Marijuana Decriminalization Question Must Appear On Detroit Ballot, State Appeals Court Rules

Detroit Marijuana Decriminalizing

Detroiters could be allowed to vote to decriminalize marijuana in the city as soon as August.
The Huffington Post   
The Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday morning ruled that a Detroit city clerk had no right to block a proposal to decriminalize marijuana from appearing on a 2010 ballot. Detroit officials must now place the question on the August 2012 ballot.
The 2 to 1 decision reversed an earlier ruling by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Sapalathat allowed the clerk to suspend a vote on the issue because it conflicted with state law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly reports.
If approved by voters, the proposal would amend city law to allow “the use or possession of less than 1 ounce of marihuana, on private property, by a person who has attained the age of 21 years.”
Attorney Matt Abel argued before Judge Sapala on behalf of the ballot measure in circuit court last year. He told The Huffington Post he felt vindicated by the decision.
“I think they made the right decision,” he said. “We look forward to moving the drug war down another notch.”
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/12/marijuana-decriminalization-detroit-ballot_n_1269044.html

Mary Jane, You’ve Come a Long Way Baby

Jorge Cervantes

World famous cannabis cultivation expert and author
 
When I published my first book — Indoor Marijuana Horticulture — back in 1983, there was no way to know how much things would change in the next three decades.
Back then Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, M*A*S*H went off the air and no one had ever heard of Vice President Bush’s eldest son.
In the realm of cannabis things were quite primitive in comparison to today. Poll numbers for legalization had dipped below 25% in the midst of Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign. And general knowledge about cannabis growing was barely existent at best and confined to a relatively small group of people.
What information there was on growing was mainly misinformation. I realized a lot of people were just out to make money instead of giving people solid information on cannabis horticulture. That’s when I decided to start writing about it.
My goal was to apply good, simple information; information that was easy for people to understand. But I didn’t just write from my own experience. I talked to other growers about their experiences and found out what they knew. And in listening, I learned so much.
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jorge-cervantes/mary-jane-youve-come-a-lo_b_1268995.html

Water Bottle Inventor: Hemp Is the Answer

  
 

 
Morris Township native JD Leadam is seeking funding for an invention designed to replace disposable plastic water bottles.
The Hemp Bottle is made from the most durable natural fiber on earth, Leadam said.
Leadam is seeking $15,000 in funding for testing plastic compositions and designing and manufacturing a mold for his product. He has 62 backers already and eight days to go on his campaign for $8,500 of the funding on Kickstarter.com.
He said he has resources at his school, San Jose State University in California, to design and tool the plastic mold once the funding is in place. He also has resources to test for the best hemp plastic composition for the bottle.
Hemp was a logical choice for a replacement for the non-biodegradable plastic bottle, Leadam said. It is more durable and does not leach toxins into the contents as the plastics used today do. The DEHA leached by one-time-use bottles has been linked to liver and reproductive problems, asthma in children and cancer, his webpage said. These bottles will never biodegrade in a landfill because they require sunlight to break down, he said.
In addition, of the 25 billion single-use plastic bottles, more than 80 percent will be disposed of improperly.
 
Read complete article here:
http://morris.patch.com/articles/morris-native-seeks-funds-for-invention#photo-9076477

Roger Christie: Marijuana Political Prisoner of Conscience

Roger Christie for Mayor 2008

A well-known public figure, Hilo gadfly Rev. Roger Christie ran for mayor of Hawai`i county — twice — on a Cannabis-libertarian platform

By 

The priorities and actions of the so-called justice system in the United States today are so misplaced and abused that it has colored the entire process as systemically corrupt.
I was moved and made acutely aware of this in July of 2010 when a familiar figure in the Big Island community was arrested in what the government billed as a huge drug ring. That person was  Roger Christie — along with the “Green 13.”
We all knew Roger was involved with Cannabis. He was a well known activistand he had signs advertising the THC ministry on main street in Hilo for most of the last decade.
I also know Roger fairly well.  I have known him for at least 25 years, and had been to the THC ministry a few times. Roger had even offered me help one time when I ask for it. This was not a huge drug ring as the government claims. It was a small town marijuana dispensary operating openly and serving medical patients and members of the THC ministry—that’s it.
So why did the government spend two years and millions of dollars to arrest a guy they could have walked up the stairs and arrested any day of the week? I am convinced they saw him as a threat to their policy on marijuana. People were not only listening to him—they could see he was right. More on that later.
 
Read complete article here:
http://hawaiinewsdaily.com/2012/02/roger-christie-marijuana-political-prisoner-of-conscience/

How does your garden grow?

Wayne ‘Wadzy' Wadsworth has designed and built a new space-saving domestic gardening system called the Auto Pot.
Keith Bolton and Wayne Wadsworth with their hemp board home garden.
 
Wayne ‘Wadzy’ Wadsworth has designed and built a new space-saving domestic gardening system called the Auto Pot that he hopes will encourage more people to grow their own food. It requires very little space and uses a valve to regulate water to plants as they need it, eliminating the need for forgetful humans to do it.
“People build a garden bed and get all enthusiastic and then it just goes to weeds,” Wadzy said.
He has built a display model into a cabinet made from hemp particle board imported from Germany by hemp enthusiast Dr Keith Bolton.
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2012/02/09/how-does-your-garden-grow/

Mississippi Senator pushing to legalize medical marijuana

By Terrance Friday – bio | email
 
For the fourth year in a row, Senator Deborah Dawkins of Pass Christian is submitting another proposal in an effort to legalize the use of medical marijuana in Mississippi.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. On the flip side, experts say when used for medicinal purposes, the often frowned upon substance can be quite useful. That’s why Senator Deborah Dawkins is working hard to legalize its medical use in our state.
“I think most people want their doctors to help them make their own decisions. And to me, we’re taking something away from the patients and their physicians,” Dawkins said.
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.wdam.com/story/16700098/mississippi-senator-pushing-to-legalize-medical-marijuana

Hemp building at Science Museum in Wroughton

 
A storage facility made of hemp is being erected at the Science Museum at Wroughton in Wiltshire.
The former airfield near Swindon is the large objects storage facility for the London Science Museum, housing more than 500,000 objects in 11 hangars.
As part of an £800,000 project, the hemp building is being installed inside one of the hangars to reduce humidity.
Matt Moore, from the museum, said: “Essentially it will be deep storage – preserving objects for evermore.”
He said: “The environment in the hangars for the majority of objects is pretty good, pretty constant, but some items with wood and leather would do better with not quite so much humidity to preserve them for even longer.
“So we’ve gone back to basics and have decided to use hemp to stabilise the environment.”
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-16854863

Legal Recreational Marijuana: Not So Far Out

With medical marijuana now available in 16 states, decriminalizing pot for recreational use could be around the corner
The drive to legalize marijuana has long been a fringe cause, associated with hard-core libertarians and college-age stoners. But it could go mainstream in a big way in this November’s election, when Washington could become the first state to legalize recreational pot use. If it does — or if voters in any of several other states do — this year could be a turning point in the nation’s treatment of marijuana.
The idea that a majority of voters could support legalizing marijuana may seem far out — but the polls say otherwise. In many states, the prolegalization and antilegalization camps are roughly equal in size. In a poll of Washington state voters released last month, supporters of the legalization referendum outnumbered opponents: 48% vs. 45%. And Washington probably won’t be the only state voting on marijuana this year. In Colorado, supporters last week fell about 3,000 signatures short of getting a legalization measure on the ballot — but the law gave them 15 days to collect the rest, and it seems likely they will. Activists are also collecting signatures in other states, including California, Michigan and Montana.
Read complete article here:

Medical Marijuana Farmers Market in Phoenix, Arizonja

    • When
      Saturday, March 3, 2012
    • Time
      10:00am until 2:00pm
  • Where
    Two Hippies Beach House- Outrageous Tacos and Burritos, 501 E. Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ
  • Description
    Hello everyone,CAMP 420 is at it again! The CAMP 420 Farmers Market in February was such a success, we’re doing it again.
    Please keep Saturday, March 3rd open and available for a community event!
    What: Medical Cannabis Farmers Market
    When: Saturday March 3rd, 2012 10AM till 2PM.
    Where: Two Hippies Beach House
    501 East Camelback Road,
    Phoenix, AZ
    All are invited to attend this free event.
    General admission is FREE!
    $3.00 entry fee to enter private MMJ cardholder section/
    $2.00 entry with food donation for St Mary’s Food Bank.
    Admission to MMJ cardholder Patient/Caregiver ONLY section / w green card.
    Come experience healthy, locally grown medicine.
    There will be food available, music, fun, contests and prizes.
    MMJ Vendors/Caregivers:
    We will have a MMJ cardholder only section available. Tables are provided and space for 2 attendees per $50.
    That fee can be divided by 2 groups, individuals or entities who provide medicine.
    Test results on medicine is recommended. (not mandatory).
    Email AZCAMP420@gmail.com:
    your business name and logo if available.
    Vendors of MMJ will be required to present current AZ medical marijuana green card.
    Admission to Patient/Caregiver ONLY section also / w green card.
    Non Profit Organizations:
    If your group is doing community education, you are welcome to attend free of charge.
    Please Email AZCAMP420@gmail.com:
    your business name and logo if available.
    Fresh fruit and vegetable vendors:
    Free of charge also. Both non profit organizations and fruit and vegetable vendors get free spaces for this community event. Must bring your table and set up for a 6 x 6 space.
    Must Email AZCAMP420@gmail.com:
    your business name and logo if available.
    Vendors, please arrive between 9:00 and 9:30am for set up.
    Come experience healthy, locally grown medicine, fruits and vegetables.
    General admission is FREE!
    $3.00 entry fee to enter private MMJ cardholder section/
    $2.00 entry with food donation for St Mary’s Food Bank.
    Click For Details!:
    http://www.meetup.com/CAMP420/events/48184802/
    Call Rain Baker 602 363 4985
    https://www.facebook.com/events/308940795814211/

Roseanne Barr’s Green Party Presidential Bid: Five Platform Points

By Ryan Villarreal

 
LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA: ” I’m sick and tired of this “medical marijuana” sham. All marijuana is medicinal and we have to stop pretending that there is some sort of moral superiority to calling some of it “medical.” I will legalize all marijuana and all drugs in general. Drug education will be offered and treatment plans will be put in place for abusers. Sweeping the problem under the rug by turning non-violent abusers into criminals only exacerbates the problem by pretending that real solutions don’t exist. Behold the Greening of America!”
 
Read complete article here:
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/293932/20120206/roseanne-barr-green-party-potus-election-2012.htm