Legalize It

DEA Allows University of Mississippi To Grow Way More Weed Next Year

By Jack Daniel on August 29, 2014 Follow that story, Legalize It, Medical

Established in 1910, the University of Mississippi boasts an enrollment of well over 16,000 students. The Rebels from “Ole Miss”, as it is commonly referred to, have not brought back a national championship since their football team did it back in 1962.
What the campus is more famous for, in counter-culture circles anyway, is the fact that the government has been growing weed there for “research purposes” for decades.
But with more and more private and foreign labs returning study after study outlining the vast medicinal benefits to the cannabis plant, the feds are looking to crank up their own production in hopes of giving their own researchers a chance at being relevant in the discussion of cannabis use.

Could Colorado Springs Approve 26 Percent Tax on Recreational Pot?

By William Breathes on August 28, 2014 Legalize It, News, Say what?

Colorado Springs voters could decide whether to allow recreational cannabis sales in the city next April — if, that is, pro-pot and anti-pot city leaders can find some common ground first. Recreational cannabis sales are currently banned in the Springs because of a city council vote last year, but in recent months councilwoman Jill Gaebler has been working to get a measure on the April 2015 ballot that would give voters the chance to repeal that ban. Her goal was to have council approve the proposal on August 11; if it failed then, she said, the public would still have time to collect enough signatures for a citizen initiative.
But two weeks ago, when the measure was brought up at a city council meeting, councilman Keith King threw a wrench in the works by demanding a 10 percent special city tax be included in the proposal. The tax would come on top of the 10 percent special state sales tax, the regular 2.9 percent state sales tax, the 1.23 percent El Paso County tax and the existing 2.5 percent Colorado Springs sales tax, bringing the total to more than 26 percent tax on a bag of herb.

Majority of NFL Players Polled Say Weed No Worse Than Alcohol

By Jack Daniel on August 28, 2014 Culture, Follow that story, Legalize It

In a January interview with The New Yorker magazine, President Obama now famously stated, “As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
Since that interview, ESPN sent a reporter into NFL locker rooms across the league asking 100 professional football players whether or not they agree with President Obama’s comments. The players’ replies are not very surprising, but unfortunately, neither is the NFL’s reaction to just blow it off.

Fox News Tells Colorado Tourists to Trade Their Extra Pot for a Rockies Jersey

By William Breathes on August 27, 2014 Legalize It, News, Say what?

Given Fox News’ conservative slant, it’s no surprise that most of the network’s coverage about Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana sales has been largely or wholly negative. Take Bill O’Reilly correspondent Jesse Watters’s report about 4/20 in Denver, which sought laughs by characterizing attendees as clueless burdens on society.
It’s surprising, then, to see Fox News essentially hyping marijuana tourism to Colorado in a new post with an unexpectedly positive tone. Denver Westword has more.

Long-Term Study Says Married Couples Who Toke Together Show Lowest Level of Domestic Violence

By Jack Daniel on August 27, 2014 Culture, Legalize It, News

Flickr user 0_hai/Modified under Creative Commons license

Hit bongs, not spouses

In the business of analyzing the domestic abuse statistics and trends in our country, there is a term used called “Alcohol or Other Drug” involvement, or AOD. The data seems to show that the impairment, poor decision making and amped up aggression that is generally associated with abusing alcohol, or “Other Drugs”, commonly leads to physical violence in a marriage.
Studies over the decades have varied, but they typically show that 48% to 87% of the time that a person is physically assaulted by their spouse, the aggressor is juiced up on some booze.
So, what do the statistics say about weed?

Study says states with medical marijuana laws see far fewer opioid overdoses

By Jack Daniel on August 26, 2014 Legalize It, Medical

Week after week, we report on headlines and stories regarding the many, many potential health benefits there are to responsible cannabis use. From epilepsy to cancer, and from ADD to PTSD, cannabis, in many cases we are told, can possibly cure them all.
Reactions to these headlines usually bounce back and forth between the anti-cannabis crowd saying something like, “No way…” to the pro-pot people saying, “Holy shit!” But the results of a study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine have merged the two reactions into a pretty universal reply of “No shit!”

Oregon group cancels speech by anti-pot leader Kevin Sabet following complaints

By William Breathes on August 22, 2014 Legalize It, News

Federal tax dollars funneled through a local nonprofit have been prevented from going to pay for anti-cannabis crusader Kevin Sabet to speak in Oregon just weeks before voters decided on legalizing limited amounts of cannabis for adult use.
Sponsors of the pro-pot Measure 91 said this week that it was wrong for the “Oregon Marijuana, Alcohol and Other Drugs Summit” in Madras, Oregon to hire Sabet since almost half of their funding comes from federal grant money.

Miami Democrats want to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida

By William Breathes on August 19, 2014 Legalize It, News

Phishhead Kush.

The Miami-Dade Democrats have a new chairman and on one hot-button issue, he’s got one of the strongest positions in the state: Sen. Dwight Bullard thinks marijuana should be legal not just for medical purposes but for recreational use.
“Marijuana, whether medical or recreational, could be another way of generating revenue in Florida,” Bullard tells Riptide. “It has a potential for real positive economic impact with real small business growth.”

Oklahoma cop accused of raping woman after bogus pot traffic stop

By Jack Daniel on August 15, 2014 Follow that story, Legalize It, Say what?

NateGrigg/FlickrCommons

Cash strapped police precincts are getting especially aggressive on traffic stops, since the revenue the patrol cops draw from writing tickets helps to keep the lights on back at the station. But when not enough people are caught texting while driving, or failing to come to a complete stop, or speeding away from bank robberies, a cop’s gotta do what a cop’s gotta do.
With no time for pesky little things like warrants, cops these days can search your vehicle – regardless of your past criminal record, or lack of – with nothing more than what they like to call probable cause. All too often, all an officer has to say to gain their all-important probable cause is that they can smell weed in the car.

Miami-Dade Democrats’ New Chairman Wants Recreational Pot Legalized in Florida

By William Breathes on August 14, 2014 Legalize It, News

The Miami-Dade Democrats have a new chairman and on one hot-button issue, he’s got one of the strongest positions in the state: Sen. Dwight Bullard thinks marijuana should be legal not just for medical purposes but for recreational use.
“Marijuana, whether medical or recreational, could be another way of generating revenue in Florida,” Bullard tells our compadres at Riptide. “It has a potential for real positive economic impact with real small business growth.”

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