Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question

[Dos Equis]

Pro-Pot Group to Hand Out Free Weed on Inauguration Day in DC

Image: Pro-Pot Group to Hand Out Free Weed on Inauguration Day in DC
By Joe Crowe   |    Wednesday, 04 Jan 2017

A group that supports the legalization of marijuana will hand out free joints in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day Jan. 20, according to CBS affiliate, WUSA-9 TV.

The DC Cannabis Coalition will start the handouts at 8 a.m., then the group will march to the National Mall. The giveaway will be legal on District of Columbia land, the report said.

"The main message is it’s time to legalize cannabis at the federal level," Adam Eidinger said. He founded DCMJ, a group of District of Columbia residents that helped get Initiative 71 passed in February 2015, which made it legal to possess, grow, or give away two ounces or less of marijuana in the district, but not to sell it.

“We don’t want any money exchanged whatsoever, this is really a true gift to people who come to Washington, D.C.,” Eidinger said.

The group will give away 4,200 joints. The plan is to light the joints at 4 minutes and 20 seconds into Donald Trump's speech —“420” is a code term that means marijuana.

Eidinger believes that Trump’s pick for attorney general, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, will roll back any successes at legalization.

“We are looking at a guy who as recently as April said that they are going to enforce federal law on marijuana all across the country. He said marijuana is dangerous,” Eidinger said.
 
At the event, the organizers will inform the users that they will be resisting arrest if they light up on federal property.

“We are going to tell them that if they smoke on federal property, they are resisting arrest. But that’s a form of civil disobedience. I think it’s a good protest. If someone wants to do it, they are risking arrest, but it’s a protest and you know what, the National Mall is a place for protest,” Eidinger said.

The event is not meant as a protest against Trump or to disrupt the ceremony, Eidinger said.

“If there’s people from Texas, some Cowboys fan, who is walking down the street in a big cowboy hat and a fur coat and he walks up to our demonstration, I want him to feel welcome coming to D.C.”

WTOP in Washington also spoke to Eidinger, who told that site, “I imagine there’ll be the smell of marijuana throughout the Inauguration.”

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Marijuana-Free-Weed-Inauguration/2017/01/04/id/766763/

[Dos Equis]

As various states move towards the legalization of marijuana, doctors are noticing the increase of a particular illness that is associated with regular use of the drug. Emergency rooms have been seeing an influx of patients with the same symptoms – severe abdominal pain and intense vomiting – and this increase is particularly high in certain states that have already legalized the use of marijuana.

While some doctors have been perplexed by these symptoms, the disease does have a name: cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS. The illness is believed to be caused by regular and long-term use of marijuana.

There seems to be a direct correlation between CHS and states that have passed marijuana legalization measures. One study shows that CHS diagnoses nearly doubled at two of Colorado's hospitals since 2009 – the year that it was decided that Colorado needed a state-regulated medical marijuana distribution system.

CHS was first identified ten years ago, but there is still not much known about the illness. Dr. Kennon Heard explained, "The most likely cause is that people using marijuana frequently and in high doses have changes in the receptors in their body, and those receptors become dysregulated in some way, and it starts causing pain."

In terms of treatment, doctors have found that the symptoms of CHS are often relieved with hot showers and baths. The use of a hot bath can also serve as a diagnostic tool for doctors who are looking to identify a patient's illness. Additionally, patients are often given an IV of fluids to help reduce the vomiting. However, the only way to "cure" CHS is to severely reduce the intake of marijuana, or stop using altogether.

https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/marijuana-related-illness-increases-legalized-211922824.html

[Dos Equis]

Israel marijuana: Users to face fine rather than criminal charge
5 March 2017

The Israeli government has taken steps to reduce the penalties for personal marijuana use.

It backed plans to issue fines initially, and only resort to criminal charges for repeat offenders.

Selling, buying and producing the drug will remain illegal and the move must still be ratified by parliament.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, almost 9% of Israelis use cannabis, though some experts believe the figure to be higher.

The move follows recommendations by a committee set up to study the issue, and moves by a number of US states and European nations to decriminalise use of the drug.

"On the one hand we are opening ourselves up to the future. On the other hand, we understand the dangers and will try to balance the two," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet ahead of the vote.

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said: "Israel cannot shut its eyes to the changes being made across the world in respect to marijuana consumption and its effects."

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan added that the move was "an important step on the way to implementing a new policy that will emphasise education and treatment instead of criminal enforcement".

Under the new system, first-time personal users who are caught and confess will be fined 1,000 shekels (£220; $270), with this doubling on the second occasion.

Probation will apply the third time and only a fourth case would lead to criminal charges.

Israel is one of the world leaders in research into medical use of marijuana.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39175040

[Dos Equis]

Legalized marijuana turns Colorado resort town into homeless magnet
By Joseph J. Kolb
Published May 17, 2017
Fox News
 
From his sidewalk vantage point in front of an outdoor equipment store in downtown Durango, Colo., Matthew Marinseck has seen a transformation in this mountain resort town.

The picturesque town near the New Mexico border, once a vibrant, upscale community dotted with luxury hotels, is being overrun by panhandlers – thanks, in part, to the legalization of marijuana.

The town suddenly became a haven for recreational pot users, drawing in transients, panhandlers and a large number of homeless drug addicts, according to officials and business owners. Many are coming from New Mexico, Arizona and even New York.

“Legalized marijuana has drawn a lot of kids here from other states and the impact has not all been good,” said Marinseck, 58, while holding a cardboard sign asking for “help.”

COLORADO BOOKS 9TH MONTH OF $100M-PLUS POT SALES AMID THREAT OF TRUMP ADMIN. CRACKDOWN

Several people holding cardboard signs could be seen along the streets of Durango now. Some just ask for marijuana, or imply that’s what they want with a photo of a green pot leaf. But it’s not just pot users being drawn to Durango.

“[The] city really started freaking out when they started seeing needles in the streets” said Marinseck, a self-avowed former hippie.

Caleb Preston, a store manager in a gift shop and a former “street entertainer,” said the homeless and panhandling issue in Durango has gotten out of hand since the state legalized marijuana.

“Just this year there has been a major influx of people between 20 to 30 who are just hanging out on the streets,” Preston said. “The problem is while many are pretty mellow, there are many more who are violent.”

Preston said he’s become accustomed to kicking out vagrants who perch themselves in front of his store.

DENVER MARIJUANA INDUSTRY IS EATING INTO AREA'S RESTAURANT JOBS

“Most of the kids here are from out of state, and I would say it has a lot to do with the legalized pot,” said Preston.

He said he’s also noticed an uptick in crime in the area. Shoplifting, he said, has become a major problem in Durango and business owners are becoming fed up.

The city’s Business Improvement District held a meeting May 12 to review the results of a survey completed by local businesses on how to address the panhandling issue, which has become an urgent matter as the city enters its busy summer tourist season.

Among the suggestions were stricter laws for panhandling and loitering, strategic placement of obstacles such as bistro tables and flower boxes to discourage sitting and lying on sidewalks. They also proposed launching a campaign discouraging tourists to give money to the pan handlers. A rudimentary effort is already in place with handwritten signs encouraging donations be made to charities that help the homeless rather than handing panhandlers’ money directly.

Tim Walsworth, executive director of Durango Business Improvement District, said he is frustrated. He said he has to walk a tightrope between the civil liberties of the homeless population and the reputation and attractiveness of the downtown area, which for years has been a hot tourist destination.

“We’re hoping to discourage the transient and professional panhandlers that are impacting the perceived safety and cleanliness of our downtown, as well as help those who are truly in need,” Walsworth said in a statement.

Conspicuously absent from the busy downtown: The presence of police patrols.

Durango Police Chief Kamran Afzal said he has only been on the job for a month and is still assessing where the needs are in the town. With a department of 50 officers and only five per shift who cover 20 square miles, the challenge is daunting, he said. He said the property crime rate is 12 percent higher than the national average.

FEDERAL CRACKDOWN ON LEGAL WEED COMING?

“At this point, since I’m new here, I can’t definitively say this number is related to our homeless population,” Afzal said.

But he would not go so far as to say that the rise in panhandlers is directly attributed to the legalization of marijuana.

“We are going to look at the behavior of individuals who cause discomfort for residents and visitors,” he said, through a Community Engagement Team. But, he said, the tricky part is figuring out when panhandlers cross the line to criminals.

Panhandlers like Marinseck may not exactly pose a threat to pedestrians shopping at the boutiques, souvenir stores or microbreweries in downtown Durango. But they don’t exactly evoke the wholesome image the business district wants to project.

Still, the city recently settled a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union allowing the homeless population to panhandle.

A clerk at a local hotel who declined to give her name told Fox News that since marijuana has become legal in Colorado, the quality of life in Durango has worsened.

She said she’s frequently harassed when she goes to the supermarket or local WalMart. Some of the local parks, she said, have been taken over by the homeless.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and don’t feel safe here anymore,” the clerk said. “If it wasn’t so beautiful here, I would probably move.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/17/legalized-marijuana-turns-colorado-resort-town-into-homeless-magnet.html

[Dos Equis]

Dem Sen Booker Introduces Bill to Legalize Marijuana Nationwide
by PAM KEY
1 Aug 2017

Tuesday in a Facebook video Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Marijuana Justice Act, that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act which would make it legal at the federal level.

The bill also “retroactively expunges” the criminal records of people convicted federally for marijuana use and possession.

Booker said, “When you see these marijuana arrests happening so much in our country, targeting certain communities — poor communities, minority communities — targeting people with an illness, targeting dispositionally our veterans, you see the injustice of it all.”

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/08/01/dem-sen-booker-introduces-bill-to-legalize-marijuana-nationwide/

[Dos Equis]

Nevada could be first state to set up marijuana lounges
BY REID WILSON - 09/13/17

Nevada could become the first state to allow users of recreational marijuana to light up in clubs and lounges, a state legal body said this week, opening a new front in what is already a booming pot business.

The state Legislative Counsel Bureau said Monday that state law does not prohibit city or county governments from operating a lounge or facility in which patrons may use marijuana.

Cities and counties are allowed to adopt their own rules governing those businesses and decide whether they are required to obtain special permits, the bureau said.

The ruling means tourists and visitors may soon have a place to consume marijuana in public. Pot smoking is banned under state law in Nevada's hotels and casinos.

None of the four other states where marijuana is legal for recreational use — Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Oregon — currently allow so-called pot lounges. All four states restrict marijuana use to private residences. The three other states where legislators and regulators are finalizing rules in advance of legalized marijuana — California, Massachusetts and Maine — are not currently considering legal pot lounges.

Legalization advocates say pot lounges are a logical step, especially if states where marijuana is allowed hope to connect their pot industry to tourism.

“Allowing regulated social use areas is a good solution that recognizes cannabis consumers' rights to congregate just like alcohol drinkers can in bars while also protecting nonconsumers' rights not to inhale secondhand smoke,” said Tom Angell, the founder of Marijuana Majority, a pro-legalization group. “It should be a no-brainer, especially in tourist towns like Las Vegas where visitors don't have private residences they can go back to to imbibe.”

The Nevada legislator who spearheaded much of the legalization movement, state Sen. Tick Segerblom (D), has said he thinks marijuana will attract new tourists to the state.

“We’re going to really market this thing around the world,” Segerblom told The Hill in a recent interview.

But legalization skeptics say the growing prevalence of marijuana stores, and lounges where those products can be consumed, increase the risk of crime associated with the nascent industry.

“The people of Nevada wanted folks not to go to jail for using marijuana,” said Kevin Sabet, who heads the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “I don’t think they envisioned pot clubs in their neighborhood.”

“Data show that areas around marijuana stores have higher crime and issues with second-hand smoke and other nuisances. I can't imagine pot clubs will be a good thing for the state,” Sabet said.

Cities will still have to pass their own ordinances governing marijuana lounges after the state legislature killed a measure that would have legalized them earlier this year. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday he is no fan of the prospect of lounges.

“I did not support them previously,” Sandoval told the paper. “I don’t support them now.”

Sandoval did not support the ballot measure legalizing marijuana last year, but he has said he will work with the federal Justice Department to allow legal marijuana now that it has passed. Sandoval and other governors of states that have legalized pot have been concerned that the Trump administration may reverse a long-standing Obama administration agreement that deemphasized prosecutions of marijuana-related businesses in their states.

“I don’t know what direction the Justice Department is going to go, but it is going to raise some legal issues,” Sandoval told The Hill in a recent interview. “I want a model system.”

Nevada became the fifth state to allow marijuana use for recreational purposes on July 1, just eight months after state voters approved a ballot measure. California, Maine and Massachusetts, where voters also passed legalization measures, will begin legal pot sales next year.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/350467-nevada-could-be-first-state-to-set-up-marijuana-lounges

[Agnostic007]

Nevada could be first state to set up marijuana lounges
BY REID WILSON - 09/13/17

Nevada could become the first state to allow users of recreational marijuana to light up in clubs and lounges, a state legal body said this week, opening a new front in what is already a booming pot business.

The state Legislative Counsel Bureau said Monday that state law does not prohibit city or county governments from operating a lounge or facility in which patrons may use marijuana.

Cities and counties are allowed to adopt their own rules governing those businesses and decide whether they are required to obtain special permits, the bureau said.

The ruling means tourists and visitors may soon have a place to consume marijuana in public. Pot smoking is banned under state law in Nevada's hotels and casinos.

None of the four other states where marijuana is legal for recreational use — Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Oregon — currently allow so-called pot lounges. All four states restrict marijuana use to private residences. The three other states where legislators and regulators are finalizing rules in advance of legalized marijuana — California, Massachusetts and Maine — are not currently considering legal pot lounges.

Legalization advocates say pot lounges are a logical step, especially if states where marijuana is allowed hope to connect their pot industry to tourism.

“Allowing regulated social use areas is a good solution that recognizes cannabis consumers' rights to congregate just like alcohol drinkers can in bars while also protecting nonconsumers' rights not to inhale secondhand smoke,” said Tom Angell, the founder of Marijuana Majority, a pro-legalization group. “It should be a no-brainer, especially in tourist towns like Las Vegas where visitors don't have private residences they can go back to to imbibe.”

The Nevada legislator who spearheaded much of the legalization movement, state Sen. Tick Segerblom (D), has said he thinks marijuana will attract new tourists to the state.

“We’re going to really market this thing around the world,” Segerblom told The Hill in a recent interview.

But legalization skeptics say the growing prevalence of marijuana stores, and lounges where those products can be consumed, increase the risk of crime associated with the nascent industry.

“The people of Nevada wanted folks not to go to jail for using marijuana,” said Kevin Sabet, who heads the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “I don’t think they envisioned pot clubs in their neighborhood.”

“Data show that areas around marijuana stores have higher crime and issues with second-hand smoke and other nuisances. I can't imagine pot clubs will be a good thing for the state,” Sabet said.

Cities will still have to pass their own ordinances governing marijuana lounges after the state legislature killed a measure that would have legalized them earlier this year. Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday he is no fan of the prospect of lounges.

“I did not support them previously,” Sandoval told the paper. “I don’t support them now.”

Sandoval did not support the ballot measure legalizing marijuana last year, but he has said he will work with the federal Justice Department to allow legal marijuana now that it has passed. Sandoval and other governors of states that have legalized pot have been concerned that the Trump administration may reverse a long-standing Obama administration agreement that deemphasized prosecutions of marijuana-related businesses in their states.

“I don’t know what direction the Justice Department is going to go, but it is going to raise some legal issues,” Sandoval told The Hill in a recent interview. “I want a model system.”

Nevada became the fifth state to allow marijuana use for recreational purposes on July 1, just eight months after state voters approved a ballot measure. California, Maine and Massachusetts, where voters also passed legalization measures, will begin legal pot sales next year.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/350467-nevada-could-be-first-state-to-set-up-marijuana-lounges

my initial thought was "Bad idea, last thing we need is a public place where people are more inclined to operate a vehicle after smoking potentially potent pot. " Then I remembered bars and nightclubs

[Dos Equis]

my initial thought was "Bad idea, last thing we need is a public place where people are more inclined to operate a vehicle after smoking potentially potent pot. " Then I remembered bars and nightclubs

Was talking to a nurse from Canada recently and she told me about these drug parks where users can go use, get clean needles, have access to medical professionals, and no fear of prosecution.  Supposedly cuts down on deaths and the number of addicts. 

[Agnostic007]

Was talking to a nurse from Canada recently and she told me about these drug parks where users can go use, get clean needles, have access to medical professionals, and no fear of prosecution.  Supposedly cuts down on deaths and the number of addicts. 

I don't see how providing a place to shoot up would impact number of addicts to the negative. Any theory on why that place would reduce number of addicts?

[Dos Equis]

I don't see how providing a place to shoot up would impact number of addicts to the negative. Any theory on why that place would reduce number of addicts?

I asked that same question.  She wasn't sure, but they provide counseling, etc. for users, so maybe that has something to do with it.  Seems to me it just enables users, but what do I know?  (Very little.)

[Dos Equis]

 

Major drug bust in affluent Georgia homes yields $7M in marijuana, 9 arrests, officials say
By Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Fox News



The basements in six Georgia homes were converted into indoor greenhouses for marijuana production, cops say.  (Hall County's MANS)

Georgia police discovered a "highly" sophisticated indoor pot operation in a Gainesville home, where a basement was converted into a greenhouse holding more than 500 marijuana plants, officials told Fox News.

“The photos really don’t do it justice,” Lt. Dan Scalia, who is in charge of the Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, told Fox News on Thursday. “Some of the plants were taller than me.”

The home was part of a large-scale indoor marijuana growing network in northeast Georgia, officials said. Five other homes were searched, and authorities said they seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana and more than 1,500 plants totaling an estimated value of $7,168,900.

“It's the biggest drug network that I have ever been a part of,” Scalia said.


Authorities reported seizing more than $7 million in marijuana in Georgia.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
The investigation began in early September after the narcotics squad received a tip about a possible grow house in the area. A three-week investigation led them to uncover a major network of interconnected homes, Scalia said.

Nine people have been arrested in connection with the operation.

Minh Luong, 53, of Gainesville; Phi Ngoc Luong, 25, of Hoschton; Henry Nguyen, 48, of Gainesville; Hang Nguyen, 53, of Duluth; and Thao Phoung Nguyen, 26, of Hoschton, were taken into custody on Sept. 18.

Trung Bui, 47, of Flowery Branch; Nam Van Dao, 46, of Gainesville; and Thu Thai Phan, 50, and Binh Van Hoang 52, both of Flowery Branch, were taken into custody several days later.


Top, left to right: Nam Van Dao, Phi Ngoc Luong, Minh Luong, Thi Thi Phan. Bottom, left to right: Bin Van Hoang, Thao Phoung Nguyen, Hang Nguyen, Henry Nguyen. A mugshot for Trung Bui was not available.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
All nine suspects were charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Additional arrest warrants were issued for Vinh To, 63; Sen Thi Do, 46; and Dung Nguyen, 47, all of Flowery Branch.

Scalia said the suspects were very stealthy in how they ran the operation – keeping a low profile, being considered good neighbors and maintaining the homes. He said basements were modified with special heat lamps and a custom ventilation system.


Authorities seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana and more than 1,500 plants.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
“Nothing [suspect] was visible on the outside of the homes,” he added. “The basements were modified to handle the capacity.”

Scalia said the narcotics squad is working to determine how long the network has been operational and where the drugs were being distributed to.

The FBI North Georgia Major Offender Task Force and the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force aided Hall County’s squad.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/12/major-drug-bust-in-affluent-georgia-homes-yields-7m-in-marijuana-9-arrests-officials-say.html

[Las Vegas]

Really just too dumb to do that in Georgia of all places.  And IDK if there's some "how-to" circulating among Vietnamese or what, because this is their thing in nearly every case.

Many will set it up to give some path of denial to the actual owner of the home, meaning that it becomes a race to figure out who takes the hit.  Whoever does the work of growing learns to spot signs of surveillance from a safe distance before going anywhere near the site, and they can roll in relative safety compared to a typical operation.

[Las Vegas]

But the "some of the plants were taller than me" part sounds like these guys weren't too experienced at doing indoor grows.

[Dos Equis]

Strangely Enough, New Research Suggests That Weed May Be Addictive
Erik McLaren
22 October, 2017

New research from Brigman Young University suggests that prolonged cannabis use may alter brain chemistry and lead to addiction. The study investigated the effects of THC saturation on GABA cells that are critical to the brains reward circuit, that until now have been understudied. The results could be troubling for cannabis enthusiasts, but they’re not exactly definitive.

This was a study on mice, which doesn’t mean it’s useless, but mice and people are different. Researchers looked at an area of the brain called ventral tegmental area. Inside the VTA gamma-aminobutyric acid regulates how much dopamine and serotonin flood the brain. The scientists found mice injected with multiple THC shots over a week had problems with their GABA compared to mice who only had one THC shot.

This suggests that prolonged cannabis use alters the way the brain keeps serotonin and dopamine levels in check. If problems with GABA cells are repeatable and also occur in humans, it could be an indication of how and why people suffer from what has been coined “cannabis use disorder”. Cannabis use disorder is defined as continued use despite adverse outcomes or mental distress.

It’s important to understand that prolonged use of almost any substance can alter brain chemistry over time. Something like coffee can cause changes in the brain, as can sugar. Almost any pleasurable activity triggers a release of serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. This includes sex, masturbation and even non-physical bonding. These changes aren’t necessarily harmless.

But who gets to decide the definition of ‘cannabis use disorder’?
It’s certainly possible to have an unhealthy relationship with weed, but almost 84 percent of cases of cannabis use disorder began with referrals from law enforcement, not a doctor.

Keep in mind, this was not some suspiciously pharmaceutical funded study. The authors declared that they have no competing financial interests.

Research suggests weed may in fact be addictive 2 of 1 Strangely Enough, New Research Suggests That Weed May Be Addictive

Most people who report any kind of dependency on weed have smoked daily for ten years, and have tried and failed to quit. And, as more and more research is being done on cannabis, we’re learning more and more that weed withdrawal is a real chemical process in the brain. If the results from this most recent study in mice are also true in humans, it deepens our understanding of how it may be irresponsible to promote cannabis as harmless. That being said, the intensity of dependence is not comparable to that of other substances.

This research is basically in line with that old adage “everything in moderation”. For heavy cannabis enthusiasts, this might be finally a reason to take a tolerance break, which isn’t all that bad of an idea. After all, tolerance breaks are scientifically proven to give you a better high.

https://herb.co/2017/10/22/weed-may-be-addictive/

[Dos Equis]

Epileptic 12-Year-Old Girl Sues US Over Marijuana Law
By Cathy Burke    |   Monday, 13 Nov 2017

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being sued by a 12-year-old girl with epilepsy over the nation's marijuana policy.

Texas-born Alexis Bortell has filed a suit in New York claiming the federal prohibition on marijuana is unconstitutional.

"She just wants to be like everybody else," Alexis' father, Dean Bortell, told NBC News.

"When she grows up she wants to be free to choose where she lives and what she does for a living. She wants to be treated like an American citizen and not just a state citizen. She doesn't want to have to fear going to jail every time she sees a police officer."

The youngster, who uses a strain of cannabis oil called Haleigh's Hope to help with her seizures, had to move from Texas to Colorado because her traditional medicine was not helping — and the family wanted to be able to legally obtain cannabis oils to help treat the sixth-grader.

"As the seizures got worse, we had to move to Colorado to get cannabis because it's illegal in Texas," Alexis told Fox affiliate in Colorado.

In her complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in July, the girl's lawyer, Michael Hiller, argues the youngster ran the gamut of prescription pills, all of which failed to control her seizures before she was left with two options: brain surgery or cannabis, NBC News reported.

A drop of liquid THC twice a day has kept her seizure-free for two-and-a-half years.

"I'd say it's a lot better than brain surgery," which doctors had previously offered, the youngster told the Fox affiliate.

Alexis and her family hope if the suit is successful, she can finally return her Texas home, NBC News reported.

"She's a little kid that survived big-world knocks and is still standing," Dean Bortell told NBC News.

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/epilepsy-medicinal-marijuana-constitution-federal-law/2017/11/13/id/825881/

[Dos Equis]

 

A 9-Year-Old Accidentally Shared Her Grandpa's Marijuana Gummies With Her Fifth-Grade Class

Getty Images
By JAMIE DUCHARME

A group of New Mexico elementary school students got more than a sugar high after one fifth-grade student mistakenly shared a box of medical marijuana edibles at school.

A 9-year-old girl came to school with what looked like typical gummy candies, but were actually edibles laced with THC, one of the psychoactive chemicals found in cannabis, according to Ebubekir Orsun, the principal at the Albuquerque School of Excellence.

Officials at the school only learned of the mix-up, which happened earlier this month, after the student went to the school nurse feeling sick and complaining of dizziness.

Kristi Del Curto, the school’s dean of elementary students, told the Albuquerque Journal reports that officials took the labeled package out of the trash, “and as soon as we looked at it, we said, ‘Nope, that is not candy.’”

The candies reportedly belonged to the student’s grandfather. Neither she, nor the three other students who ate them, had lasting symptoms, though some of the students did get “giggly,” according to the Journal.

School representatives posted a reminder for students and parents on Facebook last Thursday.

“We would like our community to be alert with drugs and any edibles that may or could be in different formats,” the post reads. “We kindly ask our parents and community members not to talk explicitly about drugs/medicine when students are present (unintentionally to tempt or encourage students to use drugs).”

With medical marijuana now permitted in 29 states, including New Mexico, and recreational marijuana legal in an additional eight, a number of public health officials have voiced concerns about children accidentally ingesting edibles, particularly those packaged as kid-friendly treats such as candy, brownies and cookies.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment argued that edibles put young children at risk of accidental poisoning, and noted that calls to poison control centers and visits to Colorado pediatric hospitals related to marijuana poisoning increased after medical marijuana became readily available. “These findings suggest that greater availability of marijuana, particularly in edible products, can increase risks to young children,” they wrote in a 2015 perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

http://time.com/5114582/thc-edibles-new-mexico/

[Dos Equis]

Fox News Poll: Support for legalizing marijuana hits record high
By Victoria Balara   | Fox News

With recreational use of marijuana now legal in nine states plus Washington D.C., the latest Fox News Poll finds a record number of voters nationally favor legalization.

The poll shows 59 percent of voters support legalizing marijuana. That’s up from 51 percent in 2015, and 46 percent in 2013 (the first time this question was asked on a Fox News Poll). In addition, only 26 percent favored making “smoking marijuana” legal in 2001.

Thirty-two percent now oppose legalizing pot, down from a high of 49 percent in 2013.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL POLL RESULTS

“This is a massive shift in opinion over a very short period. As more states legalize marijuana without the negative consequences opponents have warned about, support will likely continue to increase,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Daron Shaw, his Republican counterpart.

Millennials (72 percent) are more likely than Gen Xers (60 percent) and baby boomers (52 percent) to support legalization.

Two-thirds of Democrats (68 percent) and independents (67 percent) favor legalization. Republicans split 46-46 percent. In 2015, 59 percent of Republicans were against it.

Majorities of very conservative voters (61 percent) and white evangelical Christians (53 percent) oppose legalization. However, opposition among those groups is down 14 and 16 points, respectively, from five years ago.

“When you look at the growing percentage of people who say they support legalizing marijuana, especially among those under 30 years of age, it’s obvious why the Democrats are anxious to get pot initiatives on the ballot in statewide elections,” says Shaw.

Despite the largely positive sentiments, the drug may face a legal battle with the Trump administration; Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded Obama-era marijuana policies by issuing a memo January 4 allowing U.S. attorneys to decide how aggressively to enforce federal laws in states where it has been legalized.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cellphone interviews with 1,002 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from January 21-23, 2018. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/07/fox-news-poll-support-for-legalizing-marijuana-hits-record-high.html

[Sexybeast777]

pot should be legalized

[Dos Equis]

pot should be legalized

It's going to happen.

[Dos Equis]

Confusing times for potheads.

Las Vegas airport sets up marijuana disposal bins for travelers to dump their pot
By Michael Bartiromo   | Fox News

Tourists leaving Las Vegas can now dispose of any leftover marijuana at McCarran airport.  (AP/Regina Garcia Cano)


Tourists leaving Las Vegas can now dispose of their leftover, legally-purchased marijuana at specially designated bins outside the McCarran International Airport, rather than hastily smoking it before the flight, or just donating it to a chill bro on the way out of town.

The green receptacles — of which there are 13 so far — have been bolted to the ground in “high-traffic” areas outside the airport and its car rental area, The Las Vegas Sun is reporting. The Department of Aviation moved to install the bins, or amnesty boxes, after Clark County instituted a ban on marijuana possession and advertising at McCarran back in September.
 
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"The amnesty boxes are offered as a way to help people comply with this ordinance," airport spokesperson Christine Crews told the Associated Press.

The sale of recreational marijuana has been legal in Nevada since July 2017. Possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, or up to 1/8 ounce of concentrated marijuana, was legalized the previous January, according to the Sun.

In 2017, tourists who neglected to dispose of their leftover marijuana before arriving at McCarran would have to deal with the Las Vegas Metro Police, who would ultimately determine if the tourist was carrying a felony amount. However, Officer Aden Ocampo-Gomez of the Las Vegas police force said no citations have been issued stemming from the airport's new ordinances on marijuana possession and advertising, passed in September.

The bins, or amnesty boxes, were installed last week in response to September's new ordinances on carrying pot onto Department of Aviation-owned properties.  (AP/Regina Garcia Cano)

Airport spokesperson Christina Crews added that the amnesty boxes will be monitored to prevent tampering.

“The drawer pulls out; you drop your stuff in and you close it. You can’t really get your hand in there. If you start tampering with them, you’d be detected pretty quickly,” she told the Sun.

A contractor has also been hired to collect and dispose of the receptacles’ contents multiple times per week.

The county aviation department said it plans to install at least seven additional amnesty boxes at McCarran and nearby airports, but possibly more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/23/las-vegas-airport-sets-up-marijuana-disposal-bins-for-travelers-to-dump-their-pot.html

[Agnostic007]

I've now concluded after hearing from the NRA and many of our Republican representatives on mass shootings that Marijuana should absolutely be legal

[OzmO]

Confusing times for potheads.

Las Vegas airport sets up marijuana disposal bins for travelers to dump their pot
By Michael Bartiromo   | Fox News

Tourists leaving Las Vegas can now dispose of any leftover marijuana at McCarran airport.  (AP/Regina Garcia Cano)


Tourists leaving Las Vegas can now dispose of their leftover, legally-purchased marijuana at specially designated bins outside the McCarran International Airport, rather than hastily smoking it before the flight, or just donating it to a chill bro on the way out of town.

The green receptacles — of which there are 13 so far — have been bolted to the ground in “high-traffic” areas outside the airport and its car rental area, The Las Vegas Sun is reporting. The Department of Aviation moved to install the bins, or amnesty boxes, after Clark County instituted a ban on marijuana possession and advertising at McCarran back in September.
 
A Message from GOODRX

No fees. No registration. No obligations.
Save on your prescriptions

"The amnesty boxes are offered as a way to help people comply with this ordinance," airport spokesperson Christine Crews told the Associated Press.

The sale of recreational marijuana has been legal in Nevada since July 2017. Possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, or up to 1/8 ounce of concentrated marijuana, was legalized the previous January, according to the Sun.

In 2017, tourists who neglected to dispose of their leftover marijuana before arriving at McCarran would have to deal with the Las Vegas Metro Police, who would ultimately determine if the tourist was carrying a felony amount. However, Officer Aden Ocampo-Gomez of the Las Vegas police force said no citations have been issued stemming from the airport's new ordinances on marijuana possession and advertising, passed in September.

The bins, or amnesty boxes, were installed last week in response to September's new ordinances on carrying pot onto Department of Aviation-owned properties.  (AP/Regina Garcia Cano)

Airport spokesperson Christina Crews added that the amnesty boxes will be monitored to prevent tampering.

“The drawer pulls out; you drop your stuff in and you close it. You can’t really get your hand in there. If you start tampering with them, you’d be detected pretty quickly,” she told the Sun.

A contractor has also been hired to collect and dispose of the receptacles’ contents multiple times per week.

The county aviation department said it plans to install at least seven additional amnesty boxes at McCarran and nearby airports, but possibly more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/23/las-vegas-airport-sets-up-marijuana-disposal-bins-for-travelers-to-dump-their-pot.html

They have something similar art the Portland Airport.  TSA doesn't give a shit unless you are being blatant about it or trying to bring a couple of kilos on the plane.  they say it in so many words on their site i think.  The occasional users will dump their stash in there and the others will bring it on their carry on.

[Dos Equis]

They have something similar art the Portland Airport.  TSA doesn't give a shit unless you are being blatant about it or trying to bring a couple of kilos on the plane.  they say it in so many words on their site i think.  The occasional users will dump their stash in there and the others will bring it on their carry on.

If I was a pothead I would make regular trips to these bins and hang out.  Bring a book.  And wait.   

[OzmO]

If I was a pothead I would make regular trips to these bins and hang out.  Bring a book.  And wait.   

A shuttle driver at the Portland Sheraton told me people weed all the time because they forget about it until he drops them off.  lol

[Dos Equis]

A shuttle driver at the Portland Sheraton told me people weed all the time because they forget about it until he drops them off.  lol

Shuttle driver probably intends to work that job till retirement.