| 17,000,000 lbs next to the Sydney Opera House. |
Ever wonder what 17 million pounds of pot looks like? Neither did we, but thanks to the folks over at the Center for Investigative Reporting, we now have an idea.
As part of their series “Crossing the Line”, the group put together this video to demonstrate the absurdity of the war on drugs. Keep in mind that for all of 17 million pounds seized, untold amounts still flow across the border.
| A video still of Vivian Wilson from NBC New York. |
Update 6/25/2013: The New Jersey General Assembly approved changes to the state medical marijuana laws that will help severely sick children access beneficial medical cannabis.
The bill now heads to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been reluctant in the past to implement state medical marijuana laws and has been a vocal critic of making medical cannabis available to children.
| YouTube.com |
Jerry Duval has been through a lot in his 53 years. A farmer in Michigan, he’s seen his share of tough time economically. He’s also been through juvenile diabetes, kidney and pancreas transplants, and now suffers from coronary artery disease, glaucoma and neuropathy. But through medical cannabis, he’s found not only a way to improve his quality of life, but the quality of the lives of others by growing medical cannabis.
That is until federal agents raided his farm, found him guilty of manufacturing marijuana and “maintaining a drug premises” and sentenced him to ten years in prison in April 2012. Now Duval, and three other Michigan growers in similar situations, are left with no few options but to surrender and face their sentences.
| A frame from the ABC news report. |
A California family claims school officials and police targeted and set up their special-needs high school-aged son in an undercover sting at Temecula, California’s Chaparral High School. Doug Snodgrass, the father of the unnamed boy, says the move has left his son shattered and unable to trust anyone.
In a lawsuit filed against the district, Snodgrass says says the school “participated with local authorities in an undercover drug sting that intentionally targeted and discriminated against their son” likely due to past behavioral issues at his former school.
| Brick weed. |
At least one drug warrior is admitting that marijuana legalization measures in the states are leading to a decline in weed crossing the border from Mexico. An unnamed El Paso undercover narcotics officer tells KHOU in Houston that he’s starting to see more marijuana grown in the U.S. in the border town he patrols.
| Flickr.com |
The Washington Post in a video segment yesterday detailed two sets of parents using cannabis to control seizures in their children – specifically the cannabinoid CBD.
In the cannabis community, this is common knowledge and the reason why many patients seek marijuana as their therapy. Nevertheless, it’s a powerful video to watch as these two kids — like dozens if not hundreds of others — find relief from their painful affliction with cannabis.
| William Breathes. |
>em>High Times Magazine threw arguable the biggest private pot parties in the nation over the weekend, drawing tens of thousands of people over two days to the Exdo Events Center in Denver for the magazine’s third cannabis contest in as many years. Past events were all medical cups. But this year’s was billed as the first true Cannabis Cup that was open to everyone.
And apparently, that word got out to everyone. In our two days at the festival, we met dozens of folks from Texas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and even a few awesome Kiwis from New Zealand – including the owner of New Zealand’s only hemp store. All were blown away by the open use around them – which is completely understandable when you come from places where marijuana isn’t as tolerated as Colorado. Shit, it was even impressive in scope for those of us used to such spectacles.
| USCG. |
On Sunday, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter notified dispatch of a high-speed boat cooking it north just 90 miles west of San Nicholas Island, which is just over 100 kilometers southwest of Los Angeles.
A Coast Guard ship in the area straight lined it to the scene. But by that time the smuggler had ditched his load and hightailed it out of there, leaving more than 6,500 pounds of seeded, compressed pot floating on the waves in the pacific. In total, 245 bales of pot wrapped in plastic were recovered.
| BBC reporter Heather Alexander. |
It’s always interesting to see the take on American medical and recreational cannabis from our friends across the pond. This recent report from the BBC on legalization in Colorado is proof of that, with the reporter singling out the ski resort town of Breckenridge as the potential American version of cannabis-friendly Amsterdam in the Netherlands. As a Coloradan, I highly doubt that will be the case — but the report does bring up a few interesting ideas.