420 Policies and Laws

[Bigblue1]

I mean seriously. It is quite obvious that a majority of people are for decriminalization if not full legality. People are sick of funding a drug war that does nothing but increase profits for criminals and fill prisons with non violent offenders on the tax payer, your, dime. How can anybody not see the congruencies between marijuana prohibition today and alcohol prohibition in the 20's. I'll take it a step further. Why is it you can get extremely potent opiates with a prescription but if you get caught with heroine your a criminal. Or how crack will let get you a ton of time but it's base material cocaine you don't get the same sentence. News flashe it only takes some good coke a spoon, heat and some baking soda to make your own, Rush Limbaugh anyone? That man was taking enough oxy to kill an elephant and got caught doing it whilst illegally procuring it, never did a minute of time tho. We are living in a effed up world my friends...... What's good for the goose is definitely not good for the gander.

[Bigblue1]

"It's moved beyond the incidental conversation to people actually encouraging others to use illegal drugs to an official, moderator suggested thread in which people are reviewing and suggesting particular varieties/brands."
- Disgruntled Member

What's that about?

[Crow]

Cannabis Is Now Legal In Washington State

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

History was made in Washington on Election night when 55 percent of voters decided in favor of Initiative 502. And at 12am this morning, history was made once again.

Today, for the first time in 89 years (Washington lawmakers initially outlawed cannabis in 1923, 14 years ahead of the enactment of federal prohibition.), an adult may possess up to one ounce cannabis (and/or up to 16 ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form, and 72 ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form) for their own personal use in private — and they may do so without being in violation of state law.

To be clear: This is not decriminalization — a policy change that amends criminal penalties for minor marijuana offenses, but that continues to define cannabis as illegal contraband under the law and subjects its consumers to civil penalties. Today in Washington, cannabis — when possessed in private by an adult in specific quantities — is a legal commodity. (By contrast, public consumption of cannabis is a civil violation. Existing penalties regarding home cultivation for non-patients remain unchanged. Rules regarding the regulated sale of cannabis to adults are to be codified later next year.)

Nevertheless, the immediate statutory changes effective today provide unprecedented legal protections for adult cannabis consumers. Rather than presuming cannabis to be illicit, and that those who possess it are engaged in illegal activity, the enactment of I-502 mandates law enforcement and prosecutors to presume that cannabis is in fact legal, and that those who possess it in personal use quantities are engaged in legal activity, unless the state can show that there are extenuating circumstances proving otherwise. Moreover, since up to one ounce of cannabis will no longer be classified as an illicit commodity under state law, police will have no legal authority to seize it from lawful adults. Finally, police will arguably no longer be permitted to legally engage in ‘fishing expeditions’ when they encounter cannabis in ‘plain view’ –- such as in someone’s home or in their car. Since marijuana is no longer defined as contraband, state police will no longer have sufficient cause to engage in a further search of the area because, legally, no criminal activity has taken place.

Yes indeed, the dominoes are falling and more will fall imminently. (Colorado’s legalization measure will take effect in early January.) And there is very little that the federal government — which on the eve of legalization said only that it is ‘reviewing’ the new law — can do to stop it. States are not mandated to criminalize marijuana or arrest adult cannabis consumers and the Federal government cannot compel prosecutors in Colorado or Washington to do otherwise.

Like alcohol prohibition before it, the criminalization of cannabis is a failed federal policy that delegates the burden of enforcement to the state and local police. How did America’s ‘Nobel Experiment’ with alcohol prohibition come to an end? When a sufficient number of states enacted legislation repealing the state’s alcohol laws prohibition effectively discontinued. With state police and prosecutors no longer enforcing the Federal government’s unpopular law, politicians eventually had no choice but to abandon the policy altogether.

History now repeats itself.

Source

[Crow]

State's pot era lights up to smoke, dreams, uncertainty

Giddy, smoke-filled celebrations started Thursday as Washington state's new pot law — among the most liberal in the world — took effect. At the same time, investors plotted their next move in the new marijuana market.

By Jonathan Martin, Seattle Times


Nicola Thompson lights her pipe as she and Toby Tackett, right, and Scott Newsome celebrate Washington's legalization of marijuana at a gathering at Seattle Center's International Fountain on Thursday, the day the state law took effect.


John Sanders, chairman of Edmonds Community College's music department, holds up an ounce of pot.


Jamen Shively is reflected in a sealed, commemorative glass holding "Diego Reserva," high-end marijuana he plans to market after the state works out legal details.

Maybe even a little before 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Washingtonians started celebrating — on sidewalks, in parks, outside bars and on their own comfy couches — a new marijuana law that is among the most liberal in the world.

The festivities culminated with a big, hazy party Thursday night at Seattle Center, 79 years and a day after the 21st Amendment, repealing alcohol prohibition, was ratified.

Unlike that repeal, Washington's new law starts with a messy conflict with the federal ban on marijuana, sure to grow messier once the state begins licensing marijuana grow farms and retail stores next year.

Until then, this will be "the year of the magical ounce," as one activist called it. Adults 21 and over can have that much for recreational use, but until the marijuana stores open, there's nowhere to legally buy it. Nor is there any legal place to use it, except behind closed doors.

Late Thursday, a peaceful, happy crowd of about 200 people marked the historic moment at Seattle Center's International Fountain. Ambers glowed, and clouds of Dutch Treat, Pez and WMD and other marijuana strains wisped into the night.

Before the law took effect, Gov. Chris Gregoire had a second conversation with the Department of Justice about the potential federal response. The department has given no indication whether it plans to sue to block Washington's law, or a similar measure in Colorado that takes effect within a month. Gregoire got no more clarity this week, said spokesman Cory Curtis.

Locally, Seattle police announced they would not write tickets for public use of marijuana, which is now equivalent to public drinking. Police will "give you a generous grace period to help you adjust to this brave, new, and maybe kinda stoned world we live in," according to a post on the department's blog.

Other police also appeared to take a laissez-faire approach. "The people have spoken in a very clear way," said Mercer Island Police Chief Ed Holmes, who is also president of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which opposed the legalization measure.

"It's not about our personal individual law or set of convictions or beliefs," he said. "We've sworn to uphold the law of the state, and the law has changed."

Continued...

[sirloot]

Congrats to all the people that voted and made it so !

[Crow]

Now that pot's legal in state, will D.C. delegation defend law?

Washington's new marijuana law took effect Thursday, amid a muted reaction from the state's congressional delegation and questions about whether the federal government will seek to block it.

By Kyung M. Song, Seattle Times Washington bureau

WASHINGTON — Washington state's new marijuana-legalization law, which takes effect Thursday, is a direct affront to federal drug policy. So does Dave Reichert — the King County sheriff-turned-congressman — think users still should be subject to arrest by federal agents?

He isn't saying. Neither is Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane, the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress.

And Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both of whom personally opposed making recreational pot legal, haven't exactly been at the forefront of trying to resolve the legal limbo.

The Washington congressional delegation's muted reaction likely will do little to help clarify the state's unprecedented conflict with the federal ban on marijuana. It also leaves unclear whether voters — who approved legalization 56 to 44 percent — can expect their elected representatives to vigorously stand up for the state law.

On Wednesday, the U.S. attorney for Seattle, Jenny Durkan, said in a statement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) still was reviewing legalization measures approved last month by voters in Washington and Colorado: "The Department's responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. Neither States nor the Executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress."

But, as some legal experts expected, the DOJ has not acted.

Other legal experts, as well as marijuana advocates, expect the federal government will quietly let the state laws go forward. As Richard Epstein, a professor at New York University School of Law, put it, the Drug Enforcement Agency is "going to play its version of 'don't ask, don't tell."

Continued...

[Crow]

Unbelievable. Bunch of ignorant dopes that do not do any thinking or researching for themselves, but rely on whatever is told to them to form their opinions. Whether you are for or against legalizing it, there is no way a single person should state that MJ is not safer then alcohol. That poll should be 100% to NONE. There are no MJ related deaths, there are alchol related deaths every single day, deaths related to the disease of alcoholism, and deaths related to murder while under the influence of alchohol. Yet no deaths realted to MJ disease, no deaths related to someone on MJ killing them due to being under the influence of only MJ. Just absolute stupidity in society that 42% of a poll would state they believe MJ is as dangerous or more dangerous than alcohol.

Look at the bright side......... People are being informed day by day, little by little.

People are starting to wake up and smell the flowers.

[BadAxe]

Respondents were nearly equally divided on the question of whether they believed cannabis to be safer than alcohol. Forty-five percent of respondents agreed with the premise, while 42 percent disagreed.

Unbelievable. Bunch of ignorant dopes that do not do any thinking or researching for themselves, but rely on whatever is told to them to form their opinions. Whether you are for or against legalizing it, there is no way a single person should state that MJ is not safer then alcohol. That poll should be 100% to NONE. There are no MJ related deaths, there are alchol related deaths every single day, deaths related to the disease of alcoholism, and deaths related to murder while under the influence of alchohol. Yet no deaths realted to MJ disease, no deaths related to someone on MJ killing them due to being under the influence of only MJ. Just absolute stupidity in society that 42% of a poll would state they believe MJ is as dangerous or more dangerous than alcohol.

[Crow]

Poll: Solid Majority Of Voters Back Legalizing Cannabis

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

Nearly six out of ten Americans support legalizing cannabis, according to a just released Public Policy Polling automated telephone survey of 1,325 voters, commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project.

58 percent of respondents said that marijuana ‘should be legal.’ Only 34 percent of respondents opposed the notion of legalizing cannabis. A solid plurality of voters (47 percent of respondents versus 33 percent) also said that the federal government should not interfere with newly passed marijuana legalization measures in Colorado and Washington.

Male respondents endorsed legalization by a greater margin than women. 62 percent of men backed legalization; 54 percent of female respondents endorsed legalizing marijuana.

A majority of self-identified Democrats and Independents backed legalization (68 percent and 59 percent respectively), while a majority of Republicans failed to do so (42 percent).

Respondents were nearly equally divided on the question of whether they believed cannabis to be safer than alcohol. Forty-five percent of respondents agreed with the premise, while 42 percent disagreed.

The survey results are similar to those reported last week by Angus Reid that found that 54 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. Sixty-six percent of those polled by Angus Reid said that they anticipate that cannabis will be legalized within the next ten years.

An October 2012 poll by YouGov and the Huffington Post reported that 59 percent of Americans favor legalization. By contrast, separate polls in recent weeks by CBS News and The Washington Post/ABC News have indicated weaker support for legalization, particularly among older voters.

Nonetheless, the overall polling data indicates that a greater percentage of Americans today back legalizing marijuana than at any prior time in modern history.

[Crow]

Diesel



Type: Sativa-dominant hybrid
Grow Method: Greenhouse
Cost*: $30 (7 grams)
Consumption Method: Vaporisation

The flowers are nice and dense. Smells of sweet citrus with a slight earth note (the scent is very subtle [nose to flower]). The taste is sweet with a little tang (sourness) to it. Effects are cerebral (enhanced creativity) with a nice energetic flow.

* I am not selling cannabis. These figures are merely reported prices from random collectives for informational purposes only.

[Crow]

Angus Reid Poll: Most Canadians, Americans Support Marijuana Legalization — Expect It To Be Legal Within Ten Years

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

A majority of adults in both Canada and the United States believe that cannabis ought to be legal, according to a two-country Angus Reid Public Opinion poll of 1,005 randomly selected Canadian adults and 1,002 randomly selected American adults.

In the online survey of representative national samples, a majority of Canadians (57 percent) and Americans (54 percent) support the legalization of marijuana. Sixty-six percent of those polled in both countries said that they anticipate that cannabis will be legalized within the next ten years.

Respondents strongly opposed the notion of legalizing any other illicit substances besides marijuana.

Respondents in the Northeastern region of the United States expressed the highest level of support for legalizing marijuana (61 percent), while those in the South voiced the least level of support (51 percent). Nationally, 65 percent those age 18 to 34 backed legalization; 49 percent of respondents age 35 and older did so.

In Canada, men (64 percent) were more likely than women (50 percent) to call for the legalization of cannabis. By contrast, Americans’ support for legalization was nearly equally among genders (55 percent male support versus 53 percent female support).

The Angus Reid results are similar to those of other national surveys — including those conducted by Gallup, Rasmussen, and YouGov — showing that more Americans now support legalizing the adult use of cannabis than support maintaining its prohibition.

[UPDATE! A separate nationwide poll released today by CBS News finds: "For the first time since CBS News began asking the question, as many Americans now think marijuana use should be legal as think it should not.

"Support for legalizing marijuana inched up slightly from 45 percent in September to 47 percent today. ... Another 47 percent think it should remain prohibited. A year ago, a slight majority of Americans, 51 percent, opposed legalizing marijuana use. ... While 51 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents support legalizing marijuana, 66 percent of Republicans oppose it."

It adds: "Eighty-three percent of Americans favor allowing doctors to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses, the poll shows - up from 77 percent a year ago and 62 percent back in 1997. A majority of Americans of all ages - as well as most Republicans, Democrats, and independents - favor allowing this."]

Source

[Crow]

Courtesy of Sweet-N-Salty

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once upon a time I was able to try this concoction made from 1/4 lb of afghani steeped in a 750 of Everclear. The cheap alcohol made it almost undrinkable, but the desired effect is what you got. Maybe concentrate this with a double burner and put some in your favorite snus? edit: some of that in a can of Odens would knock your socks off!

[Crow]

Now for the review.....

Kit-Tea's Bio Freeze Pain Gel

I have tried various lotions and cremes over the years, and while they offer adequate pain relief; Kitty's Bio Freeze Pain Gel is the best topical I have used to date.

I remember the first time I was offered some... Immediate pain relief with a nice cooling sensation. As soon as I finished the first jar, I was looking for more.... Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find a single jar anywhere (they've been flying off the shelves). To date, I still have a couple of jars on backorder but I finally managed to find a place with one jar left..!

It's a green gel in a discreet black plastic container with a twist-on lid. She puts other beneficial plant ingredients in her blend, along with cannabis extract. Unlike the lotions, it has the added benefit of menthol (think 'Icy Hot').

If you're suffering from pain (arthritis, migraines, etc.) and you spot this stuff in your local co-op..... Do not hesitate to buy it! It's worth every penny!

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Ahhhhhhhhhhh............ This stuff is no joke. Such relief!

Crow ❤ Kitty

[Crow]

I'm going to preface my review with a little background info about the maker of this fine product...........

From the Northwest Leaf:

Kit-Tea's Incredible Journey

She was 30, and in a serious accident- then cannabis let her walk again. Now she's the face of an extensive line of teas, edibles and topicals, and giving back to the patients the way she was.

Next to water, tea is the most commonly consumed drink in the world. Thousands of years have come and gone, but tea remains as both a method for medicinal ingestion and a near cure-all for a variety of ailments, depending on what you're brewing.

Herbal blends can help with everything from nausea to headaches, chronic pain to menstrual cramps. All this was not lost on Kitty Miller, whose extensive knowledge of herbs led her to make a life-changing decision. "They are the safest medicine, especially when mixed with cannabis," she said, holding up one of her company's nicely designed silver tea boxes.

Her products, Kit-Teas, are part of a line that has grown to a staggering 76 varieties and counting. She started one year ago with 13 basic tea blends. Now she offers a full-service range of medicated products. "Patients will come to us with their needs and we develop custom blends," she explained. "Most don't want to get 'high,' but they want a product that meets their needs."

For Kitty, the medical needs of her patients hits close to home. The victim of a horrible car accident, Kitty said she attributes her entire life and health - and her ability to walk - to cannabis.

If it wasn't for Eddy Lepp and his Simpson Oil, I'd be sitting in a wheelchair," she said with clear emotion. "I'd be on morphine and back at 92 pounds ... a drooling mess." This is how it happened: In 1998, a driver ran a stop sign and T-boned Kitty's car, rolling it eight times and leaving her with a severed spine and a laundry list of other serious injuries. Her spine alone required 13 surgeries, and to this day, she has all 74 bolts and pins required to piece her body together. After the grueling surgeries, she used a wheelchair and was stuck using heavy opiates. Shortly after the accident, her husband died, leaving her immobile with a young son to raise.

I remember being in that wheelchair and my son saying 'I can't lose you Mommy.' I knew then that I had to fight."

Continued...

[Crow]

Yes it does. Hits you immediately. I have said since my 1st hit of oil, I do not think there is any other form of weed that hits you faster, or gets you higher, from just one hit. One hit of oil keeps me blazed for 4+ hours. If I hit oil and go to sleep within the next 2 hours, I wake up still hazy high. lol. Tough to get started on those mornings.

Definitely not for use when you have to be productive.

I think the oil rig would be perfect for instant pain relief, or as a sleep aid.

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Indiana State Police Chief: 'If It Were Up To Me, I’d Legalize and Tax Marijuana'

by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director

The scent of reform and rational marijuana policies must be drifting across the Rockies into distant areas of the country, as today the Indiana State Police Chief stated that he would tax and regulate marijuana.

Speaking during a budget committee hearing, Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell was asked about marijuana, his answer was quite frank:

“It’s here, it’s going to stay, there’s an awful lot of victimization that goes with it. If it were up to me, I do believe I would legalize it and tax it, particularly in sight of the fact that several other states have now come to that part of their legal system as well.”

When officials holding upper echelon positions in state law enforcement start calling for the end of prohibition and the implementation of sensible reforms, a nationwide awakening can’t be too far off.

Read more here.