One thing voters may notice in Oregon’s Voters’ Guide this election is that some big names are supporting Measure 74, a measure that would green-light state-sanctioned medical marijuana dispensaries.
Turn on your radio Monday and you might hear a new ad with the voice of former Portland mayor and police chief, Tom Potter, supporting the measure.
“But I do support Measure 74,” he says in the ad. “It regulates medical marijuana. That change is overdue. Since medical marijuana is legal, we need to regulate it.”
The measure would allow patients like Troy Torgerson to buy pot and no longer depend on a personal grower or other patients with extra medical marijuana.
“I’m in a lot of pain, so the medicine does help a lot,” he says.
“Too many patients do not have access to medical cannabis,” says Anthony Johnson, co-author of Measure 74. “Patients that are homebound, seriously ill - a patient who gets diagnosed with cancer and must undergo chemotherapy shouldn’t have to wait three months for harvest or have to turn to the black market.”
Opponents to the measure say the measure is an attempt to legalize pot and will open more people up to drug addiction.
The Oregon Medical Association, which represents doctors, urges people to vote no, writing, it “exceeds the needs of unhealthy Oregonians and is beyond the practice of good medicine.” It will “result in the legalization of marijuana beyond any possible medical market under the medically unsubstantiated guise of medical need.”
The three major law enforcement associations - the Oregon District Attorneys Association, the Oregon Sheriff’s Association and the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police – all oppose Measure 74.
“We’re at a crossroads of taking this drug to basically legality,” says the sheriff of Clatsop County, Tom Bergin, who’s one of the most outspoken opponents of Measure 74.
“And when you legalize something like this (availability) it means more abuse,” he says.
“If Measure 74 works effectively like we believe it does, it may very well help lead to legalization in the future,” says Johnson, “but that’s a debate for another time and Measure 74 should be debated on its own merits.”
There are more than 36,000 people enrolled in Oregon’s medical marijuana program which is about one percent of all Oregonians. California, New Mexico and Maine already have dispensaries.
- Article from KATU News.
Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marijuana. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Denver City Council Eliminates Private Cannabis Caregivers Within City Limits
In a vote Monday night of 12-1 Council members adopted a measure to limit households within the city to just twelve plants total, and only two patients per home who must also live in the household.
Despite a new State law and regulation under HB 1284 allowing for up to 30 plants with a five patient limit per private caregiver, Denver City Council members saw fit to tighten those regulations more within Denver.
The law effectively eliminates private caregivers from growing cannabis for anyone but themselves and another person in the household. Each of the possible two patients per home are allowed six plants a piece and cannot caregive for anyone outside the home. Violations of the regulation would face tough fines and possible prosecution if inspections of a home revealed gross violations or lack of continued compliance. It’s not clear how the law will be enforced.
Most of the almost two hour public comment hearing was spent with council members commenting on their personal beliefs why the measure was proper to implement.
Councilman Charlie Brown commented, saying “..if Medical marijuana people (proponents) had cooperated would we be here (making this legislation)?”
Another Councilwoman commented to citizens in the hearing that had voiced concerns of foot traffic in and out of caregivers homes near them asking them, “Do these people look like they have a debilitating illness?”.
Patients complained in and out of the hearing that not everyone has the ability to grow cannabis and the rules would limit access to those who need the more personalized services a private caregiver could offer.
New patients under ongoing formation of HB 1284 regulations are not allowed to visit medical marijuana centers within 35 days of obtaining a signed recommendation. The rule stems from wording in Colorado Amendment 20 that allows the State Health Department to reject a medical MJ application within 35 days of recommendation. Private caregivers would be the ones to fill the void of time in which patients would be rejected by medical marijuana centers.
During the hearing Denver City Council also heard from a few residents for the strict regulation and one man who stated his neighbor was growing over 60 plants and with a new born child on the way he didn’t feel his safety or his new born child’s safety were secured with having a “large” cannabis operation next door. Council members used a few small situations like this throughout their comments as reasons why the law needed to be supported.
The Denver City Council also adopted wording as part of the law that will make them revisit the regulation in two years to see if the rules are working with the city and its neighborhoods.
The new Denver regulation could face a tough challenge in court though. Boulder, Colorado resident and Medical Marijuana patient Jason Lauve was acquitted last year of felony possession charges in a jury trial, despite the fact he had 35 ounces or 17 times the amount of suggested medical marijuana listed for personal use in Colorado’s Amendment 20. Lauve was injured in an accident in 2004 at Eldora Ski Resort and says he mixes smoking and using concentrates daily to control pain better than any pain management tool he has come across. His case is important because part of Colorado’s Medical Marijuana law allows patients in court to use an “affirmative defense”, allowing themselves and their doctors the decision on an appropriate amount of cannabis to posses in managing care, also allowing more than the suggested 2 ounces and 6 plants listed in Amendment 20. Jason Lauve’s acquittal reaffirmed this right in court.
The Denver City Council addressed the issue of Court challenge and constitutionality with its city attorney stating courts recently have decided on the side of regulation and have not favored medical marijuana advocates, and the city should feel confident in litigating any issues that rise from the new law.
9 people testified at the public comment Hearing. 5 against the regulation, and 4 in favor of it.
- This article also published at John Doe Radio.
Despite a new State law and regulation under HB 1284 allowing for up to 30 plants with a five patient limit per private caregiver, Denver City Council members saw fit to tighten those regulations more within Denver.
The law effectively eliminates private caregivers from growing cannabis for anyone but themselves and another person in the household. Each of the possible two patients per home are allowed six plants a piece and cannot caregive for anyone outside the home. Violations of the regulation would face tough fines and possible prosecution if inspections of a home revealed gross violations or lack of continued compliance. It’s not clear how the law will be enforced.
Most of the almost two hour public comment hearing was spent with council members commenting on their personal beliefs why the measure was proper to implement.
Councilman Charlie Brown commented, saying “..if Medical marijuana people (proponents) had cooperated would we be here (making this legislation)?”
Another Councilwoman commented to citizens in the hearing that had voiced concerns of foot traffic in and out of caregivers homes near them asking them, “Do these people look like they have a debilitating illness?”.
Patients complained in and out of the hearing that not everyone has the ability to grow cannabis and the rules would limit access to those who need the more personalized services a private caregiver could offer.
New patients under ongoing formation of HB 1284 regulations are not allowed to visit medical marijuana centers within 35 days of obtaining a signed recommendation. The rule stems from wording in Colorado Amendment 20 that allows the State Health Department to reject a medical MJ application within 35 days of recommendation. Private caregivers would be the ones to fill the void of time in which patients would be rejected by medical marijuana centers.
During the hearing Denver City Council also heard from a few residents for the strict regulation and one man who stated his neighbor was growing over 60 plants and with a new born child on the way he didn’t feel his safety or his new born child’s safety were secured with having a “large” cannabis operation next door. Council members used a few small situations like this throughout their comments as reasons why the law needed to be supported.
The Denver City Council also adopted wording as part of the law that will make them revisit the regulation in two years to see if the rules are working with the city and its neighborhoods.
The new Denver regulation could face a tough challenge in court though. Boulder, Colorado resident and Medical Marijuana patient Jason Lauve was acquitted last year of felony possession charges in a jury trial, despite the fact he had 35 ounces or 17 times the amount of suggested medical marijuana listed for personal use in Colorado’s Amendment 20. Lauve was injured in an accident in 2004 at Eldora Ski Resort and says he mixes smoking and using concentrates daily to control pain better than any pain management tool he has come across. His case is important because part of Colorado’s Medical Marijuana law allows patients in court to use an “affirmative defense”, allowing themselves and their doctors the decision on an appropriate amount of cannabis to posses in managing care, also allowing more than the suggested 2 ounces and 6 plants listed in Amendment 20. Jason Lauve’s acquittal reaffirmed this right in court.
The Denver City Council addressed the issue of Court challenge and constitutionality with its city attorney stating courts recently have decided on the side of regulation and have not favored medical marijuana advocates, and the city should feel confident in litigating any issues that rise from the new law.
9 people testified at the public comment Hearing. 5 against the regulation, and 4 in favor of it.
- This article also published at John Doe Radio.
YouTube Censors Pro Prop 19 Political Campaign (w/ Video)
Last week, comedian Steve Berke launched an online political campaign in support of Proposition 19 in California with the recent release of his latest music video, "Should Be Legalized", a political commentary on Eminem's music video "Love The Way You Lie." The campaign, supported by NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws) was generating huge internet buzz, and had amassed 108,000 views within 2 days, when YouTube flagged it for being offensive, thus requiring users to login to view the video, killing the video's chance at becoming viral. "We were on pace to reach 1 million views within a week, and our video was rallying supporters of Prop 19 and decriminalization in every state that had it on the ballot. Then YouTube flagged us for being offensive and killed any chance we had at reaching our potential audience. Their censorship of this video is similar to the Internet censorship that takes place in repressive countries like North Korea and China." YouTube failed to give any reason to Berke for flagging the video and it is presently inaccessible to the vast majority of worldwide. “The flagging system does not have a system of recourse and re-review,” stated Berke. Fort Lauderdale attorney Norm Kent, on the Board of Directors at NORML, is among those who are outraged. "We will not let YouTube squash a vibrant political campaign the week before the historic November 2nd elections. Videos of rapper Snoop Dogg smoking marijuana are not flagged as offensive, but a song that merely names him as a marijuana user is? YouTube is effectively freezing a viral political movement as it gains momentum in time for a critical vote. They must remove the flag. If they do not, we will pursue the matter further until they do.” NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre adds, "YouTube’s building a wall around Steve Berke’s video makes no sense in light of dozens of other videos that depict normal cannabis use. YouTube, whether it means to or not, is stifling legitimate political discourse regarding an important initiative vote in California next week that seeks to legalize and tax cannabis.” "I just don't understand it," said Berke. "People smoking marijuana in videos on YouTube go unflagged, but our video, that involves actors merely pretending to smoke marijuana as political satire, is flagged immediately." “In Eminem’s video, alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, sexual assault, arson and murder are all prevalent and the video is not censored in any way. In fact, YouTube runs ads against it, not only profiting off the video, but also making it viewable to all ages at all times,” Berke added. The link to Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie" is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&ob=av3e The link to Berke's "Should Be Legalized" is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdIYVWA0dr0 - Article from SFGN. | |
Prop 19 Down in Two New Polls
Two polls released Tuesday show Proposition 19, the California tax and regulate marijuana legalization initiative, in trouble.
Whether Tuesday's million dollar gift to the campaign by financier George Soros can make a difference in the final days, or whether a postulated "Reverse Bradley Effect" is causing support for the initiative to be unreported in polls conducted by live interviewers, will be seen next Tuesday.
The latest poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows declining support for Proposition 19, California's tax and regulate marijuana legalization initiative. That poll has the measure losing, with 48% opposed and only 45% in favor.
A PPP poll in July had Prop 19 winning 52% to 36% and a PPP poll in September had it leading 47% to 38%. Tuesday's poll continues the downward trend line.
A new Suffolk University poll also has Prop 19 losing, 55% to 40%. That poll showed majority support for the measure only among voters under 35, 58% of whom said they would vote for it. All other age groups opposed it. The poll also showed Prop 19 losing even in the San Francisco Bay area, with support there at only 44%.
The Suffolk University poll was a statewide poll of 600 likely voters conducted by live telephone interviews and has a 4% margin of error. Prop 19 has fared significantly better in automated polls, leading some observers to suggest that respondents are less likely to respond honestly about supporting marijuana legalization in polls with live polltakers.
The Prop 19 campaign recently released its own internal poll, which showed the measure passing 56% to 41% when people were robo-polled and leading 48% to 45% when automated and live poll data were combined.
Stay tuned. There will be at least two more polls released before election day, one by PPP and one by the Field Poll. But the only poll that counts is the one voters head to in a week.
- Article from StoptheDrugWar.org.
Whether Tuesday's million dollar gift to the campaign by financier George Soros can make a difference in the final days, or whether a postulated "Reverse Bradley Effect" is causing support for the initiative to be unreported in polls conducted by live interviewers, will be seen next Tuesday.
The latest poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows declining support for Proposition 19, California's tax and regulate marijuana legalization initiative. That poll has the measure losing, with 48% opposed and only 45% in favor.
A PPP poll in July had Prop 19 winning 52% to 36% and a PPP poll in September had it leading 47% to 38%. Tuesday's poll continues the downward trend line.
A new Suffolk University poll also has Prop 19 losing, 55% to 40%. That poll showed majority support for the measure only among voters under 35, 58% of whom said they would vote for it. All other age groups opposed it. The poll also showed Prop 19 losing even in the San Francisco Bay area, with support there at only 44%.
The Suffolk University poll was a statewide poll of 600 likely voters conducted by live telephone interviews and has a 4% margin of error. Prop 19 has fared significantly better in automated polls, leading some observers to suggest that respondents are less likely to respond honestly about supporting marijuana legalization in polls with live polltakers.
The Prop 19 campaign recently released its own internal poll, which showed the measure passing 56% to 41% when people were robo-polled and leading 48% to 45% when automated and live poll data were combined.
Stay tuned. There will be at least two more polls released before election day, one by PPP and one by the Field Poll. But the only poll that counts is the one voters head to in a week.
- Article from StoptheDrugWar.org.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Mexico: US Wavers in Drug War With California Pot Vote
President Felipe Calderon said Thursday that a California ballot measure to legalize marijuana represents hypocrisy in U.S. drug policy for encouraging consumption while at the same time demanding that Mexico and other countries crack down on drug trafficking.
"For me, it reflects a terrible inconsistency in government policies in the United States," the Mexican leader said late Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.
California voters will decide on Nov. 2 whether to allow possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana. Proposition 19 would also clear the way for local governments to permit retail sales of pot.
Calderon said he was certain that legalizing marijuana will lead to an increase in drug consumption.
"It's very sad to see how drug consumption is, little by little, tearing apart American society and, if we don't watch ourselves, it will tear apart ours," the president said.
Calderon spoke as Tijuana opened a two–week festival to showcase the city's economic prowess and cultural riches — a $5 million victory that portraying the city across from San Diego as a beacon of hope in the Mexican government's war on drug traffickers that Calderon launched in 2006. He sent troops to restore order in Tijuana in early 2007, one of the first cities in Mexico to have the military lead the battle against organized crime.
Gone is the "pozolero" who dissolved bodies in vats of lye, gunbattles in front of hospitals and day care centers and mutilated bodies dumped near school yards. Tijuana now wants to be known for making televisions and heart valves and putting on art fairs and a street opera festival.
"Until a short time ago, Tijuana had an image tied primarily, almost exclusively, to criminality," Calderon told about 2,000 invited guests earlier Thursday during the festival's opening ceremony. "Tired of being stigmatized, Tijuana has decided to show its true side."
As Calderon introduced a long line of dignitaries on stage, the crowd rose for a 45–second standing ovation when he named Gen. Alfonso Duarte, the top army officer in Tijuana who has led the city's assault on crime.
Calderon said Tijuana continues to suffer from crime but that its problems are no different than other cities in the world — a view echoed by the city's politicians and business elite.
Tijuana's sense of relief may prove fleeting — violence roared back in the border city of Nuevo Laredo after a lull — and there is no indication that the flow of drugs into the United States has waned.
And while gruesome displays of violence have diminished, killings continue. Tijuana had 597 murders from January through September, up 33 percent from the same period in 2009 but still at a pace below the record 843 deaths in 2008.
Still, Tijuana can rightfully distance itself from drug war hotspots like Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas, that has spun out of control with more than 2,200 murders this year.
"We are the only city in the country that has gone from a state of crisis to a state of control and stability, the only one," Mayor Jorge Ramos said Wednesday at a ceremony to honor Tijuana police.
Tijuana is coming off its most violent spell in its history, marked by shootouts between rival gangs, decapitated bodies dumped near schools and soccer fields and mutilated corpses hung from freeway bridges. The carnage was the product of a showdown between two crime bosses — Fernando "The Engineer" Sanchez Arellano and Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental, a renegade lieutenant who rose through the ranks by dissolving bodies in vats of lye.
Even before Garcia was arrested by Mexican authorities in January, some signs of normalcy had returned. Restaurants got busier. A vibrant nightclub scene emerged near the city's main tourist drag, Avenida Revolucion.
Many credit the Mexican army and the city's public safety chief, Julian Leyzaola, a former army officer who has forced out hundreds of allegedly corrupt police officers and aggressively pursued crime bosses. Both the army and Leyzaola have been dogged by accusations of torturing suspects.
Tourism is still way down from several years ago. The California State University system banned travel to Tijuana for its programs in March after the U.S. State Department warned about the dangers of visiting parts of Mexico. The Marine Corps has also told service members in Southern California to avoid the city.
The two week "Innovative Tijuana" festival features discussions on aerospace, auotomotives and other industries that drive the city's economy. On closing day, organizers estimate 100,000 students and others will perform a choreographed dance in shopping malls, schools and factories to a catchy tune by Tijuana–born musician Julieta Venegas.
It was launched by Jose Galicot, a businessman and indefatigable city cheerleader who led a campaign several years ago to decorate tunnels around the city with murals.
Galicot, 72, says he got the idea a year ago when he needed surgery and learned that the city is a major producer of medical equipment. He decided that Tijuana needed a show to promote its manufacturers, which make 20 million television sets a year, thermometers, heart valves and solar panels that were used at a South African stadium for the World Cup.
Galicot wanted big names to draw attention. His first catch was Gore, who will give a speech about the environment Oct. 14. Then came Mexican multibillionaire Carlos Slim, who will discuss philanthropy Oct. 19, Twitter co–founder Biz Stone and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales (News - Alert) on Oct. 13, Mexican media moguls and many others. Some have no connection to Tijuana.
Speeches range from video games and education to the aerospace and automotive industries. An exhibit area will feature Tijuana factories that export products to the United States.
Every Wednesday morning for the last six months, Galicot has updated civic leaders over coffee and cookies. At the last meeting, he said Tijuana newspaper editors responded well to his plea to publish only positive news on front pages for the next two weeks.
Galicot, speaking with a hoarse voice, begins all meetings the same way.
"The only protagonist of this event?" he asks, twice.
About 100 voices reply: "Tijuana!"
- Article from The Associated Press.
"For me, it reflects a terrible inconsistency in government policies in the United States," the Mexican leader said late Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.
California voters will decide on Nov. 2 whether to allow possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana. Proposition 19 would also clear the way for local governments to permit retail sales of pot.
Calderon said he was certain that legalizing marijuana will lead to an increase in drug consumption.
"It's very sad to see how drug consumption is, little by little, tearing apart American society and, if we don't watch ourselves, it will tear apart ours," the president said.
Calderon spoke as Tijuana opened a two–week festival to showcase the city's economic prowess and cultural riches — a $5 million victory that portraying the city across from San Diego as a beacon of hope in the Mexican government's war on drug traffickers that Calderon launched in 2006. He sent troops to restore order in Tijuana in early 2007, one of the first cities in Mexico to have the military lead the battle against organized crime.
Gone is the "pozolero" who dissolved bodies in vats of lye, gunbattles in front of hospitals and day care centers and mutilated bodies dumped near school yards. Tijuana now wants to be known for making televisions and heart valves and putting on art fairs and a street opera festival.
"Until a short time ago, Tijuana had an image tied primarily, almost exclusively, to criminality," Calderon told about 2,000 invited guests earlier Thursday during the festival's opening ceremony. "Tired of being stigmatized, Tijuana has decided to show its true side."
As Calderon introduced a long line of dignitaries on stage, the crowd rose for a 45–second standing ovation when he named Gen. Alfonso Duarte, the top army officer in Tijuana who has led the city's assault on crime.
Calderon said Tijuana continues to suffer from crime but that its problems are no different than other cities in the world — a view echoed by the city's politicians and business elite.
Tijuana's sense of relief may prove fleeting — violence roared back in the border city of Nuevo Laredo after a lull — and there is no indication that the flow of drugs into the United States has waned.
And while gruesome displays of violence have diminished, killings continue. Tijuana had 597 murders from January through September, up 33 percent from the same period in 2009 but still at a pace below the record 843 deaths in 2008.
Still, Tijuana can rightfully distance itself from drug war hotspots like Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas, that has spun out of control with more than 2,200 murders this year.
"We are the only city in the country that has gone from a state of crisis to a state of control and stability, the only one," Mayor Jorge Ramos said Wednesday at a ceremony to honor Tijuana police.
Tijuana is coming off its most violent spell in its history, marked by shootouts between rival gangs, decapitated bodies dumped near schools and soccer fields and mutilated corpses hung from freeway bridges. The carnage was the product of a showdown between two crime bosses — Fernando "The Engineer" Sanchez Arellano and Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental, a renegade lieutenant who rose through the ranks by dissolving bodies in vats of lye.
Even before Garcia was arrested by Mexican authorities in January, some signs of normalcy had returned. Restaurants got busier. A vibrant nightclub scene emerged near the city's main tourist drag, Avenida Revolucion.
Many credit the Mexican army and the city's public safety chief, Julian Leyzaola, a former army officer who has forced out hundreds of allegedly corrupt police officers and aggressively pursued crime bosses. Both the army and Leyzaola have been dogged by accusations of torturing suspects.
Tourism is still way down from several years ago. The California State University system banned travel to Tijuana for its programs in March after the U.S. State Department warned about the dangers of visiting parts of Mexico. The Marine Corps has also told service members in Southern California to avoid the city.
The two week "Innovative Tijuana" festival features discussions on aerospace, auotomotives and other industries that drive the city's economy. On closing day, organizers estimate 100,000 students and others will perform a choreographed dance in shopping malls, schools and factories to a catchy tune by Tijuana–born musician Julieta Venegas.
It was launched by Jose Galicot, a businessman and indefatigable city cheerleader who led a campaign several years ago to decorate tunnels around the city with murals.
Galicot, 72, says he got the idea a year ago when he needed surgery and learned that the city is a major producer of medical equipment. He decided that Tijuana needed a show to promote its manufacturers, which make 20 million television sets a year, thermometers, heart valves and solar panels that were used at a South African stadium for the World Cup.
Galicot wanted big names to draw attention. His first catch was Gore, who will give a speech about the environment Oct. 14. Then came Mexican multibillionaire Carlos Slim, who will discuss philanthropy Oct. 19, Twitter co–founder Biz Stone and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales (News - Alert) on Oct. 13, Mexican media moguls and many others. Some have no connection to Tijuana.
Speeches range from video games and education to the aerospace and automotive industries. An exhibit area will feature Tijuana factories that export products to the United States.
Every Wednesday morning for the last six months, Galicot has updated civic leaders over coffee and cookies. At the last meeting, he said Tijuana newspaper editors responded well to his plea to publish only positive news on front pages for the next two weeks.
Galicot, speaking with a hoarse voice, begins all meetings the same way.
"The only protagonist of this event?" he asks, twice.
About 100 voices reply: "Tijuana!"
- Article from The Associated Press.
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Health Benefits of Hemp Butter
Peanut, Almond, Cashew, and Macadamia nut butters, are familiar to most Americans. It is safe to say that Peanut butter is the most favored of these, used in traditional ways handed down by generations of caring parents, who were concerned about their children having good protein in their diet. The problem is that some proteins are potential allergens, which include soy, and dairy, as well as peanut proteins. Peanuts may also carry unacceptable amount of a potent carcinogen found on other field crops as well.
They are known as Aflatoxins, and are derived from the presence of mold before they are harvested.
The good news is that hemp butter is made from hemp seeds, and no hemp seed allergies have ever been reported. Although most nut butter users have not heard of Hemp Butter, times are changing, and hemp butter is now available in the marketplace. Not the least important fact about hemp butter is that it is a dark green color due to the rich content of chlorophyll,which is a powerful antioxidant.
However, what makes hemp butter so important is its unusual proteins. They are edestins, and are globular in structure. Biologically active proteins in our bodies are mainly globulins, and include such things as hormones, hemoglobin, immunoglobulins (antibodies), and enzymes. Although the human body can make globular proteins out of any protein, it is much easier to make globulins out of globular starting material.
So then, hemp butter is rich in the globular proteins that are precursors to some of the most vital chemicals in the body:
a)hormones, which regulate body processes
b)hemoglobin, which transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide
c)enzymes, which catalyze and control biochemical reactions
d)antibodies, which fend off bacterial invasion, many pathogens, as well as toxins or antigens as they enter the body
The total protein content of hemp seed is about 65% edestins. Even more remarkable, the other protein found in hemp seeds is albumin, which is highly digestible because it too has a globular structure. It is a major free radical scavenger, and the industry standard for protein quality evaluation. As the hemp seeds are ground adding hemp oil to create a smooth butter-like spread, there is nothing lost in the process. There is more good news.
Hemp protein contains all twenty-one known amino acids, including the nine essential ones adult bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities and ratios to meet the body's needs. The following are the 21 most common amino acids.
• alanine
• arginine
• aspargine
• aspartic acid
• cysteine
• glutamic acid
• glutamine
• glycine
• histidine
• isoleucine
• leucine
• lysine
• methionine
• phenylalanine
• proline
• serine
• taurine
• threonine
• tryptophan
• tyrosine
• valine
• taurine (considered essential for premature babies)
• histidine (considered essential for children, but not for adults)
Before we talk about recipes, and how to use hemp butter, and it is good in every recipe where other nut butters are indicated, it is important to mention what is missing.
The hemp butter products most found in this country come from Manitoba, Canada, and do not contain Trans Fats, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, added sugar, gluten, preservatives, or artificial colors or flavors. The hemp is grown from non-FMO hemp seed, without any pesticides, or herbicides.
So then, a small amount of hemp butter, about two tablespoons, will deliver about eleven grams of protein, of the highest quality protein available. It is a bit more liquid than peanut butter and will easily mix into smoothies, as well as spread onto toast or crackers. Here is a recipe for a salad dressing using hemp butter as one ingredient.
Hemp Seed Oil Salad Dressing
1/3 cup Hemp Seed Oil
2 Tablespoon Hemp Butter
1/2 Teaspoon fresh diced garlic
1/2 Teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 - 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, or favorite vinegar to taste
Dash of stevia (natural herbal sweetener)
Dash of salt and pepper
As a spread, hemp butter can be used right from the little green jar. It is especially delicious when used in combination with raw honey, and a dash of cinnamon. It does tend to be a bit more liquid than other butters, so a sandwich made the night before a school lunch is packed would be just fine.
The quality of the protein in hemp seed butter in unequalled. It may take a bit of getting used to, as any new food might, but it may be one of the most important pro health decisions you will ever make.
- Article from Helium.
They are known as Aflatoxins, and are derived from the presence of mold before they are harvested.
The good news is that hemp butter is made from hemp seeds, and no hemp seed allergies have ever been reported. Although most nut butter users have not heard of Hemp Butter, times are changing, and hemp butter is now available in the marketplace. Not the least important fact about hemp butter is that it is a dark green color due to the rich content of chlorophyll,which is a powerful antioxidant.
However, what makes hemp butter so important is its unusual proteins. They are edestins, and are globular in structure. Biologically active proteins in our bodies are mainly globulins, and include such things as hormones, hemoglobin, immunoglobulins (antibodies), and enzymes. Although the human body can make globular proteins out of any protein, it is much easier to make globulins out of globular starting material.
So then, hemp butter is rich in the globular proteins that are precursors to some of the most vital chemicals in the body:
a)hormones, which regulate body processes
b)hemoglobin, which transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide
c)enzymes, which catalyze and control biochemical reactions
d)antibodies, which fend off bacterial invasion, many pathogens, as well as toxins or antigens as they enter the body
The total protein content of hemp seed is about 65% edestins. Even more remarkable, the other protein found in hemp seeds is albumin, which is highly digestible because it too has a globular structure. It is a major free radical scavenger, and the industry standard for protein quality evaluation. As the hemp seeds are ground adding hemp oil to create a smooth butter-like spread, there is nothing lost in the process. There is more good news.
Hemp protein contains all twenty-one known amino acids, including the nine essential ones adult bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities and ratios to meet the body's needs. The following are the 21 most common amino acids.
• alanine
• arginine
• aspargine
• aspartic acid
• cysteine
• glutamic acid
• glutamine
• glycine
• histidine
• isoleucine
• leucine
• lysine
• methionine
• phenylalanine
• proline
• serine
• taurine
• threonine
• tryptophan
• tyrosine
• valine
• taurine (considered essential for premature babies)
• histidine (considered essential for children, but not for adults)
Before we talk about recipes, and how to use hemp butter, and it is good in every recipe where other nut butters are indicated, it is important to mention what is missing.
The hemp butter products most found in this country come from Manitoba, Canada, and do not contain Trans Fats, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, added sugar, gluten, preservatives, or artificial colors or flavors. The hemp is grown from non-FMO hemp seed, without any pesticides, or herbicides.
So then, a small amount of hemp butter, about two tablespoons, will deliver about eleven grams of protein, of the highest quality protein available. It is a bit more liquid than peanut butter and will easily mix into smoothies, as well as spread onto toast or crackers. Here is a recipe for a salad dressing using hemp butter as one ingredient.
Hemp Seed Oil Salad Dressing
1/3 cup Hemp Seed Oil
2 Tablespoon Hemp Butter
1/2 Teaspoon fresh diced garlic
1/2 Teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 - 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, or favorite vinegar to taste
Dash of stevia (natural herbal sweetener)
Dash of salt and pepper
As a spread, hemp butter can be used right from the little green jar. It is especially delicious when used in combination with raw honey, and a dash of cinnamon. It does tend to be a bit more liquid than other butters, so a sandwich made the night before a school lunch is packed would be just fine.
The quality of the protein in hemp seed butter in unequalled. It may take a bit of getting used to, as any new food might, but it may be one of the most important pro health decisions you will ever make.
- Article from Helium.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Pot Biz No Gamble
The Ontario government’s decision to enter the world of online gambling had me confused.
Isn’t gambling an addiction? Won’t that just encourage more people to gamble, creating more gambling addicts with all of the problems that entails? Isn’t online gambling a gateway to worse addictive behaviour? Won’t it turn every house into a virtual casino?
But then I realized the government is doing little to nothing to enforce the existing laws that prohibit online gambling.
Many people flout current gambling laws. Indeed there’s an estimated $400 million being spent by 400,000 to 500,000 Ontarians each year on illegal online gambling.
If the government enters this business it could provide a safe and regulated option for online gamblers and raise tax revenue at the same time. Jobs could be created. They could use some of the money raised to educate the public about how to gamble safely in a purely recreational manner.
Sure there’d still be problems, but wouldn’t we have the same problems whether or not the government enters this business?
So then I began thinking about our marijuana laws.
Save for restricted medicinal purposes, marijuana is an illegal product. But can’t every argument in favour of the Ontario government getting into online gambling be used to argue it or the federal government should also get into the business of cultivating and selling marijuana?
Illegal? Check.
Law being ignored by many? Check.
Plenty of money being spent by users? Check.
The government could provide a safe and regulated outlet for users? Check.
Tax revenue could be generated? Check. Jobs could be created? Check.
Actually, there are more and better reasons why governments should enter the marijuana business.
We could eliminate some of the police and prison resources we waste in our futile attempt to enforce prohibition on marijuana and we could reduce the profits generated by criminals in their distribution of the drug.
OK, but isn’t marijuana a so-called gateway drug to harder and more destructive drugs?
Based on my admittedly limited knowledge — no, I’m not a user — I’d say it isn’t a gateway drug anymore than alcohol is a gateway drug. Many experts agree.
Also, recreational drug use is similar to recreational gambling in the sense both are often victimless crimes. Indeed, recreational drug use is likely less risky and harmful than recreational gambling.
What you may not know is marijuana was a lawful product in Canada until 1923. That’s when our prohibition on pot began.
Prohibition didn’t work south of the border for alcohol between 1920 and 1933 and it certainly isn’t working for marijuana now. Even the U.S. law professor who prosecuted Marc Emery, Canada’s “prince of pot” — recently sentenced to five years in prison for the sale of marijuana seeds — south of the border has now accepted marijuana laws endanger the public and are “dangerous and wrong.”
Earlier this month he came out in favour of regulating sales of marijuana to adults saying, “we need to honestly and courageously examine the true public safety danger posed by criminalizing a drug used by millions and millions of Americans who ignore the law. Marijuana prohibition has failed — it’s time for a new policy crafted by informed policy-makers with the help of those in law enforcement who have risked their lives battling pot-purveying drug cartels and gangs.”
Our governments are already heavily involved in the vice business with their heavy taxation and regulation of alcohol and tobacco products, running casinos, operating lotteries and other assorted ventures.
Ending the prohibition on marijuana and permitting its sale via government regulation is the next logical step.
- Article from Toronto Sun on September 19, 2010.
Isn’t gambling an addiction? Won’t that just encourage more people to gamble, creating more gambling addicts with all of the problems that entails? Isn’t online gambling a gateway to worse addictive behaviour? Won’t it turn every house into a virtual casino?
But then I realized the government is doing little to nothing to enforce the existing laws that prohibit online gambling.
Many people flout current gambling laws. Indeed there’s an estimated $400 million being spent by 400,000 to 500,000 Ontarians each year on illegal online gambling.
If the government enters this business it could provide a safe and regulated option for online gamblers and raise tax revenue at the same time. Jobs could be created. They could use some of the money raised to educate the public about how to gamble safely in a purely recreational manner.
Sure there’d still be problems, but wouldn’t we have the same problems whether or not the government enters this business?
So then I began thinking about our marijuana laws.
Save for restricted medicinal purposes, marijuana is an illegal product. But can’t every argument in favour of the Ontario government getting into online gambling be used to argue it or the federal government should also get into the business of cultivating and selling marijuana?
Illegal? Check.
Law being ignored by many? Check.
Plenty of money being spent by users? Check.
The government could provide a safe and regulated outlet for users? Check.
Tax revenue could be generated? Check. Jobs could be created? Check.
Actually, there are more and better reasons why governments should enter the marijuana business.
We could eliminate some of the police and prison resources we waste in our futile attempt to enforce prohibition on marijuana and we could reduce the profits generated by criminals in their distribution of the drug.
OK, but isn’t marijuana a so-called gateway drug to harder and more destructive drugs?
Based on my admittedly limited knowledge — no, I’m not a user — I’d say it isn’t a gateway drug anymore than alcohol is a gateway drug. Many experts agree.
Also, recreational drug use is similar to recreational gambling in the sense both are often victimless crimes. Indeed, recreational drug use is likely less risky and harmful than recreational gambling.
What you may not know is marijuana was a lawful product in Canada until 1923. That’s when our prohibition on pot began.
Prohibition didn’t work south of the border for alcohol between 1920 and 1933 and it certainly isn’t working for marijuana now. Even the U.S. law professor who prosecuted Marc Emery, Canada’s “prince of pot” — recently sentenced to five years in prison for the sale of marijuana seeds — south of the border has now accepted marijuana laws endanger the public and are “dangerous and wrong.”
Earlier this month he came out in favour of regulating sales of marijuana to adults saying, “we need to honestly and courageously examine the true public safety danger posed by criminalizing a drug used by millions and millions of Americans who ignore the law. Marijuana prohibition has failed — it’s time for a new policy crafted by informed policy-makers with the help of those in law enforcement who have risked their lives battling pot-purveying drug cartels and gangs.”
Our governments are already heavily involved in the vice business with their heavy taxation and regulation of alcohol and tobacco products, running casinos, operating lotteries and other assorted ventures.
Ending the prohibition on marijuana and permitting its sale via government regulation is the next logical step.
- Article from Toronto Sun on September 19, 2010.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Survey USA Poll Gives California Marijuana Initiative Ten Point Lead
Support for Proposition 19, California's Tax and Regulate Cannabis marijuana legalization initiative is at 50% in the latest Survey USA poll, which was released today. The figure is unchanged from last month's Survey USA poll.
Some 40% of respondents opposed the initiative, which would allow Californians 21 or over to possess up to an ounce of weed and to grow up to 25 square feet worth. The initiative would also give counties and municipalities the local option of permitting, taxing, and regulating marijuana sales and cultivation.
Survey USA contacted 1,000 adult Californians, found 837 of them registered to vote, and polled 602 of them it considered most likely to vote. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.1%
This poll is in line with other recent polls, including one we reported on earlier this week that had support for a general marijuana legalization question at 51%. Like other recent telephone polls, today's Survey USA poll shows higher levels of support for legalization than the face-to-face polls, suggesting that some potential voters are reluctant to say they support a controversial idea like legalization, but may do so in the privacy of the voting booth.
Support for Prop 19 was stronger among men (55%) than women (45%), stronger among people under 50 (55%) than over (45%), and stronger among Democrats (60%) and independents (53%) than Republicans (36%). Prop 19 garnered majority support from blacks (54%) and whites (51%), but not Hispanics (45%) or Asians (44%).
Not particularly surprisingly, support for legalization correlates with support for liberal positions on other social issues. More than three-quarters (76%) of people who described themselves as liberals supported Prop 19, while only 27% of conservatives did. Nearly two-thirds of people who oppose the Tea Party (64%) and support abortion rights (65%) said they would vote for Prop 19. But the measure also won majority support from both gun owners (54%) and non-gun owners (51%).
Geographically, the poll showed the strongest support for Prop 19 in the Greater Los Angeles area (56%) and the San Francisco Bay area (53%). Support dropped under 50% in the Central Valley (45%) and in inland Southern California (38%).
Most of the polls so far have shown Prop 19 leading, but having a tough time getting over the 50% mark. Still, that suggests that Prop 19 can get to that magical 50% plus one by winning over even a very small percentage of undecided voters -- so long as it can keep the voters that it has and get them to the polls.
By Phillip Smith, Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)
Video: Season6 Episode 1 (IF YOU MISSED THE SEASON PREMIERE)
*IF THE VIDEO SAYS INVALID (OR DOESN'T SHOW UP) JUST RELOAD THE PAGE*
Mapping The Legal Marijuana Industry
Welcome to Oaksterdam, California's newest, least orthodox tourist attraction. Welcome, possibly, to the future of a multibillion-dollar business around legal marijuana.
Spread over an eight-block area of formerly disused downtown Oakland, the self-described Oaksterdam district neighborhood includes clinics and dispensaries for medical marijuana, coffee shops catering to cannabis patient, pot-themed souvenir shops, specialist law offices and Oaksterdam University, an education center for growing and dispensing marijuana. There are Segway tours, tourists and film crews.
There is also a busy office where a mostly young and energetic staff work to pass Proposition 19, a California ballot initiative that would allow people over 21 to grow, possess and transport marijuana for personal use, subject to local regulation and taxation. They foresee a day when licit marijuana use is widespread, tax revenues reach $1.6 billion despite collapsing prices for the product, and perhaps 100,000 union jobs are created in the legal dope industry.
It is difficult to say what the proposition's chances are in the Nov. 2 vote. The ballot-betting website Intrade puts the odds at about 60-40 against, but that is on relatively small volume. In opinion polls the race is much tighter, though still against it, if a person is asking the question. In automated polls the measure passes overwhelmingly, leading organizers to conclude that the winning swing vote is people who say one thing in public, and vote another way when alone in the ballot booth.
Oaksterdam University's founder, Richard Lee, is one of Prop 19's original proponents. He thinks it will pass, and that legal pot will be an industry "like vintners or brewers… that's why we started a trade school." Oaksterdam's classes involve issues in growing and preparing marijuana, as well as legal and business issues. Lee says 12,000 people have taken classes there over the past three years.
In Oaksterdam, things already have a feel of legalization's normality. Prices for both cannabis and a doctor's prescription have fallen with increased competition. Lines form outside the dispensaries after 5 p.m., as some very fit-seeming patients get off work. Seeds and plants come with brand names like Purple Dawg and Sweet Tooth. Somewhat like wines described by their grape varieties, these brands carry info on their genetic heritage (Dairy Queen is a cross of U.K. Cheese, Cindy 99 and Romulan, a once-popular brand).Inside the Prop 19 lobbying office, Dan Rush, a special operations executive with Local 5 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union, figures legal cannabis is good for his business. "This is an industry that should be regulated, and unions are how you do that," he says. "We want to see tens of thousands of good-paying jobs from a dignified industry that has good worker principles." Besides growing and regulating sales, he says, there are jobs to be had in preparation of pot-laced foods, packaging and labeling, transportation, and hemp-based products that use parts of the plant without the drug.
As with many other industries, the real money in legal marijuana may be less in the product as in the means to produce and manage things--think picks and shovels in the gold rush, Cisco routers in the Internet or Halliburton in oil. Prices for cannabis itself may fall. Lee figures an ounce will be "$100, with $50 of that in taxes," down from $300 or more today. But the business of indoor growing equipment makers and nutrient companies is likely to increase, along with lifestyle publications, as localities license home and industrial growers. Ed Rosenthal, a noted expert in the field, lists his consultancy services in one magazine.
Advocates figure they could still lose, but seem encouraged even by the close call of the polls--a 1972 legalization vote lost by two-thirds--as well as the cash-strapped needs of localities. If California goes, they figure, other states will soon follow, but the earlier legalization and storied past will give California a lasting presence in the business.
"I tell growers in Mendocino [County, a noted cannabis producer] to patent processes, create brands," says Rush, the ironically named union organizer. "They need to think about eventually stimulating exports beyond the border to Taiwan, Ecuador--anywhere."
- Article from Forbes
Monday, August 16, 2010
MS Patient in NJ Appeals Pot Conviction
The lawyers of John Ray Wilson - who was sentenced in March 2010 to five years in prison for growing 17 marijuana plants - are appealing his conviction in New Jersey.
Mr. Wilson suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and has claimed from the beginning that he used marijuana for medical purposes in treating his symptoms. Now free on $15,000 bail while his lawyers appeal, Mr. Wilson's case has a good chance according to Ken Wolski, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.
“This is an excellent appeal that has every chance for success," he said.
More @ examiner.com
Friday, August 13, 2010
Oregon Deputies Shoot and Kill Man Guarding Pot Garden
Jackson County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday shot and killed an armed man guarding a marijuana garden deep in the woods north of Sams Valley.
The sheriff's SWAT team was searching for the garden on Bureau of Land Management property at around 7 a.m. when they encountered a man armed with a loaded shotgun, law enforcement authorities said.
Two deputies fired at the man, who is described as a Hispanic adult, according to Oregon State Police.
A SWAT medic performed emergency aid on the man but he died at the scene, OSP said.
After the shooting, deputies spotted a second man fleeing the area. He disappeared in the woods. It is not known if he was armed, OSP said.
The sheriff's office immediately turned the investigation over to Oregon State Police detectives. Oregon law mandates police agencies not investigate their own officer-involved shootings.
OSP will release the involved deputies' names at a later date. The deceased man's information will be released once he has been positively identified by the medical examiner and attempts to locate next of kin have been completed.
Once the investigation is completed, the results will be turned over to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office to determine if the shooting was justified, OSP said.
The SWAT team believes the marijuana garden belongs to a Mexican drug cartel, OSP said.
Cartels are large-scale criminal organizations based in Mexico that deal in weapons and drugs.
The forests in Northern California and Southern Oregon are popular with the cartels for their marijuana operations.
The 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Center reported that the number of plants removed from public lands soared more than 300 percent from 2004 to 2008, primarily at pot gardens of Mexican drug-trafficking organizations. The cartels favor public land because its remoteness can limit detection and it can't be seized or traced back to an owner the way private property can, the report said.
The shooting occurred just days after Southern Oregon sheriff's departments gave U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., a helicopter tour of the area's vasts forests. The trip, documented in Sunday's Mail Tribune, showed hundreds of illegal marijuana gardens sprinkled throughout Southern Oregon.
The sheriff's agencies are asking the federal government for additional funds to eradicate illegal marijuana farms.
Sheriff's deputies in Lake County, Calif., shot and killed a man last week who was guarding a marijuana garden, according to The Associated Press.
The sheriff's department found a weapon cache and a 10,000-plant garden near where the man was shot. He later was identified as 51-year-old Juan Sanchez Corona.
- Article from The Mail Tribune
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