The Stoner Army

Cavalier Daily, 18 Nov 2008 - The Health Benefits Of Marijuana Outweigh Concerns Over Misuse IMAGINE you or someone you love is suffering from a chronic, painful illness. When the pain becomes intolerable, you head to your doctor, begging for something to ease your suffering and restore your quality of life, something to make you feel like your old self again.

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.

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."

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 State News, 17 Nov 2008 - Although the details regarding Proposal 1 and Michigan's upcoming medical marijuana program still are being discussed, some people have concerns about the program's implications. The Board of State Canvassers must meet in the next two to three weeks to certify the 2008 election, after which the Michigan Department of Community Health must promulgate a series of rules to implement the constitutional amendment by Dec. 4. The administrative process must be ready to operate by April 4.

The Daily Californian, 17 Nov 2008 - If you're reading this column you probably live somewhere in the vicinity of UC Berkeley, a university that is famous (or infamous) for a few things. One would be deeply depressed nerds bawling over their latest midterm-a stereotype I see a great deal (in the mirror). Another may be the amazing scientific research that goes on in the laboratories all around campus, or the infectious activist spirit, the large homeless population, a fantastic academic environment and last, but certainly not least, marijuana. Yes, everyone from Berkeley has almost certainly come in contact with Cal's favorite plant somehow, most likely by walking down Telegraph Avenue. I never really enjoy it when I'm out for a stroll and the unmistakable smell mauls my nostrils, but in the end it's just another one of those lovable Berkeley quirks. However, marijuana outside of Berkeley and similarly ? umm ? "mellow" towns is a tricky subject. Many people have a very negative association with the drug or just don't want to get caught up in the legalities involved. The federal government has a strong ban on any cannabis product, classifying it as a Schedule 1 drug. This means that, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, marijuana can do severe damage to the human body, is highly addictive and does not have any medical purposes. Funny how science disagrees with all three of those statements, as does the state of California. Under state law, marijuana is legally obtainable for a documented medical condition that may cause excessive pain, nausea and other uncomfortable effects. Right now many people in California with diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic back pain need marijuana to be able to function and are technically in violation of federal law because of it. Yay federalism and its effectiveness!

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.

Metrowest Daily News, 16 Nov 2008 - Should drugs be legalized in the United States? It is a debate that has raged for decades. Human nature being what it is, we are drawn to clean and simple answers. Shades of gray are unsatisfying, so we prefer to make a definitive choice. Like drugs, it feels good - for a while.

The Observer, 16 Nov 2008 - Danny Kushlick: 'We Need to Manage the People Who Use Them and Help the People Who Misuse Them, Not Criminalise Either of Them' Danny Kushlick Is the Founder and Head of Policy and Communications at Transform Drug Policy Foundation

The Observer, 16 Nov 2008 - Afghanistan's UKP 2.5 billion opium industry provides 90 per cent of the world's supply. As the country edges closer to becoming a narco-state, the international community is divided over a solution. Zar Jan Adilkhel Shinwari is a tribal elder who lives in a small village near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. Last month, he was worrying which crops he and the men of his tribe would plant on their fields. The men of the village are not poor - in fact, in Afghan terms they are relatively well-off - but the decision is difficult, none the less. Nangarhar, the province in which Shinwari lives, is one of the rare success stories in Afghanistan in recent years. It is fairly stable and, apparently, 'opium-free'. Given Shinwari's reasoning, this may not last long.

The Observer, 16 Nov 2008 - Drugs are an established part of our landscape. But how do we reconcile the apparently happy experience of the casual user with that of the addict? And how do we win the unwinnable 'war on drugs', asks Andrew Anthony Andrew Anthony Like televised sport, taking recreational drugs seems to require running commentary. In fact, two commentaries. First there are the banal observations that accompany drug consumption - 'This is good stuff', 'I'm completely out of it', 'I'm not feeling anything', etc - and then there is the meta-commentary, the ceaseless debate about the role, meaning and desirability of the massive socio-economic phenomenon that falls under the expansive title of 'drugs'.

The Observer, 16 Nov 2008 - Nearly a quarter of us have taken marijuana. A third of us know someone with a drug problem. Seven out of ten of us support routine drugs tests for teachers. And more than a quarter of us think drugs should be legalised. This special Observer Drugs Poll 2008 reveals all... Starting and stopping 27 per cent of UK adults aged 16 or over have taken illegal drugs - amounting to around 13 million people. The younger the adults, the more likely they are to have taken drugs: while 46 per cent of the 16-34 age group have taken drugs at some point in their lives, only 5 per cent of people aged 55 or over have done so.

Honolulu Advertiser, 15 Nov 2008 - Conflict Likely To Cloud Upcoming Contract Talks Between Teachers, State The unresolved random drug-testing issue is likely to haunt upcoming contract negotiations between the state and the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, officials said.

Vancouver Sun, 15 Nov 2008 - With Courts Striking Down the Government's Monopoly on Supplying Medical Marijuana, Private Growers Are Clamouring to Capitalize on Pot's Commercial Potential DUNCAN - Eric Nash can barely contain his excitement waiting to hear from Health Canada whether he can start growing marijuana for 250 patients.

Edmonton Sun, 15 Nov 2008 - There's been quite a kerfuffle on the letters page recently on the legalization of marijuana. That we're still even debating this issue, some 70 years after weed's defacto criminalization, is astounding. Every reputable government study, independent study and report out there has stated, unequivocably and for decades, that pot is marginally harmful and shouldn't be a criminal matter.

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.

Edmonton 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.

Toronto 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.

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.