Were Europe’s great rabbis a bunch of potheads?

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Marijuana is "great for praying," says author Yoseph Needelman. "The best way to use it, spiritually, is to share it." (Photo credit: CC BY/Pablo Evans via Flickr.com)

NEW YORK (JTA) — After graduating from a Modern Orthodox high school in New York, 30-year-old author Yoseph Needelman moved to Jerusalem to explore the use of marijuana in Jewish tradition. For eight years he bounced between religious institutions, interviewing spiritual leaders to find out whether there was indeed a place for drugs in the Jewish world.

The result of his research is compiled in “Cannabis Chassidis,” a book that explores the Jewish use of marijuana. The book was published originally in 2009 under Needelman’s pen name, Yoseph Ibn Mordachya.

Popular views of the drug are rapidly evolving — a change reflected by the success of recent ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Needelman’s book may find an audience among those seeking religious and practical advice on the use of marijuana. 
Full Article:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/were-europes-great-rabbis-a-bunch-of-potheads/

Uproot Stigma On Weed

Glenn Tucker
 
“Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private or personal use.” – – President Jimmy Carter, message to Congress, August 2, 1977
 
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the growing number of American states that are voting to decriminalise ganja, but the great ganja debate is surfacing here again.
In April of this year, I successfully infused myself into a conversation two young men were having about the similarities in a recent experience that came to an end in the Half-Way Tree RM Court that day. Both men were jailed when they were found with a ganja spliff. They spent nine days in the jail, pleaded guilty and were charged $100 each. So that should be that. But not really.
While they were incarcerated, both men lost their jobs. One’s common-law wife took their two children and returned to live with her parents in the country. The other wondered aloud whether the conviction would spoil his chances of migrating, as those arrangements had already started.
Since the 1970s, there have been government-appointed commissions – here and abroad – that have examined the use of ganja and made public policy recommendations regarding its use.
Overwhelmingly, the conclusions of these expert panels have been the same: marijuana prohibition causes more social damage than marijuana use, and the possession of marijuana for personal use should no longer be a criminal offence.
 
Full Article:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20121216/cleisure/cleisure2.html

Obama will not go after states where pot is legal

By: | WHEC.com
 
President Barack Obama says he won’t go after Washington state and Colorado for legalizing marijuana.
In a Barbara Walters interview airing Friday on ABC, Obama is asked whether he supports making pot legal. He says _ quote _ “I wouldn’t go that far.”
But the president won’t pursue the issue in the states where voters legalized the use of marijuana in the November elections. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Obama says _ quote _ “It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view” to focus on drug use in states where it is now legal.
 
Full Article:
http://www.whec.com/article/stories/S2866956.shtml?cat=10074

Prosecutor recommends probation for Montana Cannabis partner

By EVE BYRON Independent Record
 
Chris Lindsey, a former partner in the Helena-based medical marijuana business Montana Cannabis, won’t spend any time in prison if a federal court judge follows a recommendation by federal prosecutors.
In court documents filed this week, Joseph Thaggard and Paulette Stewart, with the U.S. Attorney’s office, propose that Lindsey, 45, be sentenced to five years of probation, with six months of house arrest. The recommendation is based on his poor health, as well as that of his wife. Prosecutors note that Lindsey, who is an attorney, is the primary breadwinner in the family and they have an 8-year-old son to support.
“… the defendant and his wife are both ill, they have a young child who requires their care, the defendant does not pose a threat to commit new crimes and the cost of the defendant’s medical care is not something that should be foisted on the taxpayers,” Thaggard wrote in court documents.
Lindsey, who suffers from ulcerative colitis and/or Crohn’s Disease, is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to maintain drug premises. He declined to comment on the sentencing memorandum by Thaggard, other than to say he appreciates the recommendation.
In court records, Thaggard notes that although Lindsey was one of the founding members of Montana Cannabis in 2009, his active participation in the conspiracy was “relatively short-lived,” lasting from March 2009 until January 2010.
Full Article:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/prosecutor-recommends-probation-for-montana-cannabis-partner/article_776966ef-ec97-5d9d-bf75-0765ecb511c0.html
 

Black Bean-Hemp Protein Patties Recipe

Veggie_bean_burger.jpg
 
These patties are packed with premium protein, essential fatty acids, iron, calcium, fiber, and trace minerals, and won’t contribute one bit to heart disease or diabetes, like animal-derived burgers do.  Perfectly aligned spices celebrate three plant-based protein sources:  black beans, hemp seeds, and quinoa.
Ingredients:
coconut oil, for cooking
1 cup finely diced sweet yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (unsalted)
1 cup hemp seeds
10 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water until soft, finely minced
1/2 tspn sea salt
2 tspn paprika powder
1/4 tspn chipotle powder
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
2 tspn miso paste
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
Preparation:

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until onion begins to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the bell pepper, and continue to cook until vegetables are softened-about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and add the black beans, hemp seeds, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt, paprika, chipotle, and cayenne.  Cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Add the miso paste into the mixture.  Use the back of a fork to mix the beans and miso together, partially mashing the beans.  Mix in the cooked brown rice and quinoa flakes.  When cool enough to handle, use clean hands to knead the mixture together to form a dense base.  Place in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to allow quinoa flakes to swell and absorb the excess moisture.
  3. Form the mixture into 6-8 patties, squeezing and packing the mixture together.  (If necessary, a spoonful or two of water may be added to make the patties stick together easier).  Warm a small amount of coconut oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat.  When the pan is hot, add the patties.  Cook for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.

Serving Suggestions:  Pair with spouted grain hamburger buns, avocado, tomatoes, onions, and sprouts.  Or, try it “high protein-style” – tucked inside a collard leaf wrap or on top of a salad.
Recipe courtesy of Superfoods Kitchen by Julie Morris
 
http://blog.seattlepi.com/recipesyndicate/2012/12/12/black-bean-hemp-protein-patties-recipe/
 

Hemp: A super food?

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Hemp seeds.jpg
 
Hemp is a low THC variety of the plant Cannabis sativa, which is also known as marijuana. While marijuana is psychoactive and imparts a high, hemp does not do so. You cannot get high using hemp in any manner, regardless of the quantity.
Hemp is a crop that has been grown since antiquity, and the fiber made from hemp cloth is a major component of the U.S. Constitution, the original United States flags, and virtually all sail cloth up until the last fifty years or so. Henry Ford once built a car, the body of which was made largely of hemp plastic, which was as strong as steel.
During World War II, the United States had a nationwide program and government-sponsored black and white film entitled “Hemp for Victory,” which implored all American farmers to grow hemp as a crop to supply the U.S. military with badly needed rope, cordage and cloth. To an extent, hemp made a great contribution to the Allied war effort in World War II.
Hemp provides high quality fiber for the purposes of cord and cloth, and makes an excellent source of biomass for ethanol production. Hemp clothing is almost impossible to wear out, and hemp paper is remarkably strong and durable. Hemp does not require pesticides to thrive, making it an excellent crop from an environmental standpoint. Though the plant’s cultivation is not allowed in the U.S., it is cultivated in China, Canada, Chile and North Korea on a commercial scale, and so hemp products are available on the world market.
Full Article:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/12/healthy-hemp-super-food/

Looking For Ways To Make Your Christmas Greener? Think Hemp!

Looking for ways to green up your Christmas? Here are 5 ways that you can use hemp and create less waste, use less energy, and celebrate the festive season in a way that doesn’t contribute to the degradation of our planet.

Pictured: Hempz Body Care Gift Basket
 
Christmas is a time associated with over-indulgence and lots of non recyclable waste but with a little bit of imagination and advanced planning it doesn’t have to be this way.
According to Dr Dionne Payn of Hemp Lifestyle Magazine, industrial hemp is one of the most ecologically sustainable crops available. It sequesters large amounts of carbon dioxide as it is growing, grows quickly and can be harvested within 90 days, uses less water than most crops, doesn’t need herbicides or pesticides to grow, and can grow anywhere, from the subtropics of Australia to the cool climes of Russia.
Hemp also produces the most bio-material that has a large variety of uses. In 1938, Popular Mechanics magazine called hemp the “new billion-dollar crop,” saying it had 25,000 uses.
For all of these reasons, it makes sense to use hemp wherever possible.
 
Full Article:
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2012/13630/looking-for-ways-to-make-your-christmas-greener-think-hemp/
 

California Parent ‘Paul M.’ Wins Victory For Medical Marijuana Users

Anna Almendrala
 
Paul M Medical Marijuana
 
LOS ANGELES — An appeals court released a Southern California father who is a medical marijuana user from court-mandated parental supervision, making a milestone distinction between pot “use” and “abuse.”
The California Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s decision to place “Paul M.,” the father of toddler “Drake M.” under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, a mandate that had meant required drug counseling, parenting classes and random drug testing for the father. The appeals court ruled that medical marijuana use alone does not constitute child abuse or put children at risk.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/paul-m-medical-marijuana_n_2272547.html

End of an Outlaw Era: Legalized Marijuana

 
I paid no attention to the text. I just saw on the ballot something about approving marijuana use. Assuming it meant medical marijuana, I voted for it, muttering to myself that I thought medical marijuana was already the law in the state of Washington. Oh, well, I thought, probably just a backup law for when they knocked the other one out-of-the-way.
So imagine my surprise when watching CNN on election night I learned that not only would I never have to say the words, “President Romney,” but, like most people in Washington, I’d also just voted to legalize marijuana. “What!?” I cried out to the TV screen, “How’d that happen?” while my teenage daughter muttered something about what a travesty it was to give me the right to vote if I didn’t have sense enough to know what for.
At long last, after 75 years, the plant was finally legal. Oops. Scratch that. The plant remains illegal. The processed elements of the plant are legal, but the plant in its natural state remains against the law. (Why can’t we outlaw dandelions and kudzu while we’re at it? I mean, really, if a species can be banned, why don’t we go after the ones that truly cause us anguish?)
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-harper/end-of-an-outlaw-era-lega_b_2258304.html
 

Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition’s “Storming the Statehouse” (Round Two)

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ammjc - it's about time!
Last Thursday and today, Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition fired its second shot in their Storming the Statehouse Campaign.
This time it was ads in the Montgomery Advertiser in the Prattville Progress that were designed to pressure House Speaker Mike Hubbard. According to Chairman Jim McClendon, pressure from the Speaker was the reason that he did not give HB 2, the Alabama Medical Marijuana Patients’ Rights Act, a vote in the house health committee last session.
Whether Jim McClendon was trying to shift the blame, or if it is the Speaker is holding the legislation, it is not clear. However, one thing is certain, Speaker Mike Hubbard has been quoted as saying, “That he just did not think the bill was right for Alabama.”
Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition and the patients of Alabama would like to know why one man is allowed to make that decision. In an effort to gain public support in asking this question, The following ad ran in the Montgomery Advertiser 12/6/12 & 12/11/12 and in the Prattville Progress 12/8/12 – It will also receive 4o,ooo impressions on the Montgomery Advertiser.com during that time.
 
Full Article:
http://www.theweedblog.com/alabama-medical-marijuana-coalitions-storming-the-statehouse-round-two/