Free Republic

According to the Associated Press, November 5th — Maine has become the fifth state to allow dispensaries where marijuana can be distributed to medical patients. But medical marijuana advocates say Maine won't become like Los Angeles, where hundreds of dispensaries have popped up and come under critical scrutiny. Ethan Nadelmann of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance says Maine's law has stricter provisions than California's. He says "Maine dispensaries will be licensed by the state, unlike those in California, and that Maine narrowly defines medical conditions for which patients can be prescribed pot, while California allows doctors to recommend it...

Marijuana Growers Upend Hard-Luck California Town They flock to Hayfork to bask in the sunny, cool climate and the permissive rules on medical pot farming and possession. An abandoned truck in Hayfork, Calif. Pot farmers are filling an economic void left by the logging industry. The unemployment rate in the county was 15.9% in September. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times / October 31, 2009) PHOTOS: Trinity County, Calif.: 'Pot paradise' Alana Semuels November 1, 2009 Reporting from Hayfork, Calif. — Education has long been preached as a way to keep kids away from drugs. It's the walk to school...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ No tie-dye was on display at a standing-room only hearing held by a California lawmaker on Wednesday in a bid to get his marijuana legalization bill taken seriously. Instead, suits and sober discussion were the rule at the state Capitol as Assemblyman Tom Ammiano presided over what his office said was the first legislative consideration of the issue since California banned the drug in 1913.

Intensified law enforcement at campgrounds around Aspen last month has triggered complaints of illegal search-and-seizures and youth profiling. Kevin Walczak, 26, said he and his girlfriend were sitting around a campfire enjoying a few beers and a smoke when U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers rolled up and turned a peaceful time in the woods into an interrogation. “We had a roll-your-own cigarette. That’s what we smoke. We were sharing it, passing it back and forth. All it was is tobacco. Suddenly two officers walk into our campsite, don’t introduce themselves, shine flashlights so we couldn’t see them, we were...

In case you missed it, here is the "Pot City, USA" television show recently shown on the A&E Network. It's pretty interesting and well worth your time to watch.

Chicago Tour Bus Used To Move Pot, Cash NationwideBy TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press Writer Oct 6, 2009 6:31 pm US/Central CHICAGO (AP) - The purple tour bus rumbled toward Arizona. On board were 15 passengers, all promised $1,000 and a hotel stay. Stuffed into the luggage compartments, in four black duffel bags, was $1.4 million. Trailing the bus were Wisconsin Department of Justice agents, heading straight into a case that reads like a crime novel. A Detroit drug lord named Adarus Mazio Black was using the tour bus to smuggle his cash and dope across the country and was so...

Don’t look for phrases like “insouciant yet skunky.” At least, not yet. Westword, an alternative weekly newspaper in Denver, has the standard lineup of film, food and music critics. But in what may be a first for American journalism, the paper is shopping around for a medical marijuana critic. The idea is not to assess the green stuff itself, but to review the dispensaries that have sprouted like, um, weeds in Denver this year.

....This article is not another polemic about why it should or shouldn't be (legalized). Today, in any case, the pertinent question is whether it already has been -- at least on a local-option basis. We're referring to a cultural phenomenon that has been evolving for the past 15 years, topped off by a crucial policy reversal that was quietly instituted by President Barack Obama in February....

Two prominent East Bay marijuana advocates got clearance from the state today to try to put a pot-legalization initiative on the November 2010 California ballot....

There was something different in the air today at the 20th annual Boston Freedom Rally at the Boston Common. And it wasn’t just the clouds of pungent marijuana smoke. It was the first time the rally organized by the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition had been held since voters passed Proposition 2 last November, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. The changed law gave attendees reason to celebrate and a better chance of not getting arrested -- a scenario organizers say is a welcome change for the event, which has caused controversy over the years, including many arrests and...

This story ran a while back on freerepublic (May 2007), but no one posted the YouTube video that shows news anchors losing composure after hearing the 911 audio of a cop who apparently confiscated pot during an arrest, took it home, baked it, consumed it with his girlfriend, and then freaked out. Consider it a Friday humor break. Have a good weekend all! YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnZb5wi_jsU&feature=related Original article here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832141/posts

Border Crackdown Makes Farming in U.S. Forests Attractive; Cartel Links Suspected Marijuana growers, many believed to be affiliated with Mexican drug cartels, are aggressively expanding their illegal farming operations in the U.S., clearing land to plant pot in dozens of national forests from coast to coast. Illicit cannabis farms on public land first sprang up in California more than a decade ago and remain a serious problem in that state. But in the past two years, the U.S. Forest Service has documented a rapid expansion of the practice. Authorities have discovered pot farms in 61 national forests across 16 states...

The U.S. Forest Service is apologizing for warning that national forest campers who eat tortillas, drink Tecate beer and listen to Spanish music could be armed marijuana growers. The warning was issued Wednesday to the media by Forest Service law enforcement officials who are investigating illegal marijuana plantations in Colorado's national forests. Tortilla packaging and Tecate cans were among the items authorities found recently when they broke up a pot-growing operation in the Pike National Forest southwest of Denver. "I think that's the most entertaining story that I've heard on Latinos in quite a while," Jose Armas, a longtime Latino...

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — A section of a Sierra Nevada national park is closed to visitors while rangers helicopter in to destroy a marijuana garden growing near a crystal-filled cave popular with tourists.

More than a dozen years ago, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. Many used it to relieve pain or other symptoms — and that's still true. But medical marijuana has now become a thriving business in California that serves a lot more than just sick people. In some parts of Los Angeles, medical marijuana is more common than McDonalds or Starbucks. Places where you can buy a Big Mac or a double tall mocha latte are outnumbered by pot stores, at least 2 to 1. Signs like this are beginning to crowd...

(Aug. 6) -- With buzz about the Obama Joker poster still in the air, another reworking of the president's image is causing a stir. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has produced a psychedelic, '60s-style poster featuring a photo of college freshman "Barry" Obama smoking. Above his super-bad Panama hat is the slogan: Yes We Cannabis. Artist Sonia Sanchez created the poster for NORML's annual conference using a picture taken at Occidental College in 1980 by the future president's classmate Lisa Jack. In the original photo, Obama is holding a real cigarette to his lips. Sanchez tweaked...

Nice done movie answering to some semi-intelligent comments about the Netherlands. Made my day :o)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) Federal and state agents have arrested 82 people on suspicion of growing more than $1.2 billion worth of marijuana in California's Sierra Nevada range. Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims says several Mexican drug cartels are involved in the operations. All but one of the people arrested was from Mexico.

Fresno, Calif. (AP) -- Federal and state agents have arrested 83 people for growing more than $1.2 billion worth of marijuana in an ongoing crackdown on illegal pot gardens in California's Sierra Nevada range. Local officials said several Mexican marijuana-growing cartels helped set up the grow sites scattered throughout rocky mountainsides of eastern Fresno County, and warned more arrests were likely as the sweep continues. More than 318,000 marijuana plants were destroyed in the operation, which also netted nearly $41,000 in cash, 25 weapons and two vehicles, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said Thursday.

California currently collects $18 million in sales taxes from marijuana dispensaries, and Yee said a regulated pot trade would bring in $1.3 billion... Valid for one year, it is all that California law requires to purchase and smoke eight ounces legally. …Oakland allows anyone with a medical card to cultivate 72 plants — 12 times the number the state legislature suggested in SB 420, which passed in 2003... This bill would impose a fee of fifty dollars ($50) per ounce for the sale of marijuana sold at retail...to include all marijuana, concentrated cannabis, and their derivatives, except that marijuana containing...

Late last month, Berwyn Heights, Maryland Mayor Cheye Calvo took the unusual step of filing a civil rights lawsuit against the police department of his own county. The suit stems from a 2008 SWAT team raid on Calvo's house that resulted in the shooting deaths of his two black Labrador retrievers. In pushing back against the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Prince George's County police department, the mayor is helping expose a more widespread pattern of law enforcement carelessness and callousness throughout the state of Maryland. Prince George's police originally obtained a warrant to search Calvo's home...

<p>“Harry Potter” star Jamie Waylett has been charged with growing ten cannabis plants.</p> <p>The 19-year-old actor will have to appear in court later this month for the charges stemming from an April arrest.</p> <p>Waylett, who plays Potter bully Vincent Crabbe, was busted when cops pulled over his vehicle in London and allegedly found eight bags of marijuana. He was taken to a nearby police station before a team of officers raided his mother’s home in Camden, the Daily Telegraph reports.</p>

B A controversial law in Massachusetts could go national if Congressman Barney Frank gets his way. Frank has filed a bill that would eliminate federal penalties for personal possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana. It would also make the penalty for using marijuana in public just $100. "I think John Stuart Mill had it right in the 1850s," said Congressman Frank, "when he argued that individuals should have the right to do what they want in private, so long as they don't hurt anyone else. It's a matter of personal liberty. Moreover, our courts are already stressed and...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday it's time for California to study whether to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use, though he's not yet advocating for such a change. The governor was asked about a recent Field Poll showing that 56 percent of registered voters support legalizing and taxing marijuana to raise revenues for cash-strapped California. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, has proposed legislation that would legalize the drug for recreational use, rather than just medical purposes. "Well, I think it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate," Schwarzenegger said. "I think all of those...

Dutch police have unveiled their so-called Cannachopper which is an "unmanned mini-helicopter . . . fitted with diagnostic and surveillance instruments allowing it to detect cannabis plants from the air" in either fields or growhouses.

A Tulare County Superior Court judge today ordered the return of all marijuana confiscated from a medical marijuana user who was found not guilty of growing and selling the drug.

Personally, I am thankful to providence for bestowing Woody Harrelson, zombie fighter, unto this earth to defend us all from those wayward and dangerous zombie paparazzi. Why, we'd be overrun with the shuffling menaces were it not for the brave and selfless actions of Woody Harrelson, zombie fighter! It is my pleasure to recount Captain Zombie Killer's latest epic struggle with the flesh eating, undead from last week. It seems that a zombie paparazzi was about to attack an entire airport full of innocent folks until Captain Zombie Killer stepped in to save us yet again. Of course, there was...

NLONG VENG, Cambodia – He was one of the greatest mass killers of the 20th century, but that doesn't stop the hopeful from praying at Pol Pot's hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers, job promotions and beautiful brides. Nor does it stop tourists from picking clean the bones and ashes from the Khmer Rouge leader's burial ground in this remote town in northwestern Cambodia. The grave is among a slew of Khmer Rouge landmarks in Anlong Veng, where the movement's guerrillas made their last stand in 1998 just as Pol Pot lay dying. A $1 million tourism master plan is...

This obscure clinical manifestation of severe vomiting sickness due to chronic abuse of marijuana, recognized by Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, NE, was published on March 14, 2009 World Journal of Gastroenterology. Recent research into the neurobiology of cannabis has led to the identification of different receptor types including two specific types that mediate neuropsychiatric and immunologic effects. According to Dr. Sontineni, doctors and health care workers currently under recognize the syndrome leading to delayed diagnosis and expensive diagnostic investigations. Increasing consistent use of marijuana among United States populations, particularly young people, over several...

WASHINGTON — President Obama weighed in Wednesday on the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that he was looking at possibly deploying National Guard troops to contain the violence but ruled out any immediate military move. "We're going to examine whether and if National Guard deployments would make sense and under what circumstances they would make sense," Obama said during an interview with journalists for regional papers, including a McClatchy reporter. "I don't have a particular tipping point in mind," he said. "I think it's unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing U.S. citizens."

Porn, Pot and Abortion You may have read that the Obama administration has altered United States government policy and has sanctioned "medical" marijuana by ending raids on "clinics" where "medical" marijuana is passed out. The use of quotes in the paragraph above is deliberate. It's my view and the views of millions of conservatives that there is no such thing as "medical" marijuana...or at least in the way it's being presented to the public. "Medical" marijuana is simply a term for pot being sold for profit under the guise that it helps a plethora of medical problems. The "clinics" are...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A state legislator proposed legalizing the sale of marijuana in California, saying the plan would generate more than $1 billion annually for the cash-strapped state. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano introduced a bill Monday that would legalize possession and sales of the drug for people aged 21 and older. The legislation would impose regulations and taxation similar to those for alcohol sales. Federal law makes it a crime to possess or sell marijuana, so the measure, if passed, would likely face an immediate legal challenge. Mr. Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat who is well known in the state as...

Ridiculed for Phelps investigation, official hits back in teasing speech Critics have accused Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott of trying to grab his 15 minutes of fame while investigating U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. So Monday, Lott took a few of those minutes — to ridicule the comedians, dopers and pundits who lampooned his probe of the gold medalist, shown in a newspaper photo with a marijuana bong at a Columbia party. Donning a messy blond wig — a nod to Newsweek’s error in describing him as having blond hair — a bulletproof vest and three bronze medals, Lott set...

Leave it to a loony Assemblyman from San Fransisco to suggest legalizing marijuana and taxing the sale of it as a way to improve the states budget. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano claims this would raise $1 billion dollars per year with a tax of $50 for every ounce. I wonder how he came up with that number? Perhaps, Assemblyman Ammiano has been doing a little personal research

On the 2009 debut of his HBO show Real Time on Friday night, Bill Maher proposed his new solution for the economic crisis: legalize marijuana. In an interview with Rep. Ron Paul, he lectured: "When FDR came into office in '33, one of the first things he did was repeal Prohibition. He said we can’t afford this any more." Paul was puzzled, so Maher continued: "When he was making radical changes, he said ‘look, we’re serious now. We’re gonna get serious, and people like liquor." Well, in this country, people love pot...[applause]...and if we ended that Prohibition, it’d be a...

BISBEE — Customs and Border Protection officers at the Douglas port of entry arrested two individuals Monday for attempting to smuggle about 287 pounds of marijuana into the United States, according to the agency. On Monday at about 10 a.m., a 40-year-old man identified as a Mexican national was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck. An officer selected him for inspection. Officers conducted an intensive search with a narcotic detector dog. A non-intrusive imaging system scan revealed anomalies in the interior of the vehicle. Officers found 42 packages of marijuana, weighing 107 pounds. At about 6:30 p.m. that same...

Seems he was busted for possession of marijuana, and received three months house arrest. He was fitted with a tracking bracelet - which was checked several times over four weeks.

Just days after a photograph surfaced in “Star Magazine” that was taken in the winter of 2008 which showed American Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps smoking dope from a water bong, one of his largest sponsors has pulled all advertising featuring the swimmer. The move will cost Phelps millions in endorsement money from Kellogg’s where Phelps was endorsing their brand of Corn Flakes. Phelps has already admitted guilt, has apologized via an “official spokesman” and promised to never smoke pot again, the problem is that the damage was already done. From what I heard during the reporting of the issue...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. (K) (K) says it will not renew its sponsorhip contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps because he has acknowledged smoking marijuana last fall. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior - caught on camera and published Sunday - is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."........"

Drug Enforcement Administration agents this week raided four medical marijuana shops in California, contrary to President Obama's campaign promises to stop the raids. DEA Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart The White House said it expects those kinds of raids to end once Mr. Obama nominates someone to take charge of DEA, which is still run by Bush administration holdovers. “The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind,"...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Olympic superstar Michael Phelps could face criminal charges as part of the fallout from a photo that surfaced showing the swimmer smoking from a marijuana pipe at a University of South Carolina house party. A spokesman for Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, who is known for his tough stance on drugs, said Tuesday the department was investigating. "Our narcotics division is reviewing the information that we have, and they're investigating what charges, if any, will be filed," said Lt. Chris Cowan, a spokesman for agency.

Which two countries offer the greatest threat to the United States? If you answered that they both must be in the Middle East, you would be only half right. You would be amazed to learn, as I was, that the second greatest threat to America comes from this hemisphere – yes, right next door to us. Former CIA chief Michael Hayden told reporters in January of this year that Mexico could rank alongside Iran as a challenge for President Obama – perhaps a greater problem than Iraq. The U.S. Justice Department said last month that Mexican gangs are the "biggest...

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- George Obama, the half-brother of U.S. President Barack Obama, has been arrested by Kenyan police on a charge of possession of marijuana, police said Saturday. Inspector Augustine Mutembei, the officer in charge, said Obama was arrested on charges of possession of cannabis, known in Kenya as Bhang, and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Mutembei said. He is being held at Huruma police post in the capital of Nairobi. Speaking from behind bars, Obama denied the allegations. "They took me from my home," he said, "I don't know why they are charging...

No article just a video for those who didn't see it and might want to watch. If California wants a nice steady stream of income, they'd be smart to LEGALIZE POT. The efforts to eradicate not only aren't working but wasting a lot of money and time when our cops could be fighting REAL CRIME.

Marijuana isn't known for being a friend to memory; its short-term effects notoriously impair recall. And although the data is conflicting, some studies link cannabis with memory deficits in those who use excessive doses for long periods of time But new research suggests that one of the active ingredients in marijuana—THC—and similar compounds could possibly prevent or even reverse one of the most devastating memory disorders of all: Alzheimer's disease.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Police in central Pennsylvania say they have arrested a veteran elementary school teacher and seized 72 pounds of marijuana from her home. Police in Williamsport, Pa., say they arrested 52-year-old Beth Camp on Friday along with her husband and son and charged them with possession with intent to deliver and other counts. Police estimated the marijuana was worth $350,000. School officials say Camp has taught in the Williamsport Area School District for nearly 25 years. Information from: Williamsport Sun-Gazette, http://www.sungazette.com

Your “Only In Massachusetts” puzzler of the day: Boston cops kick in a door and find three people: An illegal immigrant living in subsidized housing; a 16-year-old girl smoking a joint; and a 20-year-old Marine drinking a Miller Lite to celebrate his safe return from a second tour of Iraq. Question: Of these three lawbreakers, who is the only one arrested? Answer that question, and you’ll know everything you need to know about America’s bluest state. The obvious answer - obvious to anyone who’s lived in Massachusetts more than a week - is the Miller Lite Marine. What’s a violation...

U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback discovered over 1,300 pounds of marijuana after apprehending 8 illegal immigrants Tuesday in the desert near Arivaca. Agents operating a Mobile Surveillance System, a vehicle equipped with a telescoping tower mounted with a camera and radar system, spotted a group of people walking in the desert towards Fraguita Peak at about 11 a.m.. They notified other agents near the group, said Esmeralda Marroquin. Agents approached and apprehended the group of eight and while searching the area for other people discovered 53 bundles of marijuana abandoned in the desert. The drugs weighed about 1,384 pounds...

A jury sentenced a Lakeview man to 10 years in prison for growing nearly 7,500 marijuana plants. Andrew Stever, 40, was sentenced on Monday after a three-day trial in the Federal District Court in Medford.Ten years is the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of growing 1,000 or more pot plants. In July 2007, officers from several local, state and federal agencies found 7,459 plants growing on Stever's Lakeview property, which bordered Forest Service land. Two men fled the scene, leaving behind personal property and three firearms, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Portland. Physical evidence and testimony linked...