife Shelby, and their friend and video biographer Josh Gilbert, are sharing a couch in a corner of the bar at the Hotel InterContinental at the Toronto International Film Festival, and when they hear I'm from the Georgia Straight they smile like I'm a long-lost B.C. bud.

Chong drawls the name and laughs like he's about to launch into a routine. Shelby turns to him and asks, "Didn't Cheech try to get a job writing for them when he came to Vancouver?" Then she turns to me to make sure I know she and her husband are both from Vancouver and share a few stories about running nightclubs in the '60s before we talk about the movie.

The first shock to anyone who followed Chong's case is that he didn't go to jail over drugs: he was busted for selling bongs to states where they're illegal. It was less like charging Al Capone with tax evasion than nailing him for spitting on the sidewalk. Or going into Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction and finding um, whatever it was they found.

In A/K/A Tommy Chong ( playing Friday to Thursday [July 7 to 13] at the Vancity Theatre ), Tommy says prison changed him but doesn't talk much about how. When I ask in person, he starts with the standup response: "I saw God in prison. They say when you go to prison you will find God. And I found Him. Unfortunately, I left Him in prison."

We all laugh as he continues the riff. "He's still in prison. Well, they need Him in there. And God's a stoner. It changed me; it made me more humble. In fact, I'm the most humblest guy you'll ever meet. You can't get any more fucking humble than me."

Shelby's continues with: "It made him better-looking, as you can see in the movie--before and after. That shows you what no drinking and a lot of sleep does for you."

Chong chimes in that it made him "more needy".

Shelby grins at him and doesn't miss a beat. "No, you always were needy." They both laugh, then Shelby stops laughing, her smile vanishes, and she switches gears. "I think it changes how we feel about America. That anybody can come and do whatever they want to you, it made us much more fearful."

Chong nods. "Well, yeah, we're rape victims basically."

"Yeah," says Shelby. "And we're paranoid. I'm a lot more paranoid now."

She and Chong share a look. Chong's case is full of ironies. A much bigger one was that he wasn't actually directly connected to the crime he was charged with.

Says Tommy: "First of all, it was my son's company. So he was the one that actually committed the crime, his company."

Then Shelby adds: "But I signed the cheque for the company."

"She signed a cheque," says Tommy with a sigh.

"So that means that I " and Shelby's voice trails off.

"That she was part of the conspiracy," says Tommy. "I was actually the only one that could have walked because there was no paper on me."

That gets to the biggest irony. Chong pleaded guilty to a crime he wasn't involved with in exchange for his wife and son's freedom. Says Gilbert: "When this was happening to him and when they were holding his wife and his son's freedom hostage and weren't allowing him to speak about what was going on I said: 'I'll speak for you. This story needs to be told.' I was infuriated."

The Chongs say they considered moving home to Canada after Tommy's stint in jail but decided there was no point. "Look at Marc Emery and the seeds," says Tommy. "You can run, but you can't hide from these guys. If they wanna getcha, they getcha. I figured out if they wanted to off me, they would off me."

Gilbert was given almost complete access to the Chongs' life during the trial and jail term--but he'd had plenty of access before that too. They'd been friends for almost 15 years, meeting when Chong was working on Far Out Man.

"One of my quirks is that I collect weird but talented people, like Cheech," says the comedian. "Cheech was up in Canada, dodging the draft and delivering carpets for a living and we met--it was like a very cosmic meeting. Josh, it was the same thing. I met Josh at a film company that we did a film with."

Tommy's most cosmic connection, though, has been with Shelby. He was playing in a band in White Rock when he first saw her. He almost blushes as he says, "When she walked in, my heart and my mouth fell open. I was literally stunned."

Shelby's eyes are locked on his as she adds, almost under her breath, "and he got me, and he got me."

"It took a lot of years," Chong says. "But what happened--we became friends. Because I was married, we were just friends. I owned a nightclub and her and her sister couldn't get into any other nightclub and we were friends for years and the friendship just developed."

Shelby continues the story. "He was so crazy. I liked him because he was as crazy as me."

They both laugh before Chong adds: "She's always been my guiding brain. I could be as crazy as I wanna be because she would encourage me."

Then Shelby laughs again. "Yeah. Look where it ended up. You went right to jail."

Hooked

2006-07-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hooked - Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way (Vol. 1)

A History Channel Special

420 Revolution

2006-07-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

420Revolution

A cool little music video that was uploaded recently

Nice seeing pictures of pro marijuana movements

July 4 Smoke-In Goes Patriotic!

2006-07-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

July 4 Smoke-In Goes Patriotic!

What is more patriotic than Uncle Sam smoking a blunt?

How to Avoid being Arrested by Cops

2006-07-05T13:25:00.000-07:00


A must see video Know your rights and learn how to not to get arrested Watching this video and knowing my rights has saved my ass in numerous situations

Girls Gone Weed Wish You a Happy 4th!

2006-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

The girls from The ggdub gang wishes you a happy 4th!

If you don't know who these girls are or what they are for, I'll make a post later this week because I'm getting ready to have a good day for my 4th.

Time to Get High for 4th of July!

2006-07-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Every one have a good day and toke up and watch things explode

I'm pleased to see that the American Flag will fly free this weekend, narrowly escaping Congress' attempt to cage it and make it subservient to their political agendas.

Take a moment to remember what July 4th is about.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence did the founders say that they were doing this in order to form a powerful and unaccountable central administration. Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence did the founders say that this was necessary to prevent the cultivation and consumption of a plant. Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence did the founders say that they were doing this in order to lock up millions of nonviolent American citizens, or to give police the power of storming into and ransacking your house in the middle of the night.

Independence Day is not a celebration of military victory. It is about deciding to be free, and declaring to the world the importance of that freedom -- freedom from tyranny. But it's a decision that must be reaffirmed constantly, or tyranny will infiltrate and proliferate.

Reaffirm now.

This excellent peice of writing from the Drug WarRant.

Weed Harmless?

2006-07-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I have flooded the day with videos but this is the last one. This is a very creative flash "DVD" that spoofs the anti-marijuana commercials on TV.

Check it out by clicking here.

Reefer Madness Parody

2006-07-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Reefer Madness Parody

An hilarious parody done by That 70's Show.

If you haven't seen the original Reefer Madness click here to watch it

Even Stephen-Medical Marijuana

2006-07-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show - Medical Marijuana

I remember seeing this episode when it originally aired back in 2001.

A classic and humorous clip of two Stephens debating Medical Marijuana

Moms Know Better

2006-07-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

http://denverpost.com/search/ci_3986708
Source: Denver Post
Article Launched: 06/28/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT

One soccer mom's take on the drug war
By Jessica Peck Corry

I hope my daughter will never smoke marijuana. Regardless of whether she does one day, I know one thing for sure: Keeping it illegal can only harm her future.

Since 1998, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has spent more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars on twin advertising campaigns seeking to discourage marijuana use. The first speaks to parents, calling them the "Anti-Drug." It fails before it begins. Good parents are going to talk to their children about drugs. All the feel-good ads in the world aren't going to get indifferent parents to engage in such an awkward but essential dialogue.

The second campaign fails as well. In these, youthful but sophisticated graphics tell kids not to use marijuana. If there is one sure way to get adolescents to smoke pot, tell them that the government and their parents don't want them to. In fact, a recently published national study indicates that after viewing commercials for this campaign, young people were more likely to exhibit positive responses about the drug.

Politicians whisper quietly behind closed doors about the insanity of the drug war. Neither party, however, has had the courage to take a stand against prohibition publicly. Just imagine if the $2 billion invested in these ads - or the billions more spent prosecuting peaceful marijuana users every year - had been diverted instead into tuition grants for needy students or back to taxpaying parents who could directly invest in college funds.

Earlier this year, many Colorado Republicans - myself included - expressed outrage against a new statewide smoking ban, saying it runs contrary to our American ethos of individual rights, private property rights, and personal responsibility. But where is the GOP's outrage now as the government spends billions to tell people they can't make the decision to use marijuana, a drug proven to be less harmful than cigarettes?

Democrats are no less guilty. They silently watch as our government's addiction to prohibition becomes a national epidemic, taking money out of the pockets of working families and sending thousands behind bars every year.

Both parties do nothing because they believe in the same urban myth. They know they must get the "soccer mom" vote if they want to win, but they are confused on how to achieve this. Their logic goes like this: Moms don't like drugs. Moms don't want their kids to use drugs. Do not advocate legalization or decriminalization if you want moms to vote for your party.

This strategy is tied to reliable studies demonstrating that women are now the decisionmakers

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in most American families. Just as mom decides which brand of toilet paper to buy for her family, she increasingly plays decisionmaker when it comes to voting. Democrats and Republicans alike believe they would gain nothing by advocating an end to prohibition, but both have failed to consider that they might just gain votes if they could learn to speak to mothers about drugs in a way that they could relate to.

Parents across America are trying to find a way to fund college. By legalizing marijuana, taxing it, and turning this revenue into college scholarships and treatment programs, the future of every child could be just a little bit brighter.

Compare this with the system we have now. Marijuana prohibition, violated by millions every year, has become the laughing stock of American public policy. Kids have seen first-hand that it's not as damaging as they've been led to believe. In the process, they begin to believe that some laws aren't meant to be obeyed. This is by far prohibition's most damaging side effect and only makes the job of being a mom that much tougher.

When I sit my daughter down to talk about marijuana, I'm not going to sugar-coat the facts. Marijuana can be addictive and destructive - just as alcohol can be - when abused. I'm going to let her know that life is exciting enough without turning to drugs for fun. She will learn that every law should be respected and that she should work to change those she believes are unjust.

At the end of the day, our government knows it cannot enforce marijuana prohibition. In the absence of being able to do so, it sends the damaging message to our young people that marijuana should be illegal simply because "I'm the government, and I said so." Moms know better - and may ultimately be the single key to bringing sanity back to American drug policy.

Jessica Peck Corry (Jessica@i2i.org) is a public policy analyst with the Independence Institute, where she specializes in civil rights, higher education, and land use policy.

LEAP Promo video Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

2006-07-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of the best videos regarding the drug policy in America. If you have any interest on the drug policy in America, then you MUST watch this video!


A common sense argument against the drug war. Made by former drug-warriors. In 4 years LEAP has gone from 5 members to over 5,000 asking for and end to the drug war.. Talks about the downfalls of the drug war and the harm it does. Calls the drug war what it is Prohibition and we all know prohibition doesn't work. Additional search terms drugs legalize cops marijuana 420 norml

Get Arrested For Having Cancer?

2006-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

A big vote went down in Congress this week regarding the prosecution of Medical Marijuana patients. Millions of cancer and AIDS patients are still able to get prosecuted by federal agents. I haven't been able to post it in this blog yet though because I have had a lot going for me these past few days, but it is all cleared up now.

Anyways, instead of writing my own. Check out this excellent piece written for I'm not paranoid, it's true.

Its a great piece with a great video. Check it out and I'll make sure to keep you up to date from now on :)