Author Jack Daniel

https://www.facebook.com/nodalmolinvicenza
An Italian anti-war protester, and his ammunition


Besides being home to countless fine restaurants, museums, and theatres, Vicenza, Italy is also the location for U.S. Army Base Del Din and Camp Ederle, home to the U.S. Army Africa, the regional U.S. Army Garrison, and the 173d Airborne Brigade.
In 2004, the U.S. military announced its intention to expand the base to take over a nearby abandoned airport by the name of Dal Molin. Besides some minimal resistance during a change in leadership, the Italian government was on board with the base expansion. It was not until two years later however, in 2006, that the general public was made aware of the Americans’ plans, and a resistance was born.

Photo: Alejandro Mejía Greene/JubiloHaku via Flickr Creative Commons


The Public Safety Committee in the California state legislature shot down AB2500 last week, a bill crafted by Assemblyman Jim Frazier that would have made driving with any trace of THC in your system illegal, and punishable by DUI conviction.
Frazier attempted to lump cannabis in with actual drugs like meth, cocaine, and heroin in a bill that was unreasonably strict, even after Frazier’s original language for it got slashed for being so unjust.


As we predicted when we reported on San Diego’s restrictive new medical marijuana ordinance that was passed back in February of this year, pro-cannabis advocates in the city filed a lawsuit late last week to attempt to stop the new proposal in its tracks.
Earlier in the month of February, Toke of the Town reported that a California judge in Kern County had ruled in favor of cannabis activists who argued that a recently approved and highly restrictive ordinance had created a de facto ban on storefront medical marijuana dispensaries in the region.
Those activists then took it a step further, citing the California Environmental Quality Act, arguing that the new ordinance was literally making people drive too far to get their weed, in turn creating undue amounts of air pollution. Lo and behold, the judge bought it and the ban was lifted.

globalcannabismarch.com


What began in 1999 under the name Million Marijuana March, with events in 30 cities across America, is now, 15 years later, a global initiative for the advocacy of marijuana reform with marches, rallies, and events happening in 160 cities across 35 different countries this Saturday, May 3rd.
These days referred to as the Global Marijuana March (GMM), the multinational event is traditionally held on the first Saturday of each month. New York City, Atlanta, and Boston, along with cities like Toronto and Vancouver in Canada and Mexico City in Mexico, are just a handful of the cities that will be rallying for cannabis on behalf of North America on Saturday. Joining them will be nations from Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and more.


The state of Florida continues to edge closer to passing some sort of reasonable medical marijuana legislation, but not everyone in the state is happy about it. We have been reporting on the totally predictable knee-jerk opposition from the state sheriff’s association, but as the Florida state legislature is beginning to make moves to legitimize the plant for medical needs, anti-cannabis groups have decided to enter the political arena as well.
Drug Free Florida is an anti-marijuana group whose sole purpose is to oppose, and eventually defeat, the amendment scheduled for a vote this November to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Funded by a 6-digit donation from Mel Sembler (a local land developer, former U.S. Ambassador to Italy and Australia, and long-time money bundler for the Republican Party), the group’s ties to the GOP do not end there.

http://www.thc-ministry.org/
Roger Christie, Hawaii’s “Preacher of Pot”


64-year-old Hawaii resident Roger Christie has long been a well-known advocate for medical and recreational marijuana use on the Big Island. As a minister at his own church on Hilo – a quaint little joint by the name of THC Ministries – Christie enjoyed a rapidly growing congregation of over 60,000 followers, to many of whom he provided “sacrament” in the form of cannabis.
On July 8th 2010 though, it all came crashing down as a result of an extensive undercover investigation, leading to the arrest and indictment of 14 people associated with THC Ministries, along with Christie and his wife Share.


Steve Zabawa is a partner of the Rimrock Auto Group, and co-owner of Rimrock Subaru and Rimrock KIA, located right smack dab in the middle of Montana. Billings, Montana, to be exact.
His public Facebook page shows his interests ranging from Mormon universities like BYU, to Mormon athletes like Steve Young, to grossly fabricated “reports” of pot use leading to heart disease and death. His anti-pot social media ranting has a small handful of local prohibitionists in his corner, but has apparently turned his own daughter, and a good portion of his hometown, against him.

Truthout.Org/Flickr


For at least four years, local marijuana activists have fought to have post-traumatic stress disorder added to the list of conditions that can be legally treated with medical marijuana in Colorado — and each time, they’ve failed.
Now, however, advocates are hoping legislation scheduled to be heard by a House committee this week will provide a breakthrough.
Michael Roberts has all of the details about the bill and those it may affect the most, over at Denver Westword

TexTexin/Flickr


Two former Los Angeles County Sherriff’s deputies were charged, booked, and released this week on $50,000 bail a piece, stemming from accusations that they had illegally planted firearms during an alleged bust at a southern California medical marijuana dispensary back in 2011.
Facing charges ranging from obstruction of justice and altering evidence, to perjury and filing false police reports, Julio Cesar Martinez (39) and Anthony Manuel Paez (32) are scheduled to be arraigned later this year, on June 17th. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in state prison.


It isn’t every day that a relatively minor pot bust case makes it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, but on Tuesday the highest court in the land heard and decided on just such a case. Obviously, the implications behind it were much larger than the measly four bags of weed confiscated during a California highway traffic stop way back in 2008.

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