Update 6/21/2013: Well, it seems the small success that hemp advocates saw yesterday was short lived. The House rejected the farm bill with the hemp amendment that would have allowed for universities to grow and study the plant.
Not only that, but it seems it was purely symbolic, considering Colorado Rep. Jared Polis – who sponsored the amendment – ended up voting against the farm bill as a whole. Don’t you just love the American government system sometimes?
As if making criminals out of marijuana users and growers wasn’t bad enough, Now we’ve got people becoming criminals for making fake marijuana in their home thanks to the prohibition of the real thing. The Dallas Observer has the full story of Mohsin Zia, a 24-year-old Iving, Texas man, who allegedly burned down his apartment complex – including the units and possessions of 56 of his neighbors – while trying to make synthetic pot out of items he discovered in online forums.
While outrageous, it’s actually just another sad example of why this war on a plant is such a failed endeavor.
Tony Green clearly has a good heart. Sadly, the Michigan Supreme Court doesn’t see it that way.
After Green was arrested for giving the legal 2.5 ounces of marijuana allowed by the state’s medical marijuana code to a fellow patient, a court of appeals tossed out his case saying the transfer was legal. But now the State Supreme court has ordered the charges reinstated and says Green was illegally distributing marijuana. The move could have some far-reaching effects.
There are studies that suggest medical marijuana can reduce pain and even prevent suicide.
So if doctors in California can recommend it for adults, shouldn’t they be able to encourage it for teens? Researchers at the Mayo Clinic just say no in an opinion published this week: The clinic says cannabis is an “increasingly available option” for teenagers with chronic pain that doctors and parents should “avoid.” Of course, the study also claims pot causes pain. So you might want to take the results with a grain of THC. L.A. Weekly has the rest.
| Miley Cyrus from Wikimedia.commons |
Marijuana is safer than alcohol. It’s an idea so easy to understand, that even vapid pop music stars understand it.
Mile Cyrus, famous at one time for being a ‘tween sensation superstar and now just famous for being famous, tells Rolling Stone that she’s seen too many people burn out on booze – but that potheads she knows never seem to go down that road.
Police say a Hispanic man was shot and killed in a field of hundreds of marijuana plants sometime over the weekend after discovering his body Monday.
A relative of the man phoned police to report the shooting, according to the Ukia Daily Journal, which broke the story.
According to Mexican news sources, members of the Party of the Democratic Revolution are drafting laws that would allow people to cultivate cannabis at home, smoke it at specific clubs and bars and possess up to 25 grams.
Currently, possession of up to five grams of cannabis is decriminalized in Mexico along with small amounts of other drugs like LSD and cocaine.
| New Hampshire state house. |
The New Hampshire House and Senate both approved medical marijuana bills this past session, but the differences between the two proposals were big enough that the two legislative bodies were forced to hammer out their differences in a joint committee.
And from the latest reports, it seems they’ve reached a compromise.
Later today, the Colorado Attorney General’s office will formally release a 71-count indictment targeting businessman Conley Hoskins and eleven others with defrauding investors who wanted to cash in on the state’s booming medical marijuana industry.
Denver Westword got an early look at the document, which should be released shortly. It details what prosecutors believe was a complex plot involving Jane Medicals, whose website notes locations in Denver and Lakewood. Click over to the Latest Word blog for more.
| You shouldn’t be buying shitty bongs like this anyway. |
Starting July 1, Florida residents won’t be able to buy bongs. Instead, you’ll have to purchase water pipes for tobacco use only (nudge-nudge, wink-wink).
Gov. Rick Scott signed the ban into law June 5, though it’s significantly less restrictive than originally proposed by former crack-addict Rep. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg.