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Search Results: norml (529)

Let’s Tell The Truth About Marijuana

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By on Culture

Federal Art Project

​“A weed is a flower, too, once you get to know it.” ~ Eeyore from “Winnie The Pooh”

After 72 years of the debate being controlled by those who’ve made it taboo to even talk honestly on the subject, it’s time to tell the truth about marijuana.
The deck remains stacked, of course, in favor of cannabis prohibition. The reason? Folks who know that marijuana should be legal are often too intimidated to say so — because, until now, speaking cannabis truth has sometimes carried a heavy price.
For years, a few brave medical doctors such as Lester Grinspoon of Harvard have been voices in the wilderness of marijuana prohibition. Their repeated calls for an open and honest debate on the subject have largely fallen on deaf ears.
Until now, when it comes to marijuana, those who know won’t say, and those who say don’t know.
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Holy Smoke! ‘Marijuana Minister’ Sentenced To Two Years Behind Bars

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By on Culture, News

Graphic: Clint JCL

​Self-proclaimed “marijuana minister” Steven Swallick of Brevard County, Fla., was sentenced today to two years in prison.

Swallick, who was arrested in May 2008 after police said they found more than 100 marijuana plants growing in his Palm Bay, Fla., home, says he is the minister of a church called The Hawai’i Cannabis Ministry (THC Ministry).
“Cultivation and enjoyment of Cannabis sacrament is a fundamental human right provided by God and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” THC Ministry says on its website.
Police had testified they found dried marijuana inside Swallick’s oven and in baskets on top of kitchen cabinets.
Rev. Swallick, 53, showed no visible reaction upon his sentencing, according to WFTV. During his testimony in the trial last month, he had worn a white priest collar and a black suit jacket and shirt, with a black cross hanging from a black-beaded necklace.
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New Poll: Majority Of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization

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By on Culture, News

addictionrecoveryhope.com
America has a Marijuana Majority, according to a new poll.

​More than half of adults in the United States are ready to legalize marijuana, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. According to the new poll, 53 per cent of respondents support legalization, while 43 per cent are opposed.

Support for legalization is highest among Democrats at 61 percent. Independents favor legalizing pot with 55 percent, but only 43 percent of Republicans want to legalize.

Less than 10 per cent of respondents support the legalization of other drugs, such as ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

The use of marijuana is illegal in the U.S. except in some regulated cases of medical use in 13 states. The amount allowed for such purposes varies depending on the state. Some states have passed laws to reduce penalties for possession of small, “personal use” amounts of marijuana (“decriminalization”).


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Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol: Mason Tvert And His Mom

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By on Culture, News, Products

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SAFER
Man, I wish I had designed that logo.

​The unstoppable Mason Tvert (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, SAFER) and his really cool mom, Diane — who almost steals the show — both believe marijuana is a safer choice than alcohol.

They got a chance to air their views in this feature story from a Phoenix TV station, which for “balance” also includes an unhappy anti-pot young lady who tries to convince us marijuana is horribly dangerous.
When you get a chance, you really should get the book Mason co-authored with NORML‘s Paul Armentano and MPP‘s Steve Fox. It’s called Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People To Drink?, and it’s a great read.

Marijuana Advocates To Hold Press Conference Before L.A. City Council Hearing Tuesday

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: Damon D’Amato, WAMC
Medical marijuana supporters march on L.A. City Hall in 2007

​Medical marijuana advocacy organization Americans for Safe Access (ASA) will hold a press conference in front of Los Angeles City Hall at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8, in advance of the expected vote on regulating dispensaries in L.A.

The City Council has indicated they might meet in closed session to make final deliberations on an ordinance that would regulate how and where medical marijuana dispensaries can operate in the city.
According to the agenda for Tuesday’s council meeting, the possible closed session is due to “threats of litigation publicly made regarding the adoption of the proposed ordinance. Last month, ASA had threatened to sue the city if it banned the “sale” of medical marijuana.
Tuesday’s meeting will likely be the culmination of a two-year struggle between pro- and anti-medical marijuana forces for dominance in the City of Angels, where City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and like-minded Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley have grabbed headlines by making inflammatory statements like “approximately zero” of the dispensaries in the county are operating legally.
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Oregon: Jack Herer Benefit Event Friday In Portland

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By on Culture, News

Photo: Hemp News
Jack Herer has worked for decades for this community. Let’s show him what we can give back.

​Everyone is invited to a benefit event Friday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Village Ballroom in Portland for hemp legend and author, Jack Herer.

The Village Ballroom is at 700 N.E. Dekum Street. Not so coincidentally, that means it is directly above the Oregon Cannabis Cafe, Oregon NORML’s spiffy new medical marijuana patient resource center that has received an avalanche of publicity since opening last month.
The Herer benefit is organized by The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF), and is co-sponsored by Oregon NORML and Texas-based Waco NORML.
“We are joining together to raise money for Jack Herer, who suffered a heart attack after delivering a passionate speech on stage at the Portland Hempstalk Festival this past September,” said THCF’s Paul Stanford.
Jack is recovering in Eugene, Ore., and making positive strides daily, according to Stanford. “He is a fighter and will surely overcome this obstacle to see the hemp plant restored to its rightful place in society,” Stanford told Toke of the Town.
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Washington State Considering Expanding Medical Marijuana Use

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By on Legislation, Medical, News

Photo: Coaster420
Washington state health officials are considering expanding the categories for which medical marijuana may be used.

​Washington State health officials are on the verge of deciding whether patients suffering from depression or certain anxiety disorders should be allowed to use medical marijuana as part of their treatment, Molly Rosbach at The Seattle Times reports.

Washington’s medical marijuana law, adopted by voter initiative in 1998, limits the legal use of medical marijuana to patients who have been diagnosed with a “terminal or debilitating medical condition.”
That includes patients with cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C and several other diseases causing pain or nausea  “unrelieved by standard medical treatments and conditions.”
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The Great Marijuana Rehab Scam: Feds Say You’re Addicted To Pot, But They’re Addicted To Cash

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By on Culture, News


Wikimedia Commons
Federal pot policy is based on 70-year-old superstitions.

​Why does the U.S. federal government keep pushing outdated lies about marijuana’s health consequences and potential for addiction?

Because it’s a lucrative business, according to Paul Armentano of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
In an op-ed piece over at AlterNet, Armentano, deputy director of NORML, points out that the feds are wasting their time — and your money — researching what must be the Loch Ness Monster of the drug policy world (as in nobody can prove it exists), “marijuana addiction.”
Yes, you read that right. “Marijuana addiction.”
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Cannabis related disorders (CRDs), including cannabis abuse or dependence and cannabis induced disorders (e.g., intoxication, delirium, psychotic disorder, and anxiety disorder) are a major public health issue.”
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CA Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown Says Medical Marijuana Sales Are Illegal

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, News

In a bitter disappointment to supporters of regulated sales of medical marijuana, California Attorney General Jerry Brown has said in a radio interview that all sales of marijuana are illegal, “no matter what.”

Brown told KFI News that he supports the efforts of Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (who’s grabbed a lot of headlines recently with his hardline anti-dispensary stance, infamously saying “approximately zero” of the dispensaries were legal) and L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich (ditto) in going after marijuana dispensaries selling pot to patients.

Photo: Scott Clarkson
AG Jerry Brown: “The dope business”

​”Unfortunately in some communities, Los Angeles in particular, there’s a lot of exploitation and just getting into the, er, drug business, the dope business,” Brown told KFI.
The L.A. City Council, which has seemed disinclined to take the advice of Cooley and Trutanich (much to Cooley’s public chagrin) spent about five hours today hammering out guidelines for their long-awaited, much-amended medical marijuana ordinance.
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