Global

Two-Thirds Of Canadians Favor Pot Legalization Or Decrim: Poll

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 17, 2012 Global, News

Two-thirds of Canadians support legalization or decriminalization of marijuana according to a new poll released on Tuesday, with just 20 percent supporting leaving the pot laws as they are now.

The poll, by Toronto-based Forum Research Inc., showed that British Columbia residents were the most likely to support cannabis law reform, with 73 percent indicating laws should be changed, reports Ian Vandaelle at the National Post. Quebec had the lowest support, although even there, a sizable majority, 61 percent, supported legalization or decrim.

Granny Told Me To Use Marijuana For Ear Problems: African Man

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 17, 2012 Global, Medical, News

Lusaka Times

A Zambian reggae fan smoking marijuana during last May’s Bob Marley memorial concert in Lusaka

A court in the African nation of Zambia has convicted and sentenced a 24-year-old man to six months in prison with hard labor after finding him guilty of marijuana possession.

Magistrate Bathromeo (“Bathromeo”?? Shit, and here I thought “Steve” was a cool name) Kaonga of the Siavonga Magistrates’ Court slapped the sentence on Lucky Shamahoko, who was facing one count of trafficking in a “psychotropic substance” (cannabis) contrary to the laws of Zambia, reports the Lusaka Times.

Lawmaker To Smoke Joint In Poland’s Parliament Friday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 17, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Kacper Pempel/Reuters

MP Janusz Palikot of Palikot’s Movement Party wants to test Poland’s new cannabis decriminalization law — by smoking a joint in Parliament

A Polish lawmaker plans to test his country’s new marijuana decriminalization law — by firing up a joint in Parliament.

MP Janusz Palikot has announced he plans to share a joint in the Parliament building on Friday as part of a campaign to legalize marijuana in Poland.

The ultra-liberal Palikot’s Movement Party will be using civil disobedience to test laws introduced in December that gave prosecutors a choice on whether to charge individuals who are found to be in possession of “soft drugs” for personal use, reports TheNews.pl.

This Just In! Marijuana Works Great For Marijuana Withdrawal!

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 16, 2012 Culture, Global, Medical

Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

For best results, apply more marijuana.

It’s already been a wacky year for marijuana coverage in the mainstream media, and we’re barely more than two weeks deep into 2012.

Already we have three major contenders for Dumbest Pot Story of the Year, which certainly points to an interesting year ahead in the cannabis information wars.

Do we really need a study on the best cure for “cannabis withdrawal”? Do people really choose to use marijuana because they were born with abnormally small brains? And speaking of brains, did you know that THC coats your brain cells and makes it hard for you to think, at least according to a self-appointed “drug expert”/counselor in Colorado?

There’s a lot of rank ignorance out there to wade through, and it ain’t pretty. Let’s put on our hippest hip boots, shall we?

The clear winner, so far, is the impending study from Australia on the efficacy of using… wait for it… cannabis to treat cannabis “withdrawal”!

Canada’s Liberal Party Votes Yes To Legalizing Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 15, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Liberal Party members in Canada voted Sunday morning to make the legalization of marijuana official party policy.

The Liberals are attempting to find a new direction and policies that will resonate with Canadians and help pull it back from the brink, report Lee Berthiaume and Jason Fekete at the National Post.

On Saturday night, delegates at the party’s biennial convention in Ottawa voted to open the party to outsiders by creating a new, free category of membership. They are hoping to revolutionize Canadian politics and help rebuild the Liberal Party.

Irish Doctor: Smoking Marijuana Leads To Beards

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 9, 2012 Global, News

Masalatime

This dude used to be “normal” until he got high on weed. Honest!

From time to time, the drug warriors come up with a real gem of a reason why we should all come to our senses and just stop it, already, with this “using cannabis” nonsense. I mean, come ON. Despite whatever perceived benefits, medical or otherwise, is it worth the huge risks?

“What risks?” you may rightly be asking. “I thought it had been established that it was relatively benign, almost completely non-toxic, and certainly didn’t cause overdoses.” Well, yeah, hippie, those things may be true, but there are other horrors that perhaps you haven’t considered.

I mean the horror of facial hair.

Fortunately, we have the brave and intrepid Dr. Ruairi Hanley, an Irish physician who abundantly proves that Reefer Madness isn’t an exclusively American phenomenon.

It’s Summer In Australia And The Cannabis Is Vegging Out

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 5, 2012 Global, Growing

“Some sativas in Australia doing well,” Moose said of the photo with his typical understatement. I’d have had to put “luscious” in there somewhere.

It’s summertime in Australia, and our friend Moose has given us a crop update, where the pretty sativas are at the height of veg.

In the photo above, Mullumbimby Madness, Oaxacan x Mazar, Mullumbimby Madness x Super Silver Haze, Oaxacan x Super Silver Haze, and Early Mullumbimby Madness plants are flourishing in the summer heat.

Cambodian Anti-Drug Chief Sentenced For Drug Trafficking

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 5, 2012 Global, News

The Phnom Penh Post

Former Cambodian Drug Czar Moek Dara being dragged away to prison by police. (How long until we see Gil Kerlikowske in a similar predicament?)

Who’s gonna watch the watchers? A Cambodian court on Thursday sentenced the former director of the country’s anti-drug agency to life in prison for corruption and narcotics trafficking, according to a court official. The drug czar’s top aide was also given life in prison for good measure.

Moek Dara, who headed the National Authority for Combating Drugs, and his subordinate Chea Leng were found guilty of 32 counts of involvement in drug trafficking, prosecutor Phan Vanarath told AFP, reports Times Live.

Both were also convicted of accepting bribes from drug dealers by the court, located in the northwestern part of Cambodia in the province of Banteay Meanchey. The court is about 190 miles northwest of the nation’s capitol, Phnom Penh.

Laundry Operator Sentenced To Death For Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 27, 2011 Global, News

Cracked

Hemp kills in Malaysia — because hemp rope is what they use to hang you.

A 39-year-old laundry operator in Malaysia was sentenced to death by the High Court there for “trafficking more than 1kg of cannabis last year.”

The prosecution had proven its case against Nazli Sahid Said “beyond reasonable doubt,” ruled Judicial Commissioner Datuk Zakiah Kassim, reports New Straits Times.

Malaysia, along with Vietnam, Indonesia, China and a handful of other Asian countries, has some of the harshest drug laws on Earth.

Mere possession of more than 200 grams of cannabis carries a mandatory death penalty by hanging in Malaysia.

Nazli, from Penang, Malaysia, was convicted of trafficking 1.06 kilograms of marijuana at Mergong, Alor Star at 10 p.m. on December 24, 2010.

Increased Marijuana Enforcement Not Curtailing Usage: Report

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 26, 2011 Global, News

Nirvana Wellness Center

“…[T]he assumption that this approach reduces cannabis potency, increases price or meaningfully reduces cannabis availability and use is inconsistent with virtually all available data”

Throwing more and more money at anti-marijuana law enforcement does not meaningfully reduce the potency, or availability of cannabis and creates lucrative profit opportunities for organized crime, according to a new report by a group of marijuana policy advocates.

The report, “How Not To Protect Community Health and Safety: What the Government’s Own Data say about the Effects of Cannabis Production” [PDF] was released on last week, reports Tara Carman at the Vancouver Sun. It argues that marijuana should be regulated, taxed and sold under government oversight.

The paper, by Stop The Violence BC, a group of law enforcement and public health officials, politicians and academics which includes former Vancouver mayors Larry Campbell, Philip Owen and Sam Sullivan, as well as Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and other prominent drug policy experts.

The report takes a new look at 20 years of data collected by the Canadian and United States governments and highlights what the authors say is the failure of marijuana prohibition to eliminate or even meaningfully reduce access to cannabis.

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