By David Downs

 
As California goes, so goes the nation — and the nation is waking up to the ravages of cannabis prohibition.
Over in the Lone Star state, a last-minute push to get weed decriminalized will includebroadcast television ads aimed at persuading voters and their representatives.
In the ad, a folksy Texas Hill Country resident, veteran cop and narcotics detective says cannabis is safer than alcohol and limited law enforcement resources should focus on crimes for which there are victims — like rape, murder, and robbery.
“I know of no instance in my entire career where someone was acting out under the influence of marijuana,” Detective Russell Jones says. “People under the influence of alcohol are much more problematic. Law enforcement officials have more important things to do with their time than arrest people for marijuana possession. They need to be there to protect the public, to respond to crimes such as robbery, burglaries, rape, and murders.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2015/05/12/watch-texas-first-big-tv-ad-for-pot-decriminalization

by Philip Chrysopoulos

 
The first cannabis festival in Greece is taking place today at Syntagma Square in Athens with the participation of the organized SYRIZA youth and the human rights department of the party.
The advocates of legalization of cannabis who have organized the festival call it Athens Cannabis Protestival and they ask for legalization of cannabis and soft drugs and the decriminalization of users.
The festival organizers say that such an act would benefit the Greek economy. It would bring sizeable revenues to the state through a state-run cannabis production industry that would also create 40,000 employment positions. Such a prospect would bring 2.5 billion euros a year and help the Greek economy come out of the slump, they say.
 
Full Article:
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/05/09/first-cannabis-festival-in-greece/

Brad Irvin: Hippie Butter
He was a world traveler and worked with well-known musical artists to engineer a cool crisp sound for their various concerts, but as amazing as this was for him, his interest was drawn away from it to pursue another endeavor and it all started out with a handful of hemp seeds. Brad Irvin, founder and CEO of Hippie Butter, is one of the mavericks who has made hemp cool, hip, and educated us about the many benefits it has for our health. He’s extremely passionate about his product and about enlightening his customers about how to implement it into their future.
What was the deciding factor for you to join this particular industry?
I’m Brad Ervin, former chef, 25-year rock ‘n’ roll sound engineer and now the CHO (Chief Hemp Officer) of Hippie Butter Hemp Seed Food Products. As I toured the world with artists like George Strait, Bette Midler, Paul McCartney, and many others, I discovered the “superfood,” hemp seeds. During a tour in Canada, I became sick and exhausted from too many long hours and too much bad food, which is so common in the entertainment industry, and I stopped for a snack at a convenience store that happened to carry hemp seeds. When I tried some, I fell in love with the nutty, crunchy taste, and started eating a handful a day. It wasn’t long before I was feeling more energized, less stressed, and had a heightened sense of well-being.
 
Full Article:
https://www.cashinbis.com/brad-irvin-it-all-started-with-a-handful-of-hemp-seeds/

DANIEL NUSSBAUM

California marijuana enthusiasts will have the chance this month to break some long-held stereotypes and prove they can play sports too, when the “420 Games,” a kind of “stoner Olympics,” debuts in San Jose.
The 420 Games, beginning May 17 at San Jose’s Hellyer Park, will feature a 5K run, half marathons, triathlons, obstacle courses and all other manner of competitive sporting events, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Of course, the 5K run, normally a 3.1 mile stretch, will be adjusted to a 4.20 mile run in celebration of the event’s theme.
 
Full Article:
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2015/05/08/420-games-set-out-to-prove-stoners-can-play-sports-too/

By Thomas H. Clarke |  The Daily Chronic

 
Kentucky’s hemp crop is expected to exceed 1,700 acres in 2015, up from just a 33 acres last year, state agriculture officials said this week.
At a news conference Tuesday, state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer announced that 121 participants have been selected to grow hemp in Kentucky this year, including seven universities across the state. There are 36 groups and projects that will grow 1,742 acres this year, Cormer said.
Despite numerous delays caused by the Drug Enforcement Administration last spring, a little over 33 acres of hemp was grown in Kentucky last year, the first legal hemp harvest in the state in decades.
 
Full Article:
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/43035/kentuckys-2015-hemp-crop-to-exceed-1700-acres-up-from-33-acres-in-2014/

Jacob Sullum

Office of David Simpson
 
Remember David Simpson, the self-described constitutional conservative who opposes marijuana prohibition on Christian grounds and wants to legalize the plant in Texas? Yesterday his legalization bill, which eliminates marijuana offenses (except for sales to minors) from the Texas criminal code, cleared the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, making it theoretically possible that it will get a floor vote. The committee vote was 5 to 2, with Simpson (R-Longview) joined by one Republican, Todd Hunter (Corpus Christi), and three Democrats—Abel Herrero (Robstown), Joe Moody (El Paso), and Terry Canales (Edinburg)—in supporting the bill. Jeff Leach and Matt Shaheen, both Republicans representing the Dallas suburb of Plano, voted no.
 
Full Article:
http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/07/marijuana-legalization-bill-advances-in#.ewdx7z:7EFm

Over 3,200 people from across Texas marched through downtown Fort Worth for the Global Marijuana March on Saturday, May 2.

Over 3,200 protesters marched on the courthouse in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday, took it over, and staged a massive protest which included openly smoking large amounts of marijuana as dozens of officers stood and looked on.
This marked the third Global Marijuana March to take place in Fort Worth, growing initially from about 500 people in 2013, to over 2,000 participants in 2014.
 
Full Article:
http://txcann.com/2015/05/03/3200-protesters-storm-courthouse-for-marijuana-reform-in-fort-worth/

OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislation authorizing medical trials for children with severe forms of epilepsy by using an oil derived from the marijuana plant has been signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.
 
Full Article:
http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/d83dd5f7316a4f0e93d77b8db8c7e5d2/OK–Cannabis-Oil-Oklahoma