A measure that would have legalized cannabis use, possession and cultivation in Ireland was defeated handily yesterday, shot down with a 111 to 8 vote in the Dáil, Ireland’s lower house of representatives.
According to RTÉ News, the cannabis bill was allowed some debate but it seems most of the rhetoric was from stuffy politicians with no real idea what cannabis is or does. Even the health minister pulled out the often-debunked “cannabis causes schizophrenia” myth.
| Ry Prichard. |
| Durban Poison. |
Want to know more about the herb you’re smoking? So do we, so we’ve asked Ry Prichard – a fellow Colorado cannabis nerd, grower, photographer and founder of the Cannabis Encyclopedia project which aims to create a central database on cannabis strain information – to help school us all, strain-wise. This week? Durban Poison.
Portland, Maine has legalized the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for adults over 21, with more than 70 percent of voters in the city giving their approval to the measure.
While certainly a step in the right direction, the bill was mostly symbolic. Marijuana cultivation remains illegal, and 2.5 ounces of cannabis was already among the lowest civil penalties in the city. The legalization does eliminate up to $600 in fines for those caught with 2.5 ounces or less, however.
| Michigan capitol. |
Update 11/06/2013: Voters in Lansing, Jackson and Ferndale, Michigan all legalized the possession and use of up to an ounce of cannabis on private property yesterday. Jackson voters passed their measure by more than 800 votes, and roughly 63 percent of Lansing voters approved their measure.
Supporters say the move will force the legislature to approve a similar statewide measure during the upcoming legislative session.
Could medical marijuana be sold through actual pharmacies in Michigan? That’s the hope of a few Michigan lawmakers, who say that the plant should be rescheduled to include it along with other beneficial medicines and have it sold over-the-counter in licensed pharmacies.
The only catch: the feds would have to give their okay first.
Senate Bill 660, written by Michigan state Sens. Roger Kahn and Randy Richardville, would reschedule marijuana as a Schedule II drug, alongside drugs like morphine and OxyContin. Cannabis is currently a Schedule 1 drug, which means it has no medicinal value whatsoever in the eyes of the (clearly shortsighted) federal government.
Votes are still being counted, but the suspense when it comes to the two biggest measures on ballots statewide is over — if there was ever any at all. The Denver Post has made the call on Proposition AA, the marijuana tax measure, and Amendment 66, an education proposal, with the former winning handily (the count is 64.6 percent yeah to 35.3 percent nay with 55 percent of the vote counted at this writing) and the latter getting crushed (66.1 percent “no” to 33.8 percent “yes,” also with 55 percent reporting). Denver Westword has the full story.
Could legal marijuana outpace smartphones on the economic front? According to a recent poll from the Huffington Post, the answer is a resounding yes.
According to HuffPo, more than $1.3 billion will be spent on legal cannabis in 2013 in the U.S, and a growth of up to $2.34 billion next year. That’s a growth rate of about 64 percent. By comparison, smartphone industry has only grown by 46 percent at its largest.
| Denver, Colorado. |
Come January 1, there could be as many as 100 recreational marijuana shops open to consumers.
According to statistics released by the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, 136 current medical marijuana dispensaries have applied to switch over to recreational cannabis stores. The division also saw 28 applications from edibles makers and 174 applications for independent grow operations. All of the October applications are expected to be finished by the MED before the New Year.
We guess the definition of “captive audience” is pretty much epitomized by prison inmates.In Beeville, guards at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s McConnell Unit took advantage of the potential customer base and ran one hell of a drug ring, with the aid of inmates. They also smuggled in phones, because they were all about serving the customer.
How big was this thing? Fourteen guards are going to be doing time for their part in the enterprise, as will 11 other individuals. Houston Press has the full story.
| Kevin Glaser. |
Kevin Glaser, the retired Missouri Drug Task Force cop we told you about last week who ranted on Facebook about marijuana legalization advocates, calling them stupid welfare leeches, isn’t backing down.
“To me, Facebook’s there to put your opinion on, and I wouldn’t retract a word about it,” he tells the Southeast Missourian.