The Stoner Army

The Gazette, 04 May 2010 - Legislators May Not Undo a Constitutional Right The Senate Judiciary Committee wisely rejected one odd proposal Monday that sought to allow only individuals, not stores, to sell medical marijuana. Attorney General John Suthers supported the measure, along with some prosecutors, and it's a fair bet the constitutional rights of citizens to cultivate, buy and sell marijuana may come under continued assault until the legislature adjourns.

The Santa Barbara Independent, 04 May 2010 - Area Lawyers Speak About the Legal Quagmire of Medical Marijuana May Day, once and elsewhere a pagan fertility festival, was declared Law Day by Dwight Eisenhower in 1958, the intention being that Americans focus on the role that law plays in their lives.

The Press, 04 May 2010 - Operation Lime - the nationwide police swoop on hydroponic-growing supply shops - was a big step backwards in drug reform and, given the timing of the raids, there is concern over the level of political motivation behind them. Police say they spent two years in undercover work amassing evidence, but it is curious how they decided to bust 35 stores in the same week as J-Day, which is the local cannabis culture's biggest and most highly visible day of the year.

The Province, 04 May 2010 - Maple Ridge is opening its first medical marijuana dispensary for patients accredited by their doctors or Health Canada. The move opens up the familiar debate over the drug's medicinal value. There are six other such dispensaries in B.C. Join the conversation at: theprovince.com Recommended treatment

Nelson Daily News, 04 May 2010 - THE WEED CRUSADE: Local marijuana advocates take to the Heritage City streets on Sunday, spreading the word about legalization Nelson resident, Sarah Bergeron finds relief from her rheumatoid arthritis pain by using an herb. The only problem is that herb is illegal to grow, possess and sell.

Metroland, 04 May 2010 - With Advocates Energized and the Tide of Public and Scientific Opinion Turning in Their Favor, New York State Considers Legislation to Legalize Medical Marijuana It was snowing on the evening of March 9, 2001, as Dave Lawson was driving his band's GM Astro to a gig in Vermont. Carrying the instruments and one other band member, Lawson was going a cautious 40 miles in Troy when another vehicle pulled into the intersection directly in front of him. Unable to stop on the slick road, Lawson says that he hit the car on the passenger side. Everything that happened directly after that is fuzzy. Mostly what Lawson remembers are the years of rehabilitation and persistent pain that followed.

Sacramento Bee, 04 May 2010 - For much of his life, Richard Lee needed neither liberation nor a cause. The Oakland medical pot entrepreneur, who spent $1.3 million to qualify this November's initiative to make recreational pot use legal in California, once lived for thundering his Harley-Davidson motorcycle down Texas highways.

The Ukiah Daily Journal, 04 May 2010 - This November, California voters will vote on a ballot measure that is designed to legalize marijuana. But "legalization" is not being emphasized because of all the baggage and implications that it carries. Instead, the measure is comfortably couched in the politically correct idea of fiscal responsibility for state and local governments; a way for them to balance their budgets.

Washington Post, 04 May 2010 - Just after 11 one morning last week, two men and two women, all in their early 20s, sat on a basketball court behind Dunbar High School in Northwest Washington and filled an empty cigar with marijuana -- their first hit of the day. Also that day, at a picnic table by the Oxon Run stream, east of the Anacostia River, five men played dominoes and passed a joint.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 03 May 2010 - The few channels we had to choose from in the 1960s were lined with sitcom reruns, hourlong dramatic programs and classic black-and-white movies. Danny Kaleikini, Zulu, Lippy Espinda, George "Granny Goose" Groves and many others entertained local viewers by hosting movies on weekend afternoons and late nights. One host who stood out was Dave Ford, whose "Hollywood's Greatest Movies" aired in prime time and was the most popular on local TV in the '60s, with a 79 rating share on KGMB.

The Hillsboro Argus, 03 May 2010 - LOS ANGELES -- By its nature, a funeral brings the past and the present together. The burial of Jack Herer, who died April 15 in Eugene, summoned hundreds of his longtime comrades a week ago to a glorious hilltop in the San Fernando Valley, where they lay to rest a rollicking chapter in the modern marijuana movement. But the future was a mere 25 miles away at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the fruits of Herer's life of activism went on flashy display. A huge three-day trade show for the explosively expanding business of cannabis sativa heralded what could be in store for Oregon and the nation as more states permit regulated use of marijuana and consider legalization.

San Francisco Chronicle, 03 May 2010 - Talk about murky. The economic impact, the potential social and legal landscape, even the split between the pro and con sides in the squabble over the initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California - they're all about as clear as smoke from a bong.

San Bernardino Sun, 02 May 2010 - Medical Marijuana Backers Claim Officials Are Stalling Medical marijuana advocates say they are frustrated with what they see as San Bernardino County's refusal to pass a law defining how cannabis providers should operate.

Toronto Star, 02 May 2010 - A man has suffered life-threatening injuries after falling out of a tree at a march for marijuana legalization Saturday afternoon. The man was perched about 20 to 30 metres up a tree at Queen's Park around 4:20 p.m., as the Global Marijuana March unfolded below.

San Diego Union Tribune, 02 May 2010 - Who knows, in the near future, on a Friday night after a tough week of work, those so inclined could legally fire up a joint. And who knows, by California allowing that, some of this might happen:

Record Searchlight, 02 May 2010 - In 1970 Joni Mitchell wrote "Big Yellow Taxi," a song with this line: "... they paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Ironically some of the same idealists of those times who used that line as a war cry against the "greedy developers" putting in strip malls on every corner of the cities are now afflicted by the same viral greed. And their kids have the same affliction. But in Trinity County, we can change the lyrics to "they clear cut paradise to start a marijuana farm." A Southern California man recently purchased a small piece of land in Hayfork off Craiglist. Sight unseen. The parcel is about one and a half acres, a mere two miles from downtown, and it wasn't professionally surveyed. It lies on a hill in the middle of five other properties and traverses two roads. Via telephone, he hired some workers he'd never met to completely clear cut the property. The tally of trees felled is 214 oaks, 27 pines, and 164 manzanita shrubs, permanently changing the environment for all his neighbors.

Chico Enterprise-Record, 02 May 2010 - NOVEMBER ELECTION MAY RAISE WEED DEBATE TO NEW HEIGHTS CHICO -- With more than 14 years of debate over medical marijuana already behind us, California is poised for even more cannabis conversation over the next few months.

Chico Enterprise-Record, 02 May 2010 - Our view: As Chico grapples with the question of what to do about medical marijuana, the only certainty is that current laws aren't working. Ever since Proposition 215 was passed by state voters 14 years ago, the vague wording in the law has left a lot open to interpretation.

Sacramento Bee, 01 May 2010 - When it comes to marijuana policy, California has been stuck in a fairy tale for decades. This particular fairy tale is like "The Emperor's New Clothes." Everybody can see that marijuana prohibition has done nothing to prevent its use, and that arresting tens of thousands Californians every year for misdemeanor possession diverts police resources away from violent felonies.

Idaho Press-Tribune, 01 May 2010 - BOISE -- The Global Marijuana March is slated to rally in Boise today. Supporters will begin gathering at the entrance to Julia Davis Park from 2 to 4 p.m. for the ninth year of the march. They will go to the Statehouse for a rally about 4 p.m. Speakers are scheduled for around 4:20 p.m.