Dream of ‘Cannabis Empire’ Raises Fears, Hackles

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For the activists who led the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Washington state last fall, Jamen Shively was one of their biggest fears: an aspiring pot profiteer whose unabashed dreams of building a cannabis empire might attract unwanted attention from the federal government or a backlash that could slow the marijuana reform movement across the country. With visionary zeal, the 45-year-old former Microsoft manager described his plans to a conference room packed with reporters and supporters last month, saying … Read More

Pot More Dangerous Than You Know

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With the recent article published on May 12, 2013, “Mont.  goes its own way on pot,” it seems like the perfect opportunity to provide some clarifying facts about marijuana. There is no scientific basis for using smoked marijuana as a medicine, no sound scientific studies supporting the medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supporting the safety or effectiveness of marijuana for general medical use.  The Food and Drug Administration ruled … Read More

Lawyer Takes On Feds Over New Pot Rules

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Abbotsford lawyer John Conroy is undertaking a legal battle against new changes to the federal government’s medical marijuana program. On Monday, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced some of the anticipated changes to the program, which includes banning individual home-based medicinal grow-ops in favour of larger government licenced producers. The new regulations mean sick or disabled people or their legal proxies with licences will no long be able to grow their own marijuana, said Conroy. The price of marijuana from the … Read More

Colorado Localities Make Own Rules On MJ Sales

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As Colorado moves closer to issuing temporary regulations on the sale of marijuana, now legal in small quantities here, some cities and towns are not waiting for the new rules to take effect. More than a dozen municipalities across the state have decided to enact moratoriums on retail marijuana sales, restricting them for now or at least until after the rules are finalized later this year. Others, unsettled at the prospect of dispensaries within their borders, have banned marijuana sales … Read More

Obama Helps Nip Pot Legalization In Latin America

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President Obama helped prevent a move toward pot legalization by some Latin American leaders.  But will he be as bold against Colorado, Washington state? Peter Bensinger, a former Drug Enforcement Administration chief, was one of eight former DEA chiefs who recently spoke out in favor of the federal government needing to nullify Colorado and Washington’s laws legalizing recreational marijuana use.  They said the Obama administration has reacted too slowly and should immediately sue to force the states to rescind the … Read More

The Many Different Faces Of Marijuana In America

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On Tuesday, Vermont moved to decriminalize the possession of marijuana for quantities up to an ounce, replacing potential prison time for arrests with fines. Peter Shumlin, the state’s governor, made a telling distinction between weed and “harder” drugs when he announced the move. “This legislation allows our courts and law enforcement to focus their limited resources more effectively to fight highly addictive opiates such as heroin and prescription drugs that are tearing apart families and communities,” he said. The idea … Read More

Bill Maher on The Greening of America

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It’s a brave new pothead world. Until fairly recently, even a year ago, I would not have guessed that we would be at the place we are now – with 18 states legalizing medical marijuana and, according to one recent poll, a whopping 85 percent of the nation supporting medical use. For all our political rancor, it turns out, what ultimately unites us is pot. Weed is one of the few things that both hillbillies and hippies like. Rappers smoke … Read More

Five Myths About Legalizing Marijuana

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With 16 states having decriminalized or legalized cannabis for non-medical use and eight more heading toward some kind of legalization, federal prohibition’s days seem numbered. You might wonder what America will look like when marijuana is in the corner store and at the farmers market. In three years spent researching that question, I found some ideas about the plant that just don’t hold up. 1. If pot is legal, more people will use it. As drug policy undergoes big changes, … Read More

Colorado Regulators Ditch ‘Absurd’ Rule

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Marijuana-themed publications won’t be treated like pornography in Colorado, state regulators announced Thursday in the face of lawsuits. The rule would have forced stores to keep publications with a “primary focus” on pot away from shoppers under the age of 21, and was mandated by a package of legislature-approved marijuana regulations signed into law by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 28. Colorado’s State Licensing Authority said the rule was unconstitutional and would be ignored. An “emergency rule” issued by … Read More

It’s Time To End Failed War On Marijuana

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Marijuana has become the drug of choice for police departments nationwide — a trend that is playing out with serious consequences here in Brown County. According to a new report released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, police have turned much of their zeal for fighting the failed War on Drugs toward the enforcement of marijuana laws in communities across Wisconsin and the country. In 2010, cops in Wisconsin busted someone for having marijuana once every 28 minutes. The … Read More

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