Tag: Cannabis

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One Death Doesn’t Mean Marijuana Edibles Are Dangerous, It Means We Need Better Education and Labeling

Regulation keeps them from being an iffy proposition The recent death of a 19-year-old exchange student has led to a surge of concerns about the safety and regulation of edible products in Colorado. Levy Thamba of the Republic of Congo allegedly ate marijuana edibles in Denver during spring break with friends in March, then jumped from a hotel room balcony later that night. Thamba’s is the first death officially related to “marijuana intoxication” on a coroner’s report since Colorado legalized marijuana in January 2013. While Thamba’s death is tragic, it is not a realistic indication of a larger public threat. Thamba’s friends also ate the edibles that night, and thousands if not millions of people eat marijuana edibles every day without issue. In California, hundreds […] Read More

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2014: Obama Administration Doesn’t Need Congress to Loosen Marijuana Restrictions

Polls find up to 81% U.S. support for medical pot–it’s time we at least allow studies. Attorney General Eric Holder is trying to walk an increasingly fraught middle ground on cannabis policy. Attention has turned to the federal government on the issue of marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, among many others. Schedule I drugs are deemed to be harmful and have no medical benefit. With 20 states plus Washington D.C. having a medical marijuana law on the books, and Maryland set to be the 17th state to decriminalize pot, it’s clear that many state legislatures disagree. Polls have found up to 81% national support for medical cannabis. Holder said he’d be “more than glad to work with Congress,” on […] Read More

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2014: Politicians Who Oppose Marijuana Legalization Are On the Wrong Side of History

A majority of Americans support marijuana legalization. A majority of Americans support marijuana legalization – yet not one sitting governor or U.S. Senator supports it, according to a New York Times piece. Marijuana prohibition is a disastrous failure. 43 years after President Nixon launched the “war on drugs,” the U.S. arrests 650,000 people a year for marijuana possession – yet marijuana and other illegal drugs are as available as ever. Thanks to the drug war, the U.S. has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet nearly 25 percent of its prisoners. Colorado and Washington made history in 2012 becoming the first states – and the first two political jurisdictions anywhere in the world – to legally regulate the production and distribution of marijuana, and many […] Read More

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2014: Majority of Law Enforcement Officers Support Marijuana Policy Reform

Former cop: the war on drugs changed the very nature of policing for the worse. Though not conducted with the methodological rigor of the Pew poll that came out yesterday showing 54% of Americans support the legalization of marijuana and two-thirds believe drug policy should focus on treatment rather than prosecuting drug users, Law Officer magazine has provided LEAP a poll of its own showing an even more surprising finding: a majority of law enforcement officers also support marijuana policy reform. Though some of the provided answers seemed to overlap, the overall effect is one indicating broad support for change among the readership of the publication, 97% of whom indicated they are or had been in law enforcement.  Some of the most surprising results include 66% saying marijuana possession should […] Read More

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2014: Debunking the 5 Biggest Myths About Pot

The more research is released, the more legalization makes sense. Back in the 1930s, the arguments to criminalize cannabis were bizarre and openly racist. The anti-pot crusader Harry Anslinger made all sorts of over-the-top claims, such as, “Marihuana is a short cut to the insane asylum. Smoke marihuana cigarettes for a month and what was once your brain will be nothing but a storehouse of horrid specters.” Nowadays more than 100 million Americans say they’ve smoke pot, millions use cannabis regularly to treat illnesses and it is as legal as alcohol in two U.S. states. However, it remains illegal under federal law largely due to scare tactics ingrained in our society, which date back even prior to Anslinger. Today, pot legalization opponents try a little […] Read More

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2014: Pot Progress: NJ Prosecutors Reverse Age-old Position and Now Support Marijuana Legalization

The majority of municipal prosecutors in the state want to nix marijuana prohibition. Huge strides were made in the struggle for marijuana legalization on Tuesday: The New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association said they support legalizing the possession of pot. This is significant because the association leads the prosecution of all marijuana related charges in the state. “Each week, New Jersey police officers arrest hundreds of citizens for the disorderly persons offense of possession of under 50 grams of marijuana,” said Jon-Henry Barr, president of the board of trustees of the Municipal Prosecutors Association, to the Ashby Park Press. The paper reported that Barr’s other reasons for backing marijuana legalization include: • Requests by prosecutors to analyze samples of marijuana are overwhelming the state’s drug-testing […] Read More

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2014: Uh Oh: Politicians Formerly Against Medical Marijuana Now Singing Praises of Cannabidiol

Don’t sacrifice the plant for one of its healing compounds. State lawmakers who have steadfastly opposed the legalization of medical marijuana are suddenly singing the praises of cannabidiol. What gives? Lawmakers in a growing number of states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Utah, and Wisconsin, are saying no to medical cannabis but yes to cannabidiol, a naturally occurring compound in the plant. But is this new direction in the best interest of patients? Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of an estimated 100 unique, biologically active compounds present in the marijuana plant. First discovered in 1940 (though its specific chemical structure was not identified until 1963), CBD is the most studied cannabinoid after delta-9-THC. Like THC, the compound acts on the endogenous cannabinoid system to […] Read More

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2014: 4 Police Tricks to Nab You For Pot and How You Can Beat Them

Cops have a massive incentive to bust people for pot. Here’s how to fight back. According to the ACLU, marijuana arrests account for over half of all drug arrests—and 88% of those charges are for simple possession. Because of decades-old grant programs, local precincts are showered with money from the federal government if they keep their arrest numbers high. Police have a built-in financial incentive to focus their arrests on low-level drug offenders to fatten their statistics, especially because these are some of the easiest arrests to make. This is a major reason why marijuana arrest rates have gone up in recent years, and why they make up the majority of all drug detentions nationally. If you’re a cannabis aficionado who chooses to indulge in the herb, you’re a walking dollar sign to […] Read More

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2013: Medical Marijuana Strain Has Hundreds Of Parents Flocking To Colorado

CBS Denver Medical Marijuana Strain Has Hundreds Of Parents Flocking To Colorado Related articles Chief Black Kettle Except from MYTHS AND TALES OF THE JICARILLA APACHE INDIANS Crime in Denver Decreases After Pot Legalization Was a Mysterious Underground Structure Found On the Moon? Several Circular Objects Surrounded Plane 2006: The Marcia Burke Encounter Colorado floods ‘completely overwhelm’ search for oil and gas leaks

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2013: Medical Marijuana Can be a Much-Needed Miracle for Vets With PTSD

Staff Sargent Mike Whiter says prescription drugs are contributing to veteran suicides—and marijuana saves lives. After Staff Sargent Mike Whiter returned home from serving his country, he tried to kill himself three times. Whiter served in the US Marines for 11 years, including combat tours in Kosovo and Iraq. After his medical discharge, Whiter sought help from the Veterans Administration for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as well as his physical injuries. “They put me on 36 different medications in 6 years,” recalls Whiter. “I was on methadone and morphine, benzos, klonopin, xanax, SSRIs…You name a drug, I’ve been on it. I couldn’t sleep, I was having nightmares, I couldn’t leave my house – I was afraid to leave my house.” Whiter believes that […] Read More