Jim Hightower: Razing the Garden of Eden

The Bible tells us that the Garden of Eden was heaven on Earth — until Adam ate that apple. Then all Hell broke loose.
Now, Arlington, Texas, has updated this tale.
At about 7:30 in the morning of August 2, a SWAT team of armed police agents, code enforcement officers, and narcotics detectives stormed Shellie Smith’s little organic farm — which she named “Garden of Eden.”
They burst through the gate, handcuffed the terrified residents, and held them at gunpoint while the agents executed the raid’s mission.
 
Full Article:
http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/jim-hightower-razing-garden-eden

Cops Freak Out Over Eric Holder’s Pot Announcement

 – ryan@huffingtonpost.com
police eric holder
 
 
WASHINGTON — A broad coalition of law enforcement officers who have spent the past three decades waging an increasingly militarized drug war that has failed to reduce drug use doesn’t want to give up the fight.
Organizations that include sheriffs, narcotics officers and big-city police chiefs slammed Attorney General Eric Holder in a joint letter Friday, expressing “extreme disappointment” at his announcement that the Department of Justice would allow Colorado and Washington to implement state laws that legalized recreational marijuana for adults.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/police-eric-holder-marijuana-_n_3846518.html

Revised U.S. Stance on Marijuana Will Be Felt Beyond Borders

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday issued surprise guidance directing its attorneys not to sue states that have moved to de-criminalise the recreational use of marijuana, so long as those states implement strict regulatory regimes.
The announcement marks a turnaround for the administration of President Barack Obama, who in January refused to explicitly support cannabis legalisation. Yet analysts are also suggesting that the new policy stance will have significant repercussions for countries that have been at the receiving end of the U.S. “war on drugs”.
 
Full Article:
http://www.iede.co.uk/news/2013_2880/revised-us-stance-marijuana-will-be-felt-beyond-borders

Weed Edibles: The Most Creative Marijuana Food Products (PHOTOS)

The Huffington Post  |  By 

 
With many states on their way to legalizing marijuana, the conversation surrounding this herb has been even louder than usual lately. With legalization (both for recreational and medicinal purposes) has come a new wave of creativity in terms of one of weed’s most popular forms: edibles.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/weed-edibles_n_3831498.html

Comer says Justice Department ruling is greenlight for hemp production in Kentucky

A U.S. Justice Department ruling saying it will honor state laws regarding regulated marijuana sales is a greenlight for the production of industrial hemp, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said today.
James Comer
James Comer
“It’s about time,” Comer said in a released statement. “This is a major victory for Kentucky’s farmers and for all Kentuckians. Two years ago, the Obama administration would not even discuss the legalization of industrial hempBut through a bipartisan coalition of Kentucky leaders, we forced their hand. We refused to listen to the naysayers, passed a hemp bill by a landslide, and our state is now on the forefront of an exciting new industry. That’s called leadership.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.kyforward.com/2013/08/comer-says-justice-department-ruling-is-a-greenlight-for-hemp-production-in-kentucky/

An Updated, State-By-State Look At Cannabis Reform Across The U.S.

by 
national cannabis coalition
 
Courtesy of The Joint Blog
A lot has changed since we last published an overview of cannabis law reform in the U.S., as activists all across the country continue to push the conversation, and policies forward.
As we continue onward in a year which has been historic for cannabis reform, here’s an examination of reform occurring across the United States; take note of the fact that the Obama Administration announced today that they won’t overturn cannabis legalization in states that decide to take that approach, such as Colorado and Washington.

  • Alabama:

Ron Crumpton, Executive Director of the Alabama Safe Access Project (ASAP), tells us that State Representative Patricia Todd – in collaboration with ASAP – will be filing multiple cannabis reform measures in the upcoming legislative session, including a measure to decriminalize cannabis, a proposal to legalize it entirely, and two proposals to bring protection for medical cannabis patients; one would legalize medical cannabis entirely, and one would provide an affirmative defense for qualified patients
 
Full Article:
http://www.theweedblog.com/an-updated-state-by-state-look-at-cannabis-reform-across-the-u-s/

Tempe dispensary offers to provide cannabis oil to 5-year-old Mesa boy suffering from seizures

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
PHOENIX — A Tempe dispensary is offering to help a Mesa family planning to give medical marijuana to their 5-year-old son to treat his seizures.
Phoenix TV station KNXV (http://shar.es/zESDz) reports that Harvest of Tempe has offered to provide all the cannabis oil that Zander Welton will need.
 
Full Article:
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f3b5009dca56404eb7f0ab1e99b0a018/AZ–Medical-Marijuana-Child

Study: Marijuana World’s Most Popular, Least Dangerous Drug – Countries with harsh drug laws have higher addict death rates

By  @charlottealter
 
The first study of worldwide drug use has concluded that marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the world, but far less deadly than painkillers like Vicodin, Oxycontin and codeine, The Associated Press reports.
Full Article:
http://world.time.com/2013/08/29/study-marijuana-worlds-most-popular-least-dangerous-drug/