Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
Beverly Hills NORML Director Cheryl Shuman testifies on the cruelty of banning medical marijuana patients from transplant lists
January 25th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
NORML.org: Recently the Los Angeles City Council held hearings on the thorny issue of medical marijuana dispensary regulation. For years city officials have abrogated their duty to create sensible regulations for the dispensaries that have proliferated across the Los Angeles basin. The number of dispensaries has ballooned to over 500 (not the 1,000+ often claimed) following an ineffective moratorium on the retail medical marijuana outlets.
As usual, the hearings were packed, with medical marijuana patients and activists flooding the chambers to add their testimony to the record. One citizen petitioning her government for a redress of grievances was the Executive Director of the new Beverly Hills NORML 90210 (http://www.norml90210.org/become-a-member.php), Cheryl Shuman. In sixty seconds of testimony, Cheryl recounts her own personal medical marijuana tragedy, one that has befallen many desperately ill patients who use cannabis — even legally — and require life-saving organ transplants… Read the rest of this entry »
Virginia looking to Decriminalize Marijuana
January 23rd, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
ohhburn.com: Lawmakers in Virginia are looking to decriminalize marijuana! Republican Delegate Harvey B. Morgan, a pharmacist, has 31 years in the House and is the second-most senior delegate. He says he thinks criminalizing pot has done nothing to curb its use and is introducing House Bill 1134 that would change simple possession from possible jail time to a civil fine of $500. The bill also looks to increase the amount of weed needed to be considered for the charge of possession with the intent to distribute and remove the mandatory two and five-year sentences for distribution.
A Doctor’s Case For Legal Pot
January 20th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
In most of my substance-abuse patients I am far more concerned about booze than marijuana.
By DAVID L. NATHAN
Most Americans are paying too much for marijuana. I’m not referring to people who smoke it—using the drug generally costs about as much as using alcohol. Marijuana is unaffordable for the rest of America because billions are wasted on misdirected drug education and distracted law enforcement, and we also fail to tax the large underground economy that supplies cannabis.
On Monday, the New Jersey legislature passed a bill legalizing marijuana for a short list of medical uses. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine says he will sign it into law. This is a positive step, as cannabis has several unique medical applications. But the debate over medical marijuana has obscured the larger issue of pot prohibition. Read the rest of this entry »
Citizen initiative would legalize pot in Washington state
January 14th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
Washington voters may get a chance to decide whether they want to make marijuana legal for adults.
Activists have filed a ballot initiative that would authorize marijuana possession in Washington state. Sponsors include two Seattle and the director of Seattle’s annual Hempfest. Backers of the measure would have to collect more than 241,000 signatures to put the question before voters in November.
Douglas Hiatt, a lawyer who represents medical marijuana patients, told The Associated Press after filing the initiative Monday the proposal would remove all state penalties for pot possession by adults. Criminal penalties for juvenile possession and for providing the drug to juveniles would remain. Marijuana would still be illegal under federal law. Read the rest of this entry »
Police Raid The Daktory
January 10th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
Dakta Green:
Police raid my home (The Daktory).
Yesterday (Saturday January 9 2010) about 12 New Zealand Police walked through my open door, entered The Daktory for the first time in the 14 months we have been open and exercised a search warrant. They found a few plants and a couple of ounces. I was arrested, charged with cultivation of cannabis and released on bail.
Today Sunday News have a front page headline “Pot shops to open across NZ” followed by a two page spread.
Lets hope we see some of this on the 6pm news, the more media coverage the better.
Stuff.co.nz have a poll going with the article posted this morning about The Daktory, current votes are: Yes, it should be decriminalised: 552 votes, 62.8%, No, the laws are fine: 327 votes, 37.2%, so it seems the NZ public is heading in the right direction.
Pot clubs go nationwide
January 10th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
From stuff.co.nz
Cannabis clubs – where users flout the law by meeting to smoke and buy the Class C drug – may soon open nationwide.
Next month founding members of New Zealand’s first cannabis connoisseurs’ club, Auckland’s Daktory, plan to meet fellow users throughout the country to help set-up Daktories in other cities.
“We have demand from virtually every city in the country,” Daktory founder Dakta Green told Sunday News.
” I would expect to see in the next 12 months Daktories in every major city in this country, every city should have at least one – 2010 is the year people within our culture are demanding changes throughout the world.”
Auckland’s Daktory, in New Lynn, plans to offer “degrees in Daktology” later this year – formalised study on all aspects of the cannabis industry including hands-on cultivation techniques.
For the first two-and-a-half months the Daktory was open cannabis was sold from the venue, and at one point almost 20 different strands of cannabis were available.
Marijuana Stores Trump Starbucks In Denver
January 9th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
Just like in California, the industry is booming…
If you want more proof that selling legal pot is a booming business, consider this statistic: Denver has more medical-marijuana shops than Starbucks Corp. locations.
Denver’s City Treasurer Steve Ellington tells ABC New affiliate Channel 7 that at least 390 pot dispensaries applied for a sales-tax license recently. That compares to 208 Starbucks in the entire state of Colorado, the station reports. Denver’s city council took a step toward regulating the marijuana stores last night, and the businesses are filing their tax applications.
The Denver statistic sheds light on a business that is becoming more institutionalized as local governments try to figure out ways to raise revenue. The Denver council will hold a public hearing and take a final vote Monday. Only a day later, on Tuesday, a California Assembly panel is expected to vote on a bill that would legalize pot across the state.
Dakta Green vs Police
January 5th, 2010
Dakta Green
New Zealand Police mounted a three day operation against The Daktory last Thursday, Friday,and Saturday. (31st December 2009, 1st and 2nd January 2010)
This involved Police parking up the street then following and stopping our members as they left The Daktory.
For some reason Police think they have the right to randomly stop and search people and vehicles for no other reason but they were departing The Daktory. “A known cannabis haunt”, according to Police.
Unfortunately for Police, their actions are illegal and a formal complaint is being prepared.
After suffering this nonsense for 2 days a plan was hatched should Police return for a third day. They did and the plan was implemented to perfection. The plan was simple. Dakta Green would drive away from The Daktory (his home and current court approved bail address) driving another members car with that member in the passenger seat and a cameraman filming from the rear seat he would circle the block and pull up back outside The Daktory. Would Police take the bait? They sure did.
Unlawful behavior by Police officers is never acceptable in a free and democratic society. Even if they are trying to catch ‘bad’ guys, Police must at all times comply with the law.
‘Tipping out’ cars and searching the occupants for no reason other than they have left The Daktory is illegal.
See you in Court
Dakta Green
Ever Wondered How It All Began?
January 5th, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
Here is a cutup video of a documentary called Grass, it is narrated by celebrity activist, Woody Harrelson. It explains all the reasons, or lack of, that Marijuana became illegal in the first place.
Part 1
Colorado: Judge Rules Pot Patients Have a Constitutional Right to Buy Weed
January 1st, 2010
Dakta Bourbon
Back in October the city of Centennial shut down the CanaMart dispensary in Colorado. They used a strategy adopted and deployed by a number of governments in the 14 states that allow medical marijuana; since weed is NOT legal, according to federal law, operating contrary to federal law violates a city’s land-use code.
Yesterday Arapahoe County District Court Judge Christopher Cross (not the same Christopher Cross dude who wrote “Sailing” or (gag) “Ride Like the Wind”) called bullshit and barred the city of Centennial from shutting down the dispensary!
“The city of Centennial cannot use the potential violation of a federal law to order a business legally operating under our state constitution to cease and desist its business,” Cross said. He also reminded the city that local governments CAN’T take it upon themselves to enforce federal law and that in 2000 Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. He also said the city violated CannaMart’s owners’ and patients’ constitutional rights, which he called “AN IRREPARABLE INJURY TO ALL OF US!”