CALIFORNIA
Find more videos like this on Chronic Culture
WASHINGTON
Share
Mass. Bar Association and local sheriffs support proposed medical marijuana bill
The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance has just announced that four sheriffs have come out in support of House No. 2160.
Examiner.com is trying to confirm a report that Carmen Massimiano of Berkshire County, Robert Garvey of Hampshire County, Richard Bretschneider of Nantucket County, and Andrea Cabral of Suffolk County signed a letter late last week announcing their support of the bill.
Matt Allen of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance said "This is the first time that we've had a robust coalition since the inception of the bill."
The Massachusetts Bar Association’s House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly last month to support House No. 2160, a bipartisan medical marijuana bill that was introduced in the State House earlier this year. The bill would “regulate the medical use of marijuana by patients approved by physicians and certified by the department of public health.”
“The MBA supports this legislation because it affirms the rights of patients to be treated with medical marijuana—a drug with proven efficacy—while including important regulations to deter improper use,” said former Massachusetts Bar Association president David White, who introduced the measure. “Provisions like state-issued ID cards for patients, state certification of a limited number of dispensaries, and rules governing secure growing sites ensure that only patients who have their doctor’s recommendation can obtain medical marijuana.”
Thirteen states have passed medical marijuana laws, including Rhode Island and Vermont. Legislation is being considered in 14 other states, including New York and New Jersey.
Massachusetts residents are no different than any other Americans. "They look at the mistakes California made," said Matt Allen. "That state is a bad model. We want to pattern our model after Rhode Island. Once people see what the model looks like it alleviates their fears."
On September 23, Suffolk University released the results of a poll showing that 81% of Massachusetts residents support allowing "seriously ill patients to use, grow, and purchase marijuana for medical purposes if they have the approval of their physicians." The poll found strong support in every demographic, including support from 86% of senior citizens and 70% of Republicans. -- Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance
source: theexaminer.com
Share
Marijuana Activists Seize The Day
A girl stands in the doorway of a medical marijuana dispensary on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, November 18, 2009. Hundreds of pot shops have sprung up in the last couple of years across Los Angeles, taking advantage of California's medical marijuana laws to do a brisk trade in cannabis offerings branded with names like "Big Buds" and "Super Trainwreck". Picture taken November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With California teetering perpetually on the edge of financial ruin, marijuana activists have seized the moment, claiming that legalizing and taxing pot could help bail out the cash-strapped Golden State.
But critics are slamming the proposal, saying the social costs of a free-smoking state far outweigh the money it would bring in, and that a promised windfall from taxing marijuana sales couldn't possibly plug California's massive budget gap.
Voters are likely to confront the issue next year. Marijuana advocates say they have collected more than enough signatures, over 680,000, to qualify for November's ballot with a proposal to make California the first U.S. state to legalize possession and cultivation of pot for recreational use.
Passage remains far from certain, even in socially permissive California.
Fifteen years after Californians led the nation in approving the use of cannabis for medical purposes, fierce political debate is raging over a recent mushrooming of medicinal pot dispensaries in Los Angeles and other cities.
In northern California towns like Arcata and Eureka, where pot has long been part of the social fabric and local economy, illicit growers have reportedly stepped up production to meet rising demand generated by the proliferation of clinics around the state of 38 million.
'PROHIBITION IS CHAOS'
Under the latest initiative, simple possession of an ounce (28.5 grams) or less of marijuana, currently a misdemeanor offense punishable by a $100 fine, would be legal for anyone at least 21. It also would be lawful to grow limited amounts in one's own home for personal use.
While sales would not be legalized outright, cities and counties could pass laws permitting commercial distribution subject to local regulations and taxes. Retail sales would still be limited to an ounce for adults 21 and older.
A Field Poll in April found 56 percent of California voters favor legalizing recreational marijuana and taxing it as a new revenue source to ease the budget crunch.
The state tax board found that California could collect $1.4 billion a year in taxes from a legalization bill proposed by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat.
He backs the referendum as a prelude to his own statewide bill, saying that outlawing pot has proven a failure.
"Prohibition is chaos, and at least with regulation you have some control," Ammiano said.
But critics warn that the social harms of legalizing cannabis -- from declines in work production and academic achievement to a rise in traffic and job accidents -- would likely trump any economic benefits.
"The carnage in this country due to alcohol and tobacco use is enormous," said Joel Hay, professor of pharmaceutical economics and policy at the University of Southern California. "Why we would want to increase the use of another product that creates this kind of damage is hard to fathom."
Hay questions the accuracy of revenue projections for Ammiano's bill, based largely on a 2006 Harvard University study that valued California's annual marijuana crop of an estimated 8.6 million pounds (3.9 million kg) at $13.8 billion a year.
'DEALING WITH CONSEQUENCES'
"I don't know that their numbers are correct. But whether it's a billion or a half billion (dollars in revenue), that number will be swamped by the cost to the state of dealing with all the consequences," Hay said.
The tax board's estimate assumes marijuana's street price would drop by half if legalized but that demand would rise.
Still, the $1.4 billion in revenues projected for the Ammiano bill would make only a small dent in California's budget shortfall, estimated at $21 billion for 2009-10.
Supporters say many of the benefits of legalizing pot are harder to quantify. They argue that ending prosecutions of marijuana possession would free up strained law enforcement resources and strike a blow against drug cartels, much as repealing prohibition of alcohol in the 1930s crushed bootlegging by organized crime.
Stephen Gutwillig, California head of the Drug Policy Alliance, said current law "makes criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens."
State figures show misdemeanor marijuana possession arrests topped 61,400 in California last year, he said, up 127 percent from 1990, while arrests for all other crimes fell 40 percent.
The ballot measure's leading advocate, Richard Lee, owner of several marijuana-related businesses in Oakland, also said legalization could be for California what gambling long was for Nevada -- an added tourist attraction.
Lee argued that if alcohol, which he calls "a more dangerous drug" than marijuana, can be taxed and regulated by the government, "we can surely do it with cannabis."
But veteran political consultant Steve Smith said Lee's measure had an uphill fight.
"What you like to have going in is 60 percent support, because the high point of a proponent's campaign generally is when they start," he said. "If they're in the mid-50s, they have a chance of passage but it won't be easy."
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Eric Walsh)
source: MaconDaily.com
Share
Judge Says County Sheriff Must Return Medical Marijuana
The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that the Douglas County Sheriff's office was wrong not to return medical marijuana to three patients. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Three years ago, the sheriff raided the Dixonville home of Dwight Ehrensing. He grew pot for people who take the drug under the state's Medical Marijuana Act.
But the police found a 120 pound stash and accused Ehrensing of selling it to people who didn't have Medical Marijuana cards.
Three users who did have cards asked for their drugs and the then Douglas County Sheriff, Chris Brown, refused.
He told Douglas County Judge, William Lasswell, that giving the drugs back would violate federal laws prohibiting the delivery of a controlled substance.
Judge Lasswell rejected that argument and ordered the sheriff to give the drugs back. He said he had empathy for the patients and the pain they were enduring. None of them was accused of a crime.
Brown and the Oregon Department of Justice took the issue up to the Oregon Court of Appeals. But that court has now agreed with Lasswell.
source: OPB News
Share
Three years ago, the sheriff raided the Dixonville home of Dwight Ehrensing. He grew pot for people who take the drug under the state's Medical Marijuana Act.
But the police found a 120 pound stash and accused Ehrensing of selling it to people who didn't have Medical Marijuana cards.
Three users who did have cards asked for their drugs and the then Douglas County Sheriff, Chris Brown, refused.
He told Douglas County Judge, William Lasswell, that giving the drugs back would violate federal laws prohibiting the delivery of a controlled substance.
Judge Lasswell rejected that argument and ordered the sheriff to give the drugs back. He said he had empathy for the patients and the pain they were enduring. None of them was accused of a crime.
Brown and the Oregon Department of Justice took the issue up to the Oregon Court of Appeals. But that court has now agreed with Lasswell.
source: OPB News
Share
Miss High Times from Colorado
SPEECHLESS
age: 20
location: Denver, Colorado - mile high baby!
country: US
occupation: Boulder Holistic Solutions-A Patient Caregiving Service
Hey there! My name is Brittany and I'm from Denver, Colorado! Once you meet me, you will never forget me, for sure! I'm always at "Mile High" level with "Mile High NORML"- check them out at www.milehighnorml.org. Those of you that live in Denver/Boulder or have visited know that this is THE marijuana capitol of the United States! We even have one of the best radio shows, "Marijuana Radio" please feel free to listen in at www.marijuanaradio.com/news/.
I'm a Sagittarian who loves to smoke and listen to trance music! I also love hanging out with my buds (both kinds!- ha ha). Some of my favorite things to do are spinning lights (check my blog for photos!), meditating, hitting my bong, working out, and chillin' with my chinchilla.
I believe that being Miss Hightimes is more than just smoking all the time... it’s a way to raise awareness for the possibility/potential of legalization of marijuana as well as provide care to patients who need this miracle medicine. I figure if maybe I could touch a few people’s lives by entering Miss.Hightimes, then I already have the best prize of all.
I will be changing my pics and updating my blog periodically so check in and vote whenever you can or whenever you are high... haha!
And my badass friend,
http://misshightimes.com/users/nugghugger
AIM: driftandream25
Add me at: http://www.myspace.com/b_waggin
"I'll support your dreams; When we wake up smiling, It's because they came first"- R.I.P Jake Day
Brittany was recently on Colorado's own Marijuana Radio! Check it out below!
Visit
Share
Babah Fly - the Electro Sufi Has Arrived
Babah Fly is a TRUE Denver All-Star. The "Fly Jedi" as many know him has been a staple of the Denver Hip Hop music scene for over a decade with such groups as Bug-a-Boo, 5 Points Plan, Babah Wird and most recently, the Denver Avengerz. However it seems with all of these accomplishments, Matt Kelly aka Babah Fly had never put out a solo project - until now. It is apparent in listening to Babah Fly's new solo album, Electro-Sufi, that this venture was a long time coming. The sound is dense, rich and definitely has an accomplished vibe. Many of the tracks are unconventional and even one might say, futuristic - a sound Babah calls Electro Hip Hop. There are several guest appearance by local notables such as Mike Wird, Apostle, Panama Sowetto, and Comatoast but all in all, Babah holds center stage. Apart from being a gifted emcee, Kelly is also an accomplished producer putting in the majority of the production on the album.
Recently we caught up with Babah Fly at the Shag Lounge at the Electro Sufi release party.
Q. Give us a quick reflection of your music?
A. My music is a reflection of my life experiences. I put a lot of time and purpose into the music that I do. Ultimately, I want the music to resonate deep to the core, transcending all barriers. I make music for all people, young and old.
Q. How has hip hop enriched your life?
A. Hip-hop taught me how to levitate my body thru breakin’. MCing taught me how make the spirit in things levitate with words and rhythms. I've been producing for about 20 years. It has enabled my soul power to shine bright! I raise children to it and we prosper
Q. Define "Electro Sufi”.
A. Electro-Sufi is my take on the parallels of ancient mystical
cultures like Sufism to the culture of Hip-Hop, from the thought
and dance and the purpose behind it. From Rumi to Rakim!
Q. What is the overall message in your music?
A. I just want to remind people to wake up and live!
My message is simple: life is a blessing so live it up!
Q. How can the public purchase your album?
A. You can listen and purchase Electro-Sufi on the web
at iTunes.com, CDBaby.com, Napster.com and Amazon.com.
In the Denver/Boulder area I got it at Twist-N-Shout,
Albums on the Hill, The Gypsy House and Indy Ink.
Q. What is the next step for Babah Fly?
A. I just recorded a real fresh album with my band The
Denver Avengerz. That should be coming out soon. I'm
working on an album with Panama Sowetto and another
album with Mike Wird!
Interview with Babah Fly for Most Hi by Lawrence Javier
Support Local Arts and be sure to pick up Electro Sufi this Holiday Season!!
For more info on Babah Fly:
myspace.com/babahfly
facebook.com/babahfly
twitter.com/babahfly
Share
Recent Research on Medical Marijuana
Despite the ongoing political debate regarding the legality of medicinal marijuana, clinical investigations of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids are now more prevalent than at any time in history. A search of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed website quantifies this fact. A keyword search using the terms "cannabis, 1996" (the year California voters became the first of 13 states to allow for the drug’s medical use under state law) reveals just 258 scientific journal articles published on the subject during that year. Perform this same search for the year 2008, and one will find over 2,100 published scientific studies.
While much of the renewed interest in cannabinoid therapeutics is a result of the discovery of the endocannabinoid regulatory system, some of this increased attention is also due to the growing body of testimonials from medicinal cannabis patients and their physicians. Nevertheless, despite this influx of anecdotal reports, much of the modern investigation of medicinal cannabis remains limited to preclinical (animal) studies of individual cannabinoids (e.g. THC or cannabidiol) and/or synthetic cannabinoid agonists (e.g., dronabinol or WIN 55,212-2) rather than clinical trial investigations involving whole plant material. Predictably, because of the US government's strong public policy stance against any use of cannabis, the bulk of this modern cannabinoid research is taking place outside the United States.
As clinical research into the therapeutic value of cannabinoids has proliferated – there are now more than 17,000 published papers in the scientific literature analyzing marijuana and its constituents — so too has investigators' understanding of cannabis' remarkable capability to combat disease. Whereas researchers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s primarily assessed cannabis' ability to temporarily alleviate various disease symptoms — such as the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy — scientists today are exploring the potential role of cannabinoids to modify disease.
Of particular interest, scientists are investigating cannabinoids' capacity to moderate autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as their role in the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease.)
Investigators are also studying the anti-cancer activities of cannabis, as a growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago.
THE SAFETY PROFILE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
Cannabinoids have a remarkable safety record, particularly when compared to other therapeutically active substances. Most significantly, the consumption of marijuana – regardless of quantity or potency -- cannot induce a fatal overdose. According to a 1995 review prepared for the World Health Organization, “There are no recorded cases of overdose fatalities attributed to cannabis, and the estimated lethal dose for humans extrapolated from animal studies is so high that it cannot be achieved by … users.”
In 2008, investigators at McGill University Health Centre and McGill University in Montreal and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver reviewed 23 clinical investigations of medicinal cannabinoid drugs (typically oral THC or liquid cannabis extracts) and eight observational studies conducted between 1966 and 2007. Investigators "did not find a higher incidence rate of serious adverse events associated with medical cannabinoid use" compared to non-using controls over these three decades.
That said, cannabis should not necessarily be viewed as a ‘harmless’ substance. Its active constituents may produce a variety of physiological and euphoric effects. As a result, there may be some populations that are susceptible to increased risks from the use of cannabis, such as adolescents, pregnant or nursing mothers, and patients who have a family history of mental illness. Patients with Hepatitis C, decreased lung function (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or who have a history of heart disease or stroke may also be at a greater risk of experiencing adverse side effects from marijuana. As with any medication, patients should consult thoroughly with their physician before deciding whether the medicinal use of cannabis is safe and appropriate.
HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
As states continue to approve legislation enabling the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana, more patients with varying disease types are exploring the use of therapeutic cannabis. Many of these patients and their physicians are now discussing this issue for the first time, and are seeking guidance on whether the therapeutic use of cannabis may or may not be advisable. This report seeks to provide this guidance by summarizing the most recently published scientific research (2000-2009) on the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 19 clinical indications:
* Alzheimer's disease
* Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
* Chronic Pain
* Diabetes mellitus
* Dystonia
* Fibromyalgia
* Gastrointestinal disorders
* Gliomas
* Hepatitis C
* Human Immunodeficiency Virus
* Hypertension
* Incontinence
* Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA)
* Multiple sclerosis
* Osteoporosis
* Pruritus
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Sleep apnea
* Tourette's syndrome
In some of these cases, modern science is now affirming longtime anecdotal reports of medicinal cannabis users (e.g., the use of cannabis to alleviate GI disorders). In other cases, this research is highlighting entirely new potential clinical utilities for cannabinoids (e.g., the use of cannabinoids to modify the progression of diabetes.)
The conditions profiled in this report were chosen because patients frequently inquire about the therapeutic use of cannabis to treat these disorders. In addition, many of the indications included in this report may be moderated by cannabis therapy. In several cases, preclinical data and clinical indicates that cannabinoids may halt the progression of these diseases in a more efficacious manner than available pharmaceuticals. In virtually all cases, this report is the most thorough and comprehensive review of the recent scientific literature regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids.
For patients and their physicians, let this report serve as a primer for those who are considering using or recommending medicinal cannabis. For others, let this report serve as an introduction to the broad range of emerging clinical applications for cannabis and its various compounds.
Paul Armentano
Deputy Director
NORML | NORML Foundation
Washington, DC
January 15, 2009
* The author would like to acknowledge Drs. Dale Gieringer, Gregory Carter, Steven Karch, and Mitch Earleywine, as well as Bernard Ellis, MPH, NORML interns John Lucy, Christopher Rasmussen, and Rita Bowles, for providing research assistance for this report. The NORML Foundation would also like to acknowledge Dale Gieringer, Paul Kuhn, and Richard Wolfe for their financial contributions toward the publication of this report.
** Important and timely publications such as this are only made possible when concerned citizens become involved with NORML. For more information on joining NORML or making a donation, please visit: http://www.norml.org/join. Tax-deductible donations in support of NORML's public education campaigns should be made payable to the NORML Foundation.
source: Norml.orgShare
Mom and Son Marijuana Farm
La Veta, Colorado (CNN) -- The crop has been harvested, and Diane Irwin's secret technique paid off.
"Every morning I would go out and talk to my girls," she said, "pray over them and ask them to provide good medicine."
Her "girls" are marijuana plants destined for her son Jason's medical marijuana dispensary in Denver. At 48, she has just wrapped up her first season as a pot farmer. Her 62 plants yielded 13 pounds.
Irwin spent most of her life as a hairdresser and salon owner in a Denver suburb.
"I was into makeup and high-heeled shoes and fancy clothes and working -- a lot," she said. "I sold my salon and moved down to the country. I wanted a change of pace."
While Mom was looking for a midlife career change, her son was building a medical marijuana business, legal in Colorado since 2000. Diane Irwin loaned him $10,000 from the sale of her salon, and he opened Highland Health, a dispensary where patients who have been certified by the state can buy marijuana.
Jason Irwin concedes he began his marijuana enterprise on the wrong side of the law, "just getting cheap pounds and flipping them to my friends," he said. He was working full time as an arborist and dealing pot on the side when he saw an opportunity to take his business aboveboard.
In 2008, he received state approval to open his dispensary. In March, he got a patient's card, citing chronic pain after a fender-bender. He smokes marijuana often.
The medical marijuana business has boomed in Denver during the past year. Jason Irwin's dispensary was in place early, building clientele long before many of the newcomers arrived.
He has about 200 regular patients, he said, and another 500 who come by from time to time. He employs four "bud tenders" and said he grosses about $5,000 a day.
Interactive: Taking your medicine
But it's not always easy to keep the pot in stock. Though the dispensaries are legal in Colorado, the laws are vague about growing cannabis. Legislators want to clarify the regulations, but until then, the dispensaries are getting their marijuana through unconventional routes.
"The connections are underground. They're not mainstream at all," Jason Irwin said. "We can't call the growers union. There is no such thing.
"Instead of placing your order through a typical system ... you get a dude who comes down from the mountains and slaps a duffle bag on your desk. It's full of weed, and he's like 'Here, pick what you want. Do you want any?' And you've got to dig through it, inspect it for yourself, make sure it looks kosher, weigh it, pay thousands of dollars. It's all cash at this point."
See the different ways to take marijuana
Jason Irwin wanted to see those thousands of dollars stay in the family instead of going to the mountain dudes. Enter Mom.
"He called me one day and he said, 'Mom, I think we should buy this land' and 'How do you feel about growing medical marijuana?' And I said, 'OK.' It was just a faith thing."
Jason Irwin bought 37 acres in rural southern Colorado, tucked up against the Greenhorn Mountains. That's where his mom's new life began.
In June, they paid $3,000 for two greenhouses, supplies and marijuana seedlings. Diane Irwin lived in an old camper and tended the plants.
"It was like an Outward Bound course for me," she said. "Living off the grid, roughing it. We didn't have heat. We didn't have running water. We didn't have electricity most of the time. The batteries were always going dead. The greenhouse blew away a couple of times."
But at least she had company: First-time marijuana farmers occupy the plots of land on both sides of the Irwin operation. The trio formed an ad hoc collective, helping each other and learning from their mistakes. They spent their days tending to their plants and their evenings grilling food along a nearby river.
One of the trio's concerns was security. Their greenhouses are visible from the road and they worry about being robbed or hassled by police. So far they have had no trouble, but if one grower needs to go into town for supplies, the others keep a watchful eye.
I'm in for the long haul. I really do feel like we're pioneers bringing new life to medical marijuana.
By early November, the plants were ready to harvest. The Irwins filled several SUVs and pickup trucks with their crop and moved to a house they rented in nearby La Veta.
A closet in the house is filled with marijuana that is drying out. The radio is set to NPR as Diane Irwin's fellow farmers trim the stems and leaves off the plants. The leftover twigs are run through a screen to form a powder that is packed by hand to form hashish.
With only a few pounds left to process, Diane Irwin is already looking forward to next year. She hopes to triple their harvest.
"I'm in for the long haul. I really do feel like we're pioneers bringing new life to medical marijuana," she said.
Diane Irwin got her patient card in May before starting the farm, also citing chronic pain. She rarely uses medical marijuana. Jason Irwin said that until the state better defines its law, he thinks it's wise for everyone in the business to have a patient card in case authorities question them while in possession of marijuana.
Colorado is one of 14 states that has legalized medical marijuana. Federal law still bans its use. But the Justice Department recently announced it would no longer seek to prosecute people using, prescribing or distributing marijuana for medical purposes as long as they're in compliance with local laws.
Jason Irwin wants to expand his operation based on the models of the two businesses he most admires: Whole Foods and Starbucks.
"We hope to develop a business model that proves to be successful, that we can expand upon, hopefully to other states and communities, become like a really reliable consistent supplier of safe, tested cannabis," he said.
For Diane Irwin, her new life in business with her son hasn't quite set in.
"It wasn't something I ever dreamed I would be involved in, " she said.
When her son was growing up, she adds, "I used to bust him all the time for marijuana. I used to flush it down the toilet."
sourch: CNN.com
Share
Colorado's Green Rush
Denver, Colorado (CNN) -- Driving down Broadway, it's easy to forget you are in the United States. Amid the antique stores, bars and fast-food joints occupying nearly every block are some of Denver's newest businesses: medical marijuana dispensaries.
The locals call this thoroughfare "Broadsterdam." As in Amsterdam, Netherlands, these businesses openly advertise their wares, often with signs depicting large green marijuana leaves.
"The American capitalist system is working," said attorney and medical marijuana advocate Rob Corry.
It's a matter of supply and demand.
"The demand has always been there," he said, "and the demand is growing daily because more doctors are willing to do this, and now businesses, entrepreneurs, mom-and-pop shops are cropping up to create a supply."
Colorado voters legalized medical marijuana in 2000. For years, patients could get small amounts from "caregivers," the term for growers and dispensers who could each supply only five patients. In 2007, a court lifted that limit and business boomed.
Between 2000 and 2008, the state issued about 2,000 medical marijuana cards to patients. That number has grown to more than 60,000 in the last year.
State Sen. Chris Romer, a Democrat whose south Denver district includes Broadsterdam, said the state receives more than 900 applications a day.
"It's growing so fast, it's like the old Wild West," Romer said. "This reminds me of 1899 in Cripple Creek, Colorado, when somebody struck gold. Every 49er in the country is making it for Denver to open a medical marijuana dispensary."
They're calling it the Green Rush.
Corry, who has represented defendants in medical marijuana cases for years, is taking a different role: He has formed the Colorado Wellness Association, a trade group representing medical marijuana growers and providers.
"We want to be the Better Business Bureau of marijuana," he said.
On the 28th floor of a downtown building with a great view of the Rocky Mountains, Corry's office is adorned with vintage posters. One reads "Marihuana: Assassin of Youth!"
In the corner sits a plastic 6-foot marijuana plant. It's a prop from the TV show "Weeds," about a suburbanite mother who begins selling marijuana to make extra cash, Corry said.
The lagging economy has created an opening for medical marijuana, Corry said. As governments struggle for new sources of revenue, the prospect of taxing medical marijuana can be enticing.
The dispensaries are "paying taxes, hiring employees, renting out space, purchasing supplies and moving this economy along," he said. "Local governments need to get on the bandwagon and start realizing this is a major source of revenue and it can help us cure our bankrupt governments."
The association aims to get a larger supply of marijuana into the dispensaries and make sure it is safe, Corry said.
See the different ways to use marijuana
"What we're looking at is quality control," he said. "We have the technology to make sure there's no harmful toxins, pesticides."
Bob Winnicki is a 35-year-old analyst and co-owner of Full Spectrum Laboratories, which the wellness association uses for testing.
"We're trying to get away from smelling, texture, color" as a measure of quality cannabis, he said, adding that he prefers "hard analytical data."
Wearing a dress shirt and tie under a white lab coat, Winnicki opens envelopes with samples of marijuana dropped off by growers and dispensers. He puts the marijuana into test tubes and mixes it with a solution to create a greenish liquid. The test tube goes into a machine that performs a chemical analysis.
The active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. But Winnicki said it's other, less understood components that may provide much of the claimed medicinal benefits.
Winnicki is not a marijuana user, he said. In July, he took a break from medical school to start the lab because he loves "the science" behind medical marijuana and thinks the market is wide open, he said.
"There's a lot of money to be had in it, and there's a lot of jobs and growth that can come out of it," he said.
Across the city, entrepreneurs are trying to get in on the Green Rush. In a northwest Denver neighborhood, Aaron Randle is tending to his new shop, Sunnyside Alternative Medicine.
He opened in September and said he has about 100 customers so far.
"I've been an electrician for eight years and before that I had a cable contracting company. It's always been a dream to work for myself," he said. "I'm very passionate about marijuana."
Customers drop by his modest storefront operation and take a seat in a small waiting room. It's no different than a dentist's office except the magazine rack is stuffed with High Times, a publication for marijuana buffs, instead of Sports Illustrated and parenting magazines.
One at a time, customers survey a display case full of marijuana strains as well as marijuana-infused brownies, taffy and lollipops. Maui Waui and Purple Kush are popular strains. It costs $50 for an eighth of an ounce, $54 with tax. Purchases go into a plastic prescription bottle and then into a white bag that reads, "Prescriptions. Thank You!"
Randle proudly displays his business license on the wall.
"There's a lot of jobs created because of medical marijuana," he said. "You have employees that work at the dispensaries, then you have vendors that are getting paid. ... Real estate is booming right now. Warehouses are getting rented out for grow operations."
What Randle calls "vendors" are marijuana growers, a mix of people who operate "grow houses," where the plants are cultivated using elaborate lighting systems, or small-scale farmers who operate in rural areas.
Zack Moore is a grower with a small greenhouse operation in southern Colorado. He also is a medical marijuana patient. A snowboarding accident knocked out his two front teeth, and he smokes marijuana for relief from various aches and pains, he said.
He rolls a joint and lights up before having a seat in a rocking chair in the afternoon sun. With a basket of marijuana in front of him, he uses toenail scissors to trim the dried plants. When he's done, he will have made about $6,000 for six months work, he said.
Though he hopes to do better next season, he's happy to be working.
"I build houses for a living. There's not many houses to be built right now."
Not everyone is happy with the changes the legalization of medical marijuana has brought to the state.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said the amendment to the state constitution that allowed the new businesses is flawed.
"Colorado has seen a rapid proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries and patients since the Justice Department earlier this year announced it would not actively prosecute medical marijuana businesses -- despite the fact that marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law," he said in an October statement.
"Amendment 20, written by marijuana-legalization proponents, is very vague. Our state lawmakers must give clarification to Amendment 20 and create a regulatory scheme for the growing medical marijuana industry."
State Sen. Romer concurs. "Right now it's easier to get a medical marijuana license than it is to get a liquor license," he said.
Currently, patients need to see a doctor only one time to get a recommendation that enables them to buy medical marijuana. Patients can choose to pay $90 to file with the state and receive a card identifying them as medical marijuana patients. The cards do not expire.
To become a provider or grower of medical marijuana, entrepreneurs need to have a patient name them as a caregiver when they file for a medical marijuana card.
Romer said he doesn't want to limit legitimately sick people's access to medical marijuana, but he doesn't want to see the state law turned into de facto legalization of marijuana.
"Amendment 20 never dealt with where you got the medical marijuana," he said. "We're going to license the growers and we're going to license the caregivers."
Romer wants to keep marijuana out of the hands of teenagers and hopes to channel some of the revenues into programs to treat substance abuse.
One of the most difficult aspects for lawmakers is how to define true medical need. Romer is keeping an open mind.
"I think you're having a lot of baby boomers who, all of us, are feeling a lot of aches and pains [and] are going to decide to try medical marijuana," he said. "I personally haven't tried it yet, but I'm not saying someday before I'm done I won't."
from CNN.com
Share
Denver's Pot Pie Still Half-Baked
- from Westword
Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown has spent the last three months thinking about medical marijuana -- perhaps this city's only real growth industry -- and it showed yesterday, when council's safety committee approved his proposal for regulating dispensaries in Denver. The proposed ordinance will go to the full council on January 4, with a public hearing on January 11 -- days before the start of the Colorado Legislature's next session, where pot will be a hot topic.
"In the meantime, members of the public are welcome to contact us," committee chair Doug Linkhart concluded at the end of the three-hour meeting. "Particularly Councilman Brown."
The phones were already ringing as the councilmembers walked out of City Hall yesterday.
Two schools in southwest Denver were in lockdown after a robbery attempt at a dispensary in that neighborhood. And Stapleton residents are so upset about dispensaries opening near their schools that Michael Hancock, who represents that district, is contemplating asking for a moratorium on any new dispensaries until January 1.
As currently written, Brown's proposal allows any dispensary that gets its sales-tax license before January 1 to locate within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center, or another dispensary. After January 1, the buffer zones will be in effect. Brown's original proposal gave the cut-off date as December 1, but as he pointed out at yesterday's meeting, that gave businesses already in the works no advance notice.
Councilmembers were divided on the December 1/January 1 dates, though, and Brown is now contemplating a compromise of December 15. In the meantime, you can expect a big line of would-be dispensary owners getting their tax licenses this week.
"This is like watching a pie go through a python," Brown said at the end of yesterday's meeting.
And that pie's still half-baked.
Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown has spent the last three months thinking about medical marijuana -- perhaps this city's only real growth industry -- and it showed yesterday, when council's safety committee approved his proposal for regulating dispensaries in Denver. The proposed ordinance will go to the full council on January 4, with a public hearing on January 11 -- days before the start of the Colorado Legislature's next session, where pot will be a hot topic.
"In the meantime, members of the public are welcome to contact us," committee chair Doug Linkhart concluded at the end of the three-hour meeting. "Particularly Councilman Brown."
The phones were already ringing as the councilmembers walked out of City Hall yesterday.
Two schools in southwest Denver were in lockdown after a robbery attempt at a dispensary in that neighborhood. And Stapleton residents are so upset about dispensaries opening near their schools that Michael Hancock, who represents that district, is contemplating asking for a moratorium on any new dispensaries until January 1.
As currently written, Brown's proposal allows any dispensary that gets its sales-tax license before January 1 to locate within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center, or another dispensary. After January 1, the buffer zones will be in effect. Brown's original proposal gave the cut-off date as December 1, but as he pointed out at yesterday's meeting, that gave businesses already in the works no advance notice.
Councilmembers were divided on the December 1/January 1 dates, though, and Brown is now contemplating a compromise of December 15. In the meantime, you can expect a big line of would-be dispensary owners getting their tax licenses this week.
"This is like watching a pie go through a python," Brown said at the end of yesterday's meeting.
And that pie's still half-baked.
The Countdown Has Begun! Legal Marijuana In California
Richard Lee, the proprietor of a cannabis dispensary and Oaksterdam University spent a million dollars to put his tax and regulate legalization program on the ballot in California. It will be voted on November 2, 2010.
At 12:01, November 3, marijuana will be legal in California. Cultivation of a small garden will be legal. When the cop stops you and you have an ounce in your pocket, the most he can say is “looks like good dope,” because you will have every legal right to possess it.
Here on my blog you can see exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds there are until marijuana is legal here. It is very exciting.
It is hard to believe, but this campaign really began in 1965, it has taken 45 years to grow a simple weed.
When this campaign started, people didn’t think of it as a civil rights or a human rights issue, and the criminal justice system hadn’t yet decided to use this as the issue for creating the police state. When the movement started, only a third of Americans thought marijuana should be legalized. Pundits and politicians said that legalization wasn’t even to be discussed; the question was how to control marijuana.
Now, it has been very difficult for them, year after year they saw their majority fade, and now they are the minority. They are a big bunch of sore losers too! However, I understand their distress. I have had some varieties of sativas that I found very hard to control. It was exasperating! You want them to stay small, but they just keep growing and growing! Then you look around and you realize that you are surrounded by sativas that are taller than you are. What a feeling of hopelessness!
Then I look around at what is going on in the United States today and I guess those same people must have that feeling of being surrounded. The country’s firmly anti-war, anti-financial speculator, pro-environment and tired of the same old crap! They want government single payer health care, they want their children educated, they want decent housing secure from bank seizure, and the tea-baggers look around and they see America marching on, they see themselves redundant, left behind, no long relevant—and everything seems reversed, because when those pot-smoking anti-war marchers started, they seemed like a little rag tag, insignificant, minority. There is a difference between the two. The tea-baggers are the tail (you could call them the colon baggers being that they are the tail of the march). Those young people who drove the movement 45 years ago have aged but have brought every new generation into the fight. The tea baggers are the residue left behind.
It’s a joyous day today, day 320 to legalization! Tomorrow is day 319, and time marches on, and 45 years of work by dedicated activists is about to come true! Second by second, time and legalization are converging and they will meet on November 3.
- Link - the Ed Rosenthal Blog
Alanis Morissette Gets High from Running and Marijuana
Morissette, 35, tells Runner's World that "running has made being depressed impossible. If I'm going through something emotional and just go outside for a run, you can rest assured I'll come back with clarity."
The Grammy-winning singer, who has run two marathons, tries to live a healthy lifestyle, including eating lots of kale. But she still occasionally indulges "in red wine, and it's fun to have medical marijuana once in a while," she says.
Always an active athlete – Morissette says she was once a "hard core" swimmer who trained seven days a week – she sometimes struggles with the motivation to run. "But I tie my laces, put on a tight bra and get out there like a little robot. The first 10 minutes are excruciating, but soon I get into the flow."
Morissette ran the two marathons for charity and did November's New York City Marathon with Edward Norton on behalf of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. In October, she did the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon through Lassen National Forest in California, representing the National Eating Disorders Association.
"I struggled with eating disorders, especially in my teens," she says, "but I've noticed when I treat my body like an instrument instead of an ornament, my relationship with food completely changes.'
Reported originally on People.com
A New Era for U.S. Drug Policy?
Ethan Nadelmann is feeling good. Really good.
As the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Nadelmann has long advocated for the liberalization of U.S. drug laws -- specifically, making marijuana legal, regulated and taxed and ending criminal penalties on the possession and use of all other drugs.
For most of that time the Alliance has been relegated to the fringe of serious policy discussions, a space long occupied - or so the stereotype goes - by radical libertarians and readers of the marijuana enthusiast magazine High Times.
But things are changing. The last few months are "the first time I've ever felt that the wind is at my back and not in my face," Nadelmann said. "There's a tremendous amount of momentum across the board."
Consider the developments of the last year. In March, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb introduced a bill calling for a wholesale overhaul of the criminal justice system in the United States. Our system is cripplingly large, he argued, and marred by wrongful incarcerations, poor rehabilitative treatment and mental health care and a price tag of $44 billion a year on prisons alone.
Webb called the situation a "national disgrace," and said the elephant in the room is sky-high incarceration rates for drug users due to the U.S.'s 40-year-old War on Drugs.
California, the first state to make marijuana legal for medical use, is considering a bill to legalize and tax marijuana for all residents; it had its first hearing in the state assembly last week. Massachusetts voted to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. The attorney general of Arizona has said that legal marijuana might be an answer to the Mexican drug cartel violence spilling over into his state.
And a Gallup poll released last month shows that support for national marijuana legalization has climbed steadily since the early 1980s, recently hitting an all-time high of 44 percent.
"That is the most extraordinary poll result as I have seen in all my years working in this," Nadelmann said. "We haven't changed our position, but we are basically more and more part of the mainstream discussion." He likens the situation to movements like gay rights and civil rights that made rapid strides in relatively short periods.
"We're getting awfully close to something that looks a lot like a tipping point," he said.
The recent reform push hasn't been limited to the United States, either. In August, Mexico, with little fanfare, passed a bill decriminalizing the possession and use of small amounts of all narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. The U.S. - in what drug reform advocates see as a promising sign - made no criticism of the change. (The George W. Bush administration persuaded then Mexican President Vicente Fox not to sign an identical measure in 2006.) Argentina has passed its own decriminalization bill and Brazil and Ecuador are considering similar measures.
None of this means that liberalizing drug laws in the United States is going to be easy for Nadelmann and his allies. Webb's bill, which is being heard Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, has amassed 34 Senate co-sponsors - including Republicans Lindsey Graham and Olympia Snowe - and drawn broad support from justice advocacy groups.
But according to Webb spokeswoman Jessica Smith, "Twenty-one amendments have been filed in Judiciary that speak to our bill. They're largely from the Republicans [and] I imagine a large amount of them are going to be about drug policy. ... They don't want to go home and say 'I'm legalizing drugs.'"
Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, offered an amendment explicitly forbidding any recommendations that even discuss drug decriminalization or legalization.
To be clear, Webb's bill does not call for drug legalization or even focus on drug policy exclusively. Instead, it would appoint a bipartisan, blue-ribbon commission to make recommendations on reforming the criminal justice system as a whole.
"We have 5 percent of the world's population. We have 25 percent of the world's known prison population," Webb said when he introduced the bill. "We have an incarceration rate in the United States - the world's greatest democracy - that is five times as high as the incarceration rate of the rest of the world."
"There's only two possibilities here," he continued. "Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice."
Webb's bill calls for a hard look at drug policy with all options on the table. He has talked about "overincarceration" and the "criminalization" of drugs - phrases that have been taboo until now in mainstream drug policy discussions. One talking point: the United States had 41,000 drug offenders in prison in 1980. Now the number is more than half a million - a 1,200 percent increase. And many of those are non-violent offenders jailed only for possession.
We can't have a debate about our criminal justice system if we just ignore the drug part of it," Smith said and the goal of the bill is to dispassionately consider all options for reform. "States across the country - their budgets are being completely eaten up by incarceration. ... Is it effective? Is it cost effective? Are we doing the right thing here when we lock people up?"
In the early 1970s, Richard Nixon appointed a former Republican governor, Raymond Shafer, to lead a similar commission to examine marijuana. The commission's report recommended the decriminalization of personal use and questioned the constitutionality of harshly criminal marijuana policy generally.
Nixon repudiated the recommendations, but the commission's findings were no aberration, according to Nadelmann.
"The same thing happens almost every time," he said. "If you actually set up a commission that is truly independent ... inevitably they come up with recommendations that favor significant reform."
excerpt from CBSNews.com
As the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Nadelmann has long advocated for the liberalization of U.S. drug laws -- specifically, making marijuana legal, regulated and taxed and ending criminal penalties on the possession and use of all other drugs.
For most of that time the Alliance has been relegated to the fringe of serious policy discussions, a space long occupied - or so the stereotype goes - by radical libertarians and readers of the marijuana enthusiast magazine High Times.
But things are changing. The last few months are "the first time I've ever felt that the wind is at my back and not in my face," Nadelmann said. "There's a tremendous amount of momentum across the board."
Consider the developments of the last year. In March, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb introduced a bill calling for a wholesale overhaul of the criminal justice system in the United States. Our system is cripplingly large, he argued, and marred by wrongful incarcerations, poor rehabilitative treatment and mental health care and a price tag of $44 billion a year on prisons alone.
Webb called the situation a "national disgrace," and said the elephant in the room is sky-high incarceration rates for drug users due to the U.S.'s 40-year-old War on Drugs.
California, the first state to make marijuana legal for medical use, is considering a bill to legalize and tax marijuana for all residents; it had its first hearing in the state assembly last week. Massachusetts voted to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. The attorney general of Arizona has said that legal marijuana might be an answer to the Mexican drug cartel violence spilling over into his state.
And a Gallup poll released last month shows that support for national marijuana legalization has climbed steadily since the early 1980s, recently hitting an all-time high of 44 percent.
"That is the most extraordinary poll result as I have seen in all my years working in this," Nadelmann said. "We haven't changed our position, but we are basically more and more part of the mainstream discussion." He likens the situation to movements like gay rights and civil rights that made rapid strides in relatively short periods.
"We're getting awfully close to something that looks a lot like a tipping point," he said.
The recent reform push hasn't been limited to the United States, either. In August, Mexico, with little fanfare, passed a bill decriminalizing the possession and use of small amounts of all narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. The U.S. - in what drug reform advocates see as a promising sign - made no criticism of the change. (The George W. Bush administration persuaded then Mexican President Vicente Fox not to sign an identical measure in 2006.) Argentina has passed its own decriminalization bill and Brazil and Ecuador are considering similar measures.
None of this means that liberalizing drug laws in the United States is going to be easy for Nadelmann and his allies. Webb's bill, which is being heard Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, has amassed 34 Senate co-sponsors - including Republicans Lindsey Graham and Olympia Snowe - and drawn broad support from justice advocacy groups.
But according to Webb spokeswoman Jessica Smith, "Twenty-one amendments have been filed in Judiciary that speak to our bill. They're largely from the Republicans [and] I imagine a large amount of them are going to be about drug policy. ... They don't want to go home and say 'I'm legalizing drugs.'"
Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, offered an amendment explicitly forbidding any recommendations that even discuss drug decriminalization or legalization.
To be clear, Webb's bill does not call for drug legalization or even focus on drug policy exclusively. Instead, it would appoint a bipartisan, blue-ribbon commission to make recommendations on reforming the criminal justice system as a whole.
"We have 5 percent of the world's population. We have 25 percent of the world's known prison population," Webb said when he introduced the bill. "We have an incarceration rate in the United States - the world's greatest democracy - that is five times as high as the incarceration rate of the rest of the world."
"There's only two possibilities here," he continued. "Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice."
Webb's bill calls for a hard look at drug policy with all options on the table. He has talked about "overincarceration" and the "criminalization" of drugs - phrases that have been taboo until now in mainstream drug policy discussions. One talking point: the United States had 41,000 drug offenders in prison in 1980. Now the number is more than half a million - a 1,200 percent increase. And many of those are non-violent offenders jailed only for possession.
We can't have a debate about our criminal justice system if we just ignore the drug part of it," Smith said and the goal of the bill is to dispassionately consider all options for reform. "States across the country - their budgets are being completely eaten up by incarceration. ... Is it effective? Is it cost effective? Are we doing the right thing here when we lock people up?"
In the early 1970s, Richard Nixon appointed a former Republican governor, Raymond Shafer, to lead a similar commission to examine marijuana. The commission's report recommended the decriminalization of personal use and questioned the constitutionality of harshly criminal marijuana policy generally.
Nixon repudiated the recommendations, but the commission's findings were no aberration, according to Nadelmann.
"The same thing happens almost every time," he said. "If you actually set up a commission that is truly independent ... inevitably they come up with recommendations that favor significant reform."
excerpt from CBSNews.com
Hemp Farmers Arrested at DEA.
Planting seeds to make a point
To communicate this point, a small group of true American heroes recently marched to the DEA headquarters in Washington D.C. and planted hemp seeds on the front lawn. As cameras rolled, they were arrested for trespassing, but the point had already been made: Industrial hemp is good for America. It's good for farmers, it's good for the economy and it's good for the environment (because hemp needs no pesticides and is a renewable crop that grows well even in poor soils).Among those arrested at the event were David Bronner from Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps . Along with other supporters like Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association , he fought hard to clean up organic labeling of personal care products by exposing the "organic cheaters" who falsely use the "organic" word on their product labels. He's also been a strong advocate for the legalization of hemp seeds in America (which were only legalized as a food a few years ago) as well as a dedicated supporter of authentic Fair Trade practices.
David Bronner was joined in the hemp-planting protest by Adam Eidinger, another true American hero who has stood his ground on numerous grassroots advocacy issues. He's the communications director for Vote Hemp (www.VoteHemp.com), a grassroots advocacy group seeking to see industrial hemp once again legalized across the United States of America.
Marijuana New Cure For Parkinson's Disease?
here is summary from video:
My friend has parkinsons real bad, he accidently ate a gram of hash oil and discovered that it stopped his parkinsons tremors for 5 days. Now he takes a quarter gram a day and none of his prescription. This is my good friend and we accidently discovered that large doses of hash oil (Rick Simpson oil) releives the tremors of his parkinsons disease, now we have found others who are experiencing the same thing, So here ya go Michael J. Fox, we got further than your scientists and got high doing it.
My friend has parkinsons real bad, he accidently ate a gram of hash oil and discovered that it stopped his parkinsons tremors for 5 days. Now he takes a quarter gram a day and none of his prescription. This is my good friend and we accidently discovered that large doses of hash oil (Rick Simpson oil) releives the tremors of his parkinsons disease, now we have found others who are experiencing the same thing, So here ya go Michael J. Fox, we got further than your scientists and got high doing it.
Cannabis Holiday Health Fair Spotlights New Businesses
(Boulder, CO) -- The Cannabis Holiday Health Fair on Sunday will be the
largest gathering of medical cannabis businesses ever held in Colorado and
will highlight the growing industry and its importance to the economy.
Several new businesses are using this as their debut appearance, including
2 magazines and several wellness centers.
The Cannabis Holiday Health Fair is a full-day public outreach event
designed to answer questions about cannabis as medicine and how to become a
legal patient in Colorado. The event is free and open to the public. There
will be displays from medical cannabis dispensaries as well as other hemp
and cannabis-related businesses, video seminars, gifts, contests and
prizes. Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown will attend at 12 noon.
Below is a current list of exhibitors.
For more information:
http://www.CannabisHealthFair.com
*Details*
Cannabis Holiday Health Fair
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Holiday Inn Denver-Central
4849 Bannock St., Denver, CO
(Off I-25 and 48th Ave.)
The event is free and open to the public.
Secret Tape: Marilyn Monroe Smoking Pot - Costs Collector $275K
Photo: Screen grab of never-before-seen Marilyn Monroe footage, courtesy of Keya Morgan.
LOS ANGELES (CBS/KCAL) Documentary filmmaker Keya Morgan has uncovered a never-before-seen home movie clip of the late Marilyn Monroe, which according to the person who shot it, shows the siren smoking pot.
It's difficult to confirm the claim from watching the film in which Monroe appears to be smoking a cigarette in the conventional way.
Morgan, a NY-based collector who has been working on a documentary about Monroe's death, says he paid $275,000 for the clip.
He plans to put it up for auction on eBay later this week.
The film was reportedly taken by a friend of Monroe's sometime in the late 50s. The Monroe friend, who is only identified by the name "Gretchen," retains the copyright.
In addition to showing Monroe smoking, it also shows her relaxing on a couch, laughing and smelling her armpit.
LOS ANGELES (CBS/KCAL) Documentary filmmaker Keya Morgan has uncovered a never-before-seen home movie clip of the late Marilyn Monroe, which according to the person who shot it, shows the siren smoking pot.
It's difficult to confirm the claim from watching the film in which Monroe appears to be smoking a cigarette in the conventional way.
Morgan, a NY-based collector who has been working on a documentary about Monroe's death, says he paid $275,000 for the clip.
He plans to put it up for auction on eBay later this week.
The film was reportedly taken by a friend of Monroe's sometime in the late 50s. The Monroe friend, who is only identified by the name "Gretchen," retains the copyright.
In addition to showing Monroe smoking, it also shows her relaxing on a couch, laughing and smelling her armpit.
Romers Plan To Regulate Dispensaries in Colorado
DENVER - State Senator Chris Romer unveiled his proposal to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado.
Romer wants to create a medical marijuana licensing authority, which grants, refuses and renews licenses.
Among other items in the bill, Senator Romer wants a board to decide whether patients under 21 years old, excluding military veterans, qualify for medical marijuana.
"The kids who want to use it recreationally do not belong in the medical system," Romer said.
Brian Vicente from Sensible Colorado says, "He's ignoring the fact that people under 21 do get sick, and if they do, their doctor should have the right and ability to prescribe medical marijuana."
Dispensary owner Brian Willey said, "We do have a lot of legitimate under 21 people who have Crohn's Disease, or cancer. To subject them to a review board I think is kind of excessive."
Under Romer's plan, patients will only be able to change their primary caregiver up to four times a year.
A more thorough medical marijuana physical will be required, and doctors will not be allowed to get paid by dispensaries.
"Right now the medical model is that basically the dispensaries are paying the doctors to write scripts, and that's just terrible. We don't do that anywhere else in the medical world, where you're incentivized (huh?) to write a prescription for a controlled substance," Romer said.
Also under Romer's proposal, registered primary caregivers, like licensed chiropractors and acupuncturists, will be allowed to treat up to a quarter of their annual patients with medical marijuana without having a license. But those businesses will not be allowed to get a grower's license.
Romer's bill will be heard by the legislature when they meet next month. Depending on the outcome, it could be signed into law by February.
(source: 9News Denver)
Share
Insurers Find New Clients: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
(News from LA Journal)
What's a medical marijuana supplier to do when a worker is injured? Or when a burglar makes off with the pot?
Increasingly, the answer is: Call the insurance company.
Insurance firms are turning to one of the state's few growth industries, medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs for short), as a new source of business.
"It's not often that you get to see the dawn of a new industry, but that's what we're seeing. We're seeing the birth of an industry providing customized insurance services to MMDs," said Mike Aberle, a commercial insurance agent with Rancho Cordova-based Statewide Insurance Services and head of its MMD unit.
Legal marijuana dispensaries may be a recent phenomenon, but their climate-control systems are as prone to breakdowns as any grocery store's freezers, and their product is as much a target for thieves as any gold dealer's.
The door for dispensaries and commercial insurers opened in 1996, when California voters approved Proposition 215, which allows physicians to recommend cannabis for cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraines or "any other illness for which marijuana provides relief."
But the number of dispensaries skyrocketed this year when the Obama administration said it would not arrest marijuana growers and sellers who abide by state laws. Previously, federal officials had actively prosecuted them.
From January to June the number of Sacramento marijuana dispensaries doubled to around 30.
Dispensary growth statewide has been so rapid the industry and commercial insurers can't pin down specific numbers. Low-end estimates put the number in California at about 1,000. Others say it's closer to 2,000.
Aberle said it's his understanding that more than 800 nonprofit dispensaries have been set up this year in the Los Angeles area alone.
"There are more dispensaries in Los Angeles than Starbucks," said Rich Pitto, a commercial broker with Hayes Insurance Agency in El Sobrante in Contra Costa County.
Pitto was a marijuana dispensary insurance pioneer, offering comprehensive coverage shortly after the passage of Proposition 215.
"Now," Pitto said, "it's huge … but there are a lot of Johnny-come-latelies out there."
Aberle saw the potential two years ago, when he proposed the idea of an MMD unit at Statewide.
George Koster, Statewide's general manager, said Aberle's proposal was met "with some amount of skepticism, even within our own company. But this is a very competitive business, and he saw the potential."
Statewide's MMD unit was only recently formalized – the 10 people who work there are still customizing coverages for specific operations – but Aberle said he already has clients in California, Colorado, New Mexico and Rhode Island.
All of those states have legalized marijuana dispensaries, collectives and cooperatives, and Maine recently joined that group.
Growth, Aberle said, is reaching wildfire stage: "In the last 10 days, I've heard from 17 dispensaries that are brand new."
For medical pot sellers, the availability of insurance coverage has been a godsend.
"I actually had a lot of (insurers) laugh at me when I was looking for help," said SaraJane Sinclair, chief financial officer of the SaraJane & Co. Cooperative Inc. in Sacramento. "I really didn't know what to do."
Sinclair said she hooked up with Statewide through a recommendation from a State Farm representative. She said Statewide not only offered insurance products she needed, but "they respected the privacy of the business."
Statewide's coverages run the gamut: general liability, property, workers' compensation, product spoilage, equipment, commercial automobiles and marijuana growers coverage.
Aberle said premiums range from about $650 annually up to as high as $25,000 a year, with numerous variables affecting price. He said typical policies have annual premiums in the $1,000-to-$4,000 range.
Besides tailoring policies to the dispensaries, Aberle said a key part of working with them is "understanding their privacy issues."
He explained: "MMDs have to deal with changing laws and patients who want privacy … plus the fact that MMDs can be targets for break-ins and theft.
"You have to understand where they're coming from, and we try to do that. These are very professional people."
Sinclair started her shop after her own "traumatic experience," which she said was not helped by drugs with debilitating side effects. She ultimately turned to medical marijuana.
"I got my life back," she said. "I wanted to see what I could do to help other people."
Besides her office duties, Sinclair is taking college pre-med classes locally.
Her office handles marijuana that can be ingested or inhaled. She also carries various oils and other non-mainstream products. She said most of her clients have cancer or are seniors.
Like other dispensers, Sinclair keeps the marijuana in a secure vault.
Aberle noted that most marijuana stores "have security systems that are much more advanced than what you'll find at most other retailers and businesses. … They have security cameras, steel doors, bulletproof glass, storage in vaults and indoor motion sensors."
Aberle said he researches potential clients' backgrounds to make sure they are legitimate MMD nonprofits.
Pitto, the broker in El Sobrante, said thoroughly screening prospective clients is key to insurers choosing to offer them coverage.
He offered this stark assessment: "There are two kinds of dudes in this business. One is a good businessman who has a good sense of business, and then there are true drug dealers. You have to know who you're dealing with."
Pitto said his agency advertises in cannabis magazines and online, but even that aspect of insuring pot dispensaries is going mainstream.
Aberle said his unit long relied "on word of mouth," but it recently enlisted the help of marketing professionals.
In another sign of the new openness, Canna Care, a dispensary in North Sacramento, started running spots last month on K-HITS (KCCL, 92.1 FM).
Aberle and Sinclair predicted that their respective niches will continue to expand as California and other states come to grips with medical marijuana as an emerging industry.
Sinclair believes other satellite industries – everything from packaging to distribution – will develop with the growth of MMDs.
Aberle speculated that "the whole face of insurance for this industry could change by early spring next year. … I would say that we're going to see more and more states develop dispensary laws, if not the majority of the states."
Share
Cheesecake Charity Ball and Holiday Hash Bash
Tonight is Cheesecake Charity Ball and Holiday Hash Bash" at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton Street, this Sunday from 4 to 11 p.m. Should be good times and good support for indigent patients throughout the Front Range.
The event is being put on by the Cheesecake Lady, aka Jessica LeRoux. LeRoux currently bakes up sixteen types of cannabis-infused cheesecakes and chocolates, recipes she's been perfecting for seventeen years, all of which she sells at dispensaries around the state under the name "Twirling Hippy Confections, LLC." For the holidays she's added some new concoctions such as pumpkin walnut and cranberry pecan cheesecake.
The event will include a hash competition, music from Lion Vibes, Mountain Standard Time, Lion Vibes, Smooth Money Gesture, The Gristle Gals, and some more. There will also be dispensary displays. The event is open to anyone eighteen and older who forks over a $20 donation - patients with a medical marijuana get a discount, plus access to a medication area.
Cervantes Info:
http://www.cervantesmasterpiece.com/events.aspx?eventid=1670
for more Info contact:
Cheescake Lady
Jessica LeRoux
Twirling Hippy Confections, LLC
Phone: 303-642-3799
http://www.twirlinghippy.com/
lady@twirlinghippy.com
Denver Relief's ‘BIO-DIESEL’ strain wins Colorado Medical Marijuana Harvest Cup
(Denver, CO 12/4/09) — Bio-Diesel, a medical marijuana strain cultivated by Denver Relief, a full-service medical marijuana dispensary, was awarded the top prize at the Second Annual Colorado Medical Marijuana Harvest Cup, an event held each year to raise money for non-profit organizations dedicated to the cause of medical marijuana support.
“We’re so honored by this recognition,” said Adam Johnson, co-owner of Denver
Relief, and proud parent of the Bio-Diesel strain. “Our medicine was judged on
medical effect, appearance, taste, aroma, potency and smoothness. The strain
finished first in five out of six categories, second place in the sixth category,
and won the overall award in a landslide. Our hard work has paid off.”
Bio-Diesel is Denver Relief’s proprietary, engineered strain, and is widely
considered “The All-Encompassing Medicine.” The strain is extremely potent and
pungent, with a noticeable essence of whole-bean coffee.
“Because the strain is so potent, patients can consume less of it to ease chronic
pain and other ailments,” said Ean Seeb, who, along with Johnson and Kayvan S.T.
Khalatbari, is a caregiver and co-owner of Denver Relief. “That’s a true benefit to
our client base.”
“The Harvest Cup is a private fundraiser thrown for non-profit organizations in the
state,” said Gregory Stinson, president of Front Range NORML and a co-founder of the
competition. “The event itself is held to build community and to raise funds to
support medical marijuana in the state.”
This is the second year of the Colorado Medical Marijuana Harvest Cup. More than 250
people were in attendance at the event, held at the Mishawaka Amphitheater, outside
of Fort Collins, on Nov. 21. Bio-Diesel was among 20 strains in contention for
recognition, with 28 judges assessing entries over a two-week period. Funds raised
by the event went to this year’s beneficiary, Sensible Colorado, a non-profit
organization dedicated to “an effective drug policy.”
“We had judges from all over the state who tried the medicine and graded the
medicine,” added Stinson. “After a win like this, everybody wants to know your
name.”
For more information about Bio-Diesel or Denver Relief’s philosophy, services and
products, please contact Ean or Kayvan at Denver Relief, 303.420.MEDS.
About Denver Relief
A full-service dispensary, Denver Relief (http://denverrelief.com) provides the
highest quality medical marijuana, hash, tinctures and edibles available in the
Denver metro area. The firm offers free medical evaluations to determine
qualification to be a medical marijuana patient in the state of Colorado, and
partners with several merchants that specialize in alternative healing, from yoga,
acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic work, to Ayurvedic foods workshops, abuse
counseling, holistic healing and more. Currently, a delivery-only service, the
company will be opening a brick and mortar dispensary at 1 Broadway in Denver by the
end of the year.
For more news and results from the Second Annual Colorado Medical Marijuana Harvest Cup you can visit their website - colommjharvestcup.com
Ean Seeb/Kayvan Khalatbari
Denver Relief
denverrelief.com
303.420.MEDS
info@denverrelief.com
Smoking Pot For God
Colorado has gone to pot! Cannabis Minister is operating a Boulder based Cannabis Church where all one needs is $50 and a certificate from him to smoke MJ legally and get "Blessed" with a bag of weed.
Check out the nice Incredibowl footage~!!
Share
Check out the nice Incredibowl footage~!!
Share
Medical marijuana group hits the PR big leagues with new poll
by Michael Roberts*
Welcome to the big leagues, medical marijuana. And by that, I mean the public-relations big leagues.
Example -- a new poll conducted for Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation showing that "64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations."
There are some gaps in the survey -- like no information about the margin of error other than a vague claim that the 500 folks quizzed by phone represent "a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters." But overall, it's an extremely professional piece of work, and no wonder, since it was sent out under the auspices of Communications Strategy Group, a PR firm whose client list ranges from Charles Schwab and Denver's Four Seasons Hotel to assorted groups associated with the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Work this slick doesn't come cheap -- which further emphasizes the money to be made from this particular strain of green. Check out the poll results below:
POLL BY COLORADANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATION FINDS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR LICENSED DISPENSARIES
Medical marijuana campaign seeks responsible regulation that aligns with voter sentiment
DENVER, CO -- December 1, 2009 -- Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana, today released a statewide poll illustrating that Colorado voters overwhelmingly favor regulating state-licensed dispensaries to serve persons who are suffering from debilitating medical conditions.
By a margin of two-to-one, 64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations. Just 32 percent said they would reject it.
"This is a powerful endorsement by Coloradans that medical marijuana dispensaries are valid businesses that need to be regulated in order to protect patients and providers," said Matt Brown, Executive Director of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation. "As with any other industry, it is now critical that we develop tax and fee structures and put the appropriate regulations in place to ensure these businesses can responsibly serve the needs of their patients and the community."
Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation formed earlier this year to provide a leading voice for the emerging medical marijuana business community. The coalition supports the creation of reasonable regulations that protect patient choice and incorporate best practices within existing regulatory structures.
"Our campaign goal is to work with all parties to ensure safe, responsible access to and use of medical marijuana," said Brown. "Colorado has the opportunity to take the lead and set the standard for what a responsible medical marijuana industry should look like."
The telephone survey of 500 Colorado voters who are likely to participate in the 2010 general election was conducted November 6-9, 2009, using a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters.
Other survey results found wide support for a state-licensed dispensary system within every major demographic group:
A total of 64 percent of both men and women said they would support the dispensary system model.
A majority of registered Republicans (53%), Independents (64%) and Democrats (75%), supported the proposed dispensary system.
A majority of people within every age group backed the proposal, with the highest levels of support among the over 55 (64%) and under 35 (71%) age groups.
White voters (65%) supported the proposal at a slightly higher rate than non-white voters (61%).
Metro Denver was the most supportive area in the state (69%), along with Denver (68%) and the South Front Range (64%). Fifty-two percent of voters in the Western Slope were supportive.
Now I am going to read you some proposals that voters might be voting on in the election next November. This proposal would (1) establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations; (2) allow local governments to set limits on the number of dispensaries and to enact zoning regulations applicable to the dispensaries; and (3) require patients to be registered with the state and set a limit on the amount of marijuana patients can acquire through the dispensary system.
If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this proposal?
(IF R NEEDS CLARIFICATION:) A "yes" vote would be a vote to approve the proposal; a "no" vote would be a vote to reject the proposal. (IF YES/NO:) Do you feel strongly or not so strongly about that?
(IF UNDECIDED:) Well, which way would you say you are leaning?
Strong yes 34%
Not strongly yes 19%
Lean yes 10%
Lean no 4%
Not strongly no 6%
Strongly no 23%
Hard undecided (VOL.) 3
REFUSED --
DK/NA --
Total Yes: 64%
Total No: 32%
About Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation
Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation is a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana. Formed in 2009, the coalition is actively engaged with Colorado legislators and law enforcement officers to establish criteria for the responsible regulation of medical marijuana in order to to make a positive difference in people's lives. For more information, please call 303.335.0834.
by Michael Roberts
* source Westword Magazine
Share
Welcome to the big leagues, medical marijuana. And by that, I mean the public-relations big leagues.
Example -- a new poll conducted for Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation showing that "64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations."
There are some gaps in the survey -- like no information about the margin of error other than a vague claim that the 500 folks quizzed by phone represent "a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters." But overall, it's an extremely professional piece of work, and no wonder, since it was sent out under the auspices of Communications Strategy Group, a PR firm whose client list ranges from Charles Schwab and Denver's Four Seasons Hotel to assorted groups associated with the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Work this slick doesn't come cheap -- which further emphasizes the money to be made from this particular strain of green. Check out the poll results below:
POLL BY COLORADANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATION FINDS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR LICENSED DISPENSARIES
Medical marijuana campaign seeks responsible regulation that aligns with voter sentiment
DENVER, CO -- December 1, 2009 -- Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation, a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana, today released a statewide poll illustrating that Colorado voters overwhelmingly favor regulating state-licensed dispensaries to serve persons who are suffering from debilitating medical conditions.
By a margin of two-to-one, 64 percent of voters said they would approve proposals that would establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations. Just 32 percent said they would reject it.
"This is a powerful endorsement by Coloradans that medical marijuana dispensaries are valid businesses that need to be regulated in order to protect patients and providers," said Matt Brown, Executive Director of Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation. "As with any other industry, it is now critical that we develop tax and fee structures and put the appropriate regulations in place to ensure these businesses can responsibly serve the needs of their patients and the community."
Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation formed earlier this year to provide a leading voice for the emerging medical marijuana business community. The coalition supports the creation of reasonable regulations that protect patient choice and incorporate best practices within existing regulatory structures.
"Our campaign goal is to work with all parties to ensure safe, responsible access to and use of medical marijuana," said Brown. "Colorado has the opportunity to take the lead and set the standard for what a responsible medical marijuana industry should look like."
The telephone survey of 500 Colorado voters who are likely to participate in the 2010 general election was conducted November 6-9, 2009, using a statistically valid random sample drawn from a current list of registered voters.
Other survey results found wide support for a state-licensed dispensary system within every major demographic group:
A total of 64 percent of both men and women said they would support the dispensary system model.
A majority of registered Republicans (53%), Independents (64%) and Democrats (75%), supported the proposed dispensary system.
A majority of people within every age group backed the proposal, with the highest levels of support among the over 55 (64%) and under 35 (71%) age groups.
White voters (65%) supported the proposal at a slightly higher rate than non-white voters (61%).
Metro Denver was the most supportive area in the state (69%), along with Denver (68%) and the South Front Range (64%). Fifty-two percent of voters in the Western Slope were supportive.
Now I am going to read you some proposals that voters might be voting on in the election next November. This proposal would (1) establish state-licensed marijuana dispensaries to cultivate and provide marijuana to patients with doctors' recommendations; (2) allow local governments to set limits on the number of dispensaries and to enact zoning regulations applicable to the dispensaries; and (3) require patients to be registered with the state and set a limit on the amount of marijuana patients can acquire through the dispensary system.
If the election were held today, would you vote yes or no on this proposal?
(IF R NEEDS CLARIFICATION:) A "yes" vote would be a vote to approve the proposal; a "no" vote would be a vote to reject the proposal. (IF YES/NO:) Do you feel strongly or not so strongly about that?
(IF UNDECIDED:) Well, which way would you say you are leaning?
Strong yes 34%
Not strongly yes 19%
Lean yes 10%
Lean no 4%
Not strongly no 6%
Strongly no 23%
Hard undecided (VOL.) 3
REFUSED --
DK/NA --
Total Yes: 64%
Total No: 32%
About Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation
Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation is a coalition of medical marijuana patients and providers supporting responsible regulation of medical marijuana. Formed in 2009, the coalition is actively engaged with Colorado legislators and law enforcement officers to establish criteria for the responsible regulation of medical marijuana in order to to make a positive difference in people's lives. For more information, please call 303.335.0834.
by Michael Roberts
* source Westword Magazine
Share
