News

New Mexico Man, 74, Arrested For Smuggling Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 12, 2011 News

CBP officials proudly released this grainy photo of the compressed bales of low-grade marijuana they took from a 74-year-old man on Saturday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have arrested a 74-year-old Albuquerque, New Mexico man who they claim attempted to smuggle 172 pounds of marijuana across the El Paso port of entry from Mexico.

The bust happened Saturday at about 12:34 p.m. at the Bridge of the Americas international crossing, reports Kurt Christopher at KOB.com. A 1989 Chevrolet Scottsdale 1500 pickup was pulled from the line for inspection and CBP drug sniffing dog “Frankie” alert to the gas tank of the vehicle.

CBP officers found two large compressed bales concealed in metal containers in the gas trunk. The contents of the bales tested positive for marijuana.

Well, at least that’s some more shitty, gasoline-smelling weed we won’t have to smoke.

Colorado Plan Would Have Bypassed Banks Wary Of Pot Shops

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 12, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Education News Colorado

Rep. Tom Massey: “It’s not going to go away. It’s a legitimate business in Colorado.”

Colorado lawmakers on Monday debated and rejected a plan for the state to back an investment bank for the medical marijuana business. The plan would have meant the state was taking a more active role in the financing of medicinal cannabis dispensaries.

As part of a bill to tweak regulations for the medical marijuana industry, state Rep. Tom Massey (R-Poncha Springs) proposed an amendment to create investment trusts for dispensaries, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. The state Department of Revenue would have overseen the trusts and set up the rules for them.

Feds Raid Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In Michigan

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 12, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Mike Brookbank/Detroit Free Press

DEA agents, assisted by Oakland County Sheriff’s Department officers, raided Caregivers of America, a medical marijuana dispensary in Walled Lake Michigan, early Tuesday morning.

Federal agents raided at least three properties in Oakland County, Michigan on Tuesday morning, with the raids apparently targeting medical marijuana operations.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched Caregivers of America, a medical marijuana dispensary in Walled Lake, a home in Commerce Township and an office building in Novi, at about 7 a.m., reports Elisa Anderson and Mike Brookbank at the Detroit Free Press.

Sealed federal search warrants were executed at all three locations, according to DEA Group Supervisor Andrew Eiseman. Few other details were released.

Washington Legislature Legalizing Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 11, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical, News

Graphic: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Directory

Dispensaries already exist in at least King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, but if a new bill passes the Washington Legislature in 2011, they could operate statewide

A bill which will protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and allow dispensaries has now passed both houses of the Washington Legislature, and will soon be headed for the Governor’s desk.

SB 5073 last month had already passed the Senate, and passed the Washington House late Monday afternoon on a 54-43 vote.

The bill clearly and unambiguously allows state-regulated medical marijuana dispensaries. While some dispensaries are already operating, clarity in Washington’s law is expected to help protect dispensary operators from costly litigation and possible convictions.

In addition, SB 5073, as amended, protects all medical marijuana patients from arrest — not just those who register with the state. Currently, no patients are protected from arrest, as has been the case since Washington voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana in 1998.

Study Says Indoor Pot Farms Use Up 1% Of Electricity In U.S.

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 11, 2011 Growing, News

Indoor cannabis cultivation may be trendy, but it’s also costly. Marijuana grown inside accounts for one percent of the annual electricity use in the United States, according to a new study.

That’s $5 billion worth of energy, equivalent to the energy use of two million homes for a year, reports Ariel Schwartz at Fast Company. The news comes from a report by Evan Mills, a veteran energy analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, who said the problem can be traced back to the high-intensity lighting, dehumidification, air conditioning, irrigation, heating, and ventilation systems used in modern indoor grows.

Police Turn Down Large Donation For Kids From Pot Dispensary

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 11, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: KFSN

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer: “We do not believe it sends a good message to our youth to accept monies… from an organization that is using marijuana and distributing marijuana”

A $5,000 donation to the Fresno Police Activities League — which would have helped troubled kids — has been returned. The cops say they don’t want the money because it’s from a medical marijuana dispensary.

The donation was presented to the police department Wednesday morning by the owners of Buds 4 Life, but by Thursday the check was sent back, according to the collective, reports KFSN-TV in Fresno.

While the donation “was made with good intentions,” said Police Chief Jerry Dyer, neither he nor the city “supports medical marijuana,” claiming it would “send the wrong message” to the city’s youth.

If the message is “The Fresno Police Department is a bunch of dumb-asses,” you may consider it already sent, loud and clear, Chief Dyer.

Doctor Faces Jail For Recommending Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 8, 2011 Medical, News

Dr. Ruth A. Buck could be facing up to 20 years in prison.

At first, the DEA went after dispensary owners. Now they’re going after doctors who simply recommend medical marijuana to their patients.

A federal district attorney in Michigan has asked a judge to revoke bond for a Saginaw Township doctor facing drug charges.

In June 2010, Dr. Ruth A. Buck was indicted on three counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, a 20-year felony, for prescribing pain and nerve pills, reports LaNia Coleman of The Bay City Times.

Dr. Buck was released on the condition that she not violate any federal, state or local laws.

Mexico’s Ex-President: Drug Prohibition Doesn’t Work

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 8, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Marijuana.com

Former Mexico President Vicente Fox: “We’re talking about the last frontier of prohibition”

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, a onetime ally of the United States in the War On Drugs who now advocates legalization, said at Thursday news conference in San Diego that prohibiting drugs doesn’t work.

Fox, a member of the conservative National Action Party, or PAN, compared drug use to sexual orientation and a woman’s right to an abortion, reports Richard Marosi at the Los Angeles Times.

“We’re talking about the last frontier of prohibition,” Fox said. “Tell me something else that is prohibited today? Abortion is permitted. Marriage between same-sex [people]now is permitted … Smoking cigarettes is permitted; alcohol is permitted.”

Fox, who was in San Diego on a fund-raising trip for his presidential library, has become an outspoken proponent of drug legalization, joining other prominent Latin American leaders who agree that law enforcement efforts to stop drug consumption and distribution are futile.

Fox’s views on drug legalization caused Point Loma Nazarene University to cancel its invitation to have him speak at their San Diego campus earlier this year.

Natalie Portman: I’m Too Old To Smoke Weed Anymore

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: Weed Quotes

Natalie Portman: “I love stoner comedies. I smoked weed in college, but I haven’t smoked in years. I’m too old.”

Oscar winner Natalie Portman, set to star in not one but two upcoming stoner comedies, said in a new interview that while she used marijuana in her younger days, she’s now “too old” for cannabis.

“I love stoner comedies,” Portman, 29, told Entertainment Weekly. “I smoked weed in college, but I haven’t smoked in years.

“I’m too old,” Portman said. “I wish I was that cool, but I’m like an old lady now. I’m in bed by 10 p.m. I can’t do that anymore.”

Her comments were made before she recently announced her pregnancy.

Details Emerge In Border Patrol Agent’s Marijuana Arrest

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2011 News

Photo: Yuma Sun

Border Patrol agent Michael Atondo was arrested after the discovery of more than 745 pounds of marijuana in his patrol vehicle.

Details are coming to light in the case of Michael Atondo, the Border Patrol agent arrested in Arizona this week with marijuana in his patrol vehicle.

Two agents responding to an activated sensor found Atondo at the border fence, according to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, reports Sarah Womer at the Yuma Sun. Because of his “unusual actions” — Atondo was understandably freaking out — the agents asked to search Atondo’s vehicle, where they discovered multiple bundles of marijuana.

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