There are festivals promoting the benefits of both hemp and cannabis in almost every state in the USA. We aren't alone and really never have been, with the rest of the world. There are festivals yearly in Australia, Israel, Germany, UK, Poland and of course Amsterdam, to name just a few. Education is the main idea of these fairs, but fun is what happens every time, for everybody.
Its name hearkens back to the original pot competition founded in Amsterdam in 1988, the U.S. Cannabis Cup is, to use an industry term, a hybrid, equal parts trade show and pot festival. It seemed virtually all of the attendees were from out of town. They wanted to see what Denver's newfound marijuana liberation looked like in person and while the event was hardly representative of the average Sunday afternoon in the city (4/20 is to pot what St. Patrick's Day is to alcohol) the Cannabis Cup proved to be an ideal event for the still novel thrill of smoking weed openly and with impunity. In the 21 and up outdoor area where smoking was permitted, the sour scent of pot smoke drifted everywhere. The crowd was almost entirely in their 20s and 30s, and more male than female, though not by as much of a margin as you might think. Shuffling slowly along the crowded aisles between vendor tents, people smoked blunts, passed pipes, shared joints, ripped bongs, and ate edibles. - The Examiner
Legal marijuana possession becomes a reality under Washington state law on Thursday, and some people planned to celebrate the new law by breaking it. Voters in Washington and Colorado last month made those the first states to decriminalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana. Washington's law takes effect Thursday and allows adults to have up to an ounce of pot, but it bans public use of marijuana, which is punishable by a fine, just like drinking in public. Nevertheless, some people planned to gather at 12:01 a.m. PST Thursday to smoke in public beneath Seattle's Space Needle. Others planned a midnight party outside the Seattle headquarters of Hempfest, the 21-year-old festival that attracts tens of thousands of pot fans every summer. "This is a big day because all our lives we've been living under the iron curtain of prohibition," said Hempfest director Vivian McPeak. "The whole world sees that prohibition just took a body blow." - HempBeach TV
This Independence Day 2014 should be a special one for cannabis life-stylers. You have a clear path to legalization in front, a prohibition era-like vibe around the plant. No longer is it a secret to discuss, it's a legitimate industry. New York recently became the 23rd state in the nation to adopt a medical cannabis program, that is nearly half of all 50 states. In 2014 more states will have adopted a medical cannabis program than ever before. It is clear that the leverage has clearly swung in favor of cannabis vs the oppressors. It appears that social engineering is taking place in favor of cannabis through media sources and news. The people need the medicine, the economy needs the revenue.
New York voters have the right idea, they realize that the legalization of medical marijuana could create hundreds of millions of dollars each year which could in turn bail them out of their ever growing debt. New York State Senator Diane Savino has stated that she would like to see New York become the 19th state to legalize medical marijuana. With the devastation that hurricane Sandy has caused, new light has been shed on the prospect of medical marijuana. Over $1 billion dollars in debt can be accounted for because of the hurricane, and it seems that the legalization of medical marijuana might just be the ticket to ensuring prosperity. - High Roulette
It seems that, as of late, a lot more people are opening their minds to the idea of legalizing medical marijuana. There are a myriad of benefits and every day more and more politicians seem to be considering the voices of the voters and reviewing their demands for legal pot. With that being said, there are a few states that are reintroducing the possibility of medical marijuana on their next ballot and the positive economic impact just might appeal to some of the more right wing voters. - High Roulette
This photo from the Roll Call archives showcases the many decades that legalized pot advocates have been fighting for medical marijuana. Activists cheered a House vote last month to bar the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. It was a watershed moment for pro-marijuana advocates, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who have been waiting for years for Congress to take an affirmative up-or-down vote on any related issue.- June 19, 2014
Scientific inquiries on this side of the Atlantic have yielded consistent results. In 1972, Nixon's handpicked Shafer Commission recommended Congress remove criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use as well as on the "casual distribution of small amounts of marijuana." Ten years later, researchers at the U.S. National Research Council, a division of the National Academy of Sciences, reaffirmed that prohibition was ineffective and should be "seriously reconsidered." Most recently, a special Canadian House of Lords committee concluded, "The consequences of conviction for possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to the potential harm associated with that behavior." - Paul Armentano - NORML
"Marijuana remains illegal at the national level, with no medical exception," Michael Kinsley notes in the latest issue of The New Republic. And yet, Washington state, along with Colorado, legalized pot for all uses last year. The cultivation and sale of the drug is a booming business, and complicated, too. In the nearly 20 states, plus DC, that have legalized the drug in some form, the resulting regulations, on everything from prices to portions to pot shop locations, are as varied as the countless strains of cannabis. - The New Republic
Lawmakers in New York City have voted to legalize the use of medical marijuana Friday, reports The Verge. The users would not be able to smoke the herb, the most popular way to consume, rather they have to satisfy themselves by consuming via edibles, tinctures, pills, or inhaled through the use of vaporizers. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is going to sign the legislation, posted a 'no smoking' term as his primary demand. "I believe this bill is the right balance, and I commend the members of the Legislature who worked so hard on this measure," Cuomo said in a statement. The list of conditions that it has been approved to treat is also fairly short. Patients with cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease and other named ailments can turn to the drug for relief. The law will be passed as soon as the governor signs the legislation but the implementation could delay as long as 18 months. New York is going to be the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana, where only Washington and Colorado allow recreational use of this herb. - News Next bd
The call for legal medical marijuana in Illinois grew stronger in April 2013, as nearly 250 physicians asked state lawmakers to legalize pot use for patients with serious illnesses. Three physicians spoke at a news conference to emphasize that marijuana can be a safer and more effective treatment alternative to narcotics for patients with diseases like Cancer and HIV. the Associated Press reports. Physicians argued it should be up to doctors, not law enforcement, to decide whether marijuana is the appropriate choice for their patients. "We need to replace the patient/dealer relationship with the patient/doctor relationship", Dan Riffle, spokesman for the project, said according to DNAinfo Chicago. Chicago resident Julie Falco said at the conference marijuana has greatly eased her suffering from multiple sclerosis, DNAinfo reports. Falco said she had recently been emailed by a Lou Gehrig's Disease sufferer named "Dawn" who wanted to see if medical marijuana could help her. The woman turned out to be Dawn Clark Netsch, the former state comptroller who died in March 2013. - Huffington Post
Marijuana is present in your hometown even if you do not live in California. There are kids smoking joints, adults taking a break during a stressful day and people self medicating with weed. Head shops sell tobacco and tobacco products, not to say those glass pipes are only used for tobacco. People can legally buy pipes to smoke weed, but the weed itself is illegal. In states that allow medicinal marijuana all it takes is trouble sleeping or back pain to get a medical marijuana card. There are hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries in states like Oregon and California who have legalized medical marijuana.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that 84 percent of Floridians over 65 years old approve of medical marijuana, an issue Florida voters will decide in November. USFs Jay Wolfson, a doctor and lawyer, believes medical marijuana will inevitably become more acceptable and mainstream, but only if it's held to the same standard as other modern medicine. - abc News
“This marks a major step forward for Maryland medical marijuana patients and their families,” a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project said in an advisory about Maryland's newest Medical Marijuana bill. “The Assembly’s overwhelming support for this important legislation reflects that of the people of Maryland and the nation as a whole. The time has come to allow seriously ill people to obtain and use medical marijuana if their doctors believe it will help them.” - The Raw Story
Marijuana has clearly joined a brand new age. Legal sales have began in Colorado and Washington right behind it. The popularity isn't just a U.S. phenomenon. Uruguay can also be planning for leisure marijuana sales. You will find still major hurdles within the U.S. which include marijuana's illegal federal status and the possible lack of banking access for collective operators. However, despite individuals repairable situations, it's obvious that marijuana may be the next large industry within the United States and possibly around the globe. The images being released of Colorado reveal that this really is greater than a passing fad. - Cannitrol
A lot of the financial conversation revolves simply around taxes collected through legal sales of marijuana. While these amounts are essential, it might be a shortsighted method of viewing the industry's impact. Marijuana shops also equal jobs for security, plant/grow providers, lawyers, doctors/medical centers, companies, local plumbers, electrical engineers and anybody associated with building maintenance and construction, realtors, land lords and also the list can carry on. As we still watch Republicans and Democrats recycle exactly the same speaking points within their debates, legal marijuana satisfies both platforms. New revenues are going to be produced (what Democrats seek) and taxes don't need to rise (what Republicans want) because new jobs and more people working translates to more taxes being collected. Innovation and industry will offer you more solutions for budget squabbles. - Cannitrol
Thanks to a successful ballot initiative last month, Washington state residents can legally smoke marijuana in the privacy of their living rooms as of Thursday. When that gets old, bar owner Frank Schnarr suggests, area stoners have another option, grab a booth at Frankie's Sports Bar & Grill in Olympia and toke up there. Schnarr, 62, says he is not acting out of a love of cannabis, he says he hasn't smoked the stuff since he was a soldier stationed in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Rather, he's looking for new sources of income. "I stay up at night," he said. "I'm about to lose my business. So I've got to figure out some way to get people in here." Schnarr, who waged an ultimately successful battle with local and state officials over Washington's 2006 smoking ban, appears to be the first restaurant or bar owner in the state to test the recently expanded limits on recreational marijuana use. - Reuters
The cannabis plant has a long history. It's widely believed that humans' first contact with the plant was roughly 10,000 years ago in China, where some of the earliest archeological evidence of hemp first originated. For thousands of years, the Chinese used it to make rope, paper, clothing and medicine. During the second century A.D., Chinese surgeon Hua T'o even used cannabis as an anesthesia. - The Huffington Post - Goddesses of Hemp fountain in Russia
In the 17th century, American farmers were required by law to grow hemp in Virginia and the other colonies. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, and Benjamin Franklin owned a mill that is rumored to have used hemp paper. Meanwhile, his own newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, espoused the benefits of the crop for multiple uses. For hundreds of years in the U.S., hemp was used to make rope, sails, lamp oil and clothing, until production dropped to zero in the late 1950s over anti-drug sentiment and competition from synthetic fibers. - The Huffington Post
