This week In Weed 12-22-08

-

Afghanistan

Troops find 2.5 tons of cannabis in school

The Earth Times

California

A Good Year for Medical Marijuana

Drug Policy Alliance

Clearlake confused over dispensaries

Lake County Record Bee

Cannabis chefs to get new kitchen

San Jose Mercury News

Holland

Leading bank closes accounts of cannabis coffee shops

Drug War Chronicle

Illinois

Prosecutor’s son sees possession charge dropped

Chicago Tribune

Japan

1% of 18yr olds have tried marijuana

London Telegraph

Massachusetts

Implementing marijuana decriminalization

New York Times

Netherlands

Five plants allowed at all times, court rules

NIS News Bulletin

New Jersey

Governor says he would sign medical marijuana legislation

Press of Atlantic City

Senate approves Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act

Press of Atlantic City

New Zealand

Silly government propaganda debunked by comments

Dominion Post

Oregon

Medical Cannabis Awards

Wilmette Week

Texas

Houston Independent School District

Houston Chronicle

UK

Cannabis GBP 120 million($179 million) growth industry

The Times (London)

Medical marijuana defense fails

Hartlepool Gazette

This week’s action: Write letters in support of Charles Lynch

Christmas gift ideas:

This Week In Weed Calendar

This Week In Weed

www.thisweekinweed.com

www.myspace.com/thisweekinweed

http://thisweekinweed.libsyn.com/

This Week In Weed 12-15-08

Australia

Cannabis worth more than gold?
Australian Broadcast Corporation
Hemp farms now legal in New South Wales
Manning River Times
Nimbin Museum & Hemp Bar back in business
Cannazine

California

Medical Marijuana ID cards coming to Ventura County
Ventura County Star
Buying legal pot in Los Angeles
The Black Book Magazine
Patient spends 21 days in jail before case is dismissed
New Times

Colorado

Another sports star cited for marijuana possession
The Examiner

Florida

Electricity Co-op puts a bounty on grow houses
Highlands Today

Germany

Medical marijuana to be distributed by Arseus NV
Reuters

Ireland

One fifth of the Irish population has tried Cannabis
Irish Times

Japan

Cannabis use on the rise
The Mainichi News

Malaysia

Twelve years for six pounds of cannabis
New Straits Times

Maryland

Police departments making money from marijuana
The Baltimore Sun

Michigan

Doctors discuss medical marijuana
The Times Herald
Travers City Record Eagle

Montana

State passes law allowing terminally ill access to any drug. Does this include marijuana?
Associated Press

New Jersey

Novel sentence for conspiracy to grow
Daily Record
Senate committee to consider medical marijuana legislation
Star Ledger

Oregon

Medical marijuana patients to be denied the right to work?
Willamette Week

Pennsylvania

Obama may be stuck with ant-pot US attorney
The Raw Story

West Virginia

Police destroy 143,000 plants
Herald Dispatch

Wisconsin

Ballot initiative for medical marijuana?
Sheboygan Press

UK

Scottish Justice Secretary claims cannabis “causes real harm to our communities”.
BBC News
Seven grow operations in one tiny Welsh village
Wales Online
Bradford Police bust 100 cannabis factories in two years
Telegraph and Argus


USA

TOP STORY THIS WEEK
Marijuana legalization number one issue on change.gov
Alternet
Salem News
Monitoring the Future – annual report detailing drug use among teenagers
Bloomberg News
eFlux Media
Anniversary of the repeal of prohibition
Wall Street Journal
Marijuana to combat Alzheimer’s
Alternet Drug Reporter



This week’s action:

President elect Obama continues to solicit ideas from citizens concerning his agenda for change. To vote in support of marijuana decriminalization go to http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions and search for questions on marijuana (I found 97 questions to vote for and 1 against).

Christmas gift ideas:

Silk pot plant


This Week In Weed

www.thisweekinweed.com

This Week In Weed 12-08-08

Amsterdam

City resists closure of cafes
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/05/europe/EU-Netherlands-Drugs.php

California

Pittbulls in Mendocino
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081130/NEWS/811300364/1350?Title=Pit_bulls_on_the_attack_in_Mendocino
What is a caregiver
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n1078/a07.html
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_11106655

Canada

Health Canada’s cannabis monopoly challenged
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23591401-details/Cannabis+grown+by+the+state/article.do
Smoke cannabis to prevent Alzheimer’s?
http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=1015496
See 10,000 years of history condensed to 40! (More nonsense from government sources)
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n1079/a08.html?134

China

Three millennia of medical marijuana
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/three-millennia.html

Hawaii

Authorities dispute meaning of medical marijuana vote
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2008/11/30/local_news/local03.txt

Maryland

Ancient Chinese stash continues to prompt comment
http://www.mdsafeaccess.blogspot.com/

Massachusetts

Cannabis won’t be legal until January
http://www.dailynewstribune.com/archive/x1049842499/Marijuana-won-t-be-decriminalized-until-January

Michigan

Medicinal marijuana law takes effect.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december042008/michigan_mmj_120408.php
The debate heats up – call for comments.
http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/doc49344eb6c1a7e188764597.txt

New York

NY Jets defensive end charged with possession
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/35578579.html

New Zealand

Cops celebrate “harm reduction”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4778606a11.html

Oregon

State of play in Oregon
http://www.alternativesmagazine.com/48/bayer.html

Switzerland

Swiss voters reject decriminalization
http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/?p=2514
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/switzerland-drugs-heroin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/europe/01swiss.html

UK

World’s most popular illegal drug - Cannabis used for 10,000 years
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/16/drugs-cannabis-facts
Guardian’s Drugs Uncovered series anticipates new cannabis law
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/series/drugs-uncovered
Debate on reclassification of cannabis continues in the press
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n1079/a05.html?134
UK media celebrates regression in cannabis law by publishing orgy of Cannabis busts.
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/1.279205
http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/content/yarmouthmercury/news/story.aspx?brand=GYMOnline&category=news&tBrand=GYMonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED04%20Dec%202008%2017%3A00%3A44%3A400
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/pontypridd-llantrisant/2008/12/04/cannabis-factories-smashed-by-police-91466-22389624/
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/se/1.280213
http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/latest-news/Cannabis-farm-worth-36000-seized.4767027.jp
http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-news/hamilton-news/2008/12/04/three-appear-in-court-on-cannabis-factory-charge-51525-22398864/
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/57821-police-raid-cannabis-farm-in-dumfries-and-galloway/
After last week’s raid on the tomato plants…The moss phlox break-in.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3567262/Police-raid-elderly-couples-garden-looking-for-cannabis.html

US

A huge victory in clarifying law enforcement's obligation to uphold state law
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december012008/court_ruling_medpot_12-1-08.php
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-me-marijuana2-2008dec02,0,5336171.story
Marijuana Nation airs on National Geographic
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3821/Overview

This week’s action:

Last week’s action was to log in to Change.com and demand the decriminalization of cannabis. This week check out: http://www.change.org/ideas/search?category_id=0&keyword=marijuana&x=11&y=11

Where you can vote for ideas that will submitted to change.gov by a crowd – search for Cannabis and Marijuana to be sure of voting for all the relevant ideas.

This Week In Weed 12-01-08

Amsterdam

Dutch mayors agree to set up state run marijuana plantations.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23591401-details/Cannabis+grown+by+the+state/article.do
State issued licenses for marijuana growers?
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/11/mayors_want_to_licence_growing.php

Australia

Scientists waste resources trying to create synthetic cannabis.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24696447-12377,00.html

California

Caregivers screwed by California supremes.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/24/state/n210516S93.DTL&type=health
For some background on this case:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pressroom/pressrelease/pr100608.cfm

Canada

Marijuana activist charged. Supporters rally at city hall.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/18056303/detail.html?rss=fran&psp=news

China

World’s oldest stash discovered in China.
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/544684
http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/59/15/4171


Maryland

MRSA superbug falls to marijuana molecule.
http://mdsafeaccess.blogspot.com/2008/11/yes-we-can-reform-medical-marijuana.html


Uganda

Suspected marijuana dealers netted – check out this story. “He said the Police were aware of places where marijuana is consumed in the town and that they would continue making surprise raids until it was completely eradicated.” Unmitigated bullshit!
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/660988

UK

This cannabis policy will fail.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/25/drugsandalcohol
UK Scientists decry move to toughen cannabis laws
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/25/europe/EU-Britain-Cannabis.php
The right wing contributes to the debate over cannabis use in the UK with this ridiculous propaganda.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3512405/Teenager-carried-out-knifepoint-robberies-while-high-on-cannabis.html
Drug war creates cannabis SLAVES!
http://www.newstatesman.com/law-and-reform/2008/11/cannabis-farms-children
90% increase in users released with only a formal warning
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/90-rise-cannabis-users-let-cops/article-504494-detail/article.html
Drug squad raids grandma’s tomatoes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1089702/Drugs-police-raid-grandmothers-home--mistaking-TOMATO-plants-cannabis.html


Conrad Black thinks War on Drugs is money squandered.
http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/11/more-on-conrad.html


This week’s action:

Log in to Change.gov and demand the decriminalization of cannabis.

Upcoming events calendar:

This TUESDAY at the National Press Club

http://stopthedrugwar.org/events/press_conference_release_of_we_c