Saturday, February 28, 2009

What's wrong with a little puffsky?

What's wrong with a little puffsky?
2/6/09|CBC News| by Neil Macdonald - CBC News

This is a country whose new president has smoked pot. Not just smoked it, he inhaled, too. Got stoned and everything.

At least that's what Barack Obama said in his book, Dreams of My Father. Apparently a little puffsky here and there helped him in his search for racial identity as a young man.

Now, Obama doesn't specify where exactly he smoked dope. But he says he did it when he was a high school and college student, meaning it was likely in Hawaii, where he spent his teenage years, or in California, New York or Massachusetts, where he pursued his higher education.

That means the president is probably safe from retroactive prosecution. Safer, anyway, than Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimming sensation who was photographed with his snout in a big, smoke-filled bong at a university party in South Carolina in November.

Phelps, who can't really use the excuse about searching for his racial identity, has already publicly grovelled and apologized for his actions, but that just made things worse.

Sheriff Leon Lott of South Carolina's Richland County considered that apology "a partial confession" and, when taken together with the incriminating picture, it may well land Phelps in front of a judge.


Checkerboard laws
President Obama, though, is in no such danger. California, New York and Massachusetts are among the 11 U.S. states that have decriminalized pot.

Police in those jurisdictions barely bother with personal marijuana use these days. And while Hawaii hasn't joined that club, it always imposes probation for a first offence.

Being a Harvard-trained lawyer, the president must know about the weird, lopsided legal inequalities here as far as marijuana is concerned, which might explain why he hasn't uttered a public word about Phelp's predicament. This, apparently, is not the kind of change he wants anyone to believe in.

But these inequities are pretty stark. Phelps, says Allen St. Pierre of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is a "victim of geography."

According to NORML, roughly 115 million Americans now live in jurisdictions where possession of a small amount of marijuana is no longer a criminal offence. Had Phelps hit the bong in, say, Ohio or Mississippi, he'd be in danger of nothing more than a traffic ticket type fine.


Less reefer madness
State governments here are increasingly paying attention to the wishes of voters, the vast majority of whom think possession of marijuana should not be a criminal offence. Four in 10 Americans tell surveys they've smoked up at least once in their lives.

The public stigma of pot is declining, too, given that this country is now run by people who came of age in the 1960s and '70s.

Along with Obama, the list of prominent admitted pot-smokers in the U.S. includes: former vice-president Al Gore, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former congressman and right-wing icon Newt Gingrich, and former Democratic presidential nominee Howard Dean.

Bill Clinton, of course, toked but claimed he didn't inhale. And given George W. Bush's coy tap-dancing around the subject of his cocaine use back in university, chances are he fired up the odd joint then, too, during his frat days.

Still, as St. Pierre puts it, "where this subject is concerned, there is still no good reason to be honest."

That is because, while state governments might be relaxing their rules, the federal enforcement system, now ultimately headed by Barack Obama, remains rigidly, implacably, militantly anti-pot.


Beware the feds
Federal agencies, which wield enormous power here, dismiss state marijuana laws as irrelevant. Even laws allowing for medical marijuana use.

"It's Orwellian, Kafkaesque," says St. Pierre, who clearly relishes the chance to hold forth on the subject.

"There are some people who might well be a bona fide medical marijuana patient in a state," says St. Pierre, but if they wind up in the sights of a federal agent, "they're going to face federal charges, and they do."

Then there's the border. At the border, you can be penalized not just for possessing dope, but for having talked about possessing dope.

Crossing into the States, Google can be your enemy. U.S. customs agents have computers and often do searches to try to find if someone entering the U.S. has had what they call "a primary relationship with cannabis," St. Pierre says. Even if they have never been arrested for it and don't possess it, they can still be denied entry.


Canadian travellers
Canadian travellers need to understand this: fessing up anytime, anywhere, can mean a permanent ban from the United States.

And it happens. Last March's edition of the West Kootenay Contact, the newsletter of that region's chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, carried the story of Karyn, a 54-year-old B.C. woman who suffers from the disease and had a problem at the border. I spoke to her by phone.

On a trip to Spokane, Wash., to drop her son off for a flight to Florida, she was asked by a U.S. customs agent at the Nelway border crossing if she'd ever smoked marijuana.

Being a rule-obeying Canadian, she said yes, she had, as treatment for her painful leg spasms, and produced her medical permit, issued by Health Canada. She is one of the 2,812 people to whom Canada has granted official permission to use medical marijuana.

"I was truthful in all ways," she told me. "I had cards in my possession that identified me as a licenced user, and I didn't want to be caught lying."

The border agent, she said, examined her federal permit, photocopied it and then informed her she was being barred from the U.S. for being an "admitted drug user."

She says she was fingerprinted, forced to pose for mug shots, "and warned that if I attempt to enter the U.S. again, I will be heavily fined and any vehicle I'm in will be confiscated.

"It was horrible. Horrible, horrible horrible."


Enforcing American law
I called U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which confirmed that Karyn's story fit their policy.

It does not matter to them that the Canadian government licenses its citizens and even provides them with government-grown marijuana. As far as the U.S. government is concerned, that just makes Canada a big, official dope dealer.

"A Canadian licence isn't valid under U.S. law," said the Customs and Border Protection official who returned my call.

Yes, he said, it might sound unfair, and yes, he knows about the states that have decriminalized: "That's state law. We apply federal law."

So I called Health Canada in Ottawa and asked spokesman Philippe Laroche if the Canadian government tells its citizens that possession of a valid, federally issued medical marijuana licence is grounds for being barred from the United States.

"No one has ever asked that question," he responded.

Canada Customs, incidentally, shares information with its U.S. counterpart and you can definitely be barred from Canada for drug use, too.

Again, though, President Obama shouldn't worry on his trip to Ottawa later this month. Canada Border Services Agency generally only bars people with a drug conviction in their past.

Obama has never been convicted of marijuana use, or for snorting cocaine, something else he's acknowledged doing. And besides, the president will be travelling to Canada later this month on a diplomatic passport. There shouldn't be any problem at all.

Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Marijuana_Headline_News/~3/535193070/114118-can-whats-wrong-little-puffsky.html

REPORT OF THE SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ILLEGAL DRUGS

CANNABIS :

OUR POSITION FOR A CANADIAN PUBLIC POLICY

REPORT OF THE SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ILLEGAL DRUGS

VOLUME I : PARTS I and II

Chairman: Pierre Claude Nolin

Deputy Chairman: Colin Kenny

SEPTEMBER 2002

This is some seriously heavy reading, but fascinating both in its truths and untruths. Normally I would just copy and paste this for easier viewing, but it is way to long with added content. Translation: too much work! So here is the URL:

Click here or copy and paste this URL.


http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/repfinalvol1-e.htm

There are 9 chapters. Use the "next" button in upper right to see all chapters.

Note, this is from 2002. Finding current documents is not an easy task.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Weed Around the World

FRIDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2009 09:07



The International Narcotics Control Board 2008 Report contains some juicy statistical nuggets, such as the U.S. produces 4,700 tons of marijuana per year, compared to Mexico's 7,400 and Canada's 3,500. The report estimates that 25 million Americans smoked pot in 2007.

Here are some more nuggets:

• 22% of the world's marijuana (8,900 tons) is produced in Africa. The leading producers are South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco.

• Morocco is the world's leading producer of cannabis resin (hash).

• The four leading countries that export marijuana to the U.S. are Canada, Colombia, Jamaica and Mexico.

• THC potency in the U.S. was 8.77% in 2006, compared to 4.5 in 1996.

• 25% of the world's marijuana (10,000 tons) is produced in South America. The leading producer is Paraguay (5,900 tons).

• The highest rate of marijuana use in South America is in Chile.

• India and Nepal are both large producers of hash.

• Cannabis is widely use and cultivated in Sri Lanka.

• Afghanistan is a large producer of cannabis.

• Cannabis grows wild in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

• Cannabis is cultivated in Albania, Montenegro, Muldova, Serbia, Macedonia and Ukraine.

• The highest rates of marijuana use in Europe are in Denmark, France, Italy, the U.K., the Czech Republic, Spain and Ireland.

• The lowest rates of marijuana use in Europe are in Bulgaria, Malta, Romania, Greece, Norway, Sweden and Cyprus.

• The Netherlands is not mentioned in the report.

• Marijuana use in the U.K. has stabilized or declined "at a fairly high level."

• Australia is the leading producer of cannabis in Oceania, followed by Micronesia, New Zealand and Papau New Guinea

• Back in the U.S., psilocybin mushrooms are the most widely used hallucinogen.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Court ruling may change marijuana laws

Monday, September 22, 2008
National Post
by Shannon Kari

There may be no legal prohibition against possession of cannabis in Ontario if a Superior Court judge upholds an earlier finding in an ongoing challenge to the medical marijuana laws.

Health Canada is asking Justice Eva Frank to overturn a ruling last year by a provincial court judge in Toronto who found there was no law against possession, because the medical marijuana scheme was still unconstitutional.

A provincial court ruling is not binding on other judges in the province, as it would be if it is by a Superior Court judge.

The federal government has conceded that if Judge Frank finds that the medical marijuana scheme is invalid, then the prohibition against simple possession also cannot stand.

But it argued in court on Friday that its "entrenched policy" of providing a supply of cannabis to medical users complies with previous rulings by the Ontario Court of Appeal on this issue.

Health Canada has been making "a good faith effort with its legal supply," said government lawyer Lisa Csele.

She suggested provincial court Justice Howard Borenstein made legal errors last year when he concluded that a government "policy" to supply marijuana to medical users through Prairie Plant Systems Inc. was not sufficient, and dismissed charges against Clifford Long, a Toronto man arrested with $40 worth of cannabis.

"Reasonable access is now dependent on policy, not law," wrote Judge Borenstein.

The judge based his ruling on a 2003 Ontario Court of Appeal decision that struck down some sections of the government's medical marijuana regulations because authorized users had to obtain their medicine on the black market.

The court gave the federal government options to fix the problem, by allowing compassion clubs or becoming the sole supplier for medical users. The changes "can easily be implemented with dispatch, simply by regulation," said the Court of Appeal.

Health Canada responded by re-enacting some of the unconstitutional restrictions, including a prohibition on a designated producer growing for more than one user.

It also entered into the contract with Prairie Plant. It is estimated that only about 20% of the more than 2,000 authorized users in the country get their marijuana from Prairie Plant, in part because of complaints about the quality and the price charged by Health Canada.

Ms. Csele urged Judge Frank to look at all of the government's actions when deciding if it has done enough to comply with the Court of Appeal's ruling in 2003.

"What about the potential for arbitrary change [in the policy]," Judge Frank asked.

"There is no evidence people are not receiving their marijuana," Ms. Csele responded. If the federal government does not provide an adequate supply, then medical users could launch a court action, she said.

The government must enact formal regulations that recognize its responsibilities, said Corbin Cawkell, who represents Mr. Long. "A policy is not enough," said Mr. Cawkell.

The ruling by Judge Borenstein is one of a number of decisions in the past eight years to declare aspects of the medical marijuana regulations unconstitutional.

Constitutional Rights

Shannon Kari
Canwest News Service
Friday, September 19, 2008

TORONTO - People with severe medical conditions have the constitutional right to easily access government-supplied marijuana, an Ontario court heard Friday.

Health Canada has been making "a good-faith effort with its legal supply," government lawyer Lisa Csele said in Ontario Superior Court.

The government is asking Justice Eva Frank to overturn a ruling last year by a provincial court judge in Toronto who found there was no law against simple possession of pot, because the medical marijuana scheme was still invalid.

Frank reserved her decision.

Justice Howard Borenstein concluded that a government "policy" to supply marijuana to medical users through Prairie Plant Systems Inc. was not sufficient, in dismissing charges against Clifford Long, a Toronto man arrested with $40 worth of cannabis.

"Reasonable access is now dependent on policy, not law - on a law that has been found to have set up barriers to reasonable access," wrote Borenstein.

The judge based his ruling on a 2003 Ontario Court of Appeal decision that found some sections of the government's medical marijuana regulations to be unconstitutional because authorized users had to obtain their medicine on the black market.

The court gave the federal government options to fix the problem - by allowing compassion clubs to operate or by becoming the sole supplier for medical users.

The changes "can easily be implemented with dispatch, simply by regulation," said the Court of Appeal.

Health Canada responded by re-enacting some of the unconstitutional restrictions, including a prohibition on a designated producer growing for more than one user.

It also entered into the contract with Prairie Plant, which has enough supply for all authorized users, although some medical marijuana advocates have complained about the quality and the price.

The pledge to produce enough marijuana for medical users is a result of policy, rather than any formal regulation or law.

Csele agreed that if the medical marijuana scheme is unconstitutional, then there is no law against simple possession of cannabis. But she urged Frank to look at all of the government's actions when deciding if it has done enough to comply with the Court of Appeal's ruling in 2003.

Restrictions on a non-government supply for medical users are permitted as long as Health Canada provides enough product, said Csele.

"What about the potential for arbitrary change (in the policy)?" Frank asked.

"There is no evidence people are not receiving their marijuana," Csele responded. If the federal government does not provide an adequate supply, then medical users could launch a court action, she suggested.

The government must enact formal regulations that recognize its responsibilities, said Corbin Cawkell, who represents Long. "A policy is not enough," said Cawkell, who noted that the federal government has "been foot dragging" on the medical marijuana issue since 2000.

The ruling by Borenstein is one of a number of decisions in the past eight years to find aspects of the medical marijuana regulations to be unconstitutional.

Earlier this year, a Federal Court of Canada judge found some of the restrictions on designated growers to be invalid. That decision is under appeal.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Hello London! How many people/communities do we have here from London? Now how many of those are our very own London, Ontario?

As of late I have been surfing the social networking sites to see how many are geared for London. On Facebook there are about 260K users in the London On Network. What's that? About 90% of our population? Methinks some have more than 1 account.

But let's just say there are 260K cyber networkers on Facebook. How many of them are 420-Friendy? The common layman's guess I get is 75%. That sounds about right to me too. What that tells me is there are a lot of people out there with a common interest.

I started www.420-friendly.com to give the 420-friendly people of London a place to go and socialize. It is still a work in progress. I would like to offer 420 related news, live chat and dating (no more of that "do you do drugs?" question.), a free personal website (that doesn't take a PHD to design) and just about anything else you get online, only this stuff will be from Londoners for Londoners.

That said: How are you with website design? Are you a coder? Can you write software or at least know how to sort through opensource stuff? Are you an artist, writer, ranter, photographer or all wrapped into one? We need you!

Almost all content submissions will be posted, as long as they are not crap or offensive. It doesn't even have to be 420-friendly related. Did you ever want your own sports column? Ever want to do movie or dining reviews? See where I am going with this.

Picture it as a newspaper. I want pretty much all a newspaper offers, but just local. Now think of the internet social networking. I want to offer that too, but again, just for Londoners.

That's my pitch, but that is not what this Community is about. I made this for two reasons:

One, to promote 420-friendly.com. I have done that.
Two, so anyone here who is 420-friendly can post their stories (short ones, leave the big ones for submitting to 420-friendly.com.:))

Got any funny pot stories like the time you spent 3 hours trying to find your foot?

Do you know any good links to pictures, news or anything that might appeal to 420 folk?

How about a link to a download of Reefer Madness. I looked and couldn't find one.

You see where I am going with this, right? Now it is your turn. Let's see what happens.

"Thumbs Up"
Randy

About Me

My photo
I am a single dad. I like playing on the computer. I smoke pot. I am slowly becoming a legalization activist. I am an open book, but only if you ask.