Hardrock69's Reefhead Madness Thread

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/04/marijuana-support-grows-despite-decline-in-use-since-80s-poll/

Marijuana Support Grows, Despite Decline In Use Since ’80s
By TruthOnPot.com on August 4, 2013


Here’s some surprising news: Marijuana use isn’t more common today than it was in the 1980s, according to the latest Gallup poll. Released on Friday, the figures show despite a dramatic rise in support for marijuana legalization, use of the drug has leveled off since peaking over 20 years ago.

Interestingly, the number of young adults who report experimenting with marijuana has “progressively declined” – dropping from 56% in 1985 to 36% in 2013.

And while past use across all age groups showed a slight increase over the last decade, the poll found that current users make up only 7% of the entire U.S. population, which Gallup stated was “quite low” on “an absolute basis.”

Overall, the polling group concluded the upward trend in marijuana use which began in the 1970s has “tapered off considerably” in recent years. At the same time, support for legalization has been on a steady rise.

“Americans’ support for legalizing marijuana has grown markedly in the past two decades… While this might leave the impression that increasing numbers of Americans are using marijuana recreationally, Gallup finds no such surge in Americans’ self-reported experience with the drug.”

Maybe it’s time we accept the fact that support for legalization has nothing to do with using the drug. In fact, there are many different explanations for why 50% of Americans now think marijuana prohibition should end. But as the latest Gallup figures show, a ‘nation of potheads’ definitely isn’t one of them.

Over the past two decades, the rise in marijuana use among the U.S. population has leveled off significantly


Support for marijuana legalization has trended upwards at an increasing rate since Gallup first polled the public in 1969, reaching a record-high of 50% in 2011

[Hardrock69]

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Aug-02/226006-cannabis-gets-tacit-green-light-for-now.ashx#axzz2aqUduuTO

Cannabis gets tacit green light in Lebanon – for now
By TruthOnPot.com on August 7, 2013

BOUDAI/YAMMOUNEH, Lebanon: The special bond that residents of the long-neglected Baalbek-Hermel area have with the cannabis plant – whose female buds they transform into top-grade hashish – is no secret.

The bond is so strong that farmers are willing to challenge the state and dominant parties or even kill to preserve their precious crops.

“In the absence of alternatives, we will break the hands and legs of anyone who dares destroy our crops,” one of the region’s biggest cannabis cultivators, Ali Nasri Shamas, told The Daily Star.

Defiantly, the modern-day desperado said cultivators would “kill” the Army and security forces if there was ever a crackdown on cannabis fields.

Last year, armed to the teeth with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, farmers warded off bulldozers employed by the state to raze the illegal plantations. The clashes stopped only after the government promised the farmers financial compensation, which was never paid after the Finance Ministry announced it lacked funds to carry out the plan.

“We will not be gentle with them [the security forces] like we usually are,” added Shamas, who is wanted on several arrest warrants, including on a charge of attacking the Army. “It will be a full-blown war if necessary.”

Although the topic of fighting drug cultivation was on the agenda of the Higher Defense Council earlier this week, political and security sources confirmed that the authorities would turn a blind eye to the practice over the next couple of months.

The sources cited the fragile security situation and the government’s inability to provide decent compensation to the farmers as reasons behind a decision to postpone cannabis field destruction sprees for the time being.

A tacit agreement to momentarily freeze the policy came after a meeting early last month between key officials in the caretaker government and a delegation of municipal officials from the Baalbek-Hermel region, the sources added. The meeting was not disclosed to the media.

“The Army is exhausted by the roving security incidents and the farmers are poor and angry,” said a political source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Everyone wants to avoid a major confrontation with the military. No one wants carnage.”

Once a thriving multi-billion-dollar business, cannabis cultivation was targeted by the government in the early 1990s due to international pressure. Since then state bulldozers and plows have carried out yearly eradication campaigns that often generate violent clashes with the farmers. Government promises to introduce alternative crops have yet to materialize in any serious way.

But despite the crackdown, unyielding cultivators have not stopped growing cannabis, even devising a cunning system to conceal the plants within corn and tobacco fields.

Some, like Shamas – a notorious member of Baalbek-Hermel’s “tuffar” movement, a group of lawless individuals who largely reject state authority – are outspoken about the issue and argue they have no reason to hide the plants.

These days, the road linking the city of Baalbek to the villages of Boudai and Yammouneh is lined with dark green cannabis fields, a sign the sector is flourishing.

Shamas dubbed this year’s cannabis crop, due to be harvested in October, as “wonderful.”

“We moved from 5,000 dunums of cannabis-cultivated land to 45,000 dunums,” he disclosed, adding that there was no shortage in drug dealers who buy the hashish at good prices and smuggle it abroad to destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Europe.

Crop substitution programs devised by the Agriculture Ministry in coordination with the United Nations and other international organizations have failed to yield positive results and so have had little sway with farmers.

Abu Asaad, a cannabis farmer in Yammouneh, said he was not pleased with his status as an outlaw. “But we have no other choice,” he confided. “Our region is highly poor and neglected and I prefer planting cannabis to turning into a bandit or a car thief.”

Abu Asaad and Shamas mocked the programs implemented by the Agriculture Ministry over the years to secure alternative crops and accused the state of entrenched corruption.

“It’s high time international donors realize that their money is not spent to devise tangible agricultural policies, but rather goes straight to the pockets of officials,” Abu Asaad said. “Eradication campaigns are carried out at our expense and used to secure more funds, which will surely be embezzled.”

Even caretaker Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan, a member of the dominant political party in Baalbek and Hermel, Hezbollah, does not escape criticism.

“He wants us to raise goats instead of growing cannabis,” Shamas said, in reference to one proposal by Hajj Hasan to gradually introduce cattle production to replace cannabis. “We will not go backward to being peasants.”

Farmers also complained that their suggestions for practical substitute crops have all been neglected by Hajj Hasan and his predecessors.

Shamas said easing restrictions on licenses to grow tobacco was a possible way to end cannabis cultivation.

“They can spare us their [Agriculture Ministry] expertise,” said Abu Asaad. “If they offer us low-cost water for irrigation by buildings dams, we’ll be able to grow wheat and barley instead of cannabis.”

The farmers also accused powerful groups such as Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of conspiring to keep people dependent on them. Arguing that Hezbollah and Amal were “partners in the crime,” Shamas said farmers would no longer be intimidated by the two parties.

“When you have enough money to enroll your kids in school and ensure health care for your family, you won’t be forced to become a member of a political party to win some favors,” Shamas said. “Hezbollah and Amal don’t want us to be self-sufficient. They want to keep the people of Baalbek and Hermel at their mercy.”

Until solutions are found, farmers and authorities appear confident that a cannabis-related drama will be dodged for at least the next couple of months.

Shamas believes that raising the issue of cannabis eradication during the recent meeting of the Higher Defense Council was a “ploy” by the authorities to demonstrate to the international community that they were still exerting efforts in the field.

The political source echoed Shamas’ logic, stressing that all groups were looking to avert a crisis.

“The [police and Army] might destroy a small plot of land where cannabis is grown in the next few weeks just to demonstrate that they have not dropped the ball on the matter, but I totally rule out a large-scale campaign,” the source said.

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/13/marijuana-saves-lives-on-road-study-finds/

Marijuana Saves Lives On Road, Study Finds
By TruthOnPot.com on August 13, 2013

Are legal limits for marijuana necessary? Maybe not. Research out of the U.S. now shows that discouraging drivers from smoking pot may actually do more harm than good.

Published in the Journal of Law and Economics, the study found that states that legalized marijuana experienced a significant drop in fatal traffic accidents after laws were passed.

Daniel Rees, a University of Colorado economist and co-author of the new study, told the Boston Globe that providing marijuana as a legal alternative to alcohol may have had a role in saving lives. The drop in fatalities was more noticeable in one group known for drinking and driving: Young men between 20 to 40.

“The uncomfortable conclusion is that you’d rather have young adults smoking marijuana instead of drinking alcohol… But that’s where the logic takes us.”

Even when all groups were considered, states that passed marijuana laws still showed an 8 to 11 per cent drop in deaths within the following year. By the fourth year, the reduction in traffic fatalities reached 10 to 13 per cent.

But whether marijuana can actually impair driving is still up for debate. The authors of the latest study warn – while marijuana seems to make drivers more cautious – it may still alter other aspects of driving.

However, when it comes to alcohol verses marijuana, experts all agree on one important point: Alcohol is far more dangerous for drivers than pot.

[Hardrock69]

This is for Ash and Panamark (wherever he is):

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/09/in-australia-fun-people-are-more-likely-to-use-cannabis/

In Australia, Fun People Are More Likely To Use Cannabis
By TruthOnPot.com on August 9, 2013

It seems like government scientists are running out of steam in their anti-marijuana efforts, judging by the latest report from Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC).

Published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the study suggests your chance of using cannabis during your twenties can be predicted by how much fun you are.

Specifically, researchers found that “fun seeking” young adults were more likely to use cannabis than their peers. Fun seeking was measured using the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) scale – according to which, sensation seeking and being impulsive makes you more fun.

On the flip side, being religious offered “protection” from becoming a cannabis user, according to the authors, who drew the conclusions from a pool of over 2,000 participants.

Interestingly, the point that seemed to draw most of the attention: Alcohol and tobacco users were more likely to end up using marijuana as well.

Wait, which one is the gateway drug again?

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/09/liberal-party-launches-petition-to-legalize-marijuana/

Liberal Party Launches Petition To Legalize Marijuana
By TruthOnPot.com on August 9, 2013

TruthOnPot.com – Three weeks after Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s comments about legalizing marijuana sparked a nationwide debate, the Party has officially launched an online petition calling for an end to marijuana prohibition.

A link to the petition along with a simple message that states “Prohibition isn’t working” appeared on the Party’s Facebook page on Friday.

Although the Liberals face opposition from both the NDP and the Conservatives on their progressive pot stance, they make a good case for legalization that many Canadians can relate to.

The petition’s web page argues that keeping marijuana illegal is “costly and unsafe” and has cost taxpayers over $500 million since 2006. Stephen Harper’s war on drugs, they say, is a failure that has landed ordinary Canadians in jail.

“Stephen Harper keeps fighting a failed war on drugs that has resulted in more than 475,000 Canadians being arrested on marijuana-related charges… Liberals believe in a smart on crime approach, targeting real criminals instead of ordinary Canadians.”

You can sign the online petition at petition.liberal.ca

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/15/seattle-police-will-hand-out-free-chips-at-annual-hempfest/

Seattle Police Will Hand Out Free Chips At Annual Hempfest
By TruthOnPot.com on August 15, 2013

Washington’s capital city will host the world’s largest marijuana rally this weekend. And free Doritos will be provided, courtesy of the Seattle Police Department.

For the first time since 1991, Hempfest goers will be lighting up legally. Likewise, police officers are taking the opportunity to inform them of the details of new rules set out by I-502.

The chips will come with labels that summarize the laws and provide a link to the department’s infamous “Marijwhatnow?” FAQ, which outlines exactly what’s legal and what’s not.

Seattle Police Department spokesman Sergeant Sean Whitcomb told The Stranger that he expects the free Doritos will be received warmly as well as serve a good purpose.

“Distributing salty snacks at a festival celebrating hemp, I think, is deliberately ironic enough that people will accept them in good humor… We want to make sure people learn the rules and that they respect the vote.”

Approximately 1,000 chip bags will be ready for hand out.

Under laws that were passed last November, Washington residents over the age of 18 can possess up to one ounce of marijuana – for personal use. Stores will require a license from the state in order to sell.

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/08/south-africa-to-consider-legalizing-marijuana/

South Africa To Consider Legalizing Marijuana
By TruthOnPot.com on August 8, 2013


Could South Africa be the next country after Uruguay to legalize marijuana? It’s possible, according to iol News, which reported on Wednesday that the country’s National Drug Master Plan has called for an in-depth study on the need for decriminalizing or legalizing the substance.

Implemented in late June by the Central Drug Authority – South Africa’s drug advisory board – the CDA describes the Master Plan as the “country’s blueprint for preventing and reducing alcohol and substance abuse and its associated social and economic consequences on South African society.” The Plan is set to run until 2017.

Marijuana, which is called ‘dagga’ in South Africa, is “well known” to be the second most common “dependence-forming” substance in South Africa, according to the Plan.

It also states – since the last research paper presented 3 years ago – political opinion on marijuana has loosened in South Africa and other countries worldwide, warranting another investigation on marijuana policy.

Earlier this week, Gareth Newham, Head of crime and justice at the country’s Institute for Security Studies told iol News that harsh drug policies haven’t been working.

“We have to change our approach… and stop doing what’s proved to fail.”

With Uruguay leading the way, it seems like countries around the world are starting to realize that a softer approach to drugs may be the ultimate solution to the problems prohibition has failed to fix.

[Hardrock69]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/14/this-is-hypocrisy-sanjay-gupta-tells-anderson-cooper-about-the-federal-medical-marijuana-patent/

‘This is hypocrisy’: Sanjay Gupta tells Anderson Cooper about the federal medical marijuana patent
By Arturo Garcia
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 8:14 EDT


CNN contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta followed up on his reversal of course regarding medical marijuana in an interview with Anderson Cooper on Tuesday by slamming federal policy regarding medical marijuana.

“The U.S. holds a patent [on marijuana] on one hand, and on the other hand, same government says it has no medical applications,” Gupta told Cooper. “Journalists are trained to hate hypocrisy. This is hypocrisy. I’ve never seen it quite like this.”

The Department of Health and Human Services, Gupta explained, holds a patent on medical marijuana as “a protectant for the brain, giving voice to an argument made by medical marijuana proponents. The pro-marijuana site Weedist reported in May 2013 that the patent states that, “cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”

Gupta, who issued a public apology on Aug. 7 for taking part in medical misinformation regarding the drug, also empathized with the argument that it should be kept out of the hands of minors.

“I don’t want kids taking this stuff,” Gupta told Cooper. “I don’t want anybody whose brain hasn’t fully developed — which usually is the mid-20s — taking this stuff. It’s not about this. But the trade-off shouldn’t be, because of those concerns, [that] we will then deny people therapy that may be the only therapy that works for them.”

Watch Gupta renew his defense of medical marijuana, aired Tuesday on CNN, below.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/08/14/ac-gupta-cooper-weed-no-gateway-drug.cnn.html

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/14/push-for-legal-marijuana-hemp-in-mexico/

Push For Legal Marijuana, Hemp In Mexico
By TruthOnPot.com on August 14, 2013

Next month, Mexican officials will debate the benefits of legalizing marijuana in the capital city.

The conversation will include a bill introduced in June by the leftwing party of Mexico City’s mayor Miguel Mancera to allow possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana as well as personal cultivation.

Although mainly aimed at legalizing medical use, it would also benefit recreational users and allow private cannabis clubs to be established.

Possession of up to 5 grams is currently permitted under a 2009 amendment to Mexican law, but production and distribution are not.

Mexico City Deputy Vidal Llerenas Morales told Sin Embargo that he supports the reform.

“Most marijuana consumers aren’t addicts. They aren’t criminals. They are functional people.”

However, the laws would violate international drug treaties set out by the United Nations which strictly prohibit marijuana, Fernando Gomez-Mont, former interior minister of President Felipe Calderón, told IPS News.

“Several countries have questioned the drug control treaties for health reasons. This creates tension for the operation of the U.N. conventions.”

According to IPS News, at least eight initiatives presented to Mexico’s Congress and state legislatures since 2007 have outlined plans to decriminalize marijuana. Three of them included industrial hemp.

Interested investors like agricultural businessman Guillermo Torreslanda believe thousands of jobs could be created in new industries if Mexico were to join the more than 30 countries that currently produce hemp.

“We must legalise it. We could copy what has been done elsewhere and adapt it to conditions here.”

Hemp is not restricted by U.N. treaties but – like the U.S. – Mexican law prohibits cultivation of the crop, although hemp is currently imported and used to make a variety of products, including rope, textiles and food.

Worldwide hemp production has risen by more than 50% over the past decade, according to recent reports.

[Hardrock69]

http://www.truthonpot.com/2013/08/15/ireland-to-legalize-cannabis-medicine/

Ireland To Legalize Cannabis Medicine
By TruthOnPot.com on August 15, 2013

Ireland will join a number of other EU countries by allowing cannabis medicine to be prescribed by doctors, reports The Irish Times.

The new regulations are expected to be introduced later this year.

Alex White, Minister of State at the Department of Health, submitted the proposals, which would amend current restrictions on cannabis to allow “a newly authorised medicinal product containing cannabis extract to be prescribed, supplied and used by patients”

The proposal refers to an oral spray made by the British company GW Pharmaceuticals.

“The product Sativex (nabiximols) has been authorised in other EU member states for the relief of symptoms of spasticity in multiple sclerosis.”

Sativex is already approved in over 20 countries worldwide.

In a surprising turn of events, the proposals also impose harsher restrictions on certain prescription drugs, including tranquilizers like benzodiazepines. These dangerous, legal pharmaceuticals have become increasingly popular on the black market.

The Department of Health is asking for the public’s opinion on the new plans.

Earlier this year, the Irish Medicines Board voiced its support for the approval of Sativex.

[Hardrock69]

I could not say what the delivery method is for every case. But bear in mind that smoking it only gives you a max of 10 to 20 % of the THC in the plant. Eating pot gives you much more of the full percentage, as it is not being burned up by fire.

That is awesome about the seizures. Big Pharma could not do fucking shit, but some THC oil extract reduced her seizure count from 300 a week to ONE.

[FORD]

[FORD]

[ThrillsNSpills]

What's the proper delivery source on the cures Hardrock?
Some say orally, some say with oil, do any say by smoking?
These reports are everywhere these days and it's almost like diet books, they all seem to contradict each other.
I believe there's something to it after seeing it repeatedly, but it would be better if all these sources were on the same page, because who's being helped if they aren't?

[Hardrock69]

34 Sourced, Peer-Reviewed Medical Studies Proving Marijuana Cures Cancer


Cures Brain Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11479216

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v95/n2/abs/6603236a.html

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/21/17/6475.abstract

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/308/3/838.abstract

http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/10/1/90.abstract

Cures Mouth and Throat Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20516734

Cures Breast Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20859676

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025276

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915267

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2006/05/25/jpet.106.105247.full.pdf+html

http://www.molecular-cancer.com/content/9/1/196

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22776349

http://www.pnas.org/content/95/14/8375.full.pdf+html

Cures Lung Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198381?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21097714?dopt=Abstract

http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v27/n3/abs/1210641a.html

Cures Uterine, Testicular, and Pancreatic Cancers

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/13/6748.abstract

Cures Prostate Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12746841?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339795/?tool=pubmed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22594963

Cures Colorectal Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22231745

Cures Ovarian Cancer

http://www.aacrmeetingabstracts.org/cgi/content/abstract/2006/1/1084

Cures Blood Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12091357

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16908594

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.23584/abstract

http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/70/5/1612.abstract

Cures Skin Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12511587

Cures Liver Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475304

Cures Biliary Tract Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19916793

Cures Bladder Cancer

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803983 (Sign-up required to view study)

Cures Cancer in General

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12514108

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15313899

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15313899

About the Author

MICHAEL TAILLARD, professional economist, published author and board member of NORML Nebraska.

Source:

http://beforeitsnews.com/health/2013/08/okay-weve-done-all-the-homework-34-sourced-peer-reviewed-medical-studies-proving-marijuana-cures-cancer-2500078.html