She recently said that she believed marijuana was less harmful than alcohol. And it seems that Miley Cyrus was once again advocating the substance when she stepped out on Friday. The 20-year-old had arrived back from her short holiday in the Bahamas and was seen walking around Los Angeles toting a cream bag adorned with a marijuana leaf design. The sleepy star was seen leaving a building with her best friend Cheyne Thomas. As she walked across the road, Miley appeared to be struggling to keep her light denim high-waisted jeans buttoned up, continuously fiddling with them. She also dropped her phone in the middle of the road, slowly leaning over to pick it up off the ground. Both Miley and best friend Cheyne showed their fondness for the marijuana leaf design during their outing. As Miley displayed her tote bag covered in the pattern, Cheyne wore socks featuring the leaf design. During the outing, the Party In The USA songtress also appeared to have gone without a bra underneath her cream-coloured halterneck top. Near make-up free, the singer wore her blonde cropped hair slicked back with the aid of sunglasses.
She also wore bright orange and grey Adidas sandals on her feet and several gold necklaces. Miley just returned from the Bahamas where she was taking a short break. She had been in Hope Town on the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas since last weekend and posted a picture of herself wearing a bikini on her private Instagram account. Recently Miley, who also joked that she smoked too much weed after receiving a Bob Marley cake for her 19th birthday, told Rolling Stone magazine she feels that weed is less harmful than alcohol.
Miley - who also insisted she wears her engagement ring from Liam Hemsworth 'every single day' - said 'alcohol is way more dangerous than marijuana.' After being asked if she's a stoner, she apparently laughed and replied: 'You can't ask someone that and expect them to say yes.' 'I did a song with Snoop Dogg called 'Ashtrays and Heartbreaks,' so people can put it together for themselves.' 'I think alcohol is way more dangerous than marijuana - people can be mad at me for saying that, but I don't care,' she continued. 'I've seen a lot of people spiral down with alcohol, but I've never seen that happen with weed.' 'As long as it isn't illegal, there are far more dangerous things,' she added. 'And it's legal in the state of California. So I'm happy to live in California, a place where you can be whoever you want to be.' Source -- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2357107/Miley-Cyrus-marijuana-baggie-Sleepy-star-steps-green-leaf-themed-tote.html
Oakland and Berkeley question actions by Feds… National Lawyers Guild calls for legalization… What the rabbi said… and more! THE RULE OF LAW
SFGate // Harborside Health Centers in Oakland and San Jose were given a year’s extension this week when a federal magistrate ruled that the City of Oakland has raised “novel legal questions” relating to plans by the US Attorney’s Office to close and seize the facilities. Harborside’s Oakland location has over 108,000 patients. East Bay Express // In a similar move this week, the City of Berkeley filed a legal claim saying the US Attorney’s plan to close the Berkeley Patients Group dispensary would cause “tremendous harm to Berkeley taxpayers,” both from lost revenue, and by increasing illegal cannabis sales. SF Mayor’s Office // Perhaps these actions were related to the resolution passed by the US Conference of Mayors, which I mentioned last week. It called for the federal government to step aside and let states and cities regulate cannabis. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s office has not responded to phone calls and an email asking for comment on how that decision will impact cannabis in the City by the Bay. MMJ Biz Daily // Los Angeles lists the 134 dispensaries that are authorized to remain in business following last month’s law capping the total. This means hundreds will be closing. SFGate // An Orange County landlord who rents to a dispensary is also fighting the US Attorney’s threats of seizing his building, saying “What the government has done is wrong.” This article provides a good overview of the government’s tactic of targeting landlords, along with mention of the Harborside situation. Cannabis Culture // Oregon’s new cannabis laws were signed by the governor on Monday. They substantially lower the legal penalties for possession and cultivation. Reuters // And in the state of Washington, the idea of branding packages of medical and recreational cannabis with a marijuana leaf inside a map of the state has been dropped. The original concept was designed to make it easy to identify state-certified products, but the panel decided the logo could “reasonably be viewed as branding Washington ‘The Marijuana State’.” Natl. Lawyers Guild // “Marijuana legalization will create new jobs, generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes,” according to the National Lawyers Guild. Discussing the issue in terms of public health, instead of drug use, is just one of the ideas included in the report, titled “High Crimes: Strategies to Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives.” OPINION Times of Israel // Using cannabis medicinally is kosher, but just using it for fun is not, according to a rabbi’s ruling. This modifies a statement back in March by another rabbi who said, “If you smoke it, there is no problem whatsoever.” Israel distributes more medical cannabis than any of the European countries. Wall St. Jrln. // “There is a significant and consistent relationship between marijuana use and the development of schizophrenia,” according to this opinion piece, written by a Yale psychiatry physician. MMJ Biz Daily // Business deals are often made over cocktails or a few beers, so a similar scene isn’t surprising in the cannabis industry, only with a pipe or joint. But there are many buzz kills awaiting those who are not discrete. Or as I keep saying: It’s a controlled substance, so keep it under control. Source -- http://www.kalw.org/post/cannabis-news-roundup-july-5-2013
The week of July 10, 2013 join Grassroots and Hitman Glass as they celebrate the second most chronic date on the 420 calendar. As the 710 fever creates a national buzz, concentrate experts from around the globe will be gathering in the Mile High city to show off their wares at the first annual 710 cup. With music blasting and wax fans dabbing, this first-ever competition designed specifically for marijuana concentrates will no doubt blow up to become an annual event of chronic proportion.
FAQ
What: Two-day cannabis expo featuring an outdoor medicating area; marijuana cultivation seminars and activism sessions, leaders of the medical marijuana movement, and major cannabis celebrities; an all-star awards ceremony; and an unforgettable pot party with over 40 unique musical artists.
When : 7/10 Wednesday (Dabs of Denver presented by Top Shelf Extracts)
7/12 Friday: GRC & Hitman Present the Judges Dinner. Its time to get your judges kit, chill around the table over some great catered food and dab the night away to song and story. 7/13 Saturday: The 710 Cup! 12-10PM. Latenights from 10PM-2AM at same location (Separate fee w/o proper credentials) 7/14 Sunday: The 710 Cup! 12-10PM. Award Ceremony. Latenights from 10PM-2AM at same location (Separate fee w/o proper credentials)
Where: Denver, C0lorado - Grassroots Flagship Store (2209 Larimer st. Denver, Co) -Wright Group Event Center (4800 Colorado Blvd. Denver,Co 80205)
One of the primary driving forces behind today’s push for marijuana legalization in the United States comes from a somewhat unexpected individual – a fast speaking, intellectually astute offspring of a Rabbi.
Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director from the Drug Policy Alliance, took on Asa Hutchinson, a former Drug Enforcement Administration chief, in a recent debate about marijuana legalization, which occurred at the Aspen Institute in Colorado, on July 1, 2013.
Ethan’s arguments were short, sweet and to the point…
“I think arresting 750,000 people a year for marijuana possession is a terrible thing to do. I think giving millions of Americans a criminal record for simply having a joint is a ridiculous thing to do. I think having the marijuana business in the hands of organized criminals in Mexico makes no sense. I think forgoing the tax revenue makes no sense. I think people growing in the national forest makes no sense.”
For more than 20 years, Nathan has worked diligently at developing a broad-based coalition for the reform of America’s marijuana laws – a tactical vision that is both basic and philosophical. The struggle against tyrannical drug laws has little to do with protecting the dazed and confused…and their pot smoking cronies. Rather, this battle is a fight against federal overreach and the senseless human suffering perpetuated by the federal government’s war of ignorance.
As the medical marijuana industry continues to grow, so do the number of products which service the many nuanced subcategories. As these new products pop-up at industry shows across the country, they represent a major income producing opportunity for many of the new 420 venture capitalists, just now coming off the investment sidelines. At a recent Las Vegas industry show I was fortunate enough to run across The Magical Butter’s dope new product. As cannabis’s cannabinoids take center stage in groundbreaking scientific research, products like these, which extract just the active cannabinoids are a crowd favorite among medical patients. This chronic extraction appliance will potentially `fire up’ a whole new wave of cannabis cooking aficionados by the end of 2013. As most can attest making herbal butter the old-fashioned way can be a tedious and time-consuming task. (Not to mention an explosive proposition if done wrong) – danger and lack of experience are two of the most likely reasons most medical marijuana patients steer clear of creating their own marijuana concentrates. This dank little compact beauty is a marijuana butter maker on `roids. Self-contained, its electrical powered heating element is controlled by a microchip which monitors both time and temperature precisely, ensuring a foolproof method of extracting cannabinoids in oil, butter or alcohol extract. Packed and ready to go within just 5 min., magical butter takes care of the rest – so it’s not a problem if the chef gets loaded too. Another bonus, there is no clean up. Simply press the clean button and voilà! Done, clean, no mess to clean up. Source -- http://www.marijuana.com/news/2013/07/cooking-with-cannabis-just-got-easier-thanks-magical-butter/
John Berfelo had always been what he calls “a recreational smoker.” But after falling 8.5 metres onto concrete, he credits marijuana with not just getting him high, but saving his life. In 2005, the then-33-year-old glazier was working on a scissor-lift when he tripped on a box of construction materials and went over the railing. He woke up in the hospital. “My life was changed forever,” Berfelo said. His broke his neck in four places; he shattered his left elbow. He fractured his skull. He broke teeth and he shattered an ankle. He herniated three discs. He broke his hip.
Berfelo was in the hospital for three weeks. A live-in nurse and Meals on Wheels helped him when he returned home and started recovery. He was on 32 pills a day, including muscle relaxants, antidepressants and sleeping pills. “I was on so many pills I carried around a little box of prescription drugs,” he said. He was “chasing pain,” Berfelo said. “I was a mess, up and down, crying my eyes out. I did pain charts and logs for over four years.” The pain fluctuated with the amount of drugs he was taking. At the time, he was also eating pot brownies from the B.C. Compassion Club Society. The brownies were made with pot tested by Paul Hornby, a B.C.-based medical cannabis researcher and biochemist with a doctorate in human pathology. Berfelo found that those particular brownies worked better at fighting the pain than the prescribed painkillers, and their effects lasted longer. He started slowing down on the pills in 2007 and has been pharmaceutical-free since 2008. That year, he even went through major back surgery without prescription pills, using only amino acids, cana-caps (standardized doses of THC and can-nabinoids in a capsule) and Hornby-tested tinctures. The use of marijuana as an analgesic is gaining traction in North America. In 2009, the American Medical Association adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health, which affirmed the potential therapeutic benefits of marijuana, and called for further research. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, associate emeritus professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is a long-time advocate of medical marijuana. The 84-year-old published his first book on the medical benefits of pot, Marihuana Reconsidered, in 1971. He said the pain-reducing benefits of pot are beyond dispute. "Cannabis is great therapy," Grin-spoon said. "If you have chronic severe pain, like osteoarthritis or Ankylosing spondylitis, you can often get away with just using cannabis. If you have more severe pain, and your doctor tells you to use something like OxyContin, that's fine. But cannabis helps you reduce the dose. Many people start out using opiates, then they get into trouble. Then they concentrate on just using cannabis. Many of them can do it very successfully. There's no question about its usefulness." Berfelo is still in constant pain. "The pain doesn't go away," he said. But the pot helps him deal with that and with muscle spasms, and has helped get him kick expensive pharmaceuticals. When he was on painkillers, it cost $1,488 a month for Berfelo to lead a somewhat normal life. Today, he sees his doctor only once a year, to renew his Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) licence. This allows him to carry and use cannabis legally for his condition, at a cost of $500 a month. Now on a permanent pension, Ber-felo also works at a hydroponics store as a legal medical cannabis educator and has started support groups for injured workers. "It saved my life, that's how I look at it," Berfelo said. "I'm not chasing pain any more, and I'm not all over the place. I'm not forgetting as much. I can have a life. I'm not a zombie." Source --http://www.vancouversun.com/health/gets+painkillers+with+marijuana/8585717/story.html#ixzz2Xi4R5bsi
Social media is the secret weapon in the battle against retailers who choose to sell synthetic cannabis, it was agreed by many of the attendees at the recent public meeting held at Kuranui College. Parents, local councillors, the police, and social and health agencies attended the meeting organised by the South Wairarapa college to discuss mounting concerns over the accessibility and the legal issues surrounding the use of synthetic cannabinoids in the local community.
Kuranui College Principal Geoff Shepherd stated that the community had a very real problem. “There is a very small minority of students who have access to these synthetic drugs and we’re seeing the residual effects of their influence during school time, which clearly impacts on these students’ learning and development. It is a community issue and we need a community strategy to combat this problem,” he said.
Care NZ Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Teresa Ahipene provided the gathering with information about the synthetic drugs, explaining that students reported that they felt the effects were stronger than cannabis, with worse side effects which may last for many months after the user had stopped taking the drugs.
Users are understood to display a dissociative state, which ranges from a detachment from reality and loss of time and place, to mild psychosis and aggression. Other effects include a dry mouth, rapid pulse rate, itchy skin, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, agitation, anxiety and in many cases, severe paranoia and phobic behaviour.
Mrs Ahipene highlighted the fact that these products are chemical in nature and are not intended for human consumption. “They are sold in really attractive, colourful packages so they can be very appealing to young people. There’s very little information available as to the long-term effects of their use, so when young people are choosing to use these drugs they are putting their physical and mental health at risk and we don’t know if these effects are permanent,” she explained.
“However, it’s reassuring to see that many of our young people are choosing not to get involved or are discontinuing their use because of the risks and the impact seen on their peers,” she added. Health care professionals at the meeting agreed that social media appeared to be one way in which young people shared their negative experiences and their thoughts around the risks.
The drugs are often marketed as herbal incense or as a herbal smoking product and are therefore perfectly legal. However, it is illegal for those youngsters under 18 years of age to purchase them, so the police do at least have some power to prosecute and fine retailers who sell directly to children. This does not prevent older people from buying and supplying to underage users.
Several members of the meeting felt that because the drugs are very cheap and sold in dairies, youngsters believe that they must be O.K., so a crucial priority for communities is to remove their accessibility.
As synthetic cannabinoids are not covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Temporary Class Drug Notices are currently the only way to regulate their sale. The notices are issued on substances rather than the commercial product, meaning that all products that contain those substances effectively become banned. However, as soon as one substance is banned, the synthetic cannabis manufacturers change the ingredients slightly and remarket the product.
This is set to change in August when a new body, the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority, begins supervising a new legislation requiring manufacturers to prove that any psychoactive substance is no more than “low risk” before it is sold. This will involve pre-clinical and human clinical testing to be paid for by the manufacturers themselves and is estimated to cost in the region of $2 million per substance. They would also have to list their ingredients, standard doses and provide health and safety messages.
Mr Shepherd, as Principal of the local secondary college, has already written to the dairies in the region which are allegedly selling the drugs. He asked them to consider the risks posed to young people and asked them not to stock these products.
Featherston Councillor Solitaire Robertson suggested that the region should aim to become synthetic cannabis free. A very effective method appears to be in the use of Facebook posts. A number of parents explained how they were spreading the word by sharing posts about individual retailers who are apparently selling the drugs. This ‘name and shame’ tactic is aimed at “hurting these businesses in the pockets”. Community Constable Dean Fawcett said a positive method would be to support those retailers who display the “We choose not to sell synthetic cannabis” posters that are distributed by the police. Other ideas were to form a parent support group and hold information sessions with other community groups.
Those present were delighted that people had made the effort to attend the meeting, but felt there were many more people in the community who may have been put off by the public forum. “We need to get the message to the youth in our community and this needs to be done through a different forum, perhaps through using our young community leaders, such as our local rugby club captains or young musicians who have a good rapport and will be listened to by our youngsters,” suggested Mr Shepherd.
Mrs Ahipene said it was also important that parents ensure that they are aware of the possible impact of these drugs on their children and that they had conversations with their children at home so that they were able to ask questions and know where to go to find help.
