Farmers Turning Vineyards into Cannabis Grows

In Oregon and California, farmers growing grapes are starting to grow cannabis as well. Since they have similar growing requirements, similar seasons, require irrigation and land that is ready to grow, the transition isn’t that hard.

Oregon has already legalized marijuana sales and consumption, and Californians will enjoy legalization of recreational cannabis next year. So many farmers are planning ahead to get a jump on the latest trend in agriculture.

Farmers will have to compete with indoor grows and many will opt for more secure grow ops in greenhouses. Success will depend upon how the marketplace develops. … Continue reading →

California: First Cannabis Sanctuary State?

Will California become the first Cannabis Sanctuary State?

California Assembly Bill 1578 will do just that. Similar to Immigration Sanctuary cities like San Francisco and New York, which have passed legislation protecting immigrants from Federal agents seeking to round up and deport illegal aliens, this bill would do the same for marijuana growers and consumers.

In California, a marijuana grower can be perfectly legal, yet local police, with Federal aid, can still come and destroy a crop, confiscate all cannabis found, arrest and convict the grower. Same is true of the hundreds of medical (and soon recreational) dispensaries… Continue reading →

California Marijuana Legalization Initiative On 2016 Ballot!

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California Secretary of State Alex Padilla pleased at least 60% of the state this morning with the news that an initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use has qualified for the November 8th general election ballot.

Here is the official summary of the proposed legislation as it will appear in the ballot:

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Legalizes marijuana and hemp under state law. Designates state agencies to license and regulate marijuana industry. Imposes state excise tax on retail sales of marijuana equal to 15% of sales price, and state cultivation taxes on marijuana of $9.25 per ounce of flowers and… Continue reading →

Colombia Legalizes Medical Cannabis

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Today, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree legalizing medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana patients in Colombia can now obtain licenses allowing them to possess and grow cannabis.

This is a big step on the way to decriminalizing the use and production of cannabis for everyone.

Colombia has been at the forefront of the worldwide War on Drugs, pushed by the US, contributing to a decades long civil war in that country. Rebels and drug cartels have made hundreds of billions of dollars selling marijuana, cocaine and more recently heroin and meth. The War on Drugs has only increased their… Continue reading →

DEA Director Calls Medical Marijuana a “Joke”

Join the discussion: DEA Chief Says Medical Marijuana Is a ‘Joke’

Apparently, to be the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, you must ignore Science and believe that marijuana has no medicinal value and is as bad as heroin. The interim DEA Director, Chuck Rosenberg, has now called medical marijuana a “joke”.

Chuck Rosenberg - Interim Director of the DEA

What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal — because it’s not.” We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine — that is a joke…. There are pieces of marijuana — extracts or constituents or component parts — that have great promise” medicinally, he said. “But if you talk about smoking the leaf of marijuana — which is what people are talking about when they talk about medicinal marijuana — it has never been shown to be safe or effective as a medicine.

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