Hardrock69's Reefhead Madness Thread

[Hardrock69]

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2013/16382/maryland-senate-votes-to-decriminalize-marijuana-possession/

Maryland Senate Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana Possession

By Thomas H. Clarke on March 19, 2013

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Maryland Senate voted 30-16 on Tuesday on a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill will now be considered by the House of Delegates.

If passed, Senate Bill 297, would make the penalties for possession of less than ten grams of marijuana (approximately one-third of an ounce) a civil offense punishable by up to a $100 fine with no time in jail.

Currently, possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana in Maryland is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and 90 days in jail.

The bill was approved for passage by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee earlier this month after passing the first reading in the Senate, and passed a second reading in the Senate last week.

“We don’t want to wrap people up in the criminal jail system for this,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D- Baltimore County), said at last week’s hearing, where the bill met little resistance or opposition.

The bill now proceeds to the House, where it has been assigned to the Judiciary Committee. If it successfully passes out of committee, it would be sent a House floor vote before being sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D).

The House of Delagates, meanwhile, is hearing testimony today on a bill that would legalize the possession of marijuana by adults 21 or older, and establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed like alcohol. The bill would remove all penalties for private possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivation of up to three plants.

Maryland lawmakers are also considering three separate medical marijuana bills, which received hearings at the earlier this month.

During hearing on the medical marijuana bills, Maryland Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein told lawmakers thatGov. Martin O’Malley’s administration supports passing medical marijuana legislation, a reversal in position from last year, when medical marijuana bills were defeated in the General Assembly.

A Democratic stronghold, Maryland has legalized same-sex marriage and abolished the death penalty. Marijuana law reform, at some level, is not far behind.

[Angel]

Meanwhile, in bass ackwards dirty vegina they're busting weed dealers like mad! Grrrr......

[jhale667]

I'm curious - what's everyone's opinions on edibles?




As opposed to say, Xanax? Gotta be better for you, right? Eat a rice krispie treat or brownie and sleep like a baby...

[FORD]

I've never tried them, but it will be interesting to see how the new laws around here affect the sale of such materials.

Why shouldn't they sell that stuff at the local Safeway? I can buy beer there, wine. Even booze, since the corporations killed the state liquor stores. No reason why a somewhat less harmful and now just as legal substance shouldn't be there.

Of course the shelf arrangments would probably have to be called into question... they probably can't put those cookies next to the Oreos and the Keebler elves.

[jhale667]

I've never tried them, but it will be interesting to see how the new laws around here affect the sale of such materials.

Why shouldn't they sell that stuff at the local Safeway? I can buy beer there, wine. Even booze, since the corporations killed the state liquor stores. No reason why a somewhat less harmful and now just as legal substance shouldn't be there.

Of course the shelf arrangments would probably have to be called into question... they probably can't put those cookies next to the Oreos and the Keebler elves.

They're plainly marked "not for children". Personally I don't see why they couldn't/shouldn't be sold in their own section like alcohol anywhere in the US. IMO it's kind of ridiculous that it isn't. And edibles aren't at all like smoking it (unless you ate a bunch of them I guess), you're not "high" - it's more of a "body" thing, verrrrry mellow... but I'm finding they're great for relieving mild arthritic-type pain and as a sleep aid.

[Hardrock69]

US Medical Marijuana Sales to Hit $1.5B in 2013, Revenues Could Quadruple by 2018

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/2013/03/21/us-medical-marijuana-sales-estimated-at-1-5b-in-2013-cannabis-industry-could-quadruple-by-2018/

US Medical Marijuana Sales to Hit $1.5B in 2013, Revenues Could Quadruple by 2018

By Chris Walsh

Retail medical cannabis sales in the United States could hit an estimated $1.3 billion-$1.5 billion in 2013, growing 10-15% from last year as the industry recovers from widespread turmoil, according to exclusive research data released today by MMJ Business Daily.



The long-term future appears even brighter: The legalization of marijuana for adult use in Colorado and Washington – coupled with the emergence of several new markets and continued overall growth on the medical side – could boost overall state-legal cannabis sales to $3 billion in 2014 and $6 billion by 2018.

These forecasts appear in the Marijuana Business Factbook 2013, a 180-page industry report, with 69 exclusive table and charts, that begins shipping on Monday, March 25.

The Factbook – published by the editors of MMJ Business Daily – provides a comprehensive overview of the cannabis industry and includes state-by-state market estimates and stability/opportunity rankings as well as regulatory and investing information. It also features a wealth of financial data such as average revenues and startup costs for dispensaries, cultivation operations, edibles companies and ancillary firms. You can order it now here.

“Although plenty of information has been published elsewhere about cannabis itself, as well as the legalization movement, until now there’s been a near-complete dearth of financial, market and other business-related data,” said Cassandra Farrington, publisher of MMJ Business Daily. “These are all facts that entrepreneurs, investors and expanding businesses need at their fingertips.”

The industry revenue estimates include sales of medical cannabis and infused products at dispensaries in states that have marijuana laws on the books, but not wholesale revenues or dollars tied to ancillary products and services. Projections for 2014-2018 include sales of marijuana for recreational use in states where it’s legal.

[Hardrock69]

One thing I love about getting high......it helps me sleep......good solid deep sleep.

And the side effect is, I have very vivid and bizarre dreams......waking up going WTF? is not uncommon.

[Nitro Express]

Just don't end up like Towlie.

[FORD]

[Nitro Express]

The country is going to pot.

[FORD]

[Hardrock69]

Cannabis Smoking Associated With ‘Significantly Better’ Health Outcomes Than Tobacco Smoking

http://www.theweedblog.com/cannabis-smoking-associated-with-significantly-better-health-outcomes-than-tobacco-smoking/

Randwick, Australia: Adults who inhale cannabis report significantly better health outcomes than do those who smoke tobacco or a combination of both substances, according to exploratory survey data to be published in the journalAddictive Behaviors.

Investigators at the University of New South Wales assessed the relationship between cannabis, tobacco, and combined cannabis-tobacco use and various health outcomes in 350 subjects age 40 and older.

Authors reported that the cannabis-only subjects reported “significantly better” general health and fewer smoking-related health concerns compared to the tobacco-only group. Specifically, both tobacco-smoking groups experienced significantly more mucous/sputum than the other two groups (the cannabis-only group and controls). Cannabis-only subjects were less likely to report diagnoses of cancer and diabetes compared to all other groups, including controls; however, these differences did not achieve statistical significance. Overall, researchers reported, “General health measures demonstrated a pattern in which the control and cannabis-only groups tended to report the best health, with the two tobacco-smoking groups faring worse.”

They concluded, “Cannabis-only users report better health than tobacco and cannabis-tobacco users. Mixing cannabis with tobacco may synergistically compromise health.”

A separate clinical trial published in 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that subjects exposed to moderate doses of cannabis smoke long-term did not suffer from deficits in pulmonary function, but that subjects exposed to tobacco smoke did so.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Health outcomes associated with long-term regular cannabis and tobacco smoking,” will appear in Addictive Behaviors.

[Nitro Express]

The difference is pot doesn't have nicotine which is a deadly poison. One drop of pure nicotine can kill you. That's probably the difference. Still. Burning something and holding smoke in your lungs is not good for you. It kind of cracks me up that the same people who want clean air smoke pot. LOL! It still is a bunch of people who want to get high hassle free and have more choices justifying why their hobby should be legal. I don't give a damn. Alcohol fucks people up more than pot and kills more people and you can buy it at the gas station. Cigarettes are as addictive as heroin and they are legal. If they legalized pot the negative affect of society would be nill. It would make no difference.



If people want it. They are going to get it. These kids bought their chewing tobacco at Wal-Mart. They don't look 18 to me. Day's O Work plug. That shit is loaded with nicotine. It originally was the first energy bar. It helped the men work longer and harder. Those kids are going to get addicted if they already aren't now. Smoke pot instead kids. It won't rot your teeth out or give you gum disease.

[Hardrock69]

The latest attempt on the National Level:

House Dems propose changing ‘out of date’ federal marijuana laws

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/dems-propose-updating-federal-pot-laws-article-1.1256994#ixzz2P9U4dpct

States are starting to legalize pot, and some in Congress want the feds to catch up.

Two Democrats in the House are pushing legislation to nix the federal law prohibiting marijuana, now that it's in conflict with a growing number of states that have decriminalized it for medical purposes or even legalized it for recreational use. Colorado and Washingston state passed the most permissive pot laws through voter referendums in November.

“We’re in a situation now where our current federal policies regarding marijuana are hopelessly out-of-date,” Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer told Politico. “It’s a Schedule 1 drug. Who today thinks its more dangerous than cocaine or meth?”

The bills being introduced by Blumenauer and fellow Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado would end the federal ban on marijuana, allow it to be regulated and taxed by the states like alcohol, and allow states to directly offer patients medical mariju Such efforts are surely going nowhere in the Republican-controlled House, but backers say the public is on their side.

“Public opinion is there on this issue,” Polis said on a conference call with reporters. “Public opinion is leading. It’s just a matter of Congress catching up.”

[Hardrock69]

Marijuana Decriminalization Law Takes Effect Monday In Rhode Island

http://www.theweedblog.com/marijuana-decriminalization-law-takes-effect-monday-in-rhode-island/

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

Legislation signed into law last year decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses takes effect on Monday, April 1.

Presently, possessing cannabis in the Ocean State is classified as a criminal misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and a $500 maximum fine. Starting Monday, the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by an individual 18 years or older is a non-arrestable civil offense, punishable by a maximum fine of $150 but no jail time, and no criminal record.

Fifteen states have enacted similar decriminalization laws. Three states — Alaska, Colorado, and Washington — impose no criminal or civil penalty for the private possession of small amounts of marijuana. (Colorado had previously decriminalized cannabis possession decades earlier, while Alaska’s legal protections were imposed by the state Supreme Court.)

Similar decriminalization legislation is pending this year in nearly a dozen additional states, including Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas, and Vermont.

Lawmakers in several other states, including Maine, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, are considering separate legislation to legalize the adult consumption of cannabis and regulate its retail production and sale.