Obama: ‘I Remember When BuzzFeed Was Just Something I Did In College Around 2 A.M.’

The Huffington Post  |  By 
 
President Barack Obama alluded to his history as a pot smoker during his remarks at the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Obama hinted at his past while weighing in on the success of BuzzFeed.
“I remember when BuzzFeed was just something I did in college around 2 a.m.,” Obama said. “It’s true.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/27/obama-buzzfeed_n_3171864.html

Vet using marijuana for pets says hopes to fund research studies

By Marcus Hondro
 

A vet in California who has used marijuana to treat dogs and other pets told Digital Journal in an exclusive interview he hopes to fund further studies on pots and pets. Dr. Doug Kramer says the drug has already proven helpful to animals.

“I recently published a book designed to teach pet owners how to make medication and safely administer it themselves,” he said in an email this week. “I’m hoping to use the book proceeds to fund small scale clinical research studies to better understand the risks and benefits of medical marijuana for pets.”

Marijuana for cats and dogs

Dr. Kramer, who has a website that focuses on alternative methods of helping animals called Vet Guru, says he’s found success using marijuana to treat both dogs and cats. His own dog, Nikita, was dying from terminal cancer and he said marijuana enabled Nikita to move around again and increase her quality of life before her death.

The L.A. vet found marijuana can successfully be used as a appetite stimulant of cats and he believes that usage could be expanded to other animals. “We’re using it on cats as much, if not more (than on dogs), as an appetite stimulant,” he said. “Cats are finicky, especially when they’re really sick. Any animal that has the cannabinoid receptors would respond the same way we do. There are studies out there that show that pigs, chickens, monkeys, and rats all have those same receptors.”

Full Article:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/347929

Cops train new dogs after marijuana legalization

  • Scripps Howard News Service
 
BREMERTON, Wash. – Now that marijuana is legal in Washington state, police departments have a problem — their drug-sniffing dogs haven’t gotten the message.
Once the pups are trained to find marijuana they will look for it no matter what the law says.
Apparently you can’t teach an old dog that particular trick.
So, Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins said his agency will be training new narcotics detection dogs and they won’t be introduced to pot.
“It’s problematic because the dogs could alert on a legal amount of marijuana and then we’re violating someone’s privacy,” Calkins said.
 
Full Article:
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/u-s-world/cops-hire-new-dogs-after-marijuana-legalization

Washington judge tells police to return marijuana

by The Associated Press
 
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Police in Tacoma could soon be in real trouble over pot.
The department could be found in contempt if they continue to refuse to return a small amount of marijuana seized from a man after a traffic stop. Municipal Court Judge Jack Emery repeated an order to police Thursday to return the drug to Joseph L. Robertson within seven days or they could be found in contempt.
“Appeal or comply,” Emery told assistant city attorney John Walker. “Or next week, show up, and I would advise you to bring counsel.”
Full Article:
http://www.couriernews.com/view/full_story/22382413/article-Washington-judge-tells-police-to-return-marijuana-?instance=top_news

Cannabis Time Capsule, 1876: Marijuana as a medicine for a “remarkable invalid”

By William Breathes
 
Here’s a pretty interesting and surprising positive story about cannabis being used as a medicine from theColorado Banner out of Boulder County from July 1876 — making this the oldest Cannabis Time Capsule piece we’ve run.
And though the mention of marijuana is brief, it illustrates how cannabis might have been perceived differently by the public and the press before paranoia and fear over this complex and amazing plant took over.

The item is basically a re-write of a Boston Globeobituary about Ruth W. Burgess, who died at the age of 64. The write-up talks about how Burgess suffered from a wide range of conditions in her life starting around the age of eight. Over the course of her life, she battled seizures, paralysis of her right eye and edema (then called “dropsy”).
But the article says she found a cure for the ailments through cannabis. Apparently, her brother was in what is now Guyana when he met a French doctor who gave him an unlabeled bottle of tincture. It turned out to be cannabis (called “Indian hemp”).
 
Full Article:
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2013/04/cannabis_time_capsule_1876_marijuana_medicine.php

U.S. Drug Czar: ‘I Was Wrong. Addiction Is Not A Moral Failing’

By Nicole Flatow

Gil Kerlikowske
 
Timed to the release of the White House’s new “21st Century drug policy,” U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske admitted Wednesday that he has misunderstood drug abuse during his 37-plus year law enforcement career. Now, he said according to ABC News, he finally views drug abuse as a public health issue:

I’ve spent my entire career in law enforcement. For most of those 37 years, like most people, I believed that a person addicted to drugs had a moral problem — a failing, a lack of will.
I was wrong. Addiction is not a moral failing.
 
Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/04/25/1921371/drug-czar-i-was-wrong-addiction-is-not-a-moral-failing/?mobile=nc

Harvard Law School Offers ‘Tax Planning For Marijuana Dealers’—No Joke

Robert W. Wood
English: Pound Hall Harvard Law School 2009
Pound Hall at  Harvard Law School (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
 
I’m the last one to say this is a silly topic, because it is not. But you have to admit is sounds a little funny. Bizarrely–and there’s much in our tax law that’s downright bizarre–there’s actually a need for this kind of, er, down and dirty tax planning session. And someone should bring the Cheetos.
Perhaps Harvard’s Board of Trustees will get wind of it and get upset. But the ire should be directed at tax rules that need fixing. Now that we have legalized medical marijuana in 18 states and the District of Columbia can these businesses be run like businesses? Not really. Massachusetts was the most recent entrant, and its marijuana businesses, like those in all the other states, face legal and tax problems.
For that matter, Colorado and Washington have even legalized recreational use. Again, tax problems there too. Why? Because even legal dispensaries are drug traffickers to the feds. Section 280E of the tax code denies them tax deductions, even for legitimate business costs. Of all the federal enforcement efforts, taxes hurt most. “The federal tax situation is the biggest threat to businesses and could push the entire industry underground,” the leading trade publication for the marijuana industry reports.
One answer is for dispensaries to deduct otherexpenses distinct from dispensing marijuana. If a dispensary sells marijuana and is in the separatebusiness of care-giving, the care-giving expenses are deductible. If only 10% of the premises are used to dispense marijuana, most of the rent is deductible. Good record-keeping is essential. See Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Persist Despite Tax Obstacles.
 
Full Article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2013/04/25/harvard-law-school-offers-tax-planning-for-marijuana-dealers-no-joke/

Boise Police Seize Children of Marijuana Activists


Moms for Marijuana
 
Three marijuana advocates in Boise, Idaho, had their children taken by Child Protective Services this week after police found marijuana in one of the family’s homes.
According to an item posted today by one of the parents on Compassionate Idaho, a medical marijuana site, Lindsey Rinehart and her husband Josh Rinehart went hiking with friend Sarah Caldwell earlier this week. When they came back, their kids had been taken.
Officers with the Boise Police Department had arrived at the house while they were gone to conduct a “Well Child Check,” allegedly at the behest of a school administrator. (I’ve requested information from the BPD, and will update this post when I hear back.) “The BPD intimidated our babysitter/friend and gained access to our home,” Lindsey Rinehart wrote. “Upon entering, and seeing that the house was Fine, the kids are Fine, they decided to go to my room.” That’s where police found the marijuana that Rinehart uses to treat her MS, and decided to call Child Protective Services.
CPS took 10-year-old Laustin Rinehart and 5-year-old Elijah Rinehart, as well as Sarah Caldwell’s children, 11-year-old Thomas Andrew and 6-year-old Kyle. Their parents are now desperate to get them back. All three are well-known marijuana activists: Lindsey works for Compassionate Idaho, Josh is the director of Idaho NORML, and Sarah Caldwell works for Moms for Marijuana International.
 
Full Article:
http://reason.com/blog/2013/04/25/boise-police-seize-children-of-marijuana

Cops Raid Home of Idaho Marijuana Activists; Seize Children

By 
[Moms For Marijuana]
 
The home of Idaho marijuana activists Lindsey and Josh Rinehart was raided on Tuesday by Boise Police and Child Protective Services while Lindsey, Josh and their friend Sarah Caldwell, a fellow marijuana activist, were on a small trip to the mountains.
Lindsey and Josh’s two children were taken into “protective custody,” and because Sarah’s two children were also at the residence with the babysitter, they were taken as well.
A custody hearing for the children is pending, and possible criminal charges relating to marijuana might arise in the future, according to Serra Frank, director of Moms For Marijuana International.
 
Lindsey Rinehart [Facebook]
Lindsey Rinehart
[Facebook]
 
Lindsey Rinehart is the director, chief petitioner and volunteer coordinator for Compassionate Idaho’s medical marijuana petition. She is also a core member of the Idaho HOPEFest Committee and of Idaho Moms for Marijuana. Josh Rinehart is Lindsey’s husband, director of Idaho NORML, and core member of Idaho HOPEFest and Compassionate Idaho.
Sarah Caldwell is executive director of finance in Moms For Marijuana International. She is also a founding member of Idaho Moms for Marijuana, founding director of Compassionate Idaho, Idaho NORML, and the Idaho HOPEFest.
“These three nonviolent, loving parents have dedicated their time, their money, and their lives to help end cannabis prohibition in the state of Idaho, and to help reach others worldwide,” Frank said.
 
Full Article:
http://tokesignals.com/cops-raid-home-of-idaho-marijuana-activists-seize-children/