Border Busts on the Rise
November 21st, 2006 by Alex
As you can probably tell from the increased amount of Arrests/Busts articles being posted on tFS, it’s weed growing (and transporting) season. Authorities are reporting that marijuana seizures are up nearly 15% this year. That’s a jump from 155,000 pounds to 177,500 pounds of seized crop. Damn that’s a lot of herb.
| Recent Marijuana Busts | |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 300 lbs. (high grade) |
| New Mexico | 2,176 lbs. |
| Texas | 3,500 lbs. |
| Total (Recent) | 35,976 lbs. |
| Total (USA) | 177,500 lbs. |
So why is the grow output and bust rate going up this year? After a major bust in Texas, Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier had this to say :
Because of the heavy rains and favorable growing conditions we anticipate this will be one of many large marijuana loads to be seized along the border. Large loads are becoming more prevalent, since the fall season (started), and it isn’t likely to end any time soon, as the marijuana harvesting season is far from over.
It’s basic supply & demand. The US will always have a high demand for marijuana, no matter how much is grown. The increase in crop means more delivery attempts. This gives US authorities more chances to locate and confiscate marijuana. Looks like tFS won’t be short on news articles any time soon.
[via ABC 13]
US Customs Bust 60 Year Old Lady
November 16th, 2006 by Alex
On Tuesday, damn early in the morning, Carmen Franco and her son Ramon Franco entered the Columbus, New Mexico entry port. Officers decided to give her car some face-to-face time and discovered a hidden compartment in the bumper. Ouch. Stuffed in the bumper was 198 pounds of weed. That’s a cool $200k in South-of-the-border cheeba. Someone back in Mexico is going to be really pissed off about that. They even found a small bonus bag filled with 83 grams of cocaine.
Customs agents showed up after the bust to arrest Carmen and her son. They were charged with, “importation of a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.”
Another day, another failed attempt at getting drugs into the US.
10 Successful Marijuana Smokers
November 15th, 2006 by Alex
Brendan Gall, a new blogger to the scene, has posted an interesting article regarding successful people and marijuana use. It’s a well known fact that the stigma created to turn people away from weed is that it makes you lazy, un-motivated and generally ruins people lives. Basically, if you smoke you’re going to be the loser, older brother who’s still living in your parents garage at age 32.
That’s a cop out. Underneath, if you’re a motivated person, you can easily be successful and enjoy the greenleaf. If you’re a lazy person who wants to sit on the couch all day, then weed will be a conduit for that. To put it simply, life is what you make of it. In the end, we have ourselves to look towards for responsibility. And while it’s not hard to find examples of procrastinating stoners, there’s also many examples of intelligent & successful smokers.
Let’s check out Brendan’s list:
1) Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson
Owner of the Virgin Group
Estimated Worth: $5 Billion2) Newt Gingrich
Politician
Speaker of the House 1995-19993) Ross Rebagliati
Olympic Gold Medalist Snowboarder 19984) David Hockney
Famous Painter5) Richard Feynman
Physicist6) Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York City7) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Top 50 Greatest Basketball Player8) Queen Victoria
Ruled Great Britian from 1837-19019) Aaron Sorkin
Television writer
Creator of “West Wing”10) Robert Smith
Former Minesota Vikings Running back
Very cool. So, check out Brendan’s site to see the rest of his post or head on over to Very Important Smokers for even more info on famous & successful weed smokers.
[via Brendan Gall]
2006 Marijuana Mid-Term Results
November 8th, 2006 by Alex
Well, all the results are in and it’s time to get them out to the public. The conclusions from these mid-term elections are mixed. Seeing how close some of the major ballots came to being passed, it looks like we’re on the right track towards legalization.
Honorable mentions go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Massachusetts for passing ordinances and low level resolutions aiding in the deprioritization of marijuana arrests.
Read below to see official sites and measure summaries:
California
Measure P (Santa Barbara) - Complete pot deprioritization
Measure K (Santa Cruz) - Complete pot deprioritization
Measure Y (Santa Monica) - Complete pot deprioritization
Colorado
Amendment 44 - Legalization of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for adults 21+ years old
Montana
Initiative 2 (Missoula) - Complete pot deprioritization
Nevada
Question 7 - Remove all civil penalties for the private possession, create state-wide system for taxation & distribution
South Dakota
Initiated Measure 4 - Allow the physician-authorized use of cannabis for medicinal purposes
[all data via NORML]
If They Only Grew This Fast…
November 2nd, 2006 by TimThis is a cool time-lapse video depicting the process of herbs’ vegetation stage. If you’ve never seen any plants in person, this will give you a pretty good idea of how these babies develop in the early parts of the grow process.
Speeding up the frame rate shows just how much plants can move throughout the grow cycle.
Snoop Arrested on “Suspicion”
October 27th, 2006 by Tim
He’s slippin’. Snoop Dogg, a.k.a. Calvin Broadus, was arrested at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at Bob Hope Airport on suspicion of illegal drugs and firearms. Airport police stopped Snoop at a loading zone for a vehicle code violation. Police reported, when they searched his vehicle, they found marijuana and a gun. Shortly, he posted the $35,000 bail and was cited to appear in court Dec. 12th. Donald Eltra, Snoop’s attorney said in a statement,
There was no basis for this arrest. We believe once this is cleared up, all charges will be dismissed.
This, of course, isn’t the first (or last) time rapper Snoop has been entangled with the law. Last month, authorities discovered a collapsible 21″ baton in his luggage as he boarded a flight from John Wayne International Airport. In ‘96, charged and acquitted of murder. In ‘93, charged of gun possession during a traffic stop. In ‘90, charged of cocaine possession.
Big Willie Style
September 18th, 2006 by Alex
Now, when I think of misdemeanor weed possession I think maybe a gram or two, possibly even an eighth or an ounce. Not when Big Willie’s in the house. Inside his tour bus, Louisiana state troopers found 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana. To top it off, there was a healthy two-tenths of a pound of shrooms stashed away too.
Looks like Willie and pals know how to pack for a roadtrip. Count me in.
[via Newsvine]
RegulateMarijuana.org
September 14th, 2006 by AlexKeeping with the West Coast theme we’ve got going for today, let’s swing over to Nevada and the political side of things. RegulateMarijuana.org created a flash movie that helps explain exactly what their legalization initiative will do for the state. It’s well thought out and, if passed, will add a huge boost to the marijuana legalization movement in general.
Enjoy.
