Global

New Zealand Man Faces Prison For Selling Gardening Equipment

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 20, 2010 Global, Growing

There’s still no word on when they plan to arrest the entire Earth for providing soil upon which marijuana “could be grown.” A hapless New Zealand garden store manager is facing a likely jail term for selling undercover police “equipment that could be used to cultivate cannabis.”

Peter James Stewart, 50, admitted five charges of supplying equipment or material that could be used to cultivate marijuana when he appeared before Judge Kevin Phillips on Tuesday, reports The Southland Times.

Berlin Ready To Relax Cannabis Laws

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 19, 2010 Global, Legislation

Photo: Berlin.de

The Hanf Hemp Museum in Berlin is a tourist destination for marijuana lovers. Now the city may become even more attractive to potheads.

A new marijuana policy could make it legal for individuals to possess up to 15 grams (a little more than half an ounce) of pot in Berlin, the capital city of Germany. The rule would make Berlin among the most cannabis friendly cities in Europe.

Berliners have long enjoyed their city’s soft stance on marijuana, reports Spiegel Online. It’s not rare to see people hitting a joint in a city parka, or rolling one up in the back of a café.

But the German capital may take another step toward becoming one of the most pot-tolerant cities in the European Union. The city’s top health official, Katrin Lompscher, said she plans to raise the amount of marijuana and hashish one can legally possess to 15 grams.

London: 4,200 People Fined For Cannabis In Past Year

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 18, 2010 Global, Legislation

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

A man smokes a joint in Russell Square at the start of the annual cannabis march in London. If he’s been caught with cannabis two times before, he could get up to five years in prison under U.K. law.

More than 4,200 people in London have been given £80 fines on the spot for possessing cannabis in the first year of the British government’s “crackdown on drugs.”

Figures released by the Met show that nearly half those fined handed over the cash quickly, reports Martin Bentham at the London Evening Standard.

But the majority of offenders — 55 percent — failed to pay the fine with the 21-day deadline required by law, and police had to pass the unpaid fines to magistrates’ courts for collection.

Legal Trick Could Block Prince Of Pot’s Extradition

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 17, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Cannabis Culture

Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot, might not be seeing much more cannabis for awhile if a novel legal maneuver doesn’t work.

Supporters of B.C. marijuana activist Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot, are trying an unconventional legal maneuver to stop his planned extradition to the United States — keeping him in Canada to face charges there first.

In a little-known quirk of Canadian law, individuals can swear criminal charges against another person or group. In recent years, such private prosecutions have been used by activist groups to take corporations to court.

Patrick Roberts, a resident of West Kootenay, B.C., used the tactic five years ago when he filed conspiracy charges against Emery, in relation to his mail order marijuana seed business.

Egypt, Israel Face Hashish Drought

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Fotolog

Damn, that looks yummy. This is Blond Lebanese, and right now it’s hard to find, even in the Middle East.

Once again, Egyptians and Israelis are sharing the pain. A hashish shortage in Egypt, where a government crackdown resulted in a dry spell that has driven prices up, has spread to Israel.

The Hebrew daily Maariv has reported the hash prices there have doubled in recent months and good hashish is nowhere to be found, reports Batsheva Sobelman in the Los Angeles Times.

In Israel, too, the shortage is largely attributable to a government crackdown. The establishment of three special police units at Israel’s northern and southern boundaries, as well as at its international airport, have brought a 30 percent increase in major drug busts.

Canada: Prince Of Pot Surrenders; MPs Oppose Extradition

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2010 Global, News

Photo: The Globe and Mail

Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot, might not be taking another bong rip for awhile.

Two Vancouver MPs are criticizing a decision to support the extradition of marijuana activist Marc Emery, the self-styled “Prince of Pot,” to the United States.

The Prince of Pot has been out on bail for the past six months. With the period of his release expiring, Emery surrendered himself to authorities Monday at the Vancouver courts.

Emery was arrested in 2005 as part of a joint Canada-United States law enforcement operation. He was charged in connection with an alleged online marijuana seed-selling business based in Vancouver, British Columbia, reports Stephen Thomson at the Vancouver Straight.

Canada: U.S. Agents Built Charges Against Prince Of Pot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 10, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Friends of Cannabis

Prince of Pot Marc Emery could be extradited to the United States at any time with four hours’ notice

A U.S. undercover agent posing as a marijuana seed buyer worked in Canada to get American criminal charges against Marc Emery, Vancouver’s self-anointed “Prince of Pot.”

The information was revealed Monday, the same day Emery’s bail expires, and when he is supposed to either turn himself in to authorities or face extradition to the United States — or to be released, if the justice minister refuses the extradition, reports The Canadian Press.

The undercover operation by U.S. agents is outlined in a briefing memo to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson dated February 10, 2010, and describes the case against Emery.

Numerous mail order purchases were made by U.S. undercover agents between March 2004 and March 2005, and then Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent Tracy Mendez was sent to Vancouver, according to the memo.

Canada: Conservatives Push For Stiffer Pot Penalties For Renters

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 6, 2010 Global, Growing

Graphic: The Non Conformer

Tenants caught growing as few as six marijuana plants in their homes could face automatic jail terms of at least nine months under a federal drug-sentencing bill revived Wednesday in Canada. The bill imposes harsher penalties on home renters than on homeowners for growing identical amounts of pot.

Introduced for the third time after dying twice before, the bill, S-10, removes discretion for judges to sentence as they see fit, proposing instead mandatory minimum jail terms for a variety of drug related crimes, reports Janice Tibbetts at The Vancouver Sun.

Was It High Definition? 112 Pounds Of Pot Found In Big Screen TV

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 6, 2010 Global, News

What is it

Photo: Bruce Chambers/The Orange County Register

with pot and big screen TVs this week? Toke of the Town already reported on a Georgia man growing pot in his hollowed out big screen TV. Now, a 22-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening after customs officers found 112 pounds of marijuana stashed inside a big screen TV he was driving into the United States from Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the man, a United States citizen from Chula Vista, California, at the San Ysidro border station, reports KTLA News.

European Court Weighs Dutch Cannabis Ban For Foreigners

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 3, 2010 Global, Legislation

Photo: Rien Zilvold

One Dutch town has banned foreigners from its cannabis-vending coffee shops. Does that violate the principles of the European Union? A court will soon decide.

A Dutch city has banned “foreigners” from its cannabis selling coffee shops. A European court will now decide whether such a ban is legal.

The struggle of Dutch border towns against marijuana tourism hangs in the balance as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gets ready to make a ruling regarding one of the most extreme measures employed in the battle so far, reports Paul van der Steen at NRC Handelsblad.

The ECJ heard arguments Thursday in Josemans v. Maastricht, a case which dates back to 2006 when police found two foreign nationals on the premises of Easy Going, a “coffee shop” of the kind that sells cannabis.

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