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DA Ogg, Police Leaders Announce Landmark Marijuana Diversion Program

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By on News

District Attorney Kim Ogg and heads of local law enforcement announced Thursday that, starting March 1, all police agencies in Harris County will no longer arrest people caught with four ounces or less of marijuana, and the DA’s office will no longer be prosecuting those cases.

The remarkable move, which Ogg had championed throughout her 2016 campaign, pushes the third largest county in the nation to the forefront of marijuana reform in places where it is still illegal. Harris County will join only the Brooklyn County District Attorney’s Office in New York in choosing to divert misdemeanor marijuana defendants away from jail entirely, saving taxpayers millions of dollars and saving thousands of people the lifelong burden of a criminal record. Here are the details.

Sheriff-Elect Gonzalez and DA-Elect Ogg: The Start of a Beautiful Friendship?

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By on Legalize It, News

It’s looking like the start of a beautiful friendship between the next Harris County sheriff and district attorney — or however else you want to put that in criminal-justice speak.

DA-elect Kim Ogg has pushed decriminalizing misdemeanor amounts of marijuana for the past two years and will finally have the chance to implement it come January 1 — but the proposal likely will come to hold more weight given Ogg is far from the lone reformer trying to change the criminal-justice landscape in Harris County. Sheriff-elect Ed Gonzalez has publicly pushed for the end to arresting people for possessing small amounts of marijuana, too. And with the two foremost law enforcement officers in the third-largest county in the nation gunning for what is bound to be a sweeping reform, Houston NORML Communications Director Jason Miller says the message this will send across the state and even the country will no doubt be significant.

Here’s what they plan to do.

Marijuana Suspect’s Daughter Asks Willie Nelson For Help

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By on Dispensaries, News

Photo: Jessica Vogel-Laberdee
Jessica Vogel-Laberdee: “We need the voice of a great man like yourself to speak out about the unjustice that my dad is facing”

​The daughter of a Spokane, Washington medical marijuana dispensary operator recently indicted in federal court is calling on legendary country singer and cannabis advocate Willie Nelson for help.

In an email to the Spokane Spokesman Review, Jessica Vogel-Laberdee asks Nelson, who plays locally at Northern Quest Casino on Sunday, “to speak out about the unjustice that my dad is facing.”
“I am aware that you owe us nothing, and doing this would be a gesture that would fulfill only my wildest dreams,” Vogel-Laberdee wrote, “but I am sending you this because there is a chance that you will step into my dad’s shoes (if only for a moment) and decide to take action.”
Nelson is on vacation and is unavailable for comment, according to his publicist. Willie’s had a few pot-related legal hassles of his own, with a judge recently rejecting a proposed plea bargain that would have resolved a misdemeanor marijuana possession case with a fine.
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Hemp Hop Rye Debuts: You Know You Want Some!

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By on Culture, Products

Photo: Dave Nelson/The Riverfront Times
Dude, I am sooooo thirsty.

​The latest beer from O’Fallon Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, sounds really tempting: Hemp Hop Rye. The bottled beer is “an amber ale brewed with both toasted hemp seeds and rye,” according to Tony Caradonna, president of O’Fallon, reports Dave Nelson of Riverfront Times.

“Hemp is a botanical cousin to hops and we use one that’s grown organically,” Head Brewer Brian Owens said. “It’s extremely nutritious and adds a wonderful nutty flavor in the finish. It’s a perfect complement to the rye and to the Cascade, Hallertauer and Summit hops in the beer.”

The recipe, concocted by Owens, includes three kinds of malted barley, two types of rye, the aforementioned three varieties of hops and of course my personal favorite ingredient, toasted hemp seeds. Rye isn’t a traditional brewing ingredient — it has been used more often in distilling whiskey — but it is gaining popularity with specialty brewers for its unique spiciness, Nelson reports.
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