It took nearly a decade to come up with the funds, but it took just a couple of days for Forest Service crews to remove one and a half tons of garbage from a remote location in the heart of Arizona referred to as the Fossil Springs Wilderness.
Populated by evergreen trees and crystal clear watering holes, and featuring breathtaking vistas at nearly every turn, the area does see its share of hikers. But the “PACK IN, PACK OUT” mentality of most outdoor enthusiasts keeps the area clean, and the habitat as natural as possible.
How then could 1.5 tons of trash sit around out there for nine years? And who the hell left it there?
Illinois already has medical marijuana laws on the books, but the program has been slow to roll out and it does not cover one of the fastest growing patient populations: epileptic children.
So it is with great relief that a bill adding epilepsy and severe seizure disorders to the list of state-approved qualifying conditions for medical cannabis patients has made it through both the House and Senate with few changes and seems likely to be passed into law.
| Commons/A7nubis. |
Florida lawmakers passed a CBD-only medical marijuana bill this past session, and already it seems that things are moving along to get patients the accesses to the medicine they need. According to our friends at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times, 39 nurseries have been approved to grow the low-THC cannabis.
It hasn’t been easy to get on the list, which requires — among other things — that a nursery has operated continuously for at least 30 years. Head over to The Pulp for more on just who is vying for the remaining cultivation licenses.
In his heyday, Montgomery Chitty was a prominent Aspen resident and pal of area celebrities such as the late Hunter S. Thompson and Ed Bradley.
Lately, however, he’s been hanging out with inmates, owing to his conviction in relation to a cocaine operation that ran between Aspen and L.A. for years — and his attempt to get his twenty-year sentence tossed or reduced was rejected after he failed to convince a judge the punishment was influenced by “mean spirited retaliation.” The Latest Word has more.
| Toke of the Town. |
A New Mexico state appeals court ruled this week that worker’s compensation insurance policies in the state must also cover medical marijuana in addition to any other treatments directly related to the injury.
The ruling stems from 55-year-old former mechanic Greg Vialpando, who uses medical marijuana to help alleviate the pain from a back injury in 2000. The man’s former employer, Ben’s Automotive in Santa Fe have fought the initial decision, arguing that they shouldn’t have to pay for something federally illegal.
Recently, we’ve written about Nebraska state patrol complaining that Colorado’s legalization of limited amount of marijuana and the impact it has had on troopers who say that they are overwhelmed with Colorado pot. As much as they’ve complained, we contend that they’re bringing it on themselves by profiling Colorado drivers and pulling nearly every one over.
And, now there’s proof. A Denver news outlet obtained records from Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming and found that if you’ve got Colorado plates in any of those states — you’re most likely getting pulled over.
The United States government has added a new tool to their anti-marijuana toolbox, announcing yesterday that they are barring state-legal cannabis growers from using federally controlled irrigation water to grow their ganja. The announcement actually doesn’t change much – it’s been illegal to use federal water to grow marijuana for decades now. But the policy announcement also likely signifies a new era of enforcement from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which controls water in 17 western states including Washington and Colorado.
| USDOJ |
Update – 10:00 a.m. 5/21/2014: FBI Director James Comey has pulled a 180 today, announcing that he is in no way loosening the agency policy on marijuana use. Comey has indicated that his comments were a joke (an unfunny joke that basically stereotypes all young people and computer hackers as pot users). Comey retracted his comments today at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting after being grilled by Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions.
“I am absolutely dead-set against using marijuana,” Comey said today. “I did not say that I am going to change that ban.” Original story below.
A bill legalizing medical marijuana in New York cleared a major hurdle yesterday, becoming the first medical marijuana measure to ever pass the state Senate Health Committee.
The historic move came after Republican Sen. William Larkin voted against his party lines and swung the vote 9-8 in favor of passing the bill. Senate Democrats on the committee said it was a no-brainer.
“This bill is really about a simple concept, which is to alleviate suffering,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman said, according to the New York Daily News. “I can’t think of a more important or noble pursuit on the part of . . . the Legislature.”
Not to belittle our battle here in the United States, where cops think they are in the army when dealing with marijuana growers, hash producers in Lebanon actually battle with their army disrupting production on an annual basis.
Or, they used to. These days, with the war in Syria just 30 miles from the hash production center of the Bekaa Valley, the army has much bigger fish to fry.