Photo by Steve Elliott
The book is Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine by the great Dr. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School.
The bud is Seattle City Lights by The Healing Center Organization in THC-attle.
Yearly Archives: 2011
| Photo: GoldenGatePark.com |
| San Francisco’s 4-20 celebration typically culminates in Golden Gate Park at Hippie Hill. But this year President Obama’s gonna be in town… |
By Jack RikessToke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
“They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy. She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me. I can’t help it if I’m lucky.” ~ Bob Dylan
I never planned on seeing the Beatles. It wasn’t my fault they didn’t sell out when they played St. Paul, Minnesota in 1965 and literally had to give away seats.
I’m sure if my Dad had to pay for tickets, my babysitter, a neighbor who had a driver’s license and one of his pals, would never have made it to Met Stadium that summer’s night to see one of the crowning events of my life.
The same could be said for Burning Man. I was just going to a bonfire. I never plan on being a part of something.
| Photo: BakedLife.com |
Police in Florence, Alabama say a woman was arrested after her newborn baby tested positive for having marijuana in her system.
Jennifer Lynn Sopanos, 35, of Florence, was charged with “chemical endangerment of a child,” reports The Associated Press.
Sopanos’ baby boy was born March 16 at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital. Police claim the baby tested positive for THC, a principal psychoactive in cannabis. The mother also tested positive, according to Keith Johnson, a police detective.
Sopanos has denied using marijuana in her pregnancy, according to Johnson. She said the positive test was due to second-hand cannabis smoke.
Exactly how Sopanos would be “chemically endangering” her child is far from clear, since according to the best scientific research available, marijuana use by pregnant woman may actually reduce infant mortality.
| Graphic: Medical Marijuana Blog |
Medical marijuana is still legal in Montana.
Governor Brian Schweitzer has vetoed a Republican bill that would have repealed the state’s medical marijuana law, approved by an overwhelming 62 percent of state voters in 2004.
Schweitzer vetoed the bill on Wednesday, along with several others he called “frivolous, unconstitutional or in direct contradiction to the expressed will of the people of Montana, “reports The Associated Press.
Montana now has more than 28,000 registered medical marijuana patients.
| Photo: Matt Mernagh |
| The case was brought by prominent Canadian cannabis activist, patient and writer Matt Mernagh, above, a contributor to Toke of the Town. |
An Ontario court has struck down Canada’s marijuana laws. The court struck down laws against possessing and growing cannabis as part of a ruling that found the country’s medical marijuana program is failing to provide access to the herb for patients who need it.
BUT. (And don’t you hate this?) That doesn’t mean smoking pot is legal yet, reports Adrian Morrow at The Globe and Mail. The federal government now has three months to launch an appeal or change its regulations to fix the problems identified by the court.
Justice Donald Taliano of the Ontario Superior Court struck down the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, arguing they aren’t doing enough to ensure patients can obtain permission to use cannabis.
| Photo: G. Creighton/10 News |
| Five medical marijuana activists including San Diego ASA’s Eugene Davidovich (closest to camera) were arrested at Tuesday’s City Council meeting |
Five medical marijuana activists staged a 45-minute sit-in Tuesday in the San Diego City Council chambers, protesting the final passage of a local medicinal cannabis ordinance which advocates say imposes a citywide de facto ban on collectives.
The set of strict zoning and public safety regulations for the dispensaries was passed on second reading by the Council, with no changes to what was approved the first time around, reports 10 News.
Passage came on a pair of 5-2 votes, despite vocal opposition among audience members who opposed the stringent regulations.
During the hearing, members of the “Stop the Ban Campaign” — a coalition of more than 20 local, state and national groups spearheaded by Canvass for a Cause and the San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) — repeatedly chanted “We demand safe access,” disrupting the session, forcing the council to clear the chambers, and postponing a critical vote on the ordinance.
| Photo: Dallas/Fort Worth NORML |
| Danielle Farley, chapter president, University of North Texas NORML, Denton, Texas |
There was an unusual sight on the University of North Texas campus recently — a “marijuana dispensary” staffed by members of UNT NORML.
Habitat for Humanity held their annual “Shak-a-Thon” on the UNT lawn campus again this year, and UNT NORML proudly displayed their dispensary while several students lived in it during the length of the event, a three-day, two-night sleep-out fundraiser to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Passersby donated to the shack they enjoyed the most — and whichever shack raises the most money wins.
“It was also a particularly poignant event for us, because we were trying top raise awareness about the housing policy,” said Danielle Farley, president of UNT NORML. “Kicking a student out of the dorms for marijuana possession with little or no notice could land them in a cardboard shack much like ours.”
| Graphic: The Truth Source |
Welcome to Room 420, where your instructor is Mr. Ron Marczyk and your subjects are wellness, disease prevention, self actualization, and chillin’.Worth Repeating
By Ron Marczyk, R.N.
Health Education Teacher (Retired)
The quote below, from a news release, is a political statement that is based on incomplete and biased science. Remember, once science is politicized, it is no longer science.
“No sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.”
Not true! An overwhelming number of studies exist to firmly support cannabis as all-purpose medicine and very possibly a strong candidate as a cure for cancer as was originally reported by the National Cancer Institute.
There has never been a single documented primary human fatality from overdosing on cannabis in its natural form in any amount. How’s that for safety!
| Customs and Border Protection |
| CBP officials proudly released this grainy photo of the compressed bales of low-grade marijuana they took from a 74-year-old man on Saturday. |
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have arrested a 74-year-old Albuquerque, New Mexico man who they claim attempted to smuggle 172 pounds of marijuana across the El Paso port of entry from Mexico.
The bust happened Saturday at about 12:34 p.m. at the Bridge of the Americas international crossing, reports Kurt Christopher at KOB.com. A 1989 Chevrolet Scottsdale 1500 pickup was pulled from the line for inspection and CBP drug sniffing dog “Frankie” alert to the gas tank of the vehicle.
CBP officers found two large compressed bales concealed in metal containers in the gas trunk. The contents of the bales tested positive for marijuana.
Well, at least that’s some more shitty, gasoline-smelling weed we won’t have to smoke.
| Photo: Education News Colorado |
| Rep. Tom Massey: “It’s not going to go away. It’s a legitimate business in Colorado.” |
Colorado lawmakers on Monday debated and rejected a plan for the state to back an investment bank for the medical marijuana business. The plan would have meant the state was taking a more active role in the financing of medicinal cannabis dispensaries.
As part of a bill to tweak regulations for the medical marijuana industry, state Rep. Tom Massey (R-Poncha Springs) proposed an amendment to create investment trusts for dispensaries, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. The state Department of Revenue would have overseen the trusts and set up the rules for them.