Ganja Vibes Blog

THANK YOU!

What a week this has been. For starters, as we were putting to bed our February 2013 issue (we work way in advance) featuring the2013 Hydro Report, Hurricane Sandy hit, and those of us here on the eastern seaboard were suddenly confronted with more water than any of us had ever seen before. Ironic? Poetic? Prophetic? While we were telling you folks how to grow pot in water-based systems, Sandy’s wind and rain took out lower Manhattan, as well as large parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and the Jersey Shore. It also took out the HIGH TIMES office for a week.
We learned our own lesson about water – that it has a will of its own and that too much or too little can be lethal for you or your plants.  After a lot of last minute scrambling, we had the issue ready to go.
But stop the presses!
On November 6, something bordering on the miraculous happened. Marijuana was legalized for recreational use in the states of Colorado and Washington,Massachusetts became the 18th state to legalize pot for medicinal use, and folks in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti, Michigan voted to decriminalize.
The Feds must be shaking – and it’s not due to all that coffee they drink on those stakeouts. This is a real coup, and those who worked on these initiatives should roll up a fat victory joint, sit back, and contemplate their place in the history books.
A special congratulations should be offered to a few of the many hard working people behind Colorado and Washington’s successful legalization initiatives.
Mason Tvert, a long-time marijuana law reformer and HIGH TIMES 2012 Freedom Fighter of the Year, is the co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which made history by legalizing up to an ounce of cannabis in Colorado this Election Day.
Not to be out done, Washington’s I 502 legalized pot as well. Alison Holcomb’s tireless work as the initiative’s campaign director and primary architect should be recognized, as should Rick Steves'. The PBS travel host, NORML board member, and marijuana advocate lent his name and time to help the initiative pass – including a multi-city I 502 educational tour.
Those who worked for the initiatives in Oregon and Arkansas that didn’t pass should be proud of themselves too, because they stood and they fought. The Forces of Darkness must not be allowed to succeed unto victory unchallenged. Those in possession of the Light must make a stand. And when Light gets trampled underfoot, it must rise again, because Light, weak as it may be at times, is immortal and will get stronger with every battle it fights. People have a will of their own, too, when they choose to use it.
So say a prayer for those still suffering in Staten Island, Coney Island, Long Beach, the Rockaways, Atlantic City ... The list goes on and on. And really, this is where the Feds should be concentrating their efforts anyway – on helping people in need.
But, man, I cannot wait to see the expression on their faces when we start making the case for amnesty for marijuana prisoners. Because if they don’t send the National Guard in to stop the implementation of these voter initiatives in Washington and Colorado, the federal government is de facto accepting legalization for recreational use, which will set a precedent that defense attorneys can have a lot of fun with.
The fight continues. More updates to come on hightimes.com. Peace,
Chris Simunek
 
  http://hightimes.com/lounge/csimunek/8012  

California NORML's conference marking the 100th anniversary of marijuana prohibition in California

  All are invited to California NORML's conference marking the 100th anniversary of marijuana prohibition in California.   Cannabis in California: Ending the 100 Year War January 26 & 27, 2013 Ft. Mason Conference Center, San Francisco All are invited to California NORML's conference marking the 100th anniversary of marijuana prohibition in California. This two-day event, held January 26 & 27, 2013 at Ft. Mason Conference Center in San Francisco, will explore the history, causes and costs of the war on cannabis, and strategies for ending it. Speakers at this historic conference will include leading experts on cannabis, reform movement leaders, public officials, attorneys, scientific and medical experts. Following up on Cal NORML's "Next Steps" conferences of 2011, we will discuss concrete measures to reform California's cannabis laws, both medical and otherwise, through legislation, litigation and ballot initiatives. Special early bird CalNORML Member Registration is $65 for both days. Non-Member Earlybird Registration is $75. The Radisson at Fisherman's Wharf is offering a special room rate for attendees. Call 415-392-6700 and ask for the California NORML group rate. Proposals for participation and sponsorship are invited at: conference@canorml.org or (415) 563-5858.    
 

Why Are No Women Celebrity Stoners Willing to Come Out of the Greenhouse?

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"]NORML Logo NORML Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]
Famous women stay mute when it comes to their relationship to weed, but their voices could be of the utmost importance. The only way famous women talk openly and politically about pot use today is if they are using it “medically” -- as in the case with Melissa Etheridge, who spoke openly about her pot use during the chemo treatments she underwent during her 2005 battle with breast cancer. What we don’t hear is celebrity women who are willing to advocate for the legalization and taxation of weed, aka cannabis sativa. But they should, because it’s better for the economy, for the sick and ailing and prescription-addicted, for farmers and for the environment. Twenty million-plus Americans use marijuana recreationally. And here’s where things get tricky for potential high-profile women advocates. Women have not been shown “what’s in it for them” if they endorse re-legalizing marijuana and industrial hemp. Subsequently, they still feel there’s too much at stake both personally and professionally to publicly stand up for drug policy reform. Even as much of our history as a nation included this plant -- it served us as rope and masts in the ships that won our wars, as the medium for our founders’ message when the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper -- f amous women stay mute when it comes to their relationship to weed. 
Where are the female Tommy Chongs, the Snoop Dog (Lion)s, and the Willie Nelsons? They are out there, but they’re not talking. And they need to understand all they have to gain by coming out of the greenhouse or the pot cookie closet. Is it because they’re not as cavalier as men when it comes to going on record about breaking the law to smoke pot? With upwards of 850,000 marijuana arrests yearly and over a trillion spent, the war on drugs has been the costliest war in American history. Our job at the NORML Women’s Alliance is to urge women to become more vocal about the need to “free the weed.” But a sister needs to help a sister out!
So this is a call to arms to Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Sarah Silverman, Joss Stone, Paris Hilton , Drew Barrymore, Charlize Theron, Rihanna, Cameron Diaz , Mischa Barton and Jennifer Aniston. Which one of you will be gutsy (and career savvy) enough to cash in on your celebrity stoner status? Millions of us are waiting for our USmagazines to arrive with those first photos of a green goddess collecting her platinum bong for her commitment to the cause.Here are three good reasons why famous women should consider legalizing marijuana in America.
1. It’s an entirely green initiative. Oil companies are already bidding on the oil reserves underneath the ever-melting polar ice caps. Hemp is oil and all of our cars and airplanes can run on it while also putting out-of-work farmers back to work. Hemp actually improves the environment where it is grown. 2. It could save your life. Not only is pot way cooler than alcohol, it’s also non-toxic. Dylan Thomas could not have smoked himself to death. There has never been a cannabis-related death. Ever. In fact, recent studies show that cannabis kills stage 4 cancer cells. It’s not only not bad for you, studies are showing that cannabinoids (helpful compounds found in the plant) support the immune system. These same compounds found in the pot plant are found in mother’s milk. So, while drinking can kill you -- and others if you drive while intoxicated -- pot could save your life. 3. It will probably make you a pop cultural icon. If you are a famous hot female, what’s more rad than getting photographed smoking a blunt in a Bob Marley bathing suit in Barbados? Rihanna could change lives if she would just come out and say, “I smoke pot. I like it.” Dr. Andrew Weil, the guru of alternative medicine, has called cannabis sativa the dog of the plant world. In other words, the pot plant has been growing loyally since the dawn of mankind, making itself useful to us as fiber, food and medicine. This war on weed is being sustained by a self-interested government that has never figured out how to properly profit from legal marijuana production, and is afraid of its power to put so many big oil and pharmaceutical companies out of business. Famous women can help change this by arming themselves with the facts and being fearless in the conviction of their choices. Theirs are the voices that are missing from this important struggle, and they need to step up. It’s high time. Greta Gaines is a singer/songwriter who lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two young sons. She serves on the national board of NORML and on the NORML Women’s Alliance. She has been named in Skunk Magazine’s “100 most important marijuana activists.”

The Final Days of Prohibition!

Dear NORML supporters,
REGISTER NOW »
Please make plans today to join NORML in Los Angeles, October 3-6 for the 41st annual national NORML conference. This year's forward-looking theme: The Final Days of Cannabis Prohibition The host hotel is already near capacity and online registration is available. NORML's annual conference is the premiere gathering in America of cannabis law reform activists and organizations working for public policy alternatives to the country's failed Cannabis Prohibition laws. This election year, voters in as many as four states will have the opportunity to vote in the affirmative on legalization initiatives. Additionally, numerous states have passed cannabis law reform measures, placing much needed pressure on the federal government to follow suit. NORML's annual conferences are always informative, community building and fun!
Please take the opportunity now to register for NORML 2012 and reserve your discounted room at the host hotel. For table vending and conference sponsorship opportunities, please send an email to: conference@norml.org
2012 NORML Conference Roundtable Panel Topics (sample of agenda topics):
  • Seventy-five Years of Cannabis Prohibition in America, October 3, 1937 - October 3, 2012: A review of the Cannabis Prohibition epoch in America
  • Broken Promises: Obama Administration and Federal Blowback Against Medical Cannabis Industry
  • Pot-n-Politics 2012: A review of reform initiatives and legislation impacting cannabis consumers
  • Whatever Happened to Hemp?
  • Cannabis and the 'Demo' Gap Problem: Who Does Not Support Cannabis Legalization and Why?
  • Cannabis and Senior Citizens in America: A Propitious Amalgamation
  • Cannabis Legalization and Taxation: What Might It Look like?
  • Shifting Demographics of Medical Cannabis Consumers
  • Reducing Cannabis' Fear Factor Among Americans
  • New England Storm: Has the Epicenter Of Cannabis Law Reform Moved East?
  • Cannabis Activism Workshop
  • High Times' All Things Cultivation
  • California activist and stakeholder meeting
Thanks in advance and I hope to see you at NORML's 41st annual national conference this early October in Los Angeles. Cannabem liberemus, Allen St. Pierre Executive Director NORML / NORML Foundation director@norml.org About NORML.