cannabisnews.com: When The Neighborhood Goes To Pot





When The Neighborhood Goes To Pot
Posted by CN Staff on July 06, 2008 at 13:05:09 PT
Editorial
Source: Mail Tribune
Oregon -- By all appearances, Stephen Vinzant is growing marijuana legally at his Phoenix home: He's got a state-issued medical marijuana card. His garden is no larger than the size Oregon allows under the program.The fly in this particular ointment is his next-door neighbor, who runs a counseling service and whose patients recovering from drug abuse have noticed the crop across the fence. The woman who runs the service will ask the Phoenix City Council this week to make Vinzant get rid of the garden, arguing that her service is a school and that drugs like marijuana aren't allowed near a school.
Can you say "can of worms"?The first problem here is that Vinzant doesn't appear to be breaking a law. Providing his card is valid, Oregon allows him to raise six mature plants and 18 seedlings per patient. He's got twice that but grows for his own use and for his mother, who also has a marijuana card, he says.Counseling service owner Keziah Hinchen plans to appeal to the council on the basis of an Oregon law that prohibits drug dealing within 1,000 feet of a school. But even if the center is a school — and it seems far from clear that it is — that law doesn't apply to people growing medical marijuana. It's illegal for growers to sell marijuana regardless of where they live.Vinzant has not been accused of selling anything. He hasn't done so much as wave a marijuana leaf in anybody's face. The problem is that Hinchen doesn't want her patients to have to see or smell the crop.But forbidding a medical marijuana patch near a recovery center would be like prohibiting a liquor store next to a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous or a doughnut shop next to a weight-loss center. No law can save people from temptation.That said, we also see this as yet another example of why Oregon should clean up the disarray of the medical marijuana law.Today, marijuana is illegal but Oregonians can get access to a card for just about any ailment, not just those helped by smoking the drug. If your doctor diagnoses "severe pain," you're eligible.The system adds to the shadiness of the deal by requiring valid patients to skirt the edges of legality to get the drug. They can grow marijuana and they can smoke it, but they can't go out and buy it. If they can't grow their own, they have to find someone to grow it for them, but no money can change hands. Police are suspicious of growers and often have had reason to be.These kinds of clouds hanging over medical marijuana lead to issues like the one in Phoenix. It's time the state Legislature takes on this ambiguous mess and tries to clean it up.In the meantime, the best move for the Phoenix council is to stay out of what amounts to a disagreement between neighbors.Note: Medical marijuana rules need work, but Phoenix grower isn't breaking the law.Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)Published: July 06, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Mail TribuneContact: letters mailtribune.comWebsite: http://www.mailtribune.com/Related Article:Divided By Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24055.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on July 09, 2008 at 06:44:00 PT
News Article From Salem-News.com
New Law Would Legalize Marijuana in Oregon July 9, 2008URL: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july092008/new_po-t_law_7-9-08.php
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Comment #14 posted by museman on July 07, 2008 at 14:51:25 PT
OCTA
Ain't gettin' my signature.I don't want those bankers and merchants controlling my access to medicine, it's already bad enough with the rest of the capitalistic rich-get-richer schemes going on globally. Legalization means I can grow it in my back yard, share it with whomever I want, and if I want to trade for food, or whatever, I surely don't want the fed cutting in to get financing for more attacks on children at rainbow gatherings, ot middle-eastern wars. I don't want my herb taxed. Taxation without representation.This is not a worthy compromise, with the mislabeled claim of 'legalization.' This is greed trying to cash in on the inevitable changes coming.I will campaign against it unless I can be convinced that 'the general fund' which now funds cops instead of libraries, cop accessories and the newest armament instead of music programs in schools, and cop cars instead of healthy food for the school lunches, is going to used for people instead of being thrown to the slavering dogs of the power elite, as it currently is.Thumbs down on this one.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 07, 2008 at 11:18:29 PT
OR: Supporters of Legal Pot Kick Off Campaign
Supporters of Legal Pot Kick Off Campaign To Sell Marijuana in Stores Monday, July 7, 2008By kgw.com Staff PORTLAND, Ore. – Supporters of marijuana legalization kicked off a signature campaign Monday which proposes redirecting money into Oregon’s general fund by allowing marijuana to be sold in retail stores.The initiative petition is called the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2010.OCTA proposes to redirect millions of dollars annually into Oregon's general fund through the sale of marijuana to adults over 21 years of age.The OLCC would be tasked with managing the program, which would license approved individuals to cultivate the product for sale. A portion of the marijuana grown would also be directed to registered cardholders in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, supporters said.A portion of the taxes collected would go to drug treatment.In addition, the initiative would permit cultivation of industrial hemp, which could quickly become Oregon's largest cash crop, according to supporters.Supporters estimate that revenue generated by state-controlled cannabis sales could easily reach $300 million annually. In addition, tourism and related activities would generate at least $50 million annually, they estimate.Campaign organizers plan to gather a minimum of 82,769 valid signatures by the deadline of 5 p.m. on July 2, 2010. If the measure is certified by the Secretary of State, it will be presented to Oregonians for a vote in November of 2010.Copyright: 2008 KGW-TVhttp://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_070708_news_marijuana_legalization_petition_.3147b82d.html
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Comment #12 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 07, 2008 at 07:22:12 PT
Manifestations of Prohibition
Can you say Frivolous Lawsuit? I would file a counter lawsuit alledging pedofile activity. Young boys are seen entering and exiting his home at odd times. Some times teenagers leave with hurt and sullen looks, etc. File the lawsuit and let the investigations begin against this jerk off.This "counselor" is an anti-marijuana fanatic to say the least. A counseling service is not a school and, by the way, does this guy even have a permit to operate a business out of his home. C,mon, let's get this guy! Show him what it's like to be put under the microscope for bullsh!t!
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Comment #11 posted by BGreen on July 06, 2008 at 23:03:09 PT
Having worked in journalism
Yes, BGreen used to freelance write for magazines and a fairly large newspaper.In my experience, headlines were either written by editors, or by a person hired especially for that job based on their ability to write clever puns instead of quality headlines.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #10 posted by observer on July 06, 2008 at 22:29:13 PT
re: Wow, what an original thinker
John Wayne is right on the money. When you're bored, you can look up similar "original" (in reality well-hackneyed) puns used ad nauseam using mapinc.org's thoughtful power search. Searching for "to pot" in the title (no quotes, and as a phrase) for the years 2003-2008 (for example) yields a pile of such puns.  http://drugsense.org/url/zvNsG8ZZ There's just something charming, magical and intensely humorous about making light of the jailing and persecution of cannabis smokers. Those crazy newspaper editors can be such zany guys and gals when it comes to joking about the government shoving a weapon (or three or twenty) in your face and shouting, "GET ON THE FLOOR MOTHERF***ER THIS IS THE POLICE!" before they arrest and jail you and maybe shoot you anyway, simply for using or growing or selling the cannabis plant. Those silly people! Tee hee hee! 
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on July 06, 2008 at 21:07:43 PT
cant we all just get along
LEAP on the Hill Stories from the week of July 4, 2008 Too hot to handle: Every first Wednesday of the month I have breakfast at the Leadership Institute which features prominent* conservative speakers.  Mass transit* failed me & I arrived late to a packed room of 100.  Nonetheless, the speaker, Grover Nordquist (author of Leave Us Alone) noted conservative thinker called on the ‘guy with the good looking hat.’  ‘Reference leave us alone, some 30 million people would like the government to leave them alone, the most famous of whom is Mr. Willie Nelson who smokes marijuana on his back porch. I am referring of course to people who use drugs other than alcohol, tobacco, Prozac and valium. Why do so many conservatives support the War on Drugs/Modern Prohibition which is a liberal policy? When will conservatives wake up and reject this nanny-state* liberal policy of sending police into private homes to arrest otherwise law-abiding* citizens?’ I asked. The speaker paused and replied something like, ‘That is a good question and reminds of the Gordian knot.* Can we talk after the program?’ Me thinks the lad* did not want to reduce his book sales by answering the question. We DID chat afterwards for 15 minutes. He has invited me to speak to his weekly, conservative round-table group. This guy has influence.  This is a medium step on the road to ending modern prohibition. I am thrilled.
http://leap.cc
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Comment #8 posted by ekim on July 06, 2008 at 20:47:51 PT
anyone hear about this debate
just watched C-Span on road to the whitehouse.Mr Nader was interviewed. Said Sen Webb would be good running mate for the Dems.Mr Nader was looking forward to the Goggle debat that will be carried on youtube.
i think he said in St Louis. Comon on Sen Obama join Mr Nader on the Goggle Presidental De[bate
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on July 06, 2008 at 20:16:37 PT
Observer comment 5
Sounds like a Lovely neighborhood to me, too.
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Comment #6 posted by john wayne on July 06, 2008 at 19:46:14 PT
Wow, what an original thinker
He actually worked the phrase "goes to pot" into his article's headline. Now, what kind of mental gymnastics are required to come up with such an original phrasing? What next, will we see articles with the phrase "up in smoke" worked into their headlines? I quiver with an.....ticipation!
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Comment #5 posted by observer on July 06, 2008 at 19:38:46 PT
When The Neighborhood Goes To Pot
When The Neighborhood Goes To PotWell, um ... ok, THAT's the kind of neighborhood I want around me, then. A nice, pot-friendly neighborhood. Where people do smile, and there's a community spirit. A pot-friendly neighborhood is where I want to be. Had my fill of the fascist Stasi-type rat-on-your-neighbor-for-smoking-pot neighborhoods. I like the live and let live neighborhoods. May more neighborhoods go to pot, in a good way. When the neighborhood goes to pot, move there and support your neighbors. A pot-friendly neighbor is a good neighbor. 
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on July 06, 2008 at 17:54:33 PT
this article
interesting that they apparently mock people that are in severe pain that want to use cannabis. Shows you the character of the writer, that is a cruel joke. Reminds me of Barbara Bush chortling at the thought of how much the New Orleans poor folk must be enjoying living in a football stadium.The recovering addicts see drugs and alcohol every time they go by a Walgreens or liquor store.
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Comment #3 posted by museman on July 06, 2008 at 14:55:24 PT
JohnTyler
Actually started downloading the demo a minute ago LOL! Answered on other thread.Thanx again
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Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on July 06, 2008 at 14:52:59 PT
OT for museman
Here the link to Sound Spectrum’s web site http://www.soundspectrum.com/ 
They have 3 types, G-Force, Whitecaps, and Softskies. They have a free download demo for each. Each one has a two level price, $20 for the first level and $30 for the top level. I have searched the Web, and this is the only thing I have seen that fills the bill. It plays through your Windows XP Media Player (ver 9 and above I think) so you can watch it on your PC monitor, or run it through a data projector on a big screen. I assume it would work also on those big screens that fancy bars have like Toad’s Place. http://www.toadsplace.com/home.htmhttp://www.toadsplace.com/home.htmhttp://www.toadsplace.com/home.htm It looks great. Journey uses this software for their shows see the link http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=109406http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=109406 There is commercial package available for big time bands, but I haven’t explored that yet. I’m still working on getting a show going for a bar band. You can beg, borrow or rent the equipment needed. If you have techie friends big offices they always have excess hardware that might be suitable for borrowing. Good Luck. You can also google visualization also, that is how I found it.
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Comment #1 posted by museman on July 06, 2008 at 13:39:35 PT
neighbors in Oregon
If your neighbor smokes pot, the county and city officials perk up their interest and raise an army of opposition, but if your neighbor does meth, they tell you "We'll look into it."Even as wonderful as Oregon is, public officials here (like everywhere) have their heads so far up the cavern of their anuses that they'll likely never see the light of day again.Phoenix is right next to Ashland- considered one of the most liberal cities in Oregon, but there, as in other parts of the state there are these pockets of die-hard born-again haters (republicans) who just won't realize that their day is done.Sometime after November things are going to start looking up.
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