Posts By: Alexander Martin

(633 posts)

Brief Bio:

"It's always darkest just before the dawn. So stay awake with me, let's prove them wrong." - Make it Stop, Rise Against

June 3, 2014
06/03/2014
Minnesota Seeks Medical Marijuana Boss

Minnesota Seeks Medical Marijuana Boss

The Minnesota Department of Health is seeking a director for its new Office of Medical Cannabis, which will implement the medical marijuana bill recently signed into law by Gov. Dayton. The job pays between $35.35 and $50.70 an hour, which works out to an annual rate of between $73,811 and $105,862, according to a notice posted last week.

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June 3, 2014
06/03/2014
Study: No Link Between Marijuana and Psychosis Risk

Study: No Link Between Marijuana and Psychosis Risk

A four-year study, published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, followed 170 youth at high risk for psychosis and concluded that marijuana use had no effect on the development of the disorder. Interestingly, the results instead pointed to alcohol as a contributing factor.

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June 3, 2014
06/03/2014
Marijuana Business Auction: 3 Stores, 3 Grow Operations Seized From VIP Cannabis for Back Taxes

Marijuana Business Auction: 3 Stores, 3 Grow Operations Seized From VIP Cannabis for Back Taxes

VIP Cannabis’ three retail marijuana stores and three growing operations in Denver are now up for auction on the internet over the next few weeks, after the DEA seized the facilities to pay for back taxes. The assets to be sold include safes, grow lamps and ballasts, hydroponics equipment and supplies, and retail store fixtures, according to Schur Success Auction & Appraisal.

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June 3, 2014
06/03/2014
Medical Marijuana Scores Big House Win, But Still Faces Hurdles

Medical Marijuana Scores Big House Win, But Still Faces Hurdles

Cannabis reform won a historic vote in the House last week, which approved language blocking the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. However, backers said it’s too early to declare victory, acknowledging that it will be a tough fight to get something through the Senate and on to President Obama this year.

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June 2, 2014
06/02/2014
Pot Shops in Denver’s Suburbs Fewer and Farther Between Than in City

Pot Shops in Denver’s Suburbs Fewer and Farther Between Than in City

Denver’s 650,000 residents enjoy 75 recreational marijuana dispensaries (1 shop per ~8.7k residents). Whereas the 2 million living in the suburbs have just 21 recreational shops (1 shop per ~95k residents). Amendment 64 is a factor in this disparity, since it allows municipalities to decide whether to allow cannabis businesses.

 

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June 2, 2014
06/02/2014
‘Weed for Votes’ Campaign Staged in San Jose by Marijuana Collective

‘Weed for Votes’ Campaign Staged in San Jose by Marijuana Collective

A consortium of San Jose marijuana shops are handing out free pot in exchange for your ballot stub or “I voted” sticker on June 3, which is election day for local races and battles for governor and secretary of state. The “Weed for Votes” coordinators are also handing out a voter guide, to inform people on marijuana-related issues.

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June 2, 2014
06/02/2014
When It Comes to Marijuana, Many VCs Still Won’t Inhale

When It Comes to Marijuana, Many VCs Still Won’t Inhale

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs love to beat their chests about how disruptive they are. But that bravery hasn’t extended to one booming industry that’s experiencing a 68 percent growth rate: the legal cannabis market. When it comes to investing in marijuana – California’s largest cash crop – many venture capitalists are still paranoid.

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June 2, 2014
06/02/2014
Pasadena Police Refuse Court Order to Return Medical Marijuana

Pasadena Police Refuse Court Order to Return Medical Marijuana

Pasadena, California police have refused a judge’s order to return over $8,000 of medical marijuana seized from a local resident, erroneously claiming that he might be prosecuted under federal law. A motion against the department has since been filed, which could result in officers being held in contempt of court and serving some jail time.

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May 14, 2014
05/14/2014
New NFL Policy Will Change Pot Discipline

New NFL Policy Will Change Pot Discipline

A source told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the NFL is considering updating its dated drug policy, which would significantly increase the threshold for a positive marijuana test and reduce the punishments for violations involving weed.

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May 13, 2014
05/13/2014
Alcohol Kills One Person Every 10 Seconds Worldwide: WHO

Alcohol Kills One Person Every 10 Seconds Worldwide: WHO

While prohibitionists futilely try to prove history’s first cannabis overdose, the World Health Organization said Monday that alcohol kills 3.3 million people worldwide each year (1 person every 10 seconds); more than AIDS, tuberculosis and violence combined. Alcohol is tied to 1 of out every 20 global deaths.

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May 1, 2014
05/01/2014
My Favorite Strains: Jack Herer

My Favorite Strains: Jack Herer

Like many weedists fortunate enough to live in a state with access to (legal) high quality cannabis, I keep a wide range of strains on hand for...
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April 24, 2014
04/24/2014
Amsterdam May Ban Pot Shops in Red Light District

Amsterdam May Ban Pot Shops in Red Light District

Yesterday, the Amsterdam District Court sided with Mayor Eberhard van der Laan to ban marijuana cafes in its famous Red Light district. The plan calls for closing 26 out of the 76 coffee shops currently open for business in that area.

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April 23, 2014
04/23/2014
Cannabis May Be Best Treatment for Fibromyalgia, Survey Finds

Cannabis May Be Best Treatment for Fibromyalgia, Survey Finds

A new National Pain Foundation survey suggests medical marijuana may top currently available pharmaceuticals for treating fibromyalgia. 62% of the patients surveyed found medical marijuana to be “very effective”, while over 60% of the patients reported that pharma drugs Savella, Lyrica or Cymbalta “does not help at all” with fibromyalgia.

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April 10, 2014
04/10/2014
Concentrated Marijuana Under Review in Colorado

Concentrated Marijuana Under Review in Colorado

Colorado currently allows adults over 21 to possess an ounce of marijuana for recreational use, but the law makes no distinction between raw flowers and concentrated marijuana, such as BHO or certain edibles. House Bill 1361, if passed, would place specific limits on concentrates, as is the case in Washington state.

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April 9, 2014
04/09/2014
Mexican Marijuana Farmers Make Switch to Heroin as Pot Prices Fall

Mexican Marijuana Farmers Make Switch to Heroin as Pot Prices Fall

Mexican marijuana farmers in the remote valleys of the northern Sierra Madre have begun to harvest opium poppies instead and distribute cheap $4 heroin to many rural areas in America. Wholesale cannabis prices have plummeted from $100 per kilogram to less than $25 over the 5 years for these farmers, in part from some U.S. states implementing cannabis reform policies.

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April 8, 2014
04/08/2014
Scramble for Medical Marijuana Business Begins in Florida

Scramble for Medical Marijuana Business Begins in Florida

Would-be investors and entrepreneurs are already lining up to get into the medical marijuana business should it become legal in Florida. More than 60 businesses have incorporated in Florida with names hinting that they intend to enter the medical marijuana business, most of them filed within the past two months.

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April 8, 2014
04/08/2014
Medical Marijuana Still Scares Most High Profile Pennsylvania Politicians

Medical Marijuana Still Scares Most High Profile Pennsylvania Politicians

US Rep. Scott Perry last month became the highest-ranking elected Pennsylvania Republican to support the once-controversial position to legalize medical marijuana, which the majority of GOPers support. However, Gov. Tom Corbett said last Friday he wouldn’t legalize mmj even if his grandson needed it. Perry’s other 13 PA GOP House and Senate members don’t support legalization either.

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April 2, 2014
04/02/2014
Vancouver Pizzeria Selling Marijuana-Infused Pies

Vancouver Pizzeria Selling Marijuana-Infused Pies

Mega ILL cafe, a pizzeria in Vancouver, Canada is making headlines this week for its marijuana-infused pizza pies. Said to be the city’s first pizzeria-cum-vapor lounge, the cafe is a “pot friendly” establishment where patrons are encouraged to BYOC (“Bring Your Own Cannabis”) and can smoke vaporizers provided for free by the cafe.

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March 31, 2014
03/31/2014
Surveys Yet to Link Medical Marijuana and Teen Drug Abuse

Surveys Yet to Link Medical Marijuana and Teen Drug Abuse

Medical marijuana has been in the US since 1996 and is now legal in twenty states & DC. Yet reported teen marijuana use has remained essentially flat. “We cannot draw a clean link between medical marijuana and shifting drug usage rates,” said Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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March 28, 2014
03/28/2014
PPIC Poll: Slim Majority of California Voters Say Legalize Weed

PPIC Poll: Slim Majority of California Voters Say Legalize Weed

Public Policy Institute of California released survey results yesterday; 53% of California voters favor marijuana legalization and 44% oppose. 60% of independents and 57% of Democrats favor legalization, while 62 percent of Republicans oppose it. 63% of blacks and 57% of whites favor legalization, while 60% of Latinos oppose it. Asians are split (44% yes, 48% no). Younger Californians are much more likely than adults age 35 or older to vote yes (64% 18 to 34, 39% 35 to 54, 47% 55 and older).

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