Reaction to Federal Marijuana Policy Announcement

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Today the U.S. Department of Justice finally announced the Obama administration’s response to the historic marijuana legalization measures that were approved by voters in Colorado and Washington State in November. The following is a statement from Marijuana Majority’s Tom Angell:
 

“It’s nice to hear that the Obama administration doesn’t at this point intend to file a lawsuit to overturn the will of the voters in states that have opted to modernize their marijuana policies, but it remains to be seen how individual U.S. attorneys will interpret the new guidance and whether they will continue their efforts to close down marijuana businesses that are operating in accordance with state law.

 
 
Read Full Statement:
http://marijuana-majority.com.s133485.gridserver.com/reaction-to-federal-marijuana-policy-announcement/

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em: Obama admin. OKs Washington, Colorado marijuana laws

 
By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times

A caregiver picks out a marijuana bud for a patient at a marijuana dispensary in Denver on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
 
The Obama administration told Colorado and Washington on Thursday that the federal government will not stand in the way of those states’ marijuana laws, which allow for the personal use of the drug.
 
Full Article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/29/obama-administration-oks-washington-colorado-marij/

The cannabis scientist who’s paving the way for Israel’s weed research revolution

Noga Tarnopolsky

flickr / Bob Doran
 
JERUSALEM — An award-winning professor of medicinal chemistry and natural products at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Raphael Mechoulam is a trim gentleman who wears tweed jackets and silk scarves.
He is no slacker. At 82, he still works full-time.
Despite Mechoulam’s respectability, his greatest fame stems from two scientific breakthroughs that may earn him a warm welcome among denizens of /r/trees.
In 1964, he was the first person to synthesize THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal active ingredient in weed. That leap is what has enabled the scientific study of cannabis.
Before him it was all myths and smoke.
 
Full Article:
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130826/cannabis-scientist-whos-paving-way-israels-weed-research-revolution

Air Force bans Greek yogurt with hemp seed

By Brian Everstine
 
The new target in the Air Force’s war on drugs: Greek yogurt with hemp seeds.
In keeping with the policy barring consumption of any product that contains or is derived from hemp seed or hemp seed oil, airmen must steer clear of one flavor of the popular Chobani brand of Greek yogurt — Blueberry Power Flip, the Air Force confirmed Monday.
Blueberry Power Flip comes with a side of walnuts, hemp seeds and chia that yogurt aficionados can “flip” to mix in, according to the Chobani website.
 
Full Article:
http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130826/NEWS/308260043/Air-Force-bans-Greek-yogurt-hemp-seed

Aussies in bag tampering scare in Bangkok

NEWS.COM.AU

Travellers almost fell victim to a bag tampering scam. Picture: AP

Travellers almost fell victim to a bag tampering scam. Picture: AP Source: Supplied
 

IT’S every traveller’s worst nightmare. An Australian couple have told of their lucky escape after they fell victim to a drug scam in Bangkok that saw their bags tampered with.

A woman identified as ‘Georgia’ told radio station 3AW the pair were about to board their flight from Bangkok to Phuket when they were informed their bags were overweight.
So the couple, from Melbourne, said they went to rearrange their suitcases and noticed the straps had been cut and locks broken.
Concerned about looking through the suitcases at the airport, they went back to a hotel where they found a “handful” of marijuana hidden in a small bag within the suitcase.
 
Full Article:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/travel-news/aussies-in-bag-tampering-scare-in-bangkok/story-fniztvng-1226704445532

Despite Federal Ban, Vermont Legalizes Hemp — Effective Immediately

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A grow house with hemp plant cultivation. Vermont has become the most recent state to take a stand against the federal government and nullify the federal ban on hemp cultivation.(Photo/Coleen Whitfield via Flickr)
A grow house with hemp plant cultivation. Vermont has become the most recent state to take a stand against the federal government and nullify the federal ban on hemp cultivation.(Photo/Coleen Whitfield via Flickr)
 

While much of the country has focused on the issue of whether to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, lawmakers in some states, such as Vermont, have pushed for the nullification of the federal ban on marijuana’s cannabis cousin: hemp.

Though smoking an entire garbage bag of hemp would not produce an altered state of consciousness, the 1970 Controlled Substances Act banned the production of industrial hemp after labeling hemp a dangerous threat.  This was part of a propaganda campaign used by large corporations whose profits were being reduced because of the usefulness of hemp. They did this by associating hemp with marijuana.

Before the ban and classification of hemp as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, hemp was the most important cash crop in the U.S. economy — more valuable than corn and wheat combined, since it was both a versatile and adaptable crop.

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) estimated that the retail value of North American hemp food, vitamin and body care products was in the range of $121 to $142 million in 2010. When clothing, auto parts, building materials and other non-food or body care products are included, the HIA estimates that the total retail value of U.S. hemp products is about $419 million.

Full Article:

http://www.mintpressnews.com/despite-federal-ban-vermont-legalizes-hemp-effective-immediately/167674/

Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells – Marijuana also found to prevent pain associated with chemotherapy

Added by Brucella Newman
Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells
 
Studies in Spain have shown findings that Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient found in marijuana, can induce the death of brain cancer cells, according to scientist Guillermo Velasco and his research team from the School of Biology at Complutense University in Madrid.
In a laboratory study where mice were “engineered” to carry three varying kinds of human cancer tumor grafts, THC was introduced into the brain, triggering a self-digestion development on a cellular level, known as “autophagy.” Within this process, the research team managed to isolate the particular activation route from which this process evolved.
The research team was also conducting clinical trials in concert, on two consenting brain cancer patients, said to be suffering from a rapidly aggressive form of cancer, known as “recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.”
The team, using electron microscopes to analyze brain tissue extracted before and after the 26 to 30-day regime, found that the THC had eradicated cancer cells, leaving the healthy cells undamaged.
 
Full Article:
http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/cannabis-kills-cancer-cells/

3 Reasons to Try Hemp Milk (Dr. Oz Loves It!)

BY JENNIFER D’ANGELO FRIEDMAN
milk4.jpg
 
We know milk does a body good, but … hemp milk?

Last month, Dr. Oz picked hemp milk as his favorite milk alternative. But can hemp milk — which calls to mind a certain drug — be good for you?
We asked Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke, contributing editors at SELF and co-founders of C&J Nutrition, why you should try it.
Full Article: