If Californians Vote to Legalize, Canada Unlikely to Follow Suit, Say Two MPs Canadians are ahead of their federal politicians on the issue of liberalizing marijuana laws, according to two high-profile lawmakers from B.C. With Californians heading to the polls in November to decide whether possession of a small amount of marijuana should be legal, a similar law in Canada is not likely on the horizon, Liberal Keith Martin and New Democrat Libby Davies told The Province. Davies, who represents the voters of Vancouver East, favours legalization of marijuana, while Martin, the MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, has been calling for decriminalizing the controversial drug since 2001. [continues 385 words]
Maybe it's time for the U.S. to be something akin to a world cop, at least in Mexico, working as actively as needed with the government of President Felipe Calderon to defeat drug cartels that torture cops to death, assassinate journalists, will slaughter 15 teens partying at someone's house and even enter funeral homes and kill the mourners. Americans aren't immune. Two of them recently attended a get-together for children at the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez and were making their way home to El Paso. Imagine their fright as assailants caught up with them and their 1-year-old baby riding in the back of their SUV. The child was spared. Her mother, four months pregnant, was shot in the head and died. The father was shot in the arm and neck. He died, too. [continues 478 words]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper threw down a challenge to millions of computer-savvy Canadians last Tuesday when he invited their questions through the medium of YouTube. And Canadians complied, throwing a horde of complaints, quizzes and diatribes at the prime minister, on topics ranging from climate change to prorogation. Perhaps surprisingly, the most common questions focused on his government's approach to the control of marijuana. I thought it might be helpful if I provided him with a little advice by suggesting responses to some popular questions. It appears he was paying attention. [continues 398 words]
In what may be an unprecedented event, residents, local business people, officials and those involved in the marijuana industry are planning to meet Tuesday night and break a long-standing silence to talk about what supposedly is the backbone of Humboldt County's economy -- pot. More specifically, the meeting will focus on the potential economic effects of the legalization of marijuana. "It's time to talk about the elephant in the room," said organizer Anna Hamilton. A Shelter Cove resident, Hamilton said she is "intimately involved" with the marijuana industry and has seen the market get worse over time due to changing marijuana laws. [continues 590 words]
Amended Medical Pot Bill To Limit Industry Being Heard Today A medical marijuana reform bill being heard today by a House committee has been altered to make it more favorable to the medical marijuana community, according to Rep. Claire Levy. More than five pages of amendments have been added to the Legislature's latest bill that looks to place limits on Colorado's fastest growing industry. The proposed amendments include: - - Removing the ability of law enforcement to access a medical marijuana clinic at any time and demand access to their books and records; [continues 614 words]
It's now said openly. There's no more political tip-toeing regarding the unabated violence in Juarez having "officially" spilled into El Paso. For the first time, a high-ranking politician, our state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, confirms the drug cartels have seeped over the Mexico border and into the eastern side of El Paso and El Paso County. Shapleigh told the El Paso Times Editorial Board that, for the first time, he's noted that his constituents are afraid. " ... It appears that elements of gangs in Juarez who are under pressure in Juarez are moving their operations to the Mission Valley. We have received numerous reports of gang members living in the San Elizario, Socorro and Fabens communities ..." [continues 260 words]
Former governor of New Mexico, Republican Gary Johnson, was at the UMKC School of Law student lounge delivering a message to a group of students and faculty Tuesday. "Congress will pass laws regarding anything and everything," Johnson said. "This is our America, take it back." Johnson occupied the governor's seat in New Mexico for two terms. He proudly vetoed 750 bills during that time and he was only overridden twice. However, Johnson did not begin as a politician. He was an entrepreneur, starting his own construction business that turned in to a 1,000 person operation. [continues 279 words]
While gambling schemes may deliver economic benefits ("Boost gambling to save NH way," by Scott Flegal), it's just more bread and circus -- entertainment venues that produce nothing of lasting value. Gambling offers no direct benefit to rural taxpayers who choose not to work and play in that sort of economy. As a farm state struggling through this recession, New Hampshire would be better served by legalizing the cultivation of agricultural cannabis. Industrial hemp (not marijuana) is a hardy, high-yield-per-acre crop that yields nutritious seeds, valuable oils, and superior fiber for paper, pressboard, cordage and cloth -- without heavy use of farm chemicals. [continues 109 words]
TORONTO- In Canadian cities like Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, one of the most pressing priorities for police is combatting an illegal drug trade that has spawned a rash of gangland violence in recent years. A provocative new report from a B.C. HIV-research agency, however, suggests that throwing more police resources at the problem will only make the bloodshed worse, not bring peace to the streets. The majority of studies conducted on the issue over the last 20 years in the United States and elsewhere indicate that gang violence increases as law-enforcement activity against the drug trade steps up, says the report from the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. [continues 618 words]
California could become the first U.S. state to legalize marijuana. Residents will vote on the proposal in November after a petition showing support was submitted to state officials. If the initiative passes, anyone over the age of 21 could possess up to an ounce of marijuana "for personal use" -- enough for about 50 joints. They could also grow the drug and buy it from a newly formed state-wide industry. Under the new initiative, the California government would regulate and tax marijuana sales. It would also vacate the convictions of those convicted of marijuana offences. [end]
