Pot legalization effort moves eastward to Maine

[Source: FOX News]

Advocates of recreational marijuana use are looking to an upcoming vote in Maine as an indicator of whether the East Coast is ready to follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington by legalizing cannabis.

Voters in Portland are being asked whether they want to make it legal for adults 21 and over to possess -- but not purchase or sell -- up to 2.5 ounces of pot. The Nov. 5 vote is being eyed nationally as momentum grows in favor of legalizing marijuana use.

The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports legalization, says it targeted Portland because it's Maine's largest city and because, unlike many other states and cities, it has an initiative process to get the referendum on the ballot. Organizers hope passage of the Portland initiative could spur similar results in other liberal Northeast cities.


Full read: Pot legalizing moves eastward

Don't Be This Guy!!!!

 

[Source: USA Today]

Note to self....don't do what this clown did! LMAO....ouch!

Very important lesson for drug traffickers: Do not store your half-ton of weed in the backseat of your car.

A Brazilian drug smuggler did just that, police say, and the man was killed when he crashed into a tree while being chased by police ... because the 1,100 pounds of weed came barreling forward and crushed him against the steering wheel. 

Federal police started the chase when the man didn't stop at a road block, Jalopnik reports, citing local media.

The chase went on for three miles before the as-yet-unidentified man lost control of his car; he was killed instantly.

Original Article: Guy crushed to death by his own marijuana 

 

Colorado Sees First Hemp Crop Harvest In 56 Years

 
[Source: The Weed Blog]

This past weekend, volunteers gathered in Colorado’s Baca County to harvest the U.S.’s first commercial hemp crop since 1957. The crop was grown by Ryan Loflin, a Colorado resident. Hemp, a plant similar to marijuana but with only trace amounts of THC, is used to make cloth, rope, paper, oils, wax, and other products.  According to Hemp Industries Association, the U.S. market sold $500 million of hemp products last year alone, but because of U.S. drug policy, all of that hemp was imported.

Video and complete article here: Colorado Sees First Hemp Crop Harvest In 56 Years

 

What Is Synthetic Marijuana?

[Source: Huffington Post]

Much like Frankenstein's monster, synthetic marijuana was created in a lab and resulted in a perversion of its original subject: the effects of THC, the component of marijuana that provides the "high" sensation. Like marijuana, the drug is smoked, though unlike marijuana it comes in small packets usually labeled "not for human consumption" and has names like "Spice," "Black Mamba," "K2," "Fake Marijuana," "Sexy Monkey" and hundreds of others. 

The chemicals in synthetic marijuana are also harder to detect than marijuana in drug tests, and the drug is the second most used illicit drug among high school seniors, behind marijuana itself according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. While certain chemical compounds of synthetic marijuana were banned in Colorado in 2011, there are possibly hundreds more anonymous compounds that haven't been identified yet and thus, aren't illegal. 

Just being known as "synthetic marijuana" has angered pot activists because, it's effects are nothing like that of marijuana. Synthetic marijuana's non-cannabis herbs sprayed with lab-created chemicals which are said to give users a stronger high than THC can lead to seizures, hallucinations and convulsions as well as profoundly negative psychological effects.

Full article here: What Is Synthetic Marijuana?
 

We have gotten this far through the week!

It's Thursday so come check out our drinks and edibles!!!!They are buy one, get one half off all day longgggg!!! And you know we always have your favorite medical marijuana strains in Boulder, Colorado! Come say hi and fill you tummy with some yummies or just see what else we have in store. 

Oh and Growing Kitchen cookies are on sale all week as well! As your bud tender about the daily deals.

Check out our website for the "NEW" facelift and all the new menus for our products - http://northboulderwellness.com

 

Boulder County commissioners impose temporary moratorium on retail marijuana license applications

 

[Source: Times-Call] 

Boulder County commissioners this Tuesday imposed a temporary 22-day moratorium on accepting applications from anyone seeking to engage in retail sales of recreational marijuana, or the growing of that marijuana, in unincorporated parts of the county. 

The moratorium formalizes a position the commissioners took last week. It leads up to an Oct. 22 public hearing at which the commissioners are to consider not-yet-written temporary regulations that would allow current medical-marijuana establishments already operating in the unincorporated areas of the county to begin seeking Boulder County licenses to use their current locations for the growth, wholesale or retail markets for recreational marijuana.

That Oct. 22 hearing and meeting also is expected to include consideration of what the appropriate length of time might be for any additional moratorium on retail marijuana establishments to give county officials a chance to study what regulations, fees and ballot measures might be needed to oversee retail marijuana establishments.

Unless the commissioners extend the moratorium beyond Oct. 22, applicants that now are operating as medical marijuana centers in the county could begin seeking county retail marijuana licenses on Oct. 23 and might be able to begin selling marijuana for recreational use as early as next January.



Boulder County City Council Information - CLICK HERE

Article here: Boulder County Commissioners...

Colorado Mountain Towns readying for Recreational Tokers

 

[Source: The Denver Post]

They won't have to "hide it up in Telluride" anymore.

Glenn Frey sang that famous line in his 1984 "Smuggler's Blues" ode to drug dealing. But at the first of the year, those looking to add reefer to their ski-town recreation experience will be able to stroll into Colorado Avenue stores and legally buy some Bubba Kush or Maui Waui.

Colorado's live-and-let-live mountain resort towns, including Telluride, Aspen, Crested Butte, Breckenridge and Steamboat Springs, are jumping on the opportunities opened up by Amendment 64 and are ready to add recreational marijuana outlets to the ski-town attractions of moguls and double-blacks.

With local ordinances already approved or in the final stages of tweaking, recreational pot shops will be operating in these towns at the first of the year, just in time for the influx of fun-seeking skiers

Full article: Colorado mountain towns readying for recreational tokers

Historic retail marijuana rules and regulations passed by Denver Council

[Source: The Denver Post]

Denver City Council Monday night passed a historic bill that sets the rules and regulations for the retail marijuana industry in the state's largest city.

Most other big municipalities around Colorado have taken a time-out from setting their own regulations with many opting out to see how Denver's system will work. Denver also was the first to take on medical marijuana regulations.

"The whole world is watching, not just the country," said Councilman Charlie Brown, who led the council committee on the issue. "There will be some changes. It is a work in progress. We did what we could, but this is a huge unknown."


Two changes were put into the new law:
• Any medical marijuana facility that has not applied for a city license by Oct. 1 will be shut down.
• Distances now will be measured as the crow flies, not in terms of distance a pedestrian can walk after an amendment by Councilman Paul Lopez that was approved. Going forward, no new dispensary or retail shop can be within 1,000 feet of a school, child care center, drug and alcohol treatment center or another marijuana facility as the crow flies.

Here are some key elements to the new law:
• Through Jan. 2016, only licensed medical marijuana businesses in good standing will be licensed to sell retail marijuana.
• Retail marijuana stores can share the same location with a medical marijuana centers.
• Public hearings will be required before licenses are granted to retail facilities. But the hearings will be less restrictive than liquor licences.
• Similar buffering to the medical marijuana laws will be in effect with no dispensaries allowed within 1,000 feet of a school, child care center, another marijuana facility and drug and alcohol treatment facilities.


Ge the complete story:  Historic retail marijuana rules and regulations passed by Denver Council

Nationwide, Police Make More Arrests For Marijuana Than For Violent Crimes In 2012

 
[Source: The Weed Blog]

The FBI released a new report today showing that nationwide, police in the U.S. conduct one drug arrest every 20 seconds and one marijuana arrest every 42 seconds. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of police, prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement officials opposed to the war on drugs, pointed to the figures showing almost 750,000 marijuana arrests and more than 1.5 million total drug arrests in 2012 as evidence that no matter how aggressively we conduct it, this is a war that can never be won.

“These numbers represent a tremendous loss of human potential. Each one of those arrests is the story of someone who may suffer a variety of adverse effects from their interaction with the justice system,” said LEAP executive director Neill Franklin, a cop for 34 years. “Commit a murder or a robbery and the government will still give you a student loan. Get convicted for smoking a joint and you’re likely to lose it. This is supposed to help people get over their drug habit?”

“Every time a police officer makes an arrest for drugs, that’s several hours out of his or her day not spent going after real criminals. As the country has been investing more and more of its resources into prosecuting drug ‘crime,’ the rate of unsolved violent crime has been steadily increasing. Where are our priorities here?” asked retired lieutenant commander Diane Goldstein, another LEAP speaker.

Today’s FBI report, which can be found at http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/persons-arrested/persons-arrested, shows that 82.2 percent of all drug arrests in 2012 were for possession only and 42.4 percent of all drug arrests were for possession of marijuana (88% of all marijuana arrests).

Marijuana arrests were down slightly this year from 2011, but arrests for all drug abuse violations increased. This is perhaps reflective of the growing number of communities who have legalized and regulated marijuana for medical and recreational use.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is a group of more than 100,000 law enforcement officials and other supporters who, after fighting the war on drugs, now advocate for its end.

Full article: Police Made One Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds in 2012

Colorado first state in country to finalize rules for recreational pot

[Source: John Ingold, The Denver Post]

In 136 small-type pages, Colorado this week became the first state in the country to adopt final rules for recreational marijuana businesses.


The rules, released late Monday, cover everything from pot shop licensing to inventory tracking to marijuana packaging to advertising. They also represent the most comprehensive effort to date to take the once all-illegal marijuana market and harness it into what supporters say will be controlled, refined legitimacy.

Applications to open a recreational marijuana store can be filed starting in only three weeks. The first stores are expected to open around Jan.1, 2014.


Among the highlights of the rules:

• All marijuana stores, cultivation facilities and marijuana-infused products makers must be licensed and pay fees ranging from $2,750 to $14,000.
• Until October 2014, recreational marijuana stores must grow themselves almost all the pot they sell.
• All businesses must use the state's forthcoming online inventory tracking program to document their marijuana's journey from cultivation to processing to sale.



Complete story: Colorado first state in country to finalize rules for recreational pot

California Legalization On Deck for Marijuana Policy Project

[Source:East Bay Express; David Downs]

The nation’s largest marijuana policy organization announced Monday it will throw its weight behind a major effort to legalize cannabis in California in the 2016 general election. The Marijuana Policy Project plans to work with a broad coalition of local advocates and leaders in California to pass an initiative that would tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. A February Field Poll showed that 54 percent of Californians support taxing and regulating pot.

"The Golden State has long been a leader when it comes to compassionate and fiscally sound marijuana policies,” stated Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. “The majority of Californians support making marijuana legal for adults, and they are going to make it a reality soon.”

Full read here: California Legalization On Deck for Marijuana Policy Project

Pot advocates post billboard near Broncos' stadium

[Source: The Associated Press - Wtop.com]

Marijuana advocates are trying to grab some attention from the NFL's season opening game in Denver.

The Marijuana Policy Project wants the league to stop punishing players for using marijuana. It's put up a billboard near Sports Authority Field at Mile High for Thursday night's Denver Broncos-Baltimore Ravens game.

The sign asks the NFL to "stop driving players to drink." Marijuana supporters have long insisted that drinking poses a bigger danger than pot.

Denver's All-Pro linebacker Von Miller will miss Thursday's game and five others for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The reasons are confidential. But The Denver Post has reported that Miller tested positive for marijuana and amphetamine use during his rookie season in 2011.

Full story: Pot advocates post billboard near Broncos' stadium

What States are Likely to Sell Legal Marijuana Next???

[Source: The Huffington Post - Nick Wing ]

Attorney General Eric Holder gave a green light on Thursday to two states whose efforts to legalize marijuana had been locked in by legal uncertainty for more than nine months. With that announcement, Colorado and Washington -- both of which passed pro-pot initiatives at the polls last November -- can now proceed with establishing a framework for the taxation and regulation of legal weed for adults.

The administration's decision holds clear and immediate implications for the two states, both of which had been hesitant to act too quickly over concerns that the government might decide to enforce federal law, which still considers marijuana an illegal substance.

But the move also, and perhaps more importantly, throws open the gates for other states to pursue similar pot legalization efforts, so long as they include "strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems." Experts on both sides of the issue have already said they expect to see movement come quickly.

Find out what the possible next 10 States are to Legalize Pot: What States are Likely to Sell Legal Marijuana Next???

Look whats landed...Moonwalked OG!

Moonwalk OG

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We are offering community acupuncture today from 1PM – 3PM. (http://www.northboulderwellness.com/wellness/)
 
Whatever you plan on doing today, just make sure you make it over to see us!

 

Congress to Hold Hearings on State and Federal Marijuana Conflict

[Source:Erik Altieri, NORMLCommunications Director]

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has scheduled a hearing to address the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws.

“It is important, especially at a time of budget constraints, to determine whether it is the best use of federal resources to prosecute the personal or medicinal use of marijuana in states that have made such consumption legal,” Senator Leahy stated, “I believe that these state laws should be respected. At a minimum, there should be guidance about enforcement from the federal government.”

The hearing is scheduled for September 10th and both Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Attorney General James Cole have been invited to testify.

The hearing comes after 20 states have approved of the medical use of marijuana and two states have legalized it for recreational use. The Department of Justice had promised clarification for these states regarding how, or if, the federal government intends to respond, but has thus far failed to provide any clear policy or guidance. It is the hope of Senator Leahy these hearings will address the concerns of these states and provide them a way to move forward with their state approved marijuana laws

See more at: Meeting on State and Federal Marijuana

New Jersey Governor: Ease access to kids' medical pot

[By ANGELA DELLI SANTI and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie agreed Friday to give chronically ill children easier access to medical marijuana, but he was unwilling to go as far as state lawmakers wanted. 

The Republican governor conditionally vetoed a bill on the topic, saying in the document, "Parents, and not government regulators, are best suited to decide how to care for their children." 

He said he agreed with provisions that would allow production of ingestible forms of pot at state-approved dispensaries and to allow dispensaries to grow more than three strains of the drug. But he struck a part of the bill that would have dropped a requirement that a psychiatrist and pediatrician sign off before children are allowed medical marijuana. He said he wanted to keep in some safeguards for young patients. 

The bill now goes back to the Legislature. If lawmakers make the changes Christie requested, it will become law. It was not immediately clear when lawmakers may take it up, but the state Senate does have a voting session scheduled for Monday. 

Sen. Nick Scutari, one of the sponsors of the bill, said he's pleased that children would be given access to edible marijuana in strains appropriate for their medical needs, but concerned that psychiatric review is an unnecessary hurdle for parents. He said he will review the conditional veto before discussing with fellow lawmakers how to proceed. 

Finishing reading full article here: New Jersey Governor: Ease access to kids' medical pot