Miscellaneous Archives - Page 56 of 57

Is Washington State America’s Cannabis Mecca?

July 10, 2013February 24, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Washington State has long been considered on the forefront of cannabis law reform, and over the past several months, things have escalated. Washington voters approved Initiative 502 with a resounding, double-digit victory. Possession of an ounce of cannabis is no longer a criminal offense. Smoking in clear public display is simply a ticket. Hundreds are filling meetings ran by the Liquor Control Board to discuss how legal cannabis retail outlets are going to be regulated. The state’s largest city, Seattle, has well over 100 access points for medical cannabis.

For all intents and purposes, cannabis is the new state flower for Washington.

Even better, voters aren’t the only advocates for change; their legislature is filled with champion reformists. And it shows.

Washington State lawmakers are currently discussing three cannabis-related bills, all of which passed through their respective committees, two unanimously.

Reminder: 81% of Americans Support Legalized Medical Marijuana

August 24, 2014February 22, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Support for cannabis law reform is increasing drastically. Half of all Americans support recreational legalization, victories in Colorado and Washington have pushed the issue further into the mainstream, and legislation is being filed across the country to put a halt to this ridiculous prohibition on cannabis.

As we move towards full legalization, it’s easy to forget that roughly 80% of all Americans support cannabis being legal for medicinal usage.

This is an incredible consensus on an issue that many people, and most politicians, still consider controversial. Getting 80% of Americans to agree on anything, better yet a switch from a substance being completely prohibited to allowed as a medicine, is rare, to put it lightly.

This is why it’s vital for supporters of reform to never forget about these numbers and the backing we have. We should never allow politicians to get away with ignoring this issue or playing it off as a political third wheel.

Support Legalization? You’re Part of the Marijuana Majority

February 21, 2013February 20, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

In a society that couldn’t hide its celebrity obsession if it tried, opinions of the famous – whether it rock star, movie star or athlete – tend to hold weight in the minds of those who admire these individuals. For better or worse.

This is what makes the newly launched Marijuana Majority a vital component of pushing cannabis legalization forward, and into the mainstream.

Founded by Tom Angell, who until recently was Media Relations Director for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Majority is a website and social media movement that aims at compiling the ultimate list of celebrities, scientists, lawmakers, etc., who support an end to our failed war on cannabis.

Stupidity In Action: Cops Harass Elderly Couple For What Appears To Be A Pot Leaf Bumper Sticker

July 10, 2013February 15, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

In a shining example of not only police stupidity, but of just how ridiculous cannabis prohibition has become, a couple driving through Tennessee, both in their sixties, were pulled over and harassed by multiple police officers – in body armor and wielding guns – because of a report that they received about a pot-leaf bumper sticker that was on the vehicle.

It turns out, the bumper sticker wasn’t cannabis related, but rather a picture of a buckeye leaf. The couple was from Ohio, and are fans of the college football team the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Taking the words right from our mouths, Bonnie Jonas-Boggioni, one of the victims, stated to USA Today, “It’s just amazing they would be that dumb”. Ha.

Let’s Talk Cannabis Science

July 10, 2013February 13, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabis is a non-lethal, vastly medicinal, and wonderfully therapeutic plant. It being outlawed is one of the largest travesties of our time. The more we move forward as a society, and the more science improves, the more we learn of the true benefits of cannabis and ending its prohibition. Only propaganda and special interests have kept the beast alive.

The government, of course, does everything it can to stop legitimate research on the issue, besides to find potential negatives. Which, as far back as Nixon and the Shafer Report, tends to backfire.

Despite the resistance, science, especially over the past several years, has begun to make a mockery of the typical stereotypes and myths surrounding cannabis. Here is a look at some of the more important cannabis related studies to come our way in recent years.

Man Wins Lottery, Pledges Half A Million To Cannabis Reform

July 10, 2013February 10, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Bob Erb of British Columbia won the lottery, earning himself a grand-total of $25 million. An activist at heart, Bob put this money right to use, by donating a large sum to a local homeless shelter, and pledging up to $500,000 to fight for an end to cannabis prohibition.

Round of applause to Bob.

“The biggest social injustice I’ve seen in all my entire lifetime is the criminalization and prohibition of marijuana,” he told CTV on Friday.

Right on Bob.

Bob, who told CTV that he “generally smokes 10-15 joints a day, 7 days a week”, will be donating his money in the form of a matching donation (someone gives a dollar, he matches it, up to half a million), which will go to the group Sensible B.C., which slogan is “Decriminalize Cannabis For a Safer Province.” In addition to lobbying their government to pass reform, the group is building its base to try and gather enough signatures to put the Sensible Policing Act to a vote of the people.

Former NASA Scientist Launches H.A.S.H. (High Altitude School Of Hydroponics)

July 10, 2013February 9, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

Dale Chamberlain used to work for NASA, designing experiments for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Now he’s helping people grow top-quality cannabis.

0_0_0_0_255_191_csupload_53372017 — Former NASA Scientist Dale Chamberlain.

Dale has launched the High Altitude School of Hydroponics – H.A.S.H., with classes being held at Front Range Community College in Colorado. According to their website:

“A full service hydroponic school we are dedicated to high-quality instruction, hands-on training, reviews, supplies, service and customer satisfaction.
Read moreFormer NASA Scientist Launches H.A.S.H. (High Altitude School Of Hydroponics)

Super Bowl Contest Winner Sent Packing For 2 Grams Of Cannabis, From 30 Years Ago

July 10, 2013February 3, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

In what’s surely to be a horror story for cannabis consuming football fans, a man who lives on Vancouver Island was denied entrance in to the country – making him miss the Super Bowl he had tickets for – because of a prior cannabis possession charge. The charge was for 2 grams, and happened over 30 years ago.

Even worse, the chances of him obtaining his Super Bowl tickets to begin with were one in four million; Myles Wilkinson gained his tickets through a fantasy football contest, where over four million people attempted to win the same prize.

Marijuana Is Safer, So Why Are We Driving People To Synthetic Alternatives?

February 19, 2013February 1, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

The simple existence of synthetic marijuana should send a loud message to the public and elected officials. When our policy pushes people to a chemically-laced alternative to a non-lethal plant, simply so that they don’t face arrest for the safer substance, we have a fundamentally flawed law.

For those who may be unaware, synthetic marijuana, commonly referred to by the brand names of Spice and K2, is a mix of dried flowers/herbs which is sprayed with a mix of chemicals that are designed to artificially stimulate the body and brain in a fashion similar to cannabis.

It doesn’t work.

Still, people have continue to use it, despite its potential health risks. In 2010, over 11,000 people were sent to the emergency room over the use of synthetic marijuana. Miscellaneous 78 percent of those were under the age of 30.

Nation’s Largest Dispenary Releases Dr. Seuss Inspired Pro-Cannabis Video

July 10, 2013January 31, 2013 by Anthony Martinelli

California’s Harborside Health Center, featured on Discovery Channel’s Weed Wars and boasted as the largest medical cannabis safe access point in the country, has release a Dr. Seuss inspired video, titled The Haag.

The video, which was sent out in a press release, uses Dr. Seuss style animation and rhyming to summarize the current travesty of our medical cannabis policies, as well as the attacks on Harborside’s clinic, which has faced continual attempts to be shut down. The title is in reference to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, who has been one of the guiding forces in attempting to close the dispensary.

“We could’ve made a documentary that showed how stressed out and worried we are, how petrified our families are, not to mention our employees…Being in the cross-hairs of the feds is scary as hell. But one of the powerful lessons that cannabis has to teach us, one of the healing properties of the plant, is the sense of humor that it brings out in us–the childlike quality that should be a part of our adult lives and is often lost in our modern and hectic world. Cannabis can help restore this and that is the spirit in which ‘The Haag’ was made”, said Dr. Andrew DeAngelo, Director of Harborside, in the press release.

The video begins:

There was once a land called NorCal, amongst the cannabis trees..
..where the folk that smoked their flowers, lived a happy life, in peace
But an ancient law dictated, that all cannabis is bad..
..so the G-men confiscated, every flower that they had..
– TheJointBlog