Oregon Closing in on Legalizing Hemp
July 1st, 2009 by Rick
Oregon is close to becoming the 6th U.S. state to legalize hemp. Last week the Oregon Senate voted 27-2 on Senate Bill 676, in favor of legalizing the plant cousin to cannabis. On Monday, the Oregon House of Representatives voted 46-11 on the bill.
Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra said:
Hemp is a versatile, environmentally-friendly crop that has not been grown in the U.S. for over fifty years because of a misguided and politicized interpretation of the nation’s drug laws by the Drug Enforcement Administration. [...] While a new bill in Congress, HR 1866, is a welcome step, the hemp industry is hopeful that President Obama’s administration will recognize hemp’s myriad benefits to farmers, businesses and the environment.
Hemp has had a variety of uses, dating back 10,000 years ago. Such as:
- Building material
- Food
- Nutrition
- Dietary supplement
- Medicine
- Fiber
- Water and soil purification
- Weed control
- Fuel
The states Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Vermont all passed legislation this year for the farming of hemp. The United States currently continues to import hemp, while other countries cultivate the plant and export it. Obviously with so many uses for this plant, it threatens more industries now than what were around back in the days when Hearst and DuPont began their campaign to try to put the hemp plant on the endangered species list.
Funeral Home Director Busted for Growing
June 24th, 2009 by Rick
After receiving information about a marijuana grow operation, Missouri River Drug Task Force served a search warrant Monday on Helena Funeral Chapel in Helena, MT and discovered 70 marijuana plants in the attic. Jason Blaine Thornock was arrested and jailed with charges of “criminal production” or “manufacture of dangerous drugs.”
Thornock, who posted $50,000 bail on Tuesday, is a licensed medical marijuana card holder. Under the Montana medical marijuana law he is allowed six marijuana plants and one light, which was exactly what the police left after their raid. Sixty-four plants were entered as evidence as the investigation continues.
Stoner States are Smarter, Maybe
June 12th, 2009 by Russ
This week, the Marijuana Policy Project released its analysis of The National Survey on Drugs and Health, the definitive government report on illicit drug use over the last year. In examining the government’s appraisal of weed smoking trends, MPP’s Bruce Mirken concludes that there is absolutely no correlation between states with lenient medical marijuana laws and increased rates of weed smoking amongst young people. However, tFS found one interesting correlation that you may find enlightening…
There seems to be a strange correlation between the ’smartest states’ (states with higher educational rankings according to the 2006-2007 Smartest State Award), and those states that the Survey on Drugs and Health list as those with teens who smoke weed the most often.
Of the ten smartest states: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine, Virginia, Montana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Pennsylvania; seven of those states also rank as some of the highest incidences of teen weed smoking in the country (Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Virginia, Montana, and Wisconsin).
Among the ten least smart states: Arizona, Nevada, Mississippi, California, Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Georgia; only two of those states rank as high in marijuana use among teens (New Mexico, and Alaska).
While no relationship can be found between medical marijuana law and an increase in weed use, some correlation can be found between weed smoking teens and improved scholastic achievement in their respective states.
Apparently Georgia Has a Meth Problem
April 13th, 2009 by TraciiIn response to its growing meth problem, Georgia is joining seven other states in launching its own privately-funded anti-meth campaign. The Georgia Meth Project will combine community outreach programs with an aggressive PSA campaign urging Georgians not to do the drug “not even once”.
According to recent RAND Corporation statistics, meth abuse costs Georgians around $1.3 billion per year and accounts for 51% of all drug treatment admissions in the state.
Sandra Conton, Drug Counseling Coordinator for Advantage Behavioral Health Systems in Georgia said:
The drugs themselves are not the problem. The addictive potential is the issue.
She likens the rise of clandestine meth labs to moonshining during the alcohol prohibition era, and she’s not the first to make that comparison.
Despite the infamous “Faces of Meth” campaign and the horror stories circulating the media, many first-time users are surprisingly uninformed about the consequences of meth abuse, often equating it with softer drugs like marijuana and alcohol. (Another result of drug war propaganda perhaps? Just saying.)
Montana has seen a 70% decrease in meth abuse since the inception of the program in 2005. If handled properly, The Georgia Meth Project could prevent a lot of people from succumbing to the epidemic, though many would argue it should’ve never happened in the first place.
Garden State Becomes Slightly Greener
February 25th, 2009 by Perry
The New Jersey Senate approved a medical marijuana bill Monday, making it the 14th state to recognize medical marijuana.
The bill has one more hurdle before the governor would be able to sign it into law — approval in the New Jersey House of Representatives.
The bill’s passage is uncertain in the house because a group of Republican opponents have raised concerns the proposal does not address distribution adequately, and therefore lead to more illegal drug sales. Pro-MMJ advocates declared numbers as high as 86 percent in favor of the bill.
States where medical marijuana is legal are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Only Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Mexico legislatures passed bills to legalize medical marijuana; the other states did so through voter referendum.
MMJ Bill Stalls in Montana
January 28th, 2009 by Perry
Montana seems to be driving in reverse on this issue of medical marijuana. After recently approving a law that would allow officers to impound the vehicle and arrest anyone caught driving under the influence of marijuana, the state took a step back on patient rights.
A recent bill that would have allowed certified doctors and nurses to prescribe marijuana was held up in a 8-8 tie in the House Human Services Committee, which effectively kills the bill. Legislators who opposed it claimed that more restrictions were necessary on the prescription because the drug was being widely abused.
MMJ Law Changes for Missouri, Montana
January 21st, 2009 by Perry
A bit of good news and a bit of bad news this week for marijuana activists.
The good news: Medical Marijuana may be that much closer to reality for patients in Missouri.
State Representative Kay Meiner (D-Kansas City) introduced a bill which would allow MMJ for patients suffering from deblitating diseases such as AIDS and multiple sclerosis, arguing that if addictive pain killers can be prescribed, marijuana should also be allowed.
The bad news: Registered medical marijuana patients in Montana will now be considered ‘under the influence’ (aka the dreaded DUI) if found driving while high on marijuana. The law also goes one step further and gives the arresting officer the right to revoke a driver’s MMJ registration card for refusing a field sobriety test.
From a purely legal point of view, I understand the harsh response to operating motor vehicles under the influence of narcotics, but taking away a patients access to his or her medicine seems counterintuitive. Believe me, if you get tagged with a DUI, you’re in for enough suffering as is – court time, lawyers, fines, community service – it’s no fun.
Here’s full text of the Montana law, which is one of 13 states to legalize marijuana for medical use.
Graphic Anti-Meth Ads Aren’t Working
December 12th, 2008 by Alex
One of the government’s main tactics to warn against hard drug addiction is the use of graphic imagery. The basic rationale is that when the general population gets a good look at a person with eroding teeth and sores all over their face / body, they won’t want to get involved with the substance that caused all that ugliness.
One group in particular, the Montana Meth Project, has taken the graphic approach to a new level with an aggressive print campaign warning against the use of Crystal Meth.
The print campaign shows mostly younger teens and the severe consequences of using crystal meth “just once.”
In the December issue of Prevention Science, an independent review was released saying that the graphic approach might not be working.
After studying the effectiveness of the publicly funded ads for 6 months, multiple negative effects were found:
- threefold increase in the percentage of teenagers who reported that using meth as not a risky behavior
- up to 50% of teenagers reported that the graphic ads exaggerate the risks of using meth
- teenagers were four times more likely to strongly approve of regular meth use
- teenagers were more likely to report that taking heroin and cocaine is not risky
Not exactly the best way to spend tax dollars right? David Erceg-Hurn, the author of the review, also said that the MMP chose select positive statistics to further promote its efficacy to policymakers.
This is just another example of a huge expenditure in public financing without a tangible result. Sooner or later, the path of the scare tactic will stop making its way into anti-drug materials.
Check out a boatload of MMPs other ads after the jump…
Or, check out the hi-res versions.
