cannabisnews.com: Will Mendocino Become Napa Valley of Marijuana?
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Will Mendocino Become Napa Valley of Marijuana?
Posted by CN Staff on October 08, 2010 at 07:40:48 PT
By Laura Bly, USA Today
Source: USA Today 
Mendocino, Calif. -- Swap the Dungeness crab cakes and peasant skirts for lobster rolls and L.L. Bean khakis, and this snug seaside hamlet a few hours north of San Francisco could be a dead ringer for a New England village. (It was a stand-in for Cabot Cove, Maine, in the long-running TV series Murder She Wrote.)But if California voters approve a controversial ballot proposition in November to tax and legalize marijuana for recreational use — and it's ahead in several polls — some local growers say Mendocino, pop. 900, might become better known as the tourist capital of a "Napa Valley of cannabis."
The notion of opening marijuana-tasting rooms, meet-the-grower tours and ganja-friendly "bud and breakfasts" in Northern California's pot-farming "Emerald Triangle" is like "tearing down the Berlin Wall. It's not going to happen overnight," says Matthew Cohen of MendoGrown. His 12-member association promotes a "sustainably grown medical cannabis industry" in the county, where legal and illicit pot — sanctioned for medical use by California residents since 1996 — fuels an estimated half to two-thirds of an economy once anchored by fishing and timber.Still, he says, passage of Proposition 19 would mobilize entrepreneurs and help jump-start a sluggish tourism industry by putting "Mendocino County on the map as a vision of what cannabis country could look like. The vibration is already here, and if you love (marijuana) enough to smoke it in a coffeehouse, why wouldn't you want to come out and enjoy it at the source?"Efforts to prevent legalization "are like trying to put your finger in a 100-foot wave," adds longtime resident Tim Blake. Host of an annual Emerald Cup cannabis competition that drew 100 entries last year, the medical marijuana producer wants to turn Area 101, his 150-acre "spiritual and retreat center" near Laytonville, into a springboard for hemp burgers and public hayrides through his heavily guarded (and legal) collection of OG Kush and Sour Diesel plants.  'Entering Uncharted Territory'  Hemp shakes and cannabisseries? They're pipe dreams, counter many Mendocino tourism promoters, law officials and business owners.While 14 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana use in some form, California's groundbreaking Prop 19 would authorize any adult 21 and older to possess, share or transport up to 1 ounce regardless of jurisdiction, and let each city and county decide whether to approve and tax commercial sales.Proponents say legalization would weaken criminal activity by Mexican drug cartels and funnel as much as $1.4 billion a year into the state's dangerously depleted coffers. Snipped   Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/baxOJjvfSource: USA Today (US) Author: Laura Bly, USA TodayPublished: October 7, 2010Copyright: 2010 USA Today, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Contact: editor usatoday.comWebsite: http://www.usatoday.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on October 08, 2010 at 20:15:25 PT
From FoM's post,
"Calderon told AP that legalizing marijuana in California would send a troubling message."Saddam Hussein killed His citizens.Calderon is doing the same by perpetuating cannabis prohibition. Is the "troubling message, that He is responsible for the murder of Mexicans?-0-Poor Mexicans easy scapegoats in vicious drug warBy Julian CardonaCIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - The 24-year-old Mexican says he was smoking a joint on a street corner when soldiers hauled him off and accused him of being one more drug smuggler terrorizing the border city of Ciudad Juarez.Now serving a five-year sentence in a Mexican prison, the man, who by law cannot reveal his name, maintains soldiers set him up to look like a big-time trafficker by planting 29 pounds (13 kg) of marijuana on him after his arrest in January.Residents in Ciudad Juarez, the epicentre of Mexico's bloody drug war, say authorities are going after small offenders and innocent people such as poor workers even as they allow powerful drug lords to operate with impunity.President Felipe Calderon is under pressure to show results in his offensive against traffickers in Ciudad Juarez where he has deployed more than 7,500 soldiers and police, making the crackdown a central part of his war on drug cartels.But rights groups say corrupt or ineffective police and soldiers have rounded up hundreds of drug addicts and ordinary people in the manufacturing city across from El Paso, Texas without making major drug busts or arresting top capos.More than 450 federal police held a public protest in August to accuse their superiors of forcing them to run extortion rackets and carry out illegal raids.The army has seized just 75 pounds (34 kg) of cocaine this year in the city, a top smuggling point in a country where the United Nations estimates drug gangs send an estimated 140 tonnes of cocaine to the United States each year.No major drug arrests, like the government's August capture of drug lord Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez, have taken place in the area, where top trafficker Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, who runs the powerful Juarez cartel, is at large."For smoking a joint, they sentenced me to five years," the man told Reuters from his cell in Ciudad Juarez, which has become one of the world's most violent places since drug gangs unleashed turf wars in the city in January 2008. Since then, more than 6,700 people have died in the area in drug violence.CONT.http://news.stv.tv/world/201607-poor-mexicans-easy-scapegoats-in-vicious-drug-war/-0-Ending cannabis prohibition and extermination in North America is one of the most important issues of Our time. The GCW
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 08, 2010 at 15:15:06 PT
News From The LA Times Blog
Mexico's President Troubled by California's Marijuana Legalization Ballot MeasureBy Shelby GradOctober 8, 2010Mexican President Felipe Calderon has expressed strong misgivings about the Proposition 19, the California ballot measure that would legalize marijuana in the state.Calderon said in an interview with the Associated Press in Tijuana that legalizing marijuana use in California would create a "terrible inconsistency" in the U.S.' overall drug policy.Prop. 19 would make it legal for anyone 21 or older to possess, share or transport up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use and to grow up to 25 square feet per residence or parcel. Cities and counties would be authorized to regulate and tax commercial marijuana production and sales.Earlier this month the state council of the Service Employees International Union, the largest labor union in California, has endorsed the ballot measure. But many law enforcement groups and mainstream elected officials are opposing it. Recent polls have shown the race to be tight.Calderon told AP that legalizing marijuana in California would send a troubling message."They have exerted pressure and demanded for decades that Mexico and other countries control, reduce and fight drug trafficking, and there is no discernible effort to reduce the consumption of drugs in the United States," he said.URL: http://drugsense.org/url/6Sy0wuJU
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on October 08, 2010 at 14:58:09 PT
New report: U.S. Government Data Demonstrates Fail
New report: U.S. Government Data Demonstrates Failure of Cannabis Prohibitionhttp://www.icsdp.org/http://www.icsdp.org/research/publications.aspxThe International Centre for Science in Drug Policy's latest report demonstrates the clear failure of U.S. marijuana prohibition and supports calls for evidence-based models to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis. The report has already received the support and endorsement of the British Medical Journal, one of the world’s most influential medical journals which has published a commentary in support of the report's findings, and over 60 of the ICSDP's scientific network members from more than 30 countries. CONT.-0--0-CANNABIS CULTURE - A new research report from a leading international scientific body demonstrates the clear failure of U.S. marijuana prohibition and supports calls for evidence-based models to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis. The International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) today released a new research report that demonstrates the clear failure of U.S. marijuana prohibition and supports calls for evidence-based models to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis. The British Medical Journal, one of the world’s most influential medical journals, published a supportive commentary to coincide with the report’s release today.The new report, entitled Tools for debate: U.S. federal government data on cannabis prohibition, uses 20 years of data collected by surveillance systems funded by the U.S. government to highlight the failure of cannabis prohibition in America. The report has deep relevance for California as the state prepares to vote on the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis proposition and, potentially, legalize cannabis.“Data, collected and paid for by the U.S. government, clearly shows that prohibition has not reduced cannabis consumption or supply. Since prohibition is not working, we need new approaches to better address the harms of cannabis use,” says Dr. Evan Wood, founder of the ICSDP. “Scientific evidence clearly shows that regulatory tools have the potential to effectively reduce rates of cannabis-related harm.”Despite dramatically increased law enforcement funding, the U.S. government’s data demonstrates that cannabis prohibition has not resulted in a decrease in cannabis availability or accessibility. According to the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, federal anti-drug expenditures in the U.S. increased 600% from $1.5 billion in 1981 to over $18 billion in 2002. However, CONT.http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/10/07/New-Report-US-Government-Data-Demonstrates-Failure-Cannabis-Prohibition-International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) is an international network of scientists, academics, and health practitioners who have come together in an effort to ensure illicit drug policies are informed with the best available scientific evidence. The ICSDP aims to be a primary source for rigorous scientific evidence on illicit drug policy in order to benefit policymakers, law enforcement, and affected communities. To this end, the ICSDP conducts original scientific research in the form of systematic reviews, evidence-based drug policy guidelines, and research collaborations with leading scientists and institutions across diverse continents and disciplines.
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Comment #2 posted by Had Enough on October 08, 2010 at 08:26:32 PT
Link Repair for #1
This is the proper link for the bike fest.Cotee River Bike Festhttp://www.coteeriverbikefest.com/
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Comment #1 posted by Had Enough on October 08, 2010 at 08:17:05 PT
Cotee River Bike Fest
Cotee River Bike FestPeople United for Medical Marijuana – Florida (PUFMM)   Cotee River Bike Fest Oct. 8-10th, 2010 in New Port RicheyLocation: Sims Park http://www.meetup.com/PUFMM-Tampa/venue/915245/?eventId=15034677&popup=trueDowntown Main St.New Port Richey, FL 34652Friday, October 8 at 5:00pm - ?Saturday, October 9, ? - ?Sunday, October 10, ? - 4:00 PMWe have a booth inside this event for the weekend, and have some parking arranged for our volunteers.Call or email to volunteers for time slots - we want our booth manned as many hours of this event as our volunteers can cover. Been wanting to help the movement? This is the time to make it happenWe need everyone we can turn out for this event to help gather signatures!People United for Medical Marijuana 
Florida's 2012 Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative 
www.Pufmm.orgPlease call us at 904-29-PUFMM (904-297-8366) or email us at info pufmm.org.Please visit : http://www.coteeriver...http://www.meetup.com/PUFMM-Tampa/calendar/15034677/****http://www.pufmm.org/http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127343055695#!/group.php?gid=127343055695&v=wall
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