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Video: ‘Largest Ever’ Marijuana Field Torched In Mexico

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 18, 2011 Global, Growing, News

One of Mexico’s largest-ever seizures of marijuana was torched by the army in El Rosario, Baja California on Friday.

The massive haul went up in smoke three days after Mexican soldiers found a pot plantation covering almost 300 acres, according to the Defense Department, reports Russia Today.

Israel: Government Debates Future of Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2011 Global, Legislation, Medical

Photo: The Jerusalem Post

The government of Israel is expected to decide on establishing a state agency which would be responsible for authorizing and processing requests for medical cannabis.

Currently, about 6,000 patients receive medical marijuana in Israel, reports Judy Siegel Itzkovich at the The Jerusalem Post. But the number of authorizations could reach 40,000 in five years, according to Dr. Yehuda Baruch, a psychiatrist at the Abarbanel Mental Health Center in Bat Yam who has, for the last two years, single-handedly been responsible for the matter.

‘No Toking’ Signs To Be Banned In Amsterdam

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2011 Culture, Global, Legislation

Photo: The Washington Examiner

These buzzkill “No Toking” signs have been banned in Amsterdam.

Only in the Netherlands! The city of Amsterdam said it will likely have to ban the “No Toking” signs it introduced in an attempt to discourage youths from using marijuana.

The Dutch government’s top legal adviser ruled that the city had no right to establish official zones where smoking cannabis isn’t allowed, since marijuana is already technically illegal in the Netherlands, reports The Associated Press.

In practice, possession of small amounts of weed is allowed, and both cannabis and its concentrated form, hashish, are sold openly in designated “coffee shops.”

When the “No Toking” signs first went up in 2007, they were stolen so often that the city started selling them as souvenirs.

City spokeswoman Iris Reshef admitted that Wednesday’s ruling likely means the buzzkill signs have to go, but the city can still fine young pot smokers who “cause problems.”

Mounties Let ‘Honest’ Pot-Smoking Driver Through Checkpoint

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2011 Global, News

Photo: The Wyckoff Journal

A Canadian man who smoked a joint while an RCMP officer chatted with drivers a few cars ahead of him at a roadside checkpoint last week was allowed to continue on his way after he gave up his small stash of marijuana.

The man, from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was upfront when asked if he had “smoked any dope recently,” reports Brian Medel at the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. Yes, he said — about 30 seconds ago.

But at least his seat belt was fastened, and he was courteous and cooperative. Even though the aroma of freshly smoked cannabis wafted up through the air as the officers waved him up, “he seemed fine,” so after he put his small weed stash into the outstretched hand of a Mountie, he was on his way.

Police Confiscate HIV Sufferer’s Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 7, 2011 Global, Medical, News

Photo: The Telegram

Richard Oakley of St. John’s, Newfoundland, holds some of the medications he uses to treat HIV. A package of marijuana sent to him from British Columbia was confiscated by the RCMP.

A Canadian man had $1,500 worth of medical marijuana confiscated when he went to pick up a package at Purolator and was instead met by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Richard Oakley, who tested positive for HIV 25 years ago, moved back to St. John’s, Newfoundland, from British Columbia three months ago to be near his family, reports Barb Sweet at The Telegram.

Oakley said since moving, he already got the first package of marijuana from his designated grower in B.C., with no problem.

But last week, when he kept trying to claim his second delivery of cannabis and medicated chocolate edibles, Purolator told him to come back on Monday. That’s when he was met by at RCMP officer.

Great-Grandmother, 74, Arrested For Selling Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 30, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Brad Hunter/The Daily Telegraph

Great-grandmother Noelene Edwards, 74, pictured above with her dog Digger, was charged after a police dog allegedly detected marijuana in her handbag.

A great-grandmother in Sydney, Australia, has been arrested by police as a drug dealer.

Noelene Edwards, 74, said she’s just a grieving widow, struggling with the recent loss of her husband, reports Clementine Cuneo at The Daily Telegraph.

The Surry Hills woman said she had been on her way into the city to pay for her husband’s funeral on Tuesday when a police dog allegedly detected that she was carrying cannabis.

Police claim a search of Mrs. Edwards’ handbag turned up 40 bags containing marijuana. (No word on how much pot was in each of the “40 bags.”)

Dutch Court Clears Way For Weed Pass Banning Foreigners

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Reason

The Netherlands, renowned worldwide for its liberal cannabis policies, is one step closer to requiring “weed passes” to discourage sales of marijuana to foreign tourists, following a court ruling on Wednesday.

Dutch “coffee shops” openly sell cannabis flowers and hashish to customers, and are popular with foreign tourists. But the shops have faced tighter controls over the past three years as successive governments pushed to discourage the use and sale of “soft drugs” on health and crime grounds, reports Reuters.

Many of the coffee shops in Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands oppose the “weed pass” plan, maintaining that it is discriminatory and will kill the cannabis tourism industry.

Bolivia Set To Withdraw From U.N. Treaty Banning Drugs

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 24, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Shroomery

Defiant Bolivian President Evo Morales — himself a former coca grower — holds up a coca leaf. Due to the United Nations’ banning of the ancient practice of chewing coca leaves, Bolivia is moving toward withdrawing from the U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

The South American nation of Bolivia is set to withdraw from the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, adopted in 1961 to outlaw “illicit substances” across the planet. It plans the move in protest of the U.N.’s classification of coca leaves as an illegal drug.

President Evo Morales — who, not coincidentally, is also leader of one of the country’s biggest coca producers’ unions — has asked the Bolivian Congress to pass a law that would take the nation out of the Single Convention, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Morales, an Aymara Indian who came to power as the leader of coca growers in the Chapare region, has moved away from the forced eradication of coca plantations while at the same time stepping up efforts against cocaine traffickers, with record seizures.

Scientists Want To Dig Up Shakespeare To See If He Smoked Pot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 24, 2011 Culture, Global, News

Graphic: Wikipedia/Steve Elliott; Idea: Peaceful Soul

Shakespeare: “Why write I still all one, ever the same, And keep invention in a noted weed?” (Damn long-haired hippies.)

Doobie, or not doobie? That is the question. A team of paleontologists wants to dig up William Shakespeare to find out of he used marijuana.

They didn’t just come up with this out of thin air; some recent evidence actually suggests that Shakespeare may have gotten high. Now Francis Thackeray, an anthropologist and director of the Institute for Human Evolution at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, has placed a formal request with the Church of England to unearth the Bard, reports David Edwards at The Raw Story.

The playwright is buried under the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and the planned analysis is of the “nondestructive” variety, according to Thackeray, reports Alec Liu at FoxNews.com.

“We have incredible techniques,” Thackeray said. “We don’t intend to move the remains at all.” The team instead plans to conduct a forensic analysis using state-of-the-art technology to scan the bones.

Nova Scotia Ordered To Fund Woman’s Marijuana Grow

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 21, 2011 Global, Growing, News

Photo: Ian Lindsey/Postmedia News

Grow lights and supplies courtesy of the Canadian government.

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia has been ordered to pay for the medical marijuana growing equipment of a woman who said she can’t afford it herself.

The Income Assistance Appeals Board ordered the Department of Community Services to pay a one-time setup cost of $2,500 and a fee of $100 every three months for additional supplies to an Amherst woman identified only as Tanya and her husband, Sam. The couple’s last name wasn’t used due to fears that thieves would target their marijuana grow operation, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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