Yearly Archives: 2011

OR Medical Marijuana Patients Protest Proposed Restrictions

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 Legislation, Medical

About 60 medical marijuana advocates gathered Wednesday at the Oregon Capitol to demonstrate against proposed legislation that would tighten restrictions on the state’s medical marijuana program.

Medical marijuana activists demonstrated at the Oregon Capitol on Wednesday, protesting proposed legislation that would put new restrictions on medicinal cannabis in the state.

A rally on the Capitol steps drew about 60 protestors, some holding signs reading “Cannabis Is My Friend” and “Don’t Tread On Medicine,” reports Alan Gustafson at the Statesman Journal.

Demonstrators registered their opposition to a flurry of new bills introduced in the 2011 legislative session seeking to narrow participation or enact other changes in the state’s medical marijuana program, established after voters approved the legalization of medicinal cannabis in 1998.

The Fumo Pipe: Cool Hits And Push-Button Convenience

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Products

Photo: Smoke Out Family

The innovative Fumo Pipe combines characteristics of a pipe, a steamroller, and a bong.

The Fumo Pipe is an innovative smoking device. You light it like a pipe, and push the button on top to clear the smoke like a steamroller.

Smoke is cooled within the billet body, which the makers say is a natural heat sink, and you can fill the chamber to the volume you desire. Push the button on the pipe to close off the bowl, and a rush of fresh air comes through and clears the chamber.

For serious smokers who want more volume than is provided by the standard 3-inch tube chamber, massive smoke volume capability is available with your choice of 6-, 9-, or 12-inch upgrades. The 6-inch tube chamber is $16, the 9-inch is $18, or if you want to go all in, the 12-inch upgrade tube chamber is $23. Replacement 3-inch chambers are also available for $14.

Michigan And Montana Voters Still Support Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Medical, News

Graphic: Potspot 411

Amid a push in Montana to repeal the state’s medical marijuana law and litigation related to some aspects of Michigan’s law, new polls show that voters in both states still overwhelmingly support allowing patients to use medical marijuana with doctors’ recommendations.

In Montana on Monday, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the state’s 2004 voter-enacted law. Meanwhile, the state Senate is considering legislation to further regulate the distribution and cultivation of marijuana in the state.

These poll results show that voters want to work with their state legislatures to ensure access to medical marijuana is protected, and any problems that arise are addressed in a rational manner through regulation, according to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Science Proves What You Already Know: Pot Causes Munchies

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Geobent

The study’s results won’t come as a surprise to these Seattle medical marijuana activists, pictured here marching on May 2, 2009.

Sure, you may think it’s pretty well-established that marijuana gives you the munchies. But it isn’t official until rigorous double-blind medical studies prove it, and now that’s happened as well.

A new Canadian study from the University of Alberta has found that small doses of an active ingredient in cannabis, THC, boost the appetites of terminal cancer patients, reports the Los Angeles Times.

There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence concerning pot and hunger, and researcher Prof. Wendy Wismer said she realizes that. But she defended her pilot study as being the first to be conducted under strict controls, and as such, the results are a valuable tool for researchers.

People with advanced cancer said food tasted better when they took THC compared with placebo sugar pills, the study showed, CBC News reports. Cancer patients commonly report decreased appetite and changes in their senses of taste and smell that can lead to weight loss and decreased survival. Thus marijuana-induced munchies can save lives by making food taste and smell better.

Poll: 72% Of Maryland Voters Support Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Cannabis Fantastic

An overwhelming majority of Maryland voters — 72 percent — support medical marijuana. Maybe it’s time for the politicians to catch up.

A new poll shows broad, overwhelming support for a bill that would make Maryland the 16th state to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. When asked if they supported the bill, 72 percent said yes, with just 21 percent opposed and 7 percent undecided.

The survey informed voters of a bill pending in the Legislature that would allow patients with multiple sclerosis, cancer, debilitating pain, and other serious conditions to use marijuana with their doctors’ approval.

“I’m certainly pleased by the poll, but frankly, these numbers don’t surprise me,” said the bill’s sponsor, Del. Dan Morhaim, the only licensed physician in the Maryland General Assembly. “There’s a strong consensus among medical and scientific professionals that marijuana can relieve the suffering of those with certain serious illnesses, and there’s nothing controversial about relieving suffering. That’s what this bill is about.”

What The Heck Is Up With This Marijuana Leaf, Anyway?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2011 Culture, Growing

Photo: Discovery Health

What the hell is that bud doing at the base of those leaf blades?

Ever since I started writing about marijuana, every time I look for related images online I keep running across a pot leaf photo that just doesn’t make sense.

Unfortunately, it seems to be one of the most popular “marijuana” photos on the web, and, in fact, is the top result for a Google image search on the term “marijuana.” Annoyingly, it’s also the top image result for “marijuana leaf.”

But there’s something just wrong looking about that leaf, and it doesn’t take long to figure out why.

This photo — which Discovery Health says it sourced from Marijuana.com — seems to show what looks like a female cannabis flower coming out the base of a marijuana leaf, where the leaf blades meet the leaf stem.

Now, I know Marijuana.com isn’t known as the best place for accurate weed info. In fact, it’s covered with those maddening “fake marijuana” ads for “legal buds.” But are they really the source of this photo? I’ve not been able to find it on the site.

IRS Auditing California Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Eric Wolfe

Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center, Oakland’s largest medical marijuana dispensary, looks over a marijuana display case

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is auditing medical marijuana dispensaries in California, with advocates calling for a change in federal tax laws.

The sale of medical marijuana from nonprofit dispensaries is legal under California law, but possession, cultivation or sale of cannabis for any purpose is illegal under federal law. Patient collectives in California say there is a problem because of the way they are being treated by the IRS, reports CNN.

The problem is federal tax code 280-E, which does not allow “drug trafficking organizations” to deduct business expenses.

“If 280-E were applied strictly, we would not be allowed to deduct our rent, our payroll or any of the other normal and usual expenses that other businesses deduct,” said Steve DeAngelo of Harborside Health Center, one of the biggest Bay Area dispensaries.

California Bill Would Keep Marijuana Growers Out Of Prison

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2011 Growing, Legislation

Photo: Stuff Stoners Like

Legislation to keep Californians convicted of illegal marijuana cultivation out of state prisons has been introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco).

Assembly Bill 1017 would set a maximum sentence of one year in county jail for people convicted of illegal cultivation, reports Peter Hecht at The Sacramento Bee. Current California law regards cannabis growing as a felony, with up to three years in state prison, and even stiffer sentences if the cultivation is connected to illegal sales or trafficking.

The bill would also make it easier for non-medical marijuana growers to be charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony, according to Ammiano’s spokesman, Quintin Mecke. “It will make everything a wobbler,” Mecke said.

76% Of Montanans Oppose Medical Marijuana Repeal: Poll

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2011 Medical, News

Graphic: The Weed Blog

The Montana Legislature is on the verge of re-criminalizing thousands of medical marijuana patients in one fell swoop, but the citizens of the state do not support such a move.

A statewide poll released on Tuesday indicates that a big majority of adult Montanans — 76 percent — oppose repeal of the state’s medical marijuana law. Sixty-three percent still support allowing medical marijuana with strict new regulations, while others believe no changes are needed to the law. In stark contrast, very few — only about 20 percent — support repeal of the state’s compassionate Medical Marijuana Program.

The results are particularly striking because they fly in the face of Republican claims that voters somehow “regret” legalizing medical cannabis, or that they were somehow “misled” in doing so.

International Hash Fair Planned; Denmark Police Appalled

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 21, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Grarup Jan

The first International Hash Fair is being planned for this summer in Denmark, but local police are reportedly appalled at the idea, claiming it will result in an “increase in the number of hash and skunk laboratories.”

Organizers are well-advanced with their plans to hold the hash fair June 24-26 in the country’s second-largest city, Aarhus, reports Politiken.dk. Guests from Denmark and abroad are being invited to study and buy products including fertilizer, grow lights (which a clueless press always seems to report as “heat lamps”), and smoking pipes.

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