News

Donald Duck Arrested For Marijuana, Drunk Driving

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2010 Culture, News

Donald Duck just wanted some pizza, dude. But he managed to ruffle a few feathers trying to get it.

I know drunk driving’s no laughing matter, but this still quacks me up. Police in Massillon, Ohio, have arrested 51-year-old Donald Norman Duck after he pulled into a drive through pizzeria and repeatedly bumped the car ahead of him, reports Mike Waterhouse at NewsNet5.

Duck was taken into custody at about 5:25 p.m. Saturday, facing a felony charge of drunk driving and misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Ben Muessig at AOL News.

According to the driver whose vehicle was repeatedly struck, Donald Duck stuck his head out the car window and shouted, “Sorry dude, something must be wrong with my brakes.”

Montel: N.Y. ‘Needs To Act Now’ On Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: TattooFinder.com

Montel Williams: “Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state”

Former talk show host and U.S. Navy officer and current New York City resident Montel Williams on Tuesday urged Governor David Paterson and members of the Legislature to act quickly in order to pass New York’s medical marijuana bill.

Williams spoke at a press conference in Albany. He uses medical marijuana to help ease the effects of his multiple sclerosis.

According to supporters, the New York bill would create one of the best-regulated systems in the country for providing seriously ill patients with safe and effective access to medical marijuana.

“New York needs to act now to make marijuana legally available for medical use. Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state,” Williams said.

California NAACP Backs Marijuana Legalization Initiative

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: The Hinterland Gazette

Leaders of the NAACP’s California chapter announced Monday that they are supporting a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.

“The War On Drugs is a failure and disproportionately targets young men and women of color, particularly African-American males,” said Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP’s state conference, reports Catherine Saillant at the Los Angeles Times.

The group pointed to statistics showing that last year, 62 percent of California’s marijuana arrests were of nonwhite suspects, and 42 percent were under 20 years old. The statistics were from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.

Cannabis arrests of African Americans occur at double, triple and even quadruple the rate of whites, despite the fact that studies show blacks use marijuana at lower rates than whites, according to NAACP officials.

Fired Medical Marijuana Patient Sues WalMart

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2010 Medical, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

Joseph Casias said on Tuesday that it was unfair of WalMart to fire him for legally using marijuana to treat his cancer pain.

With the backing of state and national branches of the American Civil Liberties Union and his attorney, Daniel Grow, Casias said he filed a lawsuit Tuesday morning in Calhoun County Circuit Court against WalMart Stores Inc for wrongful termination last November, reports the Battle Creek Enquirer.

The 30-year-old Battle Creek, Mich, cancer patient had undergone a routine drug screening after hurting his knee on the job last year. The test showed that Casias had marijuana in his system and he was fired, even though he is registered as a legal medical marijuana patient in Michigan.

CA: Control & Tax Cannabis 2010 Is Now Proposition 19

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 29, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Control & Tax Cannabis 2010

Photo: Stuff Stoners Like

Richard Lee: “This is the next step to sane cannabis policies and the end to the hypocrisy and unjust prohibition of cannabis”

The Control & Tax Cannabis initiative has been designated Proposition 19 by the California Secretary of State.

“This is a huge moment for our campaign,” said Richard Lee, the Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur who is the biggest financial backer of the cannabis legalization initiative.

“When we officially got our proposition number, it really hit home for me: This campaign is now real,” Lee said.

“In four months, we’ll be on the ballot, and millions of Californians will have the chance to vote to tax and legalize cannabis,” Lee said.

WA: Democrats Endorse Pot Legalization At State Convention

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 28, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Cannabis Culture

Delegates to the Washington State Democratic Convention endorsed I-1068, the marijuana legalization initiative, with an overwhelming 62 percent “Yes” vote, 314 to 185, on Saturday.

The executive board had given no recommendation on the initiative, because “the committee was even more split than the delegates,” said State Vice Chair Sharon Smith, reports Bryce McKay at PubliCola.

“We expected this to come to a floor discussion,” Smith said. “There are some things that are clearly Democratic Party values, and then there are things like this that aren’t so clear.”

These welcome signs of the Democratic Party growing a backbone when it comes to cannabis issues are encouraging; there’s definitely a whiff of change in the air.

Georgia Police Find Pot Seeds In Bag Of Chips

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 28, 2010 News

Photo: Reality Catcher

No, this isn’t the guy. And these aren’t the chips. But it seemed somehow appropriate.

Police officers in Rome, Georgia arrested a man on a misdemeanor marijuana charge after finding what they claimed appeared to be pot seeds in a bag of potato chips, according to official reports.

Police and deputies went to an apartment in Rome to serve a warrant, but they could not get anyone to answer the door, reports Kim Sloan at the Rome News-Tribune.

Officers said since they heard the television on, “they went inside to make sure everyone was OK.”

Isn’t it great just knowing that from now on, whenever you leave the TV on to make it appear as if someone is at home, you’re inviting police officers to come busting in?

Ex-Firefighter Gets 8 Months Prison For Growing Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 28, 2010 Growing, News

Photo: Bridgton Maine Police

Dude definitely knew what he was doing. These are some of the plants found in firefighter Sean Berte’s home in Maine.

A federal judge in Maine sentenced a 32-year-old former Boston firefighter to eight months in prison on a marijuana-growing charge this week, noting that the man had admitted smoking about two ounces of pot a week, reports Martin Finucane of the Boston Globe.

Sean Berte was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal in Portland, Maine, for his role in cultivating 131 cannabis plants, U.S. Attorney Paula D. Silsby’s office said Friday.

“At the sentencing, the court noted that in addition to pleading guilty to cultivating the marijuana, the defendant admitted smoking approximately two ounces of marijuana [weekly]during the eight years the defendant was employed as a Boston firefighter,” prosecutors said.

Nebraska Man: Hitler Made Me Grow Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 25, 2010 Growing, News

Photo: Extremely Funny

Sieg High? Just when you think you’ve heard every possible reason for cultivating cannabis, some imaginative farmer comes along to prove you wrong.

A 42-year-old Nebraska man told police “Adolf Hitler made me grow it,” after they discovered marijuana plants in his West Omaha home, reports Jodi Baker at WOWT.

The Omaha Police Department’s narcotics unit served a court-ordered search warrant on Darin Badami’s home near 114th and West Center Road on Wednesday morning.

The man’s unique excuse didn’t get him out of being arrested on felony charges.

For those of a historical bent, Hitler, despite being born on April 20, was a non-smoker who initiated the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history.

While the Führer almost certainly would have taken a dim view of pot use, he was quite fond of methamphetamine. Starting in 1942, Hitler received daily injections of meth from his personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morell. The Führer also had more than a passing acquaintance with cocaine.

Photo Of Baby With Bong Sparks Investigation

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 25, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: KSDK

The 19-year-old mother said this photo is a joke, and that she doesn’t allow her child to smoke pot.

She may have to put those Mother of the Year dreams on the back burner for awhile.

A Keystone Heights, Florida woman allegedly took a photo of her 11-month-old baby holding (and seemingly hitting) a bong, and then had the monumental lack of judgment to post the picture on the Web.

After the photo sparked online outrage, the Florida Department of Children and Families has launched an investigation, reports KSDK.

The 19-year-old mother was quoted by numerous Jacksonville, Fla., new sources as saying the picture was a joke, and that she doesn’t let her child smoke marijuana.

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