Dude, Like, Where’s My Board?
November 6th, 2008 by Perry
Found: Surfboard
Contents: 37 pounds of marijuana
Location: San Diego County
One totally rad surfer had a bogus wipe out on Imperial Beach that cost him/her at least $30,000 worth of weed. Border Patrol found the surfboard washed up near a border fence hollowed out with marijuana concealed inside. That really is innovation at its best.
If you are the owner, go ahead and contact the border patrol, they’d love to hear from you.
Hawaii Says Aloha to Marijuana Laws
November 6th, 2008 by Perry
I should clear that up, since Aloha can mean “greetings” or “farewell.” Technically, Hawaii hasn’t eradicated decriminalized marijuana, but it’s telling law enforcement to look the other way when it comes to cannabis. And if that sounds unclear, it is.
By a vote of 53.1 percent to 38.6 percent, Hawaiian residents voted to make marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority. In my opinion, it’s not necessarily a complete positive because under the new law:
…would put the enforcement of laws against marijuana to each police officer’s personal discretion.
That sounds like a dangerously unclear situation bound to cause legal issues, especially when the district attorney comes out against the law for the right reasons.
Prosecuting Attorney Jay Kimura said that it posed a danger for law enforcement officials:
I’m opposed to passage of this. I don’t believe it’s enforceable as written.
Tune in, Turn on and Drop it
November 5th, 2008 by Perry
In a 1966 chat with Dr. Timothy Leary, a pioneer of the acid trip, Leary espouses ideology, and societal reflections in a recorded audio clip turned podcast.
Even if you have no interest in acid or trips whatsoever, Leary’s philosophical meandering may seem obtuse but provides insight all these years later on what was going on during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.
Additionally, he was an integral part in changing the public perception of counter-culture and the rejection of mainstream acceptance.
Leary said:
I think it wouldn’t be hard to prove my point, that most Americans are involved in a meaningless, robot, assembly-line series of activities. They don’t really know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, but they’re just pushed off to this assembly-line and off they go.
Leary goes on to explain his famous quote in less abstract terms, which makes it no less confusing.
[By drop out] we mean drop out of the meaningless and tune in to the productive.
Not clear enough for you?
You have to go out of your mind to come to your senses.
You’ve done got schooled Leary-style.
Debating the Legality of Salvia
November 5th, 2008 by Perry
They’re already getting ready to ban Salvia in Ohio. The Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill in April to make the herb and its active ingredient controlled substances; the bill is stalled in committee in the Ohio Senate.
Several other states (including Missouri, North Dakota, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas and Florida,) already have laws on the books considering the hallucinogenic herb a controlled substance.
From dozens of first-hand reports, I’ve heard it lasts anywhere from two minutes to a half hour and the effects range from hallucination to temporary paralysis while “peaking” under this drug’s effect.
According to opponents, “the plant’s effects range from mild relaxation and visual hallucinations to a state where users can’t move or feel pain,” said Monica Mertens, program director for the Pathway Family Center in Milford. But even though it’s been used for centuries in Native American ritual, it’s not necessarily safe for recreational use and might need further study before making heads or tails of this one.
Reefer Madness Sweeping Japan
November 4th, 2008 by Alex
Recent arrests for marijuana possession among Japan’s students (and other segments of society) has created a scandal that is rocking the country.
According to an article in The Guardian, one of Japan’s more progressive papers, The Mainichi Shimbun recently devoted a front page editorial on the topic that was:
Warning of the potential ruination of Japan’s finest universities by the evil weed.
Marijuana became a mainstream topic of discussion in the country after a couple Russian Sumo Wrestlers were banned from the sport for usage. Combine that with a record 2,423 marijuana violations in 2006, and you have a Japanese freak out in the making.
I doubt that even matches the total of L.A. arrests for pot last month. Japan currently has a ban on medical marijuana, and its equivalent of ‘possession with intent’ carries a term of up to 10 years.
Those wacky Japanese get up to so much other ridiculous shit, it’s kind of surprising they’re so serious about marijuana use.
DAs Blowing Around Some Hot Air
November 3rd, 2008 by Perry
In an effort to fight the initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Massachusetts, local district attorneys aren’t exactly coming clean about past marijuana use. But they aren’t necessarily denying it, either.
One cape-area DA said:
Like a lot of people in my generation, we did a lot of things that were unwise, unhealthy, and illegal.
Yet, somehow he managed to become a productive, functioning member of society, even though he smoked marijuana. Or at least alluded to it because he didn’t have the courage (some would say ‘balls’) to admit it.
Other DAs, were more frank:
I tried it once, and it wasn’t something I was ever into.
I’m not sure what I respect less; the hypocrisy of those who have tried it, or those who haven’t and therefore have no idea what they’re talking about, like this New England DA:
The bottom line is that this sends a message that it’s OK to use marijuana… but to pretend it’s not a public safety issue is disingenuous.
Not a surprise at all if you commonly refer to it as a public safety issue.
Sumo Wrestler Gone Down the Pot
November 3rd, 2008 by Perry
A recent debate rocked the considerable girth of the sumo world, when Gagloev Soslan Aleksandrovich, who wrestles under the name “Wakanoho,” was kicked out of the sumo world for the “major illegal act” of marijuana possession.
Maybe, this is one of the few scenarios where weed could’ve been viewed as a performance-enhancer, much like amphetamine pills are banned for those who are trying to shed pounds before a fight. But, it probably has more to do with the negative stigma associated with weed. Total guess though.
Chile Joins Fear-Based Drug Education Model
November 3rd, 2008 by Perry
In response to a study that showed a growing perception among its teenagers that marijauna is harmless, the Chile is nationalizing a plan to “open up reflection on marijuana and its effects, above all with respect to the fact that it’s addictive, just like other drugs,” said the campaign’s director.
Personally, I don’t know if I’ve seen conclusive proof that that’s true or habit forming, (eh maybe,) but not addictive, and right there’s the definitive difference.
The campaign’s director cited the fact that “70 percent of the people in treatment for problematic use of drugs began their drug use with marijuana,” as indisputable proof of it being a gateway drug. One may argue the fact that it’s only considered a gateway to illegal drug usage, because it is itself, considered illegal. However, if you wanted to make coffee, wine, beer, liquor or ciggarettes illegal, then they might be considered “gateways” also. Perhaps.
But who can argue with a great slogan like the one the Chilean anti-drug people came up with…
Be intelligent again. Don’t smoke marijuana.
Brilliant.
