September, 2009
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U.S. DEA Finally Gets Its Man
September 29, 2009
Just over four years ago, former U.S. DEA administrator Karen Tandy announced to the world that her agency had struck “a significant blow … to the marijuana legalization movement” by indicting Canada’s so-called ‘Prince of Pot,’ Marc Emery.For nearly two decades Emery operated a successful marijuana seed bank operation in Vancouver, British Columbia — a venture which he used to directly fund cannabis law reform efforts around the globe, including the magazine Cannabis Culture, the internet site Pot TV, and the founding of the British Columbia Marijuana Party.
Emery’s seed business was hardly a secret. For many years, Emery mailed copies of his seed catalogue to Canadian politicians. A Canadian court convicted him in 1998 and sentenced him to a $2,000 fine. Undeterred, Emery continued to sell seeds — and pay federal taxes on his profits — up until his arrest. Canadian authorities were happy to accept his tax money, and officials at Health Canada, which oversees Canada’s legal medical marijuana program, often recommended that patients contact Emery for grow advice. Nevertheless, when the Feds came calling, the Canadian authorities were swift to throw Marc Emery to the wolves.
Even though Emery’s alleged crimes would have warranted, at most, a month in jail in his home country, Canadian authorities yesterday placed Marc into custody so that he can be extradited to the United States. Once here, he faces up to five years in prison for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana (more than 100 plants) in violation of 21 USC 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
But lets not kid ourselves. Marc Emery was hardly a high level target because he sold marijuana seeds to the U.S. — a simple google search will yield dozens of listings of competitors that presently engage in similar activities. No, it wasn’t so much what Marc did (“There isn’t a single victim in my case, no one who can stand up and say, ‘I was hurt by Marc Emery.’ No one,” he told the Vancouver Sun) as it was what he did with his money that aroused the ire of U.S. anti-drug officials.
And we have Karen Tandy’s own words to prove it.
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Alternet: “Five Things the Corporate Media Don’t Want You to Know About Cannabis”
September 28, 2009
I’ve written previously about the mainstream media’s propensity to under report and distort stories that challenge marijuana prohibition.Apparently my latest missive has hit a nerve — as it has quickly risen to become the most read story on Alternet.
5 Things the Corporate Media Don’t Want You to Know About Cannabis
via Alternet.org1. Marijuana Use Is Not Associated With a Rise in Incidences of Schizophrenia
2. Marijuana Smoke Doesn’t Damage the Lungs Like Tobacco
3. Cannabis Use Potentially Protects, Rather Than Harms, the Brain
4. Marijuana Is a Terminus, Not a ‘Gateway,’ to Hard Drug Use
5. Government’s Anti-Pot Ads Encourage, Rather Than Discourage, Marijuana Use
Read the full text of the story here.
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Conference 2009 – Saturday Agenda
September 26, 2009Update: Audio from Today is now available
Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical SchoolToday’s Highlights
- Cannabis Law Reform’s Missing Link: Law Enforcement – Norm Stamper
- Keynote Speaker Luncheon Lester Grinspoon, M.D. [via live remote]
- Panels on: Mexican cartels, revenue stream, and athleticism
- Breakout sessions on: Tools for activists, cultivation, and CA law reform
- NORML 2009 Extravaganza Fundraising Party
Schedule
Moderator: Madeline Martinez, NORML Board of Directors 9:00am Registration 10:00-
10:30amCannabis Law Reform’s Missing Link: Law Enforcement
Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper; LEAP and NORML Advisory Board; Author of Breaking Rank10:30-
12:00pmPutting the Mexican Cartels Out of Business
Panel Info and Comments Mexican drug cartels now employ over 100,000 soldiers and are responsible for nearly ten thousand deaths per year. Their largest source of income is marijuana. A panel of experts discuss how legalizing and regulating cannabis in the United States and abroad is the only viable solution for staving this ongoing bloodshed.Moderator: Richard Cowan, former NORML director
- Mike Gray, Author of Drug Crazy; Common Sense for Drug Policy
- Ethan Nadelmann, Ph.D, Director, Drug Policy Alliance; Author of Cops Across Borders
- Norm Stamper, Former Seattle Police Chief; NORML Advisory Board
12:00-
12:15pmBreak 12:15-
1:30pmBreakout Sessions
Panel Info and Comments1. Tools For Activists (What Can I Do?) Moderator: Russ Belville, NORML National Outreach Coordinator
- Chris Goldstein – Working with Mainstream Media
- Brian Judy – Social Networking Technologies
- Madeline Martinez – Grassroots Lobbying
- Lauren Vazquez –Social Change Leadership, How to Make Your Grassroots Grow
2. High Times Cultivation: More Root, More Fruit: Growing Medical Marijuana in the Era of Plant Limits Moderator: Danny Danko, Cultivation Editor, High Times
Veganics: Beyond Organics for Medicinal Quality Cannabis
Kyle Kushman, former High Times Cultivation reporter and current medical marijuana consultant
3. California NORML: Law Reform and Activism In The Golden State
(An open discussion of California’s pending marijuana initiatives and other reform efforts.)Moderator: Dale Gieringer, Ph.D, Director, CA NORML
1:30-
2:30pmKeynote Speaker Luncheon
Lester Grinspoon, M.D. Author and pioneering Harvard Medical School Professor [via remote from Boston]2:45-
4:15pmMarijuana Legalization As a Local, State, Federal Revenue Stream
Panel Info and Comments In today’s sagging economy national, state and local leaders are looking for alternative streams of revenue. They should look no further than to America’s #1 cash crop: cannabis.Moderator: Dale Gieringer, Ph.D, Director, CA NORML
- Jon Gettman, Ph.D
- Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Council
- Mark Kleiman, Ph.D, UCLA
4:15-
4:30pmBreak 4:30-
5:30pmCannabis and Athleticism
Panel Info and Comments Some of the nation’s top athletes discuss why today’s pros are turning to cannabis — and away from alcohol and painkillers — off the field, and question why pro sports leagues are continuing to sanction those who do.Moderator: Steve Bloom, Author, Pot Culture; editor, celebstoner.com
- Toby Grear, MMA fighter
- Sean Neumann, Documentary Filmmaker; former ESPN producer
- Mark Stepnoski, Former All-Star NFL football player, NORML Advisory Board
- Rob Van Dam, Professional wrestler
5:30-
6:00pmConference Close
Rick Steves, TV host/best-selling travel author, NORML Advisory Board7:00-
1:00amNORML 2009 Extravaganza Fundraising Party
Kindly sponsored by: Harborside Health Center -
Live audio streaming now from NORML National Conference
September 25, 2009Check it out on http://live.norml.org – Rick Steves coming up soon, plus discussions from the founder of Oaksterdam, Richard Lee; Dr. Harry Levine on race and marijuana arrests; and California NORML’s Dale Gieringer on the current legal landscape there.
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Conference 2009 – Friday Agenda
Travel Author and NORML Advisory Board Member Rick StevesToday’s Highlights
- Welcome – California Assemblyman, Tom Ammiano
- Lunch On Your Own Presentation with Rick Steves
- Panels on: pot and politics, legalization, regulation and parenting
- Listen live NORML Show Live from 11am-2pm (PST)
Schedule
7:30am Registration
9:00-
9:30amWelcome
NORML Board Chair Steve Dillon, Esq.,2009 Marijuana Mitzvah
NORML’s Executive Director Allen St. Pierre9:30-
10:00amWelcome Speaker
California Assemblyman, Tom Ammiano10:00-
10:30pmThe Zeitgeist of ‘Legalization’: Why and How Did This Happen?
Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator, Podcast Host10:30-
10:45amBreak 10:45-
12:30pmPot Politics 2009 and Beyond
Panel Info and CommentsA record number of state legislatures debated marijuana law reform in 2009; a nationwide panel of experts discusses our progress.
Moderator: Keith Stroup, Esq., NORML, Federal Legislation
- Chris Goldstein, Director, Penn. For Medical Marijuana
- Rob Kampia, Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project
- Dan Linn, Executive Director, Illinois NORML
- Madeline Martinez, Director, Oregon NORML, member of NORML’s board of directors
- Jesse Stout, former Director of RIPAC
- Ken Wolski, RN, Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana NJ
12:30-
1:30pmLunch On Your Own with travel author and NORML advisory board member Rick Steves presenting the ACLU DVD: ‘Marijuana: Its Time for a Conversation’
1:30-
2:45pmHas support for legalization reached a critical mass/tipping point?
Panel Info and CommentsAccording to national polls, public support for legalizing marijuana has never been higher. Why now? And how do we mobilize this public support into political change? Leaders in the drug law reform movement discuss these trends, and what they portend for future reform efforts.
Moderator: Dave Fratello, Coast Campaign Group
- Dale Gieringer, Ph.D, Director, CA NORML; member of NORML’s board of directors
- Rich Lee, Proprietor of ‘Oaksterdam University’ and Campaigner for ‘The Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010′
- Harry Levine, Ph.D, Queens College
2:45-
4:15pmWhat impact would legalization/regulation have on use rates?
Panel Info and CommentsCritics of marijuana law reform allege that liberalizing cannabis laws will inevitably lead to an explosion in marijuana use. Yet, according to the World Health Organization, the United States presently enjoys the world’s highest levels of marijuana use despite enforcing some of the world’s most stringent anti-pot laws. A panel of experts compare and contrast the use of cannabis across the globe and try to make sense of it all.
Moderator: Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D, State University of New York/Albany
- Paul Armentano, Deputy Director, NORML
- Robert MacCoun, Ph.D, University of California/Berkeley
- Craig Reinarman, Ph.D, University of California/Santa Cruz
4:15-
4:30pm’420′ Break…
4:30-
6:00pmPot, Parenting and Legalization
Panel Info and CommentsTalking to your kids about pot isn’t easy. Let these experts advise you on how to begin the discussion, and on how to keep your children safe and informed.
Moderator: Marsha Rosenbaum, Ph.D, Director Emerita, Drug Policy Alliance
- Ngaio Bealum, West Coast Cannabis
- Jessica Corry, Esq., Fellow, Independence Institute
- Robert Corry, Esq.
- Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D, NORML Advisory Board
- George Rohrbacher, NORML Board of Directors
- Rick Steves, NORML Advisory Board
7:00-
9:00pmARO Dinner
(Invite only – Must RSVP)7:00-
9:00pmNORML Chapter and Freedom Fighters Tribute Party
(Invitation-only event held at a NORML board member’s ‘unique’ home)
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