State Rep. Rory Ellinger, a Democrat from University City, plans to introduce legislation next session to legalize pot in the state, modeled after the successful reform effort in Colorado. It will definitely be a long shot here, but this will be the first time a lawmaker in Missouri has introduced a proposal of this nature.
“I expect there will be a lot of good people that feel marijuana is wrong, that it leads down a path of worse drugs and trouble and so on,” he tells Daily RFT. “I respect their opinion, but I think that it can all be disputed.”
Sam Levin with the Riverfront Times has the full, local angle.
| Screen shot of the grow from CBS5 San Francisco. |
We read a lot of fucked-up stories related to cannabis here at Toke, but this one might be the most disturbing we’ve read in a long, long time.
Two California men aged 30 and 24 have been charged with keeping a 15-year-old girl as a work/sex slave on their heavily-armed Clearlake marijuana farm, locking the girl in a 4x2x2 metal box for days on end according to local news KCRA.com.
| Quack. |
Among the many natural benefits associated with medicating with marijuana is the sheer lack of detrimental side effects like you see at the end of every prescription drug commercial. But in a half-baked attempt to combat a recent string of favorable headlines for cannabis research, those opposed to the plant are issuing a stern new warning to anyone who smokes (or is even thinking of smoking) pot.
Abdominal cramping, power-puking, and the need for a hot shower – this, they say, is what you are in for if you choose to smoke weed. The prohibitionists are right about one thing; you might need a hot shower after trying to wrap your head around their latest attempt at reasoning.
| photo by Jamie Peachey. |
| Billy Hayes |
Phoenix police have busted marijuana activist Billy Hayes for the second time in two years in connection with running an unauthorized medical-marijuana dispensary.
Hayes seems to have more lives than a cat, so we’re not betting yet on whether Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery will be able to secure a successful prosecution. Phoenix New Times has the full story.
The prospect of recreational marijuana sales has produced a lot of political naysaying in the past month or so. On June 19, we counted 24 cities that had prohibited retail pot shops. Now, five weeks later, the Denver Post reports that the number has more than doubled, to 56 cities having voted for bans. The Post’s list of cities that have either approved sales, or are expected to do so, is far smaller — just eleven, almost all of which are medical marijuana-friendly.
Count down the roster of communities that are likeliest to just say “yes” over at the Denver Westword, complete with pics, videos and links.
Several news sources have posted over the last few days about how the recent federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington were especially surprising since Washington voters approved the possession and sales of limited amounts of cannabis back in November.
Several media outlets have conflated the two, when they aren’t the same thing. In fact, Washington has yet to open any recreational dispensaries. Any dispensary that is open now is following the exact same rules they had to follow before I-502 and recreational sales haven’t even begun yet.
| John Hanger. |
A Pennsylvania democrat with a pro-pot platform has his eye on the governor’s office in 2014.
John Hanger says he has a three-step process for marijuana in the state, starting with allowing doctors to legally recommend medical marijuana for qualifying patients and ending with the legalization, taxation and regulation of cannabis for all adults over 21.
A massive video screen blaring an advertisement will great fans at the Brickyard 400 this weekend. I know that sounds redundant considering all NASCAR consists of is 150 m.p.h. ads for laundry detergent, travel sites and web hosting sites, but it’s not for those products. Nor is it for the biggest NASCAR advertiser: the alcohol industry.
Instead, the huge video screen will be playing an advertisement for marijuana thanks to the Marijuana Policy Project. Specifically: the legalization and regulation of marijuana. It’s all part of their ongoing guerrilla advertising campaign to get people to think about their recreational choices when imbibing.
| William Breathes. |
| “Take two hits and call me in the morning.” |
Crohn’s disease is a autoimmunity deficiency in the gastronomical tract that can cause anything from mild stomach pains to vomiting and in extreme cases, chronic bloody diarrhea. There’s no cure for the disorder but now, researchers in Israel say they’ve found evidence that marijuana causes complete remission of the disease. Check out OC Weekly for more on what many of us already knew to be true.