The Stoner Army

Hamilton Spectator, 19 Nov 2008 - Church of the Universe co-founders Michael Baldasaro and Walter Tucker are hoping the date of their next court appearance is a sign of success. They were told earlier this week the Ontario Court of Appeal will hear the appeals on their marijuana trafficking convictions and sentences next year on April 20.

Times-Standard, 19 Nov 2008 - If the Arcata City Council approves of the new medical marijuana guidelines tonight, patients, caregivers and dispensaries in the inland areas of the city will have to adhere to regulations imposed on the cultivation and dispensing of medical marijuana. The council will vote on amending the guidelines, which aim to regulate how dispensaries operate in hopes of curbing Proposition 215 abuse, and add them to the recently adopted land use codes. The guidelines -- which will apply to all areas of Arcata except those that remain in the coastal zone, which is located mainly in the bottoms as well as south G Street -- will go into effect in about a month, according to senior planner Joe Mateer.

Lansing State Journal, 19 Nov 2008 - Growing Plants for Medical Purposes Will Be Legal - but Having Seeds Won't Though medical marijuana soon will be legal in Michigan, patients and their caregivers still will have to break the law to get it, at least the first time.

Watertown Daily Times, 19 Nov 2008 - Federal authorities charged 34 people, including five north country residents, over their alleged roles in an international marijuana smuggling operation that moved about 22,000 pounds of pot through the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. A three-year investigation exposed a pipeline bringing millions of dollars' worth of marijuana into U.S. and distributed it to several cities, the U.S. Attorney's office said Tuesday. The ring leader of the operation was Cornwall, Ontario, resident Mickey Woods, who goes by the nicknames "Big Boss Man" and "Big Buddy."

San Bernardino Sun, 19 Nov 2008 - Several members of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project on Tuesday asked the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to reconsider its opposition to issuing medical marijuana identification cards to patients. Forty of California's 58 counties are distributing marijuana cards.

Tufts Daily, 18 Nov 2008 - JUMBOS REACT TO THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN MASS. Barack Obama's Election Day victory made his message of change a reality. But the widespread media attention surrounding his triumph overshadowed some of the other results on Nov. 4. As it turned out, the citizens of Massachusetts, and by default Tufts students, received an extra dose of change -- Question 2, which proposed decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, was passed by a solid majority of the vote.

The Gamecock, 17 Nov 2008 - Many Uses For Plant Could Create Emerging Industries Within U.S., Around Globe Did you know that there is one product that can be used as a source of fuel, food, clothing, paper, medicine and other random things such as fast food containers?

Hamilton Spectator, 17 Nov 2008 - The hemp-happy founders of the Church of the Universe are scheduled to fight their convictions and bail conditions in the Ontario Court of Appeal today. Rev. Michael Baldasaro and co-founder Rev. Walter Tucker were found guilty last November of multiple counts of trafficking marijuana and sentenced to two years and 12 months respectively. The pair also lost their Barton Street church because it was ruled an "offence-related property."

Mainichi Daily News, 17 Nov 2008 - Marijuana usage is a growing problem in Japanese society, particularly among young people. Students from Keio University, Doshisha University and other prestigious universities as well as entertainers, sumo wrestlers, a professional tennis player, and a dentist have been arrested for violating the Cannabis Control Law. The lack of regulations prohibiting the possession of marijuana seeds, and the lowering of the psychological hurdle to inhaling marijuana, as compared to other illegal drugs, have all contributed to the problem. Investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department barged into an apartment on the 7th floor of a building in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, acting on information that the occupant possessed marijuana. Opening a closet, they found a small marijuana patch -- 25 marijuana plants growing to a height of 40 centimeters under lighting equipment.

The Campus Press, 17 Nov 2008 - Reformation Summit Urges Action Marijuana proponents are renewing discussion on the legality of the drug in Colorado. Political activists and marijuana enthusiasts met on the campus of Regis University in Denver on Saturday morning for the first statewide Marijuana Reform Seminar.

The Bay City Times, 16 Nov 2008 - Larry Myers was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980, when he woke up to numbness in his limbs one morning while on his honeymoon in California. Since then, the 55-year-old Pinconning man has found relief in marijuana. The only thing that helps calm the spasms the disease causes is puffing on a pipeload of pot. He said his doctor is aware of his use and advised him to continue using it if it provides relief from his symptoms.

The Bay City Times, 16 Nov 2008 - Michigan voters said yes to medical marijuana by a ratio of nearly 2-1. And while the law takes effect Dec. 4, details of how it will play out remain hazy among doctors, law enforcement officials and state residents who want to use the drug for medicinal purposes.

The Observer, 16 Nov 2008 - There are three sub-species of cannabis plant - Cannabis sativa, Cannabis sativa indica and Cannabis sativa ruderalis - but it is the indica sub-species that provides the majority of the world's skunk, hash, kif or marijuana. The key components of the drug are THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). After cannabis is smoked, the THC acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain, affecting memory, concentration, and perception and movement. The effects last three-to-four hours.

The Maui News, 15 Nov 2008 - Haiku Man Files Civil Complaint Before His Arrest, Drug Charges WAILUKU - A little more than a week before he was arrested as the alleged head of a marijuana trafficking organization, Brian Murphy filed a lawsuit complaining the Maui Police Department was interfering with the operation of Patients Without Time, the Paia-based medical marijuana advocacy group he founded.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 15 Nov 2008 - WAILUKU - Maui County police said seven Maui residents arrested this week were part of a marijuana drug-trafficking ring that used Hawaii's medical marijuana laws as a front for their operation. But the alleged leader of the ring said he is innocent and that the arrests were in retaliation for him filing a lawsuit against Maui Police Chief Tom Phillips and his department on Oct. 31, asking for the return of seized marijuana and money.

Kitsap Sun, 14 Nov 2008 - Federal prosecutors have dropped drug charges against a card-carrying medical marijuana patient detained and cited at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on the Hood Canal bridge in August. Stephen Dixon, of Brinnon, was riding in a car en route to the Kingston ferry Aug. 22 when he was stopped at the checkpoint on Highway 104 just west of the bridge. He was cited by border patrol agents for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Western Washington.

The Ukiah Daily Journal, 14 Nov 2008 - Recent rains this fall may have dampened the prospects of any marijuana still remaining outdoors, but the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force remains busy with drugs in Mendocino County. Any marijuana plants still outside may as well be left there, Bob Nishiyama, Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force commander said Thursday.

The Daily Iowan, 14 Nov 2008 - The decisions made this past week to lessen the penalties surrounding one certain leafy green plant has left many proponents of medical and recreational marijuana (not horticulturists) swooning. In Massachusetts, voters elected to decriminalize up to an ounce of the substance. Similarly, voters in Michigan voted in favor of Proposal 1, which will now allow the prescription of medical marijuana in the state. This decision will positively affect both states, and other states should follow their lead. Fourteen states across the nation allow the use of medical marijuana, and 12 states have decriminalized it. Even though many opponents of marijuana believe that allowing medical use of the substance will only contribute to the deterioration of society, transforming children into drug-obsessed heathens and generating marijuana dispensaries as plentiful as gas stations on every street corner, there are many benefits that will surface with these new decisions.

Willits News, 14 Nov 2008 - Part 1 appeared in the November 12 TWN and covered the recent action by the California Supreme Court and the specific protections provided to valid state medical marijuana cardholders. The court is currently reviewing the three medical marijuana cases of the People vs. Kelly; Phomphakdy; and Wood and is expected to eventually rule on whether the current medical marijuana Health and Safety Code violates the state constitution and/or whether there was an alternative to invalidating the entire section. In August 2008, the California Attorney General issued a comprehensive set of "guidelines to ensure the security and non-diversion of marijuana grown for medical use." The guidelines reinforce specific protections to medical marijuana patients holding a valid state issued card against arrest and seizure. For those claiming medical marijuana protection without a card, the issue may be left up to the courts to resolve. For co-ops, collectives and dispensaries, implementation of the newly issued guidelines will likely change how medical marijuana is grown and distributed to patients in California.

Ottawa Sun, 14 Nov 2008 - But Don't Bet The House On Marijuana Becoming Legal To your typical large-scale pot producer, a small fine, house arrest or a few weeks in jail is a small price to pay for raking in huge profits selling the most popular illicit drug on the planet.