Mexican Senate Votes to Decriminalize Weed Posession
April 30th, 2009 by Russ
The Mexican Senate approved a measure Tuesday that would eliminate penalties for possession of several drugs, including marijuana. Proposed by conservative President Felipe Calderon, the bill would legalize possession of up to five grams of pot, half a gram of cocaine, and traces of harder drugs such as meth and heroin. The bill also would eliminate mandatory federal sentencing for small-scale dealers.
Following a nationwide debate on the efficacy of President Calderon’s escalation of violence against local drug cartels, several regional leaders have publicly supported a national policy of decriminalization. Former Presidents Ernesto Zadillo (Mexico), Fernando Cardozo (Brazil), and Cesar Gaviria (Columbia) all endorsed a return to progressive drug politics in the wake of a staggering rise in drug-related violence.
Succumbing to public pressure, Calderon proposed the legislation with the hopes of relieving some of the burden on local law enforcement, and allowing a more focused pursuit of high level drug traffickers. The bill awaits the endorsement of the Mexican lower house before it can be passed into law.
Wide Receiver Catches Weed Misdemeanor
April 30th, 2009 by Russ
Pittsburgh Steelers’ star receiver, Santonio Holmes, was arraigned Tuesday for possessing three blunts that he offered as evidence to officers during a traffic stop last October.
Apparently, the Pittsburgh police officers were looking for ‘real criminals’ when they came upon Holmes’ car. Unfortunately, the NFL star matched police’s description of a suspicious-looking “large black man driving a fancy car.” In the surprise of the century, Holmes’ lawyer is challenging the constitutionality of the traffic stop.
Holmes, who was last year’s Superbowl MVP, said that he “learned a lot” from his one game suspension following the weed arrest. One thing he’s sure to have learned is that ‘driving while black’ is still a crime in some parts of the country.
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
April 30th, 2009 by Rick
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art presents “GET RICH QUICK!” a selection of rare originals and prints from the collections of their collectors.
Some of the strongest voices in the contemporary art world are featured:
Antony Micallef, Banksy, Barry McGee, Bast, Beejoir, D*Face, Dalek, David Choe, David Choong Lee, Faile, Ian Francis, KAWS, Nick Walker, Paul Insect, Shepard Fairey, Sixeart, Skullphone, Space Invader, Swoon, Will Barras and more to be announced!
The opening reception is on Thursday, May 7th 2009 from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm. The exhibition will be open for viewing through Thursday, May 28th 2009 at 1.00PM – 7.00PM, that’s plenty of time so I don’t want to hear any excuses. The gallery will be held at the following venue: 1257 N. La Brea Avenue in W. Hollywood CA 90038.
We’ll be attending the event so look out for some full coverage in later days. See you there!
New Search Engine Studies Psychedelics
April 30th, 2009 by Russ
Nearly 40 years have passed since luminaries like Timothy Leary and Alan Watts have used LSD and psilocybin in a rigorous exploration of human “inner space.” Now, a new academic research tool called PsyComp will continue their work and boldly go where no search engine has gone before.
PsyComp seeks to be the first online resource to aid students searching for ‘educational pathways into psychedelic research.’ It is currently compiling a searchable database of undergraduate-level, psychedelics-related courses in such fields as pharmacology, cognitive science, and botany.
While institutional support for such scholastic projects remains sparse, a few intrepid PhDs have laid the groundwork for future forays through the doors of perception. In his essay, So, You Want to be a Psychedelic Researcher? [Warning: .pdf] Dr. Andrew Sewell offers the following cautions to potential future students.
First, examine your motives for entering psychedelic research. Is it because psychedelics are novel and cool? While Dr. Timothy Leary, perhaps the most famous of the psychedelic researchers, found it a route to enduring fame and hot sex with large numbers of young women, he did this primarily though his showmanship rather than his scientific research. If such a lifestyle is appealing to you, there are shorter routes to this goal than decades of scholarly study.
Despite the warnings, Sewell acknowledges that many great minds have come by history-making discoveries via altered brain states.
Scientists such as Ralph Abraham, Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, Andrew Weil, and Nobel Prize winners such as Francis Crick, Richard Feynman, and Kary Mullis have found psychedelics valuable tools in formulating their great discoveries… [Also], the discovery of LSD was what sparked interest in the serotonin system and prompted the explosive growth of modern psychopharmacology that continues today.
And now, it seems, these potential pathways to knowledge and enlightenment will be made available to the internet public, at large. It’s a Brave New World Wide Web out there.
Naples Man Eats Pot, Gets Caught
April 30th, 2009 by Rick
A 21-year old man was pulled over last Friday for running a red light in Naples, Florida. When the officer came up to the driver’s door, he noticed that the suspect was eating something and had what appeared to be weed, on his clothes. The officer pulled the suspect out of the car and found that the suspect was eating his marijuana stash.
The suspect, Carlos Mauricio Rodriguez, was then charged with marijuana possession and tampering with evidence. All together, 6.87 grams were recovered.
How can you be charged for tampering with something that you own before it becomes evidence? Odd.
Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez Indicted for Pushing
April 30th, 2009 by Rick
Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez and six others have been indicted for running a $10m drug ring. According to the 82-count indictment, Gonzalez ran the ring for six years, importing drugs from Panama, Florida, California and Arizona and then moved 100 pounds of cocaine and a ton of marijuana through Hampton Roads, VA.
Legal documents state the defendants:
[made] themselves out to be music producers, rappers, entrepreneurs, club owners, clothing designers and other legitimate occupations in order to conceal the true source of their income.
The 34-year old Gonzalez is the former manager of the hip hop group Clipse, but the brothers from Virgina Beach were not mentioned in the indictment and have yet to release a statement. However, Gonzalez reportedly laundered millions through various business fronts, including the Clipse’s booking agency, Soul Providers Management.
Before the charge, Gonzalez referred to himself as the “Last Of The Mohicans” in a recorded phone call, saying he could’t be caught. Gonzalez turned himself in to the Miami authorities yesterday.
Smoke Alarm Reveals Cannabis Factory
April 30th, 2009 by Erin
This is what we call an epic fail.
If you’re going to run a grow-op out of your home, make sure you have enough power to keep your UV lights running without your outlet bursting into flames, causing your neighbors to call the fire department while your stoned ass is chowin’ down at Denny’s after-hours.
According to police, an inaptly named “cannabis factory” attracted investigation on Liverpool Old Road in Walmer Bridge after too many plugs in a socket caused the smoke alarm to go off. Steve Brown, watch manager at Penwortham fire station, said that the hallways were full of smoke and firefighters had to break down the front door.
The owners were not home at the time but the two bedrooms full of cannabis plants have given the police enough to start a deeper investigation. The fire was contained and extinguished, and the growers are currently being hunted down.
Put your head down and run.
Leary’s Ex-Wife Attests to “Guantanamo-Like Torture”
April 30th, 2009 by Russ
According to a legendary psychedelics activist, the Bush Administration did not write the book on extraordinary rendition and government-sponsored torture. Joanna Harcourt-Smith, former wife of mind-expansionist Timothy Leary, recounted her experiences at the mercy of CIA-sponsored Afghan prison in a radio interview with Doug Rushkoff.
As the hipster legend tells us, Leary constantly raised the ire of President Nixon with his public endorsements of illegal psychotropics and affection for underground prankster groups, such as the Weathermen. Nixon called him “the most dangerous man in America” at one point. After escaping from prison where he was held on a trumped-up weed possession charge, Leary and Harcourt-Smith fled the country.
In the radio interview, Harcourt-Smith recounted the events of his October 1972 abduction by Afghani officials (presumably at the behest of the CIA). Upon their arrival in the country, these officials stole the couple’s passports, and took them to the ‘Plaza Hotel Prison’ where they were held by a cadre of armed guards.
While held in the prison, Leary was subjected to week-long stretches of solitary confinement and intense interrogations. For her own part, Harcourt-Smith was forcibly strip-searched upon her visits to her husband. Harcourt-Smith believed that Nixon’s CIA was trying to extract intelligence on the domestic prankster groups with whom Leary had been affiliated.
While Leary was later blamed for his (presumably coerced) assistance to law enforcement in the pursuit of psychedelic prankster groups, Harcourt-Smith does not believe he played a critical role.
She recalled:
Mainly, I saw very clearly that Timothy Leary had been scapegoated. And I became the scapegoat of the scapegoated.
