Fuck Yeah Drug Policy
by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the
government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be
enforced. - Albert Einstein
NYPD Planted Weed in My Friend’s Car After They Arrested Him This Past Weekend
My good friend Logan* was arrested this past weekend for having fake plates on his car. After they arrested him, his friend witnessed an officer planting dirt weed in his glove compartment. What an incredibly fucked up, grimy thing to do. Fucking with the life of a complete stranger who’s actually an awesome person, who didn’t harm anyone, anything. I asked him to write up his story because I want to put it here for people to find and consider, so it’s not forgotten.
So here it is, Logan’s story:
So last week as I’m pulling up to get a haircut from the barber shop in Corona, Queens. Two (female) uniformed officers ran up on me from across the street. I pulled an illegal u turn so I thought that was the reason they stopped me. They proceeded to tell me that my temporary tag looked suspicious. After they investigated further, I was told my tag was fake and they were gonna take me in (to jail) for that. They continued to tell me that there have been a lot of these fake tags going around and that there’s an open investigation on the guy who sold me the car and the fake tag. I asked them why were they taking me in and they said there was no way for them to tell if I was oblivious to the fact that it was fake.
Once I arrived at the precinct they started on my paper work/booking process. They allowed me to call a friend to pick up my stuff from my car because it was gonna have to stay at the police station. When my friends arrived to pick up my stuff the arresting officer which I only remember by the name of Emily continued to search the car at which that point my friend noticed her pull out what appeared to be a small nickel bag of “reggies” aka a bag of regular non high grade marijuana out of the glove compartment of all places. When she returned to the holding cell area which is the same place she was doing my paper work I noticed it and thought it was for some other case and didn’t even think anything of it.
Fast forward to central booking in Kew Gardens, Queens after spending a night in jail for a fake tag I didn’t even know about. I finally got to talk to my appointed lawyer. She went on to read me my charges and told me that I had a charge for marijuana possession! I was like what the fuck! It was clear to me that it was planted in my car by her (female officer) when she acted like she was searching my car. And in the glove compartment of all places. Nobody hides weed there! That’s the spot where you pull your car’s paper work from. When all was said and done, the charges were dropped from felony possession of a fake temp tag and misdemeanor possession of marijuana to disorderly conduct, which isn’t even a misdemeanor. And I have to pay $220 dollars in fines.
While locked up, there were other people in there for the same reason as me. And plenty of other people in there for petty charges. This system is so fucked up. Even though I could prove I bought my car and tag from a dealer there was no way to prove that I didn’t know the tag was fake. Hence theres no way prove my innocence to a (white) jury . As my lawyer told me. So I took the deal.
Willie Nelson Celebrates 80th Birthday with Stoned Gandalf Audition
Born in Abbott, Texas on April 30, 1933 - Willie Nelson is the oldest and wisest celebrity marijuana advocate. He formed the Teapot Party after his marijuana arrest in 2010 and has a place on NORM`L’s advisory board.
Happy birthday, Willie!
Police Issue ‘Scratch and Sniff’ Cards to Help Weed Out Marijuana Growers | TIME
Police in England are distributing “scratch and sniff” cards to help members of the public detect the telltale aroma of illicit cannabis farms.
The cards, which replicate the distinct smell of growing marijuana, will be mailed to homes in 13 areas throughout the country, in the hope that they will help people to identify cannabis factories in their communities.
[…] Crimestoppers offers a list of clues for spotting cannabis cultivation, including a “strong and sickly sweet smell; visitors at unsociable hours; strong and constant lighting day and night and lots of cables.”
The U.K. saw a 15% growth in cannabis production in 2011-12, according to Crimestoppers, which the group claimed has led to an increase in theft, violence and the use of firearms, as well as an increased risk of fire in residential areas where growers have tampered with electrical supplies. Supplying cannabis in the U.K. can lead to a 14-year prison sentence.
The Chemistry of Nitrous-Powered, Pot-Infused Liquor | Popular Science
There’ve been alcohol-based tinctures of cannabis before, of course — usually seen in turbid brown jars on windowsills, But one prominent New York bartender (I’ll call him Jon) has been responsible for bringing the infusion up to date with modern, artisanal cocktail culture. Jon is a serious, technologically minded craftsman of beverages; he works as a cocktail consultant, and has designed the cocktail programs of more than one Manhattan bar.
He’s refined a method that’s quick, gives precise, predictable results, and reportedly maximizes the delicious herbal flavor of the drug, to provide a civilized sippable for the beverage connoisseur. Jon’s nitrous-powered Green Dragon “just tastes good. We’ve dialed the strength back substantially, not because we can’t make it stronger, but just because people want to be able to drink more of it, because they like it so much.”
recipe:
Nitrous Green Dragon
- a one-liter heat-tolerant whipped-cream whipper
- two nitrous oxide chargers
- a double boiler large enough to accommodate the whipper bottle
- 750 ml mezcal at room temperature (Jon uses Vida or Sombra)
- 3.5 grams (1/8 ounce) of cannabis (Jon uses “indoor high-grade sativa”)
- Roughly break up the cannabis.
- Put the cannabis and the mezcal in the whipper bottle.
- Close the canister and charge it with two charges of N2O according to the instructions.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Vent out the pressurized gas. NOTE: you are venting aerosolized ethanol with THC dissolved in it, as well as laughing gas. Jon says “Probably nobody would want to inhale this.”
- Stir the liquid and let it sit until the gas boils off.
- Place the sealed canister in a double boiler and let it simmer for an hour.
- Strain the solids out of the liquid and discard them or dry them for other uses. The liquid is nitrous green dragon.
have a nice 420, everyone
(Source: future1luv)
First US Pot Tourism Company Launches in Denver | The Fix
Following the recent passage of Amendment 64 in Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana possession of up to one ounce for those 21 and older, two Denver entrepreneurs have launched the country’s first marijuana tourism company. In celebration of the worldwide marijuana holiday on April 20th, My 420 Tours has a full week’s schedule of events planned for visitors as part of “World Cannabis Week.” This includes car service from the airport to a “420 friendly” hotel, cooking classes, Home Grow Cultivation 101, concerts, bus tours, daily 4:20PM Happy Hour parties, and more.
![The Green Cross (TGC) medical cannabis collective opened its doors in 2004 as a storefront location in the [Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco]. Instantly it was known for its professional, patient-centric operation style. The mantra that TGC followed was “patients first,” a mantra that has since been used by many other organizations entering the medical cannabis industry.
TGC broke the mold in 2006 by morphing into a delivery service. Today, TGC still offers many strains, medicated edibles and smoking alternatives directly and discreetly to your home with the same friendly service and low prices people have come to expect. TGC has also been known as an exemplar in community and outreach services by offering patient consulting, care giving services, and an online community, going above and beyond traditional dispensary services, making it clear to not only its patients, but the community and the local government as well, that cannabis is much more important than many people deem it to be.
source](http://25.media.tumblr.com/a5e9d8e75119dbb8113bad0eb03e9da0/tumblr_mkcjc1cbFN1qc1ca1o1_250.jpg)
The Green Cross (TGC) medical cannabis collective opened its doors in 2004 as a storefront location in the [Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco]. Instantly it was known for its professional, patient-centric operation style. The mantra that TGC followed was “patients first,” a mantra that has since been used by many other organizations entering the medical cannabis industry.
TGC broke the mold in 2006 by morphing into a delivery service. Today, TGC still offers many strains, medicated edibles and smoking alternatives directly and discreetly to your home with the same friendly service and low prices people have come to expect. TGC has also been known as an exemplar in community and outreach services by offering patient consulting, care giving services, and an online community, going above and beyond traditional dispensary services, making it clear to not only its patients, but the community and the local government as well, that cannabis is much more important than many people deem it to be.
a billboard just outside of portland, oregon
![Washington’s first medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open next month | The Washington Post
Security cameras have been installed, scales calibrated and signs declaring “no returns” hung on the walls at Capital City Care.
By mid-April, Capital City Care plans to begin selling four strains of medical marijuana from its 2,000-square-foot perch on North Capitol Street. Two more licensed dispensaries are slated to open shortly thereafter.
District rules allow patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis or glaucoma to buy 2 ounces of marijuana every 30 days. Prices have yet to be set, but one-fourth of an ounce of marijuana is expected to cost between $100 and $120 — roughly the same as its street value, said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.
In addition to medical marijuana, the storefront will also sell hash by the gram, as well as accessories such as pipes, grinder and vaporizers. There is a counseling room for individual and group sessions, and [general manager, David] Guard said he hopes to eventually set up a kitchen at the company’s 11,000-square-foot cultivation facility, where items like cookies and muffins can be prepared.
full article](http://25.media.tumblr.com/cedf5cd362e95d94f609eacb2bf3e1da/tumblr_mk9u5jfjg11qc1ca1o1_250.jpg)
Washington’s first medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open next month | The Washington Post
Security cameras have been installed, scales calibrated and signs declaring “no returns” hung on the walls at Capital City Care.
By mid-April, Capital City Care plans to begin selling four strains of medical marijuana from its 2,000-square-foot perch on North Capitol Street. Two more licensed dispensaries are slated to open shortly thereafter.
District rules allow patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis or glaucoma to buy 2 ounces of marijuana every 30 days. Prices have yet to be set, but one-fourth of an ounce of marijuana is expected to cost between $100 and $120 — roughly the same as its street value, said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.
In addition to medical marijuana, the storefront will also sell hash by the gram, as well as accessories such as pipes, grinder and vaporizers. There is a counseling room for individual and group sessions, and [general manager, David] Guard said he hopes to eventually set up a kitchen at the company’s 11,000-square-foot cultivation facility, where items like cookies and muffins can be prepared.
Sen. Paul: Obama, Bush ‘lucky’ they weren’t arrested for smoking pot as kids | The Hill
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that President Obama and former President George W. Bush “got lucky” by not being arrested for smoking marijuana as young adults:
“Look what would have happened. It would have ruined their lives. They got lucky. But a lot of poor kids, particularly in the inner city, don’t get lucky. They don’t have good attorneys. They go to jail for these things. And I think it’s a big mistake.”
Earlier this week Paul introduced a bill with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that would relax the mandatory minimum sentences handed out to marijuana offenders who do not pose a violent threat to the public. The bill has gained the support of some influential conservatives, including anti-tax activist Grover Norquist.
“Guess the nugs…” via Tommy Chong
More Older Americans Use Marijuana | NYT
For Cher Neufer, a 65-year-old retired teacher, socializing with friends (all in their 60s) means using marijuana.
Once a week they get together to play Texas Hold ’Em poker “and pass around a doobie,” Ms. Neufer said.
When company stops by her home in Akron, Ohio, she offers a joint, and when it’s someone’s birthday, a bong is prepared. She even hosts summer campfires where the older folk listen to the Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles; eat grilled steaks and hot dogs; and get high (not necessarily in that order).
“It’s nice,” Ms. Neufer said. “It’s just a social thing. It’s like when people get together, and they crack open their beers.”
“Cannabis is a truly global phenomenon. Reports on cultivation and seizures of cannabis and on sources of cannabis products illustrate that cannabis is not only consumed in all countries in the form of cannabis herb (marijuana), it is also grown in most of them.”
— United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - World Drug Report 2012 (via The Joint Blog)
Colorado, Washington Legalize Marijuana | Drug War Chronicle
- WASHINGTON: Initiative 502 legalizes the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and over, but does not allow for personal cultivation, except by or for medical marijuana patients. It will license marijuana cultivation and retail and wholesale sales, with restrictions on advertising. Regulation will be the remit of the state liquor control board, which will have to come up with rules by December 2013. The measure creates a 25% excise tax on marijuana sales, with 40% of revenues dedicated to the general fund and 60% dedicated to substance abuse prevention, research, and healthcare. It also creates a per se driving under the influence standard of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood.
- COLORADO: Amendment 64 allows adults 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of marijuana or six marijuana plants, three of which can be mature. It will create a system of state-licensed cultivation, manufacturing, and testing facilities and state-licensed retail stores. Local governments would have the option of regulating or prohibiting such facilities. The amendment also requires the state legislature to enact legislation governing industrial hemp cultivation, processing, and sale, and to create an excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales. The first $40 million of that annual revenue will be dedicated to building public schools.
Six States To Decide Tomorrow On Marijuana Measures | NORML Blog
Millions of voters will decide on Election Day in favor of ballot measures to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis by adults. Voters in three states — Colorado, Oregon, and Washington — will decide on statewide ballot measures to legalize the possession and distribution of cannabis for those over 21 years of age. Voters in three additional states — Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Montana — will decide on measures to allow for the therapeutic use of cannabis by patients with qualifying ailments. In Michigan, voters in four cities – totaling over a million people – will decide on municipal measures to legalize or depenalize the adult use of cannabis.
Ballot measures in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington remain favored among voters, according to the latest statewide polls.
Since 1996, 17 states have enacted legislation to allow for the limited possession of cannabis when a physician authorizes such use. In ten of those states, voters enacted medical cannabis legislation via the statewide initiative process. But to date, no statewide proposal to remove criminal and civil penalties for the broader, personal possession and use of marijuana by adults has succeeded at the ballot box. This reality is likely to change tomorrow.
A summary of this year’s more prominent statewide and local ballot measures appears below.
ARKANSAS: Voters will decide on Measure 5, The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act of 2012, which allows authorized patients to possess up to two and one-half ounces of cannabis for various qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The measure also allows state regulators to establish not-for-profit facilities to produce and dispense cannabis to approved patients. Individual patients will also be permitted to privately cultivate limited amounts of cannabis (up to six flowering plants) if they reside further than five miles from a state-authorized dispensary.
COLORADO: Voters will decide on Amendment 64, which allows for the legal possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by those persons age 21 and over. Longer-term, the measure seeks to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers. Voters in the state approve of the measure by a margin of 50 percent to 44 percent, according to the latest Denver Post survey.
MASSACHUSETTS: Voters will decide on Question 3, which eliminates statewide criminal and civil penalties related to the possession and use of up to a 60-day supply of cannabis by qualified patients. It would also require the state to create and regulate up to 35 facilities to produce and dispense cannabis to approved patients. Individual patients will also be permitted to privately cultivate limited amounts of cannabis if they are unable to access a state-authorized dispensary. Voters in the state approve the measure by a margin of 55 percent to 36 percent, according to the latest Suffolk University poll.
MICHIGAN: Voters in four cities – totaling over a million people – will also decide on Tuesday whether to legalize or depenalize the adult use of cannabis. Voters in Detroit will decide on Proposal M, which removes criminal penalties pertaining to the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults over age 21. In Flint, voters will decide on a citizens’ initiative to amend the city code so that the possession on private property of up to one ounce of marijuana or cannabis paraphernalia by those age 19 or older is no longer a criminal offense. Grand Rapids voters will act on Proposal 2, which seeks to allow local law enforcement the discretion to ticket first-time marijuana offenders with a civil citation, punishable by a $25 fine and no criminal record. In Ypsilanti, voters will decide on a proposal to make the local enforcement of marijuana possession offenses the city’s lowest law enforcement priority.
MONTANA: Voters will decide on Initiative Referendum 124. A ‘no’ vote on IR-124 would repeal newly enacted restrictions to the state’s 2004 voter-approved medical marijuana law.
OREGON: Voters will decide on Measure 80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, which provides for the state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults. The measure does not impose state-licensing or taxation requirements upon those who wish to cultivate cannabis for non-commercial purposes.
WASHINGTON: Voters will decide on I-502, which regulates the production and sale of limited amounts of marijuana for adults. The measure also removes criminal penalties specific to the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use. Voters in the state back the measure by a margin of 56 percent to 37 percent, according to the latest KING 5 poll.
facebook links:
Legalize It 2012
The Colorado Marijuana Initiative 2012 (Colorado)
YES on WA’s Marijuana Initiative 502 (Washington)
Cannabis Tax Act (Oregon)
VOTE YES on Question 3 (Massachusetts)
Arkansans for Compassionate Care (Arkansas)
Marijuana Policy Project
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
NORML
Marijuana Majority
Fuck Yeah Drug Policy
