cannabisnews.com: Pulling The Lid Off Pot










  Pulling The Lid Off Pot

Posted by CN Staff on August 11, 2008 at 06:34:54 PT
By Jerry Large, Seattle Times Staff Columnist 
Source: Seattle Times 

Seattle, WA -- Marijuana has an image problem. That's not the only problem with it, but its image probably keeps it lurking in the shadows: People who smoke pot are unkempt, unruly, counterculture. Best just to drink scotch or pop OxyContin.If marijuana had the ad agencies that cigarettes have had, it would be legal, too. I'm not craving a joint. It's not my thing, but I noticed that Hempfest is coming up this weekend.
Speakers at the Seattle festival will try mightily to pull the weed from darkness.I agree with them that it makes sense to decriminalize marijuana use.Bring it out into the light, regulate it, tax it, put trafficking gangs out of business and let police and courts do more important work.Rick Steves, the travel entrepreneur from Edmonds, will be one of the main speakers at Hempfest.We had a story in our paper Friday about a television program he and the ACLU made to get people talking about marijuana laws: http://www.marijuanaconversation.orgSome local television stations were not willing to air the TV show, though I can't think of a station that hasn't carried entertainment programs in which weed played a part.I guess it's like sex, which you can display a bit, but not discuss seriously.Outlawing grass doesn't seem to have the intended effect, assuming the intent is to keep people from using.According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, more than 83 million Americans older than 12 have used marijuana.Marijuana production earns billions every year.Think of what we could do with the taxes on legal marijuana. And we'd save the $7.5 billion a year the nation spends enforcing pot laws.One of the big raps against pot is the idea that using it leads to using more dangerous drugs.The other day, I asked a roomful of people about marijuana. One man, an educator, said that when he was in high school in 1972, he had a drug-education class.The kids were told marijuana was the same as heroin.The ones who experimented with it found out it wasn't, and some went on to try heroin figuring that since marijuana hadn't done them in and heroin was the same, it wouldn't hurt either. How's that for a gateway effect?I'm sure arresting people for using pot has a gateway effect. A little time in jail gives a person the opportunity to learn more about other drugs and bigger crimes.But if marijuana were legal, we could institute some controls and even have serious conversations about it.I spoke with Steves, who is in Belgium. He said his interest started with "knowing so many people who were closet smokers but couldn't talk about it. I thought, 'What if everybody agreed [it should be decriminalized] but was too afraid to speak out.' "He figured maybe people would listen to a straight-laced businessman.Steves is pushing democracy, not pot. It bothers him that Americans shrink from discussing drug laws.That's a truly sorry image.Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Source: Seattle Times (WA)Author:  Jerry Large, Seattle Times Staff ColumnistPublished:  Monday, August 11, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Seattle Times CompanyContact: opinion seatimes.comWebsite: http://www.seattletimes.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 13, 2008 at 16:53:10 PT
Related Article From The Stranger: Drug Money
KOMO Television Takes Pot Activists' Cash, Refuses To Air Pot Activists' InfomercialAugust 13, 2008URL: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=643645&hp
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on August 12, 2008 at 20:51:08 PT
Paint with Light 
I was getting ready to turn off my computer for the night and saw your post. I turned on Letterman and will watch. Thank you for the heads up. 
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Comment #19 posted by Paint with light on August 12, 2008 at 20:08:21 PT
FoM
I think I saw a commercial today that said Neil Young was going to be on The David Letterman Show tonight.I never got to photograph Neil when I was covering concerts during the 70's.Always wished I had.Equal with alcohol.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on August 12, 2008 at 12:13:35 PT
For Those Who Might Be Interested
On this link are two new songs that Neil Young performed in Norway. One is called Singing a Song Won't Change The World and the other one is See Change. Enjoy. http://thesongdog.rusties.net/sounds/
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Comment #17 posted by dongenero on August 12, 2008 at 10:54:42 PT
Storm Crow
Great points you make and great questions you ask.
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Comment #16 posted by museman on August 12, 2008 at 10:24:22 PT
Ranger Bob
Old hippies never die, they just get busted for pot.When are they going to get over the the fact that we pulled their pants down in public during the sixties and early seventies?Showed the world what creeps and monsters they really are. So they've been trying to put the cat back in the bag ever since.Too late bozos. So since you can't get your little f--ed-up status quo back to precognizant eras when most people thought it was the right thing to do to be willing slaves, serving their 'betters' for their joy and comfort, while watching their own children labor for pennies and table scraps, you go out and arrest the few remaining 'hippies' who, unlike so many of their 'peers' did not surrender their integrity to the status quo, and kept the faith.Since you can't beat 'em, or join 'em, use your monster card -your false authority- to 'trump' their lives, and punish them for their integrity and consistency. If the guy is a major contributor to society and even inducted into an educators hall of fame, more better to make the case of rampant pot use among teachers, ..get an excuse to piss test the teachers as well as the students.And of course there is the false jurisprudence empowering all these tin-god 'public servants' that allows them to quantify and qualify such things as 'how much herb does a cannabis smoker really need?'Well obviously a non-smoker knows better than a smoker, because they are obviously such better pepople because they don't use it. And everybody who is a good-upstanding-citizen certainly does not smoke it, its on congressional record that it makes you lazy, crazy, and if you are a minority or Irish, it makes you want to go out and rape pure white women. I guess if you are a minority woman, it makes you a prostitute or something.So, all of the mountains of BS aside, how much does it take, and how much can one plant really grow?From experience (publicly disavowed, labelled as various negative connotations, and because I haven't published a book and called it 'facts' it won't be recognized as valid by the keepers of the status quo..) from experience I can state the answers.Is it possible to grow an ounce or more per plant? The answer is; Yes, under ideal conditions which include; enough sunlight (or full-spectrum grow lights-but typical indoor operations usually acerage 3-4 ounces a plant because of forced budding and space), a good acclimatized strain, the right fertilizer (please don't use chemicals), and most importantly the TLC that comes form a knowlegeable grower.A few years back I trimmed up one plant from a local medical grow. I weighed out 5 pounds of trimmed bud, but it was perhaps the crappiest herb I've ever sampled since Nebraska ditch weed fooled us for as couple of days back in the early 80's. Yes it was 5 pounds on one plant, but if you could smoke the entire 5 pounds at one setting you might feel some effects, but most likely it would be one whopper of a headache. The grower obviously had no clues about what really goes into making good bud.Once a good friend of mine grew some of the best cannabis sativa this side of the equator. 2 plants in a very secret oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert -over 10 pounds.The ability to do this however is severely curtailed by prohibition, and the need to be secretive and discreet, as well as the growers savvy and skills.The most I've ever grown would have probably been close to a pound on a couple of my plants, but that was the year they raided the Rainbow Farm, so I'll never know.The best harvest I've ever had was 2-1/2 pounds from 15 plants, under ideal greenhouse-controlled conditions. Which gave me my quantity answer.That 2-1/2 pounds lasted me 2 years, sharing, giving a lot away. For me a pound per year -one persons stash- is plenty, however I know many folks who consume Twice or three times as much as me, or would if they could.I can never have enough. At the prices the black market demands, I would have had to become a drinker or something, if I hadn't found the kharmic path of cannabis sacrament. My cannabis kharma is so good I rarely run out- from years of sharing my own home-grown without the commodity attitude of so many growers. I do however smoke my last toke, wondering when the 'ganja-spirits' are going to refill my prescription (from God.) Having a pound or two in my freezer would not hurt MY feelings any, even though the jealousy over that 'illegal smile' has really gone off the map.These prohibs really need to get a sense of reality, as well as a sense of humor that is higher that the predominant contemporary form of put-down, and 'comic' suffering. They really need to get a life, and leave those of us who have one, alone.Ranger Bob deserves better.
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Comment #15 posted by Storm Crow on August 12, 2008 at 10:05:42 PT
And a further note....
Even if we allow the sheriff's inflated estimate to stand, (an outdoor plant can produce more than an indoor plant) and ALL the plants were female (possible, if he had all clones- from seed very unlikely), has anyone considered that Mr. Chance is a both a cancer survivor and a current cancer victim? I would find it very hard to believe that he didn't do extensive research into cancer cures, specifically in alternative medicines. He would be looking for any safe alternative to chemo! I believe that his "extensive grow op" of 19 plants, may have been an attempt to get enough material to make "Phoenix Oil" - Rick Simpson's reputed cancer-curing cannabis oil. You need about a 5 gallon bucket full of cannabis to make a 2-3 month supply. I believe it is quite likely that Mr. Chance is a medical patient attempting a "non-traditional" cure! How did Mr. Chance get busted? I doubt it was a wild party! 19 plants, most inside? Not aerial surveillance. Everyone seemed to love and respect him- so who informed? I wonder whose toes Mr. Chance stepped on? Whose ecologically-unsound pet project he blocked? Or whether his land is in the path of future development? Or if someone was just plain old biblically covetous? 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 12, 2008 at 09:45:40 PT

Video: The Colbert Report Nails Medical Marijuana
August 12, 2008 http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/cc_insider/2008/08/the-colbert-rep.html
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Comment #13 posted by dongenero on August 12, 2008 at 08:15:54 PT

reference link for post #12
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-te.md.ha.chance10aug10,0,3922004.story?page=1
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Comment #12 posted by dongenero on August 12, 2008 at 08:14:20 PT

Bob Chance - Maryland
This is just sad. These stupid laws must be changed. To the sensible people in that community it is clear that this is not right. This man has contributed greatly to his community over many years.Now, the feeble minded law enforcement automatons intend to take his property and ruin his life. All because he was growing 19 plants at his farm. They claim cannabis plants average 1 pound per plant. Well then, Harford County Deputy Sheriff Sean Marston must be Mr. Greenjeans. Most people who know or even do any honest research will find that 1-2 ounces is more the average per plant. Then consider that an average of 50% of those 19 plants will be males and of no use beyond pollen for seed production. That leaves 9 or 10 female plants at 1-2 ounces each. He may have ended up with .5 to 1.25 pounds. For this, they wish to destroy this 62 year old man, who taught science for 3 decades in their public schools, is in the school systems Hall of Fame, wrote nature columns for the paper, won election to public office, taught kids about nature and the outdoors. The town commisioner and former mayor states, ""He's just a great, community-minded guy," Hanley said. "His volunteerism here in Harford County has been invaluable."An Evening Sun editorial described him in 1992 as an "ecological visionary."So honestly, what is this absurdity about? What is the point of laws that lead us to something like this? Does anyone feel safer? Are we protecting society by destroying someone who has given so much for their community? These laws are in need of immediate change. These laws do not serve a positive purpose for society, at all.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on August 12, 2008 at 06:22:27 PT

Just a Comment
I hope that no news is good news since there just isn't anything happening right now. Soon the Democratic National Convention will start and it will be an exciting and hopeful time for many of us. In about 6 months we will have a new administration and maybe then we will see change happen. Until then we will plod along and wait for a better day. 
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Comment #10 posted by Paint with light on August 11, 2008 at 23:20:13 PT

THCNC
Nice logo design.The times they are a'changin', and it feels so good.Equal with alcohol is all I ask.
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on August 11, 2008 at 19:53:26 PT

THCNC get NREL and Ex CiaDir Woolsey on biofuel 
http://www.thcnationalconvention.com/main.htmlhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/23/thread23749.shtml"Hemp is so valuable, the last time I looked, it was many times more than the price of wheat and has industrial uses so substantial," added Woolsey, a self-described conservative Democrat who also serves on the board of the North American Industrial Hemp Council.---------------------------------------------------------------
Dupont has recently joined with a Danish Co, to produce cellulose ethanol --
the joined co is Genencor. Why have we the people not heard of the advances
made four years ago from Fed. joint effort with Genencor-- all the public is
being told is that corn ethanol is bad --so ethanol is bad-- nothing about
the potential
of bio-refineries or cellulose to ethanol process that has been proved
affordable.
 Please mention the Prohibition of Cannabis. How the plant is 77% cellulose.
 The USA is the only industrialized country on the planet that forbids its farmers from growing the plant,.
 Switch Grass will take 3-4 years to get established in the field with
 Cannabis only months. Switch Grass will yield 1,150 gals of ethanol per acre--so says the NREL in Golden CO.
 how much cellulose is in SwitchGrass compared to Cannabis.Biomass and Solar Technologies Lauded
 http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2004/3404_technologies_lauded.html
 Monday, July 12, 2004Golden, Colo. - Two technologies developed by the U.S. Department of
Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory are among this year's most
significant innovations, as judged by Research & Development (R&D) Magazine.The Laboratory's two R&D 100 Awards for 2004 are for an innovative,
lower-cost method for transforming plant material into the sugars that can
be used to make fuels and chemicals, and a thin-film solar cell that
produces electricity directly from sunlight, which has greater efficiency,
and is lighter weight and more flexible than previous devices.This year's announcement brings to 37 the number of R&D 100 Awards garnered
by NREL."Once again, the technologies developed by our Laboratory's researchers are
being acknowledged for their importance to the nation," said Stan Bull, NREL
associate director for science and technology. "It's particularly gratifying
that the R&D 100 Awards this year include two NREL technologies that can
enhance our nation's energy security and reduce our reliance on foreign
sources of oil."The Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Biomass Cellulose to Sugars technology is
expected to allow a wide range of biomass resources to be used to produce
energy and chemicals. It is an important step toward realizing the potential
of bio-refineries-in which plant and waste materials are used to produce an
array of fuels and chemicals, analogous to an oil refinery today.Through this technology, the cost of converting cellulosic biomass into
usable sugars can be reduced by more than 20 times per gallon of ethanol
produced.The award is shared by NREL, Genencor International and Novozymes Biotech,
Inc. NREL researchers who worked on this project included Michael Himmel,
Jim McMillan, Dan Schell, Jody Farmer, Nancy Dowe and Rafael Nieves.Also recognized for 2004 are light and flexible thin-film copper indium
gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic modules, which can be manufactured in
various sizes and have a compact, foldable design that allows for easy
deployment, transport and storage.As a result, the modules have twice the power-to-weight ratio, and three
times the power-to-size ratio as competing products. Because of this, they
are especially suited for military applications, portable power for consumer
and public use, boating and other marine applications and building-related
uses, such as for bus shelters and in PV-integrated roofing.The award is shared by NREL, Global Solar Energy and ITN Energy Systems.
NREL researchers who worked on this project included Harin Ullal, Ken
Zweibel and Bolko von Roedern.NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable
energy research and development and a leading laboratory for energy
efficiency R&D. NREL is operated for DOE by Midwest Research Institute and
Battelle.
For further information contact NREL Public Affairs at (303) 275-4090.NR-3404
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 11, 2008 at 19:27:44 PT

Storm Crow 
I hope we see an end to this.
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Comment #7 posted by Storm Crow on August 11, 2008 at 17:35:20 PT

Respected teacher/ ecologist...busted
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,3922004.storyCommunity in shock over Harford man's drug charges
Ecologist, decades-long teacher revered by residentsBy Kevin RectorSun reporterAugust 10, 2008For many, Bob Chance has been the face of ecology in Harford County.He taught earth science during a three-decade run in the public schools - and was named to the school system's Hall of Fame. He promoted recycling long before the government got involved. He wrote a nature column for the local paper, won election to public office, and showed countless youngsters the wonders of the great outdoors as Ranger Bob.And now he is, at 62, a defendant in a drug case.Authorities say he has been growing marijuana at the farm where he raises and sells Christmas trees. And they say they found enough of the drug, either in plant form or packaged in freezers, to roll thousands of joints - so they are taking steps to seize his farm.Some who know Chance think that's going too far. He is an "old hippie," but is no drug dealer, said Terence O. Hanley, a Bel Air town commissioner and former mayor who has known him for 30 years."Everybody, quite frankly, that I have run into thinks it's absurd that he's being charged with the intent to distribute," Hanley said. "Here's a guy who has really done a lot of great things for our town, our community, our kids. I'm shocked that he's in this predicament, and I only wish the best for him. I would hate to see this man lose his farm." (snipped)

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 11, 2008 at 15:39:26 PT

herbdoc215
It's good to see you. Are you a Dad? If so that's nice to learn. I know I am holding my breath over the coming election. I don't think I'll be able to totally relax until it's over in November. Then we'll have to wait until January. That will seem like a long time. 
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Comment #5 posted by herbdoc215 on August 11, 2008 at 15:16:47 PT

 Anybody on here coming up for Hempfest?
I am going to be there for both days working at the November Coalition booth...if anybody gets up this way stop by and visit! I'm looking forward to this, and as it's my sons first 'festival' out here in the west he is stoked as hell ;) 
While Washington isn't always in the news like Cali, there are quite a few patients here and many people trying to meet their needs under some bs regulations but the community spirit is very tight here and folks pretty much stick together vs the cut-throat nature of down south makes this an island of refuge in a stormy world...the worst atrocities of most every war seems to come in the closing days and the feds in Cali are showing they are not above beating a dead horse, I'm just shocked that so many patients are standing by and watching the people whom have provided their medicine dragged away to the federal gulag by 'star chamber' proceedings...
 It seems as if the entire world is holding it's breath waiting on this election, so many hopes upon the back of one man, I just pray he has the strength to sustain his sanity through all this....come whatever, as he certainly has stepped into a tornado.
peace, steve
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 11, 2008 at 12:18:20 PT

Huffington Post Article
The only thing I would like Obama to answer is about marijuana laws and hopefully the question might come up in one of the debates McCain and Obama will have. If not at a debate maybe at a college event like they have had on MSNBC.
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Comment #3 posted by mykeyb420 on August 11, 2008 at 12:02:07 PT

OT,,hayes and mac deaths
Does anyone else think it's sooo ironic that Bernie Mac, Issac Hayes, AND Sam L Jackson are all in an upcoming movie,,and Mac, and Hayes died,,and Jackson almost dies ALL within a week???
 That is tooooo spooky. what are the odds?? it is weird,,but usually deaths come in 3's but the common denominator is the movie " Soul Men "
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Comment #2 posted by paul armentano on August 11, 2008 at 11:59:23 PT

Excellent Johann Hari essay on Huff Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/what-will-the-candidates_b_118045.htmlWhat Will the Candidates Do to End the Unwinnable War on Drugs?"Before this campaign is out, Obama needs to be asked: do you really think you should be in jail? McCain needs to be asked: do you really think your wife should be in jail? Both need to be asked: do you really think 46 percent of Americans should be criminalized? And if not, what are you going to do to begin ending this mad, unwinnable 'war on drugs'?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/what-will-the-candidates_b_118045.html
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Comment #1 posted by ChristenMitchell on August 11, 2008 at 08:10:12 PT:

The Hemp Cannabis National Convention
A day of Conferences followed by an evening of entertainment. This and Saturday's DRUG PEACE MARCH, what a perfect start to the Demockratic National Convention Week. 
THC National Convention
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