cannabisnews.com: International Reefer Madness










  International Reefer Madness

Posted by CN Staff on January 05, 2007 at 07:46:03 PT
By Jack Shafer 
Source: Slate 

Mexico -- If a financial reporter botches a story about municipal bonds, Wall Street traders will lynch him. If a sportswriter misstates the infield fly rule, the bleacher bums will visit his office and puke on him. But because no organized constituency monitors drug journalism, journalists who file thoroughly uninformed articles on the topic get away with it again and again. The latest examples of rotten drug journalism to be reviewed in this column come from the Associated Press and Reuters.
On Dec. 19, AP moved a 720-word story titled "Mexican Soldiers Swarm Drug Plantations, Find Hybrid Marijuana Plant." Detailing efforts to eradicate a "new high-yield hybrid marijuana" in the tropical mountains of Michoacan, AP makes the herb sound like the Dracula of the plant world. It can't be killed with pesticides and if cut down grows back unless you uproot it. Known as "Colombians" and first seen "about two years ago," the plants mature in just two months and can be cultivated 12 months a year. The International Herald Tribune's Web site ran the longest version of the AP story.: http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=3959052The only named source about the Michoacan supergrass is Mexican Army Gen. Manuel Garcia, who spoke to a "handful of media outlets allowed to accompany soldiers on a daylong raid of some 70 marijuana fields," AP reports. The general goes on to claim that "These plants have been genetically improved." Now, it could be that somewhere in Transylvania—or even Medellín—a depraved count has labored in his laboratory to perfect Dracuweed and seeded the tropics with it. But I can't locate anybody in the scientific community who has heard of this exotic cannabis. If the "Colombians" hybrid marijuana (doesn't AP mean "Colombian"?) has been around for two years, you would expect that another news organization might have written about it. Yet my Nexis, Factiva, and Google searches come up empty. Could it be that there is nothing extraordinary about this variety of pot?A "new high-yield hybrid" that is "genetically improved" sounds scientific, even coming out of the mouth of a Mexican general. But what does it really mean? Hybrids are created whenever planters crossbreed varieties of a plant or between species, and by definition the successful ones are "genetically improved." The corn you eat is probably hybrid, as are your soybeans and tomatoes. And there's nothing "new" about hybrid marijuana. For a half century or longer, marijuana cultivators around the world have aggressively crossbred plants to improve yield (tons per acre) and potency (more THC per ounce). Should we be impressed with the supergrass's high yield? AP reports that "traffickers can now produce as much marijuana on a plot the size of a football field as they used to harvest from four or five hectares (10 to 12 acres)." Oddly, the article doesn't say how many pounds that one acre produces, making the high-yieldness of variety impossible to verify.A football field—exclusive of its two end zones—covers a little over an acre. If AP is saying that growers now produce as much pot planting the hybrid on one acre as they once did planting conventional marijuana (whatever that is) on 10 acres, I say, so what? Why attribute the higher yield to the hybrid alone? Smaller plots of most crops outyield larger plots because planters tend to extend more TLC to each plant under cultivation, whether the plant is marijuana or tomatoes.One clue that TLC—and not an exotic hybrid—should deserve credit for higher yields in the Mexican plantation can be found in the long version of the AP article. Not every newspaper carried AP's paragraph about some of the raided plots having "sophisticated irrigation systems with sprinklers, pumps and thousands of yards (meters) of tubing." Irrigated plots tend to produce greater yields than nonirrigated plots, a fact mankind has appreciated for 4,000 years. If the Michoacan pot farmers are irrigating their small plots, surely they're pruning the plants more aggressively than they did the plants on their larger plantations in order to produce more THC-drenched flowers.Finally, Gen. Garcia alleges that the Dracuweed is resistant to herbicide, although he doesn't say which herbicide. As every farmer and cultivator of weed-free lawns knows, plants develop resistance to herbicides via natural selection, without any guidance from breeders. If growers have deliberately bred a herbicide-resistant plant or exploited one that they discovered, I'd love AP to get a botanist—as opposed to a Mexican general—to confirm it. Likewise, if these plants reach maturation more quickly than other varieties, I'd like a scientist to say so. I await the AP follow-up.Proof that AP has no monopoly on stupid pot stories came in October, when Reuters ran its piece about marijuana in Afghanistan. (See the reprint on Defensetech or dial it up on Nexis.) Datelined Ottawa, the story reports that Canadian troops battling Taliban forces "have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy—almost impenetrable patches of 10-foot-tall marijuana plants."Gen. Rick Hillier claims the Taliban fighters use the plants as cover, and that efforts to burn the crops with white phosphorous and diesel have failed. Well, knock me over with a dirty bong! To begin with, finding 10-foot-tall marijuana plants in a country like Afghanistan isn't any more shocking than stumbling upon 10-foot-tall corn plants in Nebraska. As for impenetrability, I suspect the average Nebraska corn field is as impassable to troops as the average marijuana farm in Afghanistan. But what of the failure of white phosphorous and diesel to make ash of the Afghan marijuana forest? You couldn't incinerate a green corn field with those fuels, so why expect to take out a green marijuana field with them? If the Canadians really wanted to show the Taliban they're serious about marijuana eradication, they should have called in a napalm strike. Thanks to reader John McCloskey, who forwarded the Mexican pot story to me, and to associate professor George Weiblen of the University of Minnesota's Department of Plant Biology for his expertise. Send stupid drug stories of this or any week to:  slate.pressbox gmail.comE-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise. Permanent disclosure: Slate is owned by the Washington Post Co.Slate's machine-built RSS feed.Jack Shafer is Slate's editor at large. Complete Title: The Stupidest Drug Stories of the Week: International Reefer Madness!!!Source: Slate (US Web)Author: Jack ShaferPublished: January 4, 2007Copyright: 2007 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLCContact: letters slate.comWebsite: http://www.slate.com/URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2156917/ Related Article:Mexico Troops Find Hybrid Marijuana Plant http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22465.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 

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Comment #24 posted by Toker00 on January 08, 2007 at 03:30:38 PT
Hope
Yeah, and I deserved it. You would have given me one, too!Toke.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on January 07, 2007 at 10:49:19 PT
Dang!
Toker got cyber slapped! And I missed it!If you don't check very often in here and I mean VERY often...you always miss something.:0)Ouch, Toker! Don't know what you did...but it must have been a good one!
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on January 07, 2007 at 10:27:41 PT
rchandar 
I want to know more about the Grateful Dead because of Nancy Pelosi and Senator Reid being Deadheads. I wasn't from the west coast where this all was happening. We are watching The Closing of Winterland in 1978. Deadheads were quite an interesting and progressive group of people. Amazing stuff I'm learning.Article and Pictures of Party: http://deadnews.blogspot.com/More: http://deadnews.blogspot.com/2007/01/pelosi-party-your-house-band-update.html
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Comment #21 posted by rchandar on January 07, 2007 at 10:14:13 PT:
FoM
Read it, it sounds tasty. I remember the then-Grateful Dead performed the same honor for Bill Clinton when he was elected in 1993: Jerry and Bob came out to Washington and did a duo set and congratulated "Bill and Al."Was really happy to see the paper with Pelosi holding up the gavel--something that's never happened before! And she immediately blasted Bush's plan to increase troops. --rchandar
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on January 06, 2007 at 18:09:01 PT
NYT: Related Article About Mexico
Mexico’s New President Sends Thousands of Federal Officers to Fight Drug Cartels *** 
By James C. McKinley C. Jr.Published: January 7, 2007Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 6 — President Felipe Calderón ran last summer on a promise to create jobs, but in his first five weeks as chief executive he has made it clear his first priority is to turn his government into the scourge of organized crime.The president has sent thousands of federal police and troops into the drug-plagued states of Michoacán and Baja California to break up criminal organizations and stop the brutal violence they perpetuate. The federal forces have burned marijuana crops, arrested suspected drug gang members and disarmed local police forces the authorities say are crippled by corruption.“We will continue with the operations that let us re-establish the minimum conditions of security in some parts of the republic, so that little by little we can take back our streets, our parks, our schools,” Mr. Calderón said in a New Year’s message to the nation. But some opposition politicians and experts on the drug trade wonder if the federal interventions are not more flash than substance, and question if they will have a lasting impact on the drug trade and police corruption, whose roots run deep. Complete Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/world/americas/07mexico.html
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 19:31:58 PT
A Little More Off Topic
I found links to some of the people who were at the Party in DC last night. http://www.dead.net/http://www.phish.com/http://www.caroleking.com/http://www.brucehornsby.com/http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_WeirGrateful Dead - Truckin'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPNgjA4i6gM
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 18:59:14 PT
OT: Mostly Good Music Picks 
Dead, Phish, Allmans Members Serve as “House Band” for Pelosi-Palooza http://www.relix.com/content/view/2053/112/
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Comment #17 posted by Toker00 on January 05, 2007 at 18:38:35 PT
One more.
TMM:http://texansformedicalmarijuana.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163Toke.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 18:34:06 PT
Toker00
There you go! That's really good information for people in Texas.
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Comment #15 posted by Toker00 on January 05, 2007 at 18:29:50 PT
Link
TMM:http://texansformedicalmarijuana.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164Toke.
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Comment #14 posted by Toker00 on January 05, 2007 at 18:20:02 PT
Ouch! Thanks, I needed that.
Let me try this.Houston Meeting Reminder to discuss the February 21st Lobby Day in AustinWhen: Thursday, January 11th, 6:30p - 8pWhere: Oak Forest Branch Library, 1349 W. 43rd St.If you are unable to come to the meeting, but would like to participate in Lobby Day, please let me know and I’ll give you the details. You can contact me via email or call the Texans for Medical Marijuana office, 512-220-9209, Ext. 214.For TMM’s latest news items please visit our website and check out:  *
    What’s in a Name - Apparently it’s a Lot
  *
   Cannabis Based Medicine Helps Cancer PatientsBest Wishes,Karen Heikkala, PRNoelle Davis, EDToke.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 17:36:49 PT
Toker00
I went ahead and removed it. I look at this forum like it would be a gathering of people that are adults some parents and some grandparents. I try to remember that just because we can't see each other it doesn't mean that we should not think how others would feel with our comments. 
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Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on January 05, 2007 at 17:09:45 PT

FoM
I suppose I deserve a cyber slap for that. Sorry...Toke.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 15:22:16 PT

Dankhank
I know what you mean. I am usual a congenial person or at least I try to be but Bush has hurt us so much that I cannot remain silent. I think I would explode if I even tried.We have a friend that is really getting sick. His son is being dispatched to Iraq in June and it is making him sicker even faster. His son is a Marine.
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Comment #9 posted by Dankhank on January 05, 2007 at 14:40:47 PT

right on ...
I, personally, NEVER believed that draft-dodging, coke-snorting, AWOL, drunk-driving son of a family that apparently thought they were an American dyNASTY.Today I put a copy of John the Revelator on a computer at the local Military Exchange, read: department store.The employee in the store that allowed me to put it there is going to copy it and disseminate it to his friends ...I will never let the Bush apologists have a quiet moment again.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 05, 2007 at 14:05:14 PT

Dankhank
Good article. I remember after Bush kept pushing and pushing and pushing to invade Iraq I got tired of hearing it but he wouldn't stop pushing. At some point Bush said something about nuclear war and really looked serious and had a very worried look on his face. I didn't believe it but his expression made me think. OK if I am wrong because I don't believe in war that's my opinion and then I decided if Bush pushes forward then it is all on his shoulders. I wash my hands of it all. The buck really does stop with President Bush in my opinion.
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Comment #7 posted by Dankhank on January 05, 2007 at 13:53:40 PT

send this to all media ...
don't waste time ...http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=2771519&page=1it's time to nail them all ....
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on January 05, 2007 at 13:46:53 PT

Off Topic - Online Debate! 
9/11 Debate Tonight - Mike Berger v. Roger Schlueter:
http://911blogger.com/node/5413
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on January 05, 2007 at 13:40:07 PT

No Credibility
9/11,Iraq,stolen elections,etc...Like the mainstream media has any credibility anyway. Anyone who believes anything they say is very naive.
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on January 05, 2007 at 11:23:54 PT:

"Dracuweed" I love it!
Really had me laughing. As Richard Cowan said soooooo long ago, a primary reason for the continuance of cannabis prohibition was 'bad journalism'. As usual, this article proves the majority of the media stumbles, staggers and drags  $$ light-years behind those in the reform community who dare to point out (what should be) the wholly obvious. Richard, thou art vindicated!
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Comment #3 posted by museman on January 05, 2007 at 10:49:49 PT

damage done
Already I have found myself in an argument on this subject, with one of my friends, (who is not internet savvy). He himself is a grower, so I find it difficult to say how he swallowed this BS.This is a perfect example of what we are up against. This stupid shit is paid for by our taxes. While we are out there working , slaving to get by, these assholes are sitting around in their comfy office chairs dreaming up more and more BS to throw out like stumbling blocks in our paths. We PAY THEM TO DO THIS! Sure it is Mexicans making the claim, but if you think they came up with it, think again.If we want people like journalists to be true journalists, than there are a few other 'professions' that need to get real, or disappear, like Lawyers and politicians. One can't blame someone for doing what their leaders are doing, at least not in America. No in America they call that 'patriotism.'Even the cops attitudes would change if the people established their place, and removed the power-elite from the position they hold with force and subterfuge, not entitlement. They are all just Saddam Husseins, and if I were like them, I'd say we need a rather large public execution of the entire legislature, based on actual guilt and complicity. I'm not like them however, so I say (again) just fire 'em all, and start fresh. The damage is done, and there is no visible end in sight, just a bit of wishful thinking. If Americans continue to treat their government as if it had the rights to do what it does, then here we go, over the edge into oblivion.
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Comment #2 posted by HempWorld on January 05, 2007 at 09:32:08 PT

Reuters Cannot Be Trusted As News Source
The Carlyle Group (aka the Bush Family) has infiltrated Reuters and from that day forward all Reuters news is biased and pro 'Drug War' readers beware! I do not know about Associated Press but I would not be surprised if they are part of the Carlyle Group as well. Media has become a pawn of the Fascist regime world-wide! You are warned!
Marijuana Plantation Nobody Can Stop This!
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Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on January 05, 2007 at 09:13:45 PT

Thank you!!
Finally, someone points this out! This ludicrous state of affairs has been going on for far too long. Will this article change things? Maybe not by itself, but a few more coming out, and who knows...
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