Global

Britain’s Lib Dems Poised To Call For Decriminalizing Drugs

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 5, 2011 Global, Legislation

If Britain’s Liberal Democrats have their way, personal possession of marijuana and other drugs will no longer be a criminal offense. Above, some of Britain’s finest UK Cheese.

The United Kingdom’s Liberal Democrats are reportedly ready to call for the decriminalization of all drugs, characterizing current laws as harmful and ineffective.

According to the UK edition of the Huffington Post, Lib Dem party members are “almost certain” to back a motion next month urging the British government to set up an expert panel to consider the decriminalization of personal drug use.

If it wins support at a conference in Birmingham, the motion will become party policy. According to scene-watchers, this will likely provoke tensions with the party’s Conservative coalition partners.

China Censors Little Black Book Of Marijuana; Release Delayed

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 5, 2011 Culture, Global, News

Graphic: Peter Pauper Press

It’s “too controversial” for the uptight Chinese, but ready for you on September 15

Communist Bosses Won’t Even Allow Book Inside The Country

The worldwide release of an American book on cannabis has been delayed, due to the refusal of the communist government of China to allow its binding on Chinese soil, according to the publisher.

The Little Black Book of Marijuana, by yours truly, Toke of the Town editor Steve Elliott, was scheduled for availability on August 1, but that printing schedule was thrown off after the totalitarian Chinese government decided the book was “too controversial” to even allow the printed pages inside the tightly-run dictatorship.

“Our printer is located in Hong Kong, with binderies in mainland China,” production manager Ginny Reynolds of Peter Pauper Press explained to me Friday morning. “Usually it’s no problem to move printed books from Hong Kong to China for binding.

“However, Chinese censorship is extremely tight,” Reynolds told Toke of the Town. “Any content deemed ‘sensitive’ or ‘controversial’ by their standards is banned.”

MBS: Australia’s Terrific New Marijuana Strain [Pictorial]

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 28, 2011 Global, Growing

All photos: Moonunit

Australian cannabis breeders are kicking ass with their own unique genetics, producing a multitude of potent strains. One of the best recent innovations is called MBS (Mind, Body and Soul), and is a creation of renowned breeder Moonunit.

MBS is about 60 percent indica and 40 percent sativa, according to Moonunit, though it expresses in a more indica fashion.

“MBS is comprised of Deep Chunk for the mind, Zoid Fuel for the body, and C-99 for the soul,” Moonunit told me by way of explaining the strain’s Aussie genetic background.

Moonunit described is as “a spreading, good yielding plant, with the early maturation of an indica and some of the growth qualities of a sativa.”

“It grows dense, hard, nuggety buds,” he told me. “Some samples have grown green, whilst others will tend to show purpling with cooler nights, some almost black. The large amounts of trichomes resemble snow, and the dark purple backing gives the buds excellent aesthetic qualities and bag appeal.”

Israel’s Medical Cannabis To Be Locally Grown

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 28, 2011 Global, Growing

Graphic: Jewlicious

Medical marijuana will be grown in Israel for at least the next two years, because imports would be 10 times more expensive, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

Health Ministry director-general Dr. Ronni Gamzi decided on Thursday to establish a unit within the ministry to manage and supervise the supply of medicinal cannabis, reports Judy Siegel at the Jerusalem Post.

The unit is scheduled to begin operating in January 2012.

The Israeli Pharmacists Association’s members are pressing for permission to distribute medical marijuana to authorized patients through their pharmacies.

Study: Marijuana Growers’ Kids In Better Health

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 28, 2011 Culture, Global, Growing

Photo: Niagara Regional Police/Canadian Press

New research questions the automatic removal of children living in marijuana grow-ops, finding they may not be exposed to any alarming health risks. In fact, children of marijuana-growing homes are healthier than other kids, according to the research.

A new study from Canada flies in the face of stereotypes regarding the offspring of marijuana-growing parents. Children from homes where cannabis is grown were healthy and drug-free, according to the study — in fact, healthier than other children — leading to questions about why such kids are often removed from their homes.

The research from the Motherisk Program at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children indicates the automatic removal of kids from marijuana-growing parents can be worse for the children than allowing them to stay at home, according to Gideon Koren, a University of Toronto professor and the program’s director, reports CBC News.

Canada: Medical Marijuana Shop Owner Slams Police After Raid

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 25, 2011 Dispensaries, Global, News

Photo: Les Bazso, The Province

Randy Caine, owner of Langley Medical Marijuana Dispensary, said he has been “blindsided” by a raid on his business by RCMP.

The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Langley, British Columbia is protesting a police raid during which officers confiscated about four kilograms of cannabis meant for sick people.

Randy Caine, 57, who once challenged Canada’s marijuana laws all the way to the Supreme Court, said helping people with chronic pain should not be a crime, reports Kent Spencer at The Province.

“If my greatest fault was being overly helpful to sick people, is that a criminal offense?” Caine, owner of Langley Medical Marijuana Dispensary, said on Friday.

“I have been transparent about medical assistance with the authorities from the start,” Caine said. “I had no idea they were this concerned. I was blindsided.”

Five RCMP officers wearing bulletproof jackets executed a search warrant on July 19, claiming they’d received “numerous” complaints about Caine’s operation.

New Zealand Party Guarantees Access To Marijuana If Elected

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 25, 2011 Global, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: ALCP

A political party in New Zealand has guaranteed patients access to medical marijuana if elected to office in November.

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP) said it will disband Medsafe if elected to ensure that cannabis and other natural medicines are freely available to patients who need them, reports Scoop.

According to the group, Medsafe in 2007 began a “modern day witch hunt” against the natural health industry in New Zealand, prosecuting merchants and seizing stock from producers of natural remedies who say their products have therapeutic benefits.

Canada: Marijuana Arrests On The Rise

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 25, 2011 Global, News

Graphic: Ed Rosenthal

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government arrested 58,000 Canadians for marijuana possession last year.

Canada’s crime rate has dropped to its lowest level in almost four decades, according to Statistics Canada, but marijuana-related arrests are dramatically increasing.

Stats Canada shows that 58,000 Canadians were arrested for cannabis possession in 2010, a number that is 14 percent higher than the year before, reports Renee Bernard at News 1130.

Pot smokers are being unfairly targeted by the Harper government, according to Jacob Hunter with the Beyond Prohibition Foundation.

Former Cop Seeks Out Marijuana Grows For Landlords

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 20, 2011 Global, Growing, News

Photo: CTV

Brian Gladstone, Griffin Security: “The only way to be certain is to go inside and have a look, but this gives the landlord a reason to go have a look”

A former Canadian Mountie in British Columbia is offering a controversial new service designed to help landlords tell if their tenants are cultivating indoor marijuana gardens.

Brian Goldstone of Griffin Security uses infrared cameras to detect unusual amounts of heat inside a home from the outside, reports Brent Shearer at CTV News. He wants landlords to hire him to search for marijuana operations on their properties.

Israeli Nursing Home Prescribes Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 19, 2011 Global, Medical

Photo: NTD Television

Moshe Rott tokes up at Hadarim Geriatric Home in Israel

Even as the Obama Administration inexplicably denies the medical benefits of marijuana, at least one Israeli nursing home is prescribing the herb to its elderly patients, reportedly with great results.

Israel’s Ministry of Health in 2008 approved limited use of medical marijuana, and now that the nation’s elderly residents are eligible for cannabis prescriptions, they’re giving it high marks, reports Andrew Belonsky at death + taxes.

“What does it do? It makes me tranquil and less uptight,” said patient Moshe Rott, reports Eric W. Dolan at Raw Story. “I’m able to take it easy, and I feel restful. Before that my hands were in pain, like someone suffering from Parkinson’s disease. It stopped after three months. My hands don’t shake anymore, and it’s totally different.”

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