Smokedot

"I've had prospective jurors get lost before, but it never occurred to me that they might be getting ready for a marijuana trial by, allegedly, smoking marijuana," Judge Sherman Ross says.

Thanks to Digg for this post on Modern Mechanix with pictures of 14 "olde timey" smoking devices that probably should never of been created.

First up, we have this double-barrel cigarette holder. Makes perfect sense, right? You’ve got two lungs, gotta have two cigarettes. Of course if you used this I don’t think you’d have two lungs for very long…

This one is actually kind of neat, but it’d probably be better for smoking something else…

Just a reminder to those of you who don't know, the World Wide Marijuana March is tomorrow. Get out of bed before noon and be a part of something big! 238 Cities have signed up to participate in the event, click on the URL above for more information about an event in your area. Check out the wiki entry as well.

Global Marijuana March (GMM) is an annual rally held at different locations across the planet. It refers to cannabis-related events that occur on the first Saturday in May, or that weekend, or thereabouts. Marches, meetings, rallies, raves, concerts, festivals, info-tables, etc.. The home page is at GlobalMarijuanaMarch.org

The Global Marijuana March also goes by the name of the Million Marijuana March (MMM). It began in 1999. Over 450 different cities worldwide have participated since 1999. There are local names for the event too. Such as: World Cannabis Day, Cannabis Liberation Day, Global Space Odyssey, Ganja Day, J Day, etc..

The Global Marijuana March is a celebration embracing cannabis culture as a personal lifestyle choice. Participants unite to discuss, promote, entertain and educate both consumers and non-consumers alike.

One of the main organizers since 1999 is Dana Beal and his Cures-Not-Wars.org website. Another of the main organizers is CannabisCulture.com and its publication, Cannabis Culture Magazine. Both Dana Beal and CannabisCulture.com people have mailed thousands of GMM-MMM posters worldwide over the years.

Thank you Wikipedia for the quote, I'll try to make either my local event, or the one in San Francisco, but this damn cold is keeping me couped up at home. Update: Thanks to Steve for sending me this link to some footage of the Seattle Marijuana March.

We very recently had a story about Timothy Garon. He was a medical marijuana patient who was in need of a liver transplant, but had been turned down due to the fact that his doctor had prescribed him medical marijuana. The "Seattle Times" is sadly reporting that Mr. Garon has passed away.

"Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant"

I simply can not believe that a man has died unnessiscarily due to the fact that he was legally prescribed marijuana by his physician in a state where voters had passed a law to allow its use. Please read more for how you can get involved and possibly stop this crime from happening in the future.

The Press Democrat has word that a Santa Rosa, California medical Marijuana dispensary owner was denied a move to Cotati, an adjacent town in Sonoma County, California. Here's a snip from the article:

The City Council unanimously rejected the Santa Rosa pot purveyor's bid for a license to operate on East Cotati Avenue, saying the building she had chosen did not meet parking requirements.

Now, Frank, the owner of the three-year-old Organicann dispensary on Santa Rosa Avenue, is looking at another location because the lease is set to expire.

Frank has applied for permits to set up shop in the unincorporated county on East Todd Road, about a mile from her current location, a Sonoma County planning official said.

I know Dona, she's a really nice lady and is out there to help everyone who needs it. I'm sad to see her leave that location, but I know she will thrive wherever she goes. Look for me at the Organicann booth at the Harmony Festival 2008 in Santa Rosa!

I was unable to post this story yesterday, but our beloved Albert Hoffman has died at the age of 102. The AP have the full story at the link above, here's a snippet:

Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery inspired — and arguably corrupted — millions in the 1960s hippie generation, has died. He was 102.

Hofmann died Tuesday at his home in Burg im Leimental, said Doris Stuker, a municipal clerk in the village near Basel where Hofmann moved following his retirement in 1971.

For decades after LSD was banned in the late 1960s, Hofmann defended his invention.

"I produced the substance as a medicine. ... It's not my fault if people abused it," he once said.

The Swiss chemist discovered lysergic acid diethylamide-25 in 1938 while studying the medicinal uses of a fungus found on wheat and other grains at the Sandoz pharmaceuticals firm in Basel.

Planet Save posted an article on Congressman Ron Paul's push to keep the government out of medical Marijuana.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul today released a statement urging public support for a House Bill advocating the government stay out of the medical marijuana business and allow state sanctioned clinics the freedom to dispense pot without fear of being raided.

Paul has introduced the “Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act”, H.R. 5842, which would bar the Federal Government from intervening in doctor/patient relationships that violate no state law. This, by the way, is the second legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Paul dealing with the cannabis plant. More on that later.

Is it just me, or are more and more members of the U.S. Government pushing for Marijuana law reform?

We discuss one elderly mother who suffers from spinal problems and more creating unending, chronic pain, and takes several pain killers. She is concerned about addiction, but her doctor does not support medical marijuana's use. As she is in an assisted care facility, her daughter is attempting to learn how to help her mother without causing her legal issues.

Dr. Leveque points out that the mother is already addicted to the Vicadin she's taking, but that marijuana was once used to help people withdraw from opium and opiates, so it would be a good choice. Also discussed are options for ingestion of medical marijuana without smoking or vaporizers, as those create an odor, and in many cases that is not appropriate.

Medical marijuana users are being declined to be placed on the transplant list because their doctors are prescribing them medical marijuana! This AP story brought to you by Yahoo takes you through the hurdles that Timothy Garon (a medical marijuana patient diagnosed with hepatitis C) has been going through to get placed on the transplant list for a replacement liver.

"No one tracks how many patients are denied transplants over medical marijuana use. Pro-marijuana groups have cited a handful of cases, including at least two patient deaths, in Oregon and California, since the mid-to-late 1990s, when states began adopting medical marijuana laws."

"Dr. Jorge Reyes, a liver transplant surgeon at the UW Medical Center, said that while medical marijuana use isn't in itself a sign of substance abuse, it must be evaluated in the context of each patient. "The concern is that patients who have been using it will not be able to stop," Reyes said."

When I first read this story I could not believe what I was reading. I personally find it absurd that we would decline a patient the chance at life for taking any medication that their doctor has prescribed them. Not only is marijuana far less addictive that prescription pain killers, it does not damage a patient's liver like some prescription medications do. In this case where the patient is receiving a liver transplant it is actually better for the transplanted organ. I will be doing more research into this, and promise to bring you more.

Update: Here's an editorial on the subject. Thanks alapoet!

Canada.com brings us the news that two men have been convicted of running a church where marijuana was sold as a sacriment. One was sentenced to two years in jail, while the other was sentenced to one year for selling marijuana at the "Church of the Universe".

"In handing down his ruling, the judge called the operation "a marijuana convenience store that operates for profit like a prohibition-era speakeasy, but disguised as a church.""

"Baldasaro and Tucker maintain that God tells them to smoke marijuana and pass joints to their Church of the Universe parishioners."

After watching "Super High Me" I was considering worshiping at a marijuana church. I don't believe this was the same church that was in the movie as both of the defendants have already been tried, convicted and sentenced.