theFreshScent: Halloweed ‘08
October 31st, 2008 by Tim
You all know what night it is, so tFS is taking the day easy. Besides, we’ve got some kick ass costumes to sport tonight…
Next week, expect our usual content to drop, but also it’s time to welcome tFS reviews back into the fold. We’ve got at least 5 to release, a couple strains and a couple of product reviews.
Have a safe and fun Halloween. Oh yea, be sure to avoid people dressed as sex offenders, you just never know.
+ tFS Team
Warning: Don’t Bring Drugs to the Phillipines
October 31st, 2008 by Alex
Holy shit! They do not mess around in Manilla.
Richard M. Sy was sentenced to 12 to 16 years of prison after being found guilty for possessing less than two grams of marijuana.
Apparently Sy never saw Brokedown Palace, Return to Paradise or Never Say Regret. The moral in all of those movies is Asian countries, particularly Southeastern ones, do not fuck around when it comes to narcotics.
The judge handed down a 6 page decision, and now Richard gets plenty of time to reflect about what the hell he was doing in the Philippines in the first place.
Sorry man…
420 Activist Running for LA’s Top Job
October 31st, 2008 by PerryThat’s right, LA’s top job. No, not head valet at the Playboy Mansion, but Mayor of Los Angeles. Antonio Villaraigosa’s recent scandals while in office, including an affair with a reporter from Spanish-language network Telemundo, expect to make this an especially contentious contest in March, when voters head to the ballots.
Enter MMJ’s dark-horse contender: Craig X
The Temple 420 founder, CraigX Rubin has a platform to build desalination plants, more local growing (of mainstream agriculture, not what you’re thinking) and synchronizing traffic lights. I’m not sure how seriously the general public is taking Craig’s political ambitions, as he’s only raised $1,100 in a month of fund raising.
The video above is an 8 minute introduction to Craig, what he’s about and his lifelong goal of legalization.
The Union: Award Winning Documentary
October 30th, 2008 by AlexHere’s a riveting trailer for a documentary called The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.
Directed by Brett Harvey, this movie has won multiple film festival awards in Canada, and has some pretty biting insight into the industry behind keeping marijuana illegal. Pharmaceutical companies, private prisons, the government, and other entities all profit from the persecution of one of the world’s most useful plants.
Other than the impressive content, check out just a few of the heavy hitters interviewed for this documentary:
- Tommy Chong – you know who he is
- Joe Rogan – one of the coolest dudes alive
- Marc Emery – the Prince of Pot
- Steve Bloom – our friend at CelebStoner
- Ed Rosenthal – the grow expert
- Craig X – well known marijuana activist
- And over 20 more…
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to see The Union yet, but I’m going to get in contact with the production crew and request a copy. I’m really looking forward to checking it out.
Support The Union at their CafePress store or check out some of their press & awards.
Courts Uphold MMJ in Montana
October 30th, 2008 by Perry
Montana’s highest court ruled yesterday. the state cannot bar medical marijuana users from taking prescribed medicine as terms of their probation or sentence.
The ruling overturned a lower court’s decision barring a resident from MMJ while serving a three-year deferred sentence.
The court found in favor of Timothy Nelson in a 6-1 decision, which said the judge overstepped judiciary bounds by banning the medication as part of his sentence.
Nelson took a no-contest plea to criminal possession in 2007 when authorities found his growing operation. After sentencing, Nelson enrolled in the state’s MMJ program.
According to the story, Nelson has a degenerative disc disorder and underwent several surgeries on his back. If that isn’t a solid reason for a marijuana prescription, nothing is.
Way to go Montana.
Gamers Driven to Weed, Speed and Caffeine?
October 30th, 2008 by Perry
A look at the darker side of gaming reveals the growing competitive “sport” may be undergoing a rise in narcotics use.
Alex Walker, the Australian World Cyber Games Tournament Director, admitted in an interview with Gameplayer that some cyber athletes like to smoke marijuana or even take amphetamines to boost their reflexes before competition.
Really? You don’t say?
Once considered a laughable cottage industry for high school dropouts and middle-aged adults living at home; competitive gaming is becoming a lucrative endeavor, with athletes able to earn as much as $100,000 to $500,000 per tournament.
Bet that makes paramedics, teachers and firefighters want to cry. Videogamers out-earning their entire yearly salary in one tournament…
The article goes on to point out media coverage by networks like MTV, USA and Directv creates an environment that has to be aware of the ills of drug abuse. One way they’ve tried to solve the problem is to create a gaming pill called FpsBrain.
I honestly couldn’t make this up. I wonder what marketing genius is going to get rich off gullible cyber athletes that buy this stuff…
Aaron Huey: The Afghanistan Drug War
October 30th, 2008 by Alex
Aaron Huey is a guy who can take some seriously good photographs. Best known for his Walk Across America, Aaron has been all over the Middle East – Pakistan, Georgia, Iraq, Afghanistan and others – covering items of cultural and political significance.
His 37 picture photo-set titled ‘Afghanistan Drug War‘ is of particular beauty. Here’s how Aaron describes it:
These images show poppy eradication in Nangarhar Province, East ofJalalabad and also outside Tarin Kowt, in Oruzgan Province.
Since his site is flash, I can’t link directly to the feature, so here’s the navigation path:
Homepage -> Features 1 -> Afghanistan Drug War
Go check it out and see the how a country most of us can’t pinpoint on a map heavily affects heroin production around the world.
Oh yea, all of Aaron’s images are available as limited edition prints in the following sizes – 11×14, 16×20, 20×24, 30×40 – and range from $500 to $4000. If you’ve got good taste, and plenty of spare cash, get in contact with him.
[image copyright Aaron Huey]
Status Updates on 2008 Elections
October 29th, 2008 by Perry
Where do your candidates stand on the issues in your state?
MPP Blog put together a list of a few of the more significant elections in terms of medicinal marijuana policy. Find out if a representative from your state is listed and where he or she might be in terms of election status.
