28/02/2009 | Australia

Aerial raids clear $8m cannabis crop from SW

By Georgia Loney - The West Australian

Detectives have seized more than $8 million worth of cannabis plants from hidden plantations throughout the South-West after a week-long series of aerial raids.

Det-Sgt. Paul Ford said police seized about 2800 plants from 100 sites stretching from Pemberton to Busselton as part of the “Tall Timbers” operation. The haul was on top of more than 3000 plants taken from covert plantations before Christmas in the first phase of the operation.

Police officers were winched from helicopters into dense bush to rip up and bag the plants, which were well established, Det-Sgt Ford said. “They were some of the biggest plants I’ve ever seen,” he said.

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26/02/2009 | USA

Calif. Marijuana Bill Would Mean $1.3 Billion in Revenue a Year

By National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws - OpposingViews.com

State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) introduced legislation this week to legalize and regulate the commercial production and sale of cannabis for adults age 21 or over. The proposal – Assembly Bill 390: The Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act – is the first bill ever to be introduced in the California legislature that seeks to tax and control the sale of cannabis.

Ammiano introduced AB 390 at a press conference Monday. Joining the assemblyman in support of the measure were Betty Yee, Chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization (Taxation), Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan, Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray (retired), and Dale Gieringer, Coordinator of California NORML, which provided legislative text and financial analysis for the bill.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move toward regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said. "This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes. California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana."

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26/02/2009 | Malta

Malta retains low lifetime cannabis use – narcotics report

By Unknown - Malta Today

Cannabis continues to be the most widely used drug in Europe, but Malta retains one of the lowest levels for lifetime prevalence of usage.

The annual report compiled by the International Narcotics Control Board, calls for governments to take stronger measures against drugs, in particular cannabis.

In European countries, lifetime prevalence of cannabis abuse ranges from 2 to 37%, the lowest rates being in Bulgaria, Malta and Romania and the highest rates being in Denmark, France, Italy and the United Kingdom (37%).

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26/02/2009 | Australia

New laws to crack down on hydroponic crops

By Unknown - The Independent Weekly (Adelaide)

Some dealers in hydroponic equipment in South Australia are helping customers set up cannabis crops and then take an active role in selling the drugs, the State Government says.

Police Minister Michael Wright said today some traders sold the equipment, arranged electricians and then helped with the purchase of dried cannabis for distribution interstate.

The minister said the situation had prompted the Government to introduce new legislation to make it harder to grow hydroponic drug crops.

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25/02/2009 | Australia

Man shot dead at $3m cannabis plantation

By Laura Tunstall - LiveNews

A man has been charged over a shooting murder on the State's north coast linked to a multi-million dollar cannabis plantation. Jethro Matheson was last seen alive on a property on Eviron road at Condong in January.

He was in the company of a 51-year-old man, with residents reported hearing gunshots in the area at the time he disappeared.

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23/02/2009 | Australia

Cannabis numbs the pain

By Unknown - NewsMail.com.au

A WOMAN who has been charged with drug offences used cannabis to “supplement her pain control” the Bundaberg Magistrates Court has heard. Amanda Louise Evans, 42, pleaded guilty to possessing 10gms of cannabis and a drug utensil, which were found in her bedroom after police executed a warrant and searched her home in September last year.

Police also found 15 cannabis plants ranging from 12 to 25cm in height, 93gm of leaf and 128gm of cannabis seeds at the property. On Friday, police prosecutor Sergeant Barry Stevens told the court police followed a track leading away from the house and found the small plants and thousands of seeds.

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21/02/2009 | Japan

Record number of people apprehended over cannabis violations in 2008

By Unknown - The Mainichi Daily News

The number of people apprehended on suspicion of violating the Cannabis Control Law in Japan last year hit 2,778, the highest figure on record, a National Police Agency (NPA) report has shown.

The number of people apprehended was 507 higher than the previous year and the highest figure on record since police started collecting statistics in 1956. Last year was marked by a spate of arrests of sumo wrestlers and actors accused of violating the law, and police said the number of cases increased over all age groups, suggesting that use is rampant.

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20/02/2009 | UK

Police find cannabis farm at primary school

By Unknown - Telegraph.co.uk

Officers said cannabis plants were being grown under hydroponic lights in the school's boiler room, according to The Sun. Caretaker Michael Griffin, 44, was arrested and charged with drug offences following the find at Hitherfield Primary School.

Police raided it after an electricity company tipped them off about excessive power consumption at the school. They found a total of 31 mature cannabis plants which were then removed. Officers waited until the 442 pupils at the school, who are aged three to 11, were on half-term holiday before they raided the boiler room.

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19/02/2009 |

Cannabis compound can help cells

By Unknown - Physorg.com

Cannabis has been used recreationally and for medicinal purposes for centuries, yet its 60 plus active components are only partly understood. Now scientists have discovered how a compound in cannabis can help cells to function in our bodies, and aid recovery after a damaging event.

In a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers report on their studies into cannabidiol - a naturally occurring molecule found in cannabis. Also known as CBD, it is not the constituent that gives the high - that compound is called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC - and so may be more acceptable as a drug treatment.

Both compounds are currently used in a pharmaceutical medicine to help patients relieve pain and other symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.

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19/02/2009 | New Zealand

Treatment For Drug Offenders A Smarter Option Than Criminalisation

By Unknown - Voxy.co.nz

The New Zealand government could save millions of dollars by diverting New Zealanders with drug problems out of the court system and into the health system, says a major international expert visiting New Zealand for the Healthy Drug Law Symposium (being held in Wellington 18-19 February).

Gino Vumbaca, Executive Director of the Australian National Council on Drugs, says courts and prisons are costing New Zealanders hundreds of millions of dollars and do little to make New Zealand safer or to help addicts overcome their problems. Diverting them to treatment instead would reduce crime and drug use in New Zealand and slash police and court costs.

"Prisons are poorly equipped to provide positive treatment outcomes, and inmates often come out with worse drug problems than they had when they were sentenced. This leads to a 'revolving door' effect where they often quickly re-offend and end up back in jail because their core problems aren't being tackled.

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17/02/2009 | USA

My trip to a discount Cannabis outlet (Feb 16 - 20 : Medical Marijuana Week)

By Kay Ebeling - LA City Buzz Examiner

Just up from Doc420 on Melrose is a MedMJ outlet that says “discount,” so after renewing my prescription with Dr. Patel I decided to try them out. To register with a dispensary you bring the original of your MedMJ card, the gold embossed sealed award-looking item that Dr. Patel gave me at the end of our yearly appointment. This card would be hard to counterfeit, and too much trouble anyway, since it is not that difficult or costly to go to a doctor and get a card for yourself in the first place. It is good for one year.

You have to bring the original card from the doctor with you at the dispensary. There is usually a lobby area near the front door. You give them your doctor’s card and photo ID and then wait while they phone in and verify that you are who you say you are and the MedMJ card is legitimate. Once you've qualified they will keep your info on file, so you can return the original card back home. Keep a photocopy of it on you all the time though, especially if, like me, you often smoke out in public, as you may have to show your card to a security guard or police officer.

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15/02/2009 | Morocco

Record drug haul of 3.26 tons seized in northern Morocco

By Du - Xinhuanet.com

A record drug haul of 3.26 tons was seized Saturday night in Moroccan northern port of Tangier, local MAP news agency reported Sunday. The catch was loaded in a Spain-registered TIR truck transporting a potato cargo charged in the Atlantic city of Agadir,600 km south of Moroccan capital of Rabat.

The hash, with a street value of about 4.6 million U.S. dollars, is on its way to Europe through Spain, according to preliminary probe, the report said.

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14/02/2009 | Malaysia

Malaysian police find 84 kilograms of cannabis in abandoned car

By Unknown - The Earth Times

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police found 84 kilograms of cannabis, worth more than 345,600 ringgit (101,647 dollars), while investigating complaints related to an abandoned vehicle, a news report said Sunday. The cannabis was recovered early Saturday from the boot of an old car that was believed to have been abandoned for more than a year in a car park in central Petaling Jaya city.

Following the discovery, police later raided an apartment nearby where a 21-year-old man was arrested with 2.4 kgs of cannabis, said district police chief Ariunaidi Mohamed.

"He was in the midst of destroying the drugs when my officers raided the unit," Mohamed was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

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13/02/2009 | Australia

Four charged after cannabis crop raids

By Kristy Martin - The Northern Star

POLICE seized more than $150,000 worth of cannabis in raids at Brunswick Heads, Murwillumbah, Bogangar and Mount Burrell. Four men have been charged and one offender is yet to be found.

Officers from the Tweed/Byron Target Action Group searched the properties on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two properties at Brunswick Heads were raided and police seized $42,000 worth of cannabis plants. A 59-year-old man and a 37-year-old man have been charged and will face Mullumbimby Local Court.

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12/02/2009 | Gibraltar

Man arrested at Airport concealing Cannabis Resin under a wetsuit

By Unknown - gibFocus.gi

A man has been arrested just before boarding a flight to the UK from Gibraltar after he was found to be wearing a wetsuit and back support underneath his clothing concealing 42 slabs of Cannabis Resin.

Each slab weighed approximately 100 grams amounting to a total weight of approximately 4.2kg. Two GSM mobile phones and £675.00 in cash were also seized from him.

The incident took place just before 8 pm on Monday 9th February as a result of drug operation 'Pegasus' when E. J. H. (DOB 04.01.68) who lives in Gibraltar was arrested by RGP Drug Squad Officers at the departure lounge of the Air Terminal as he was about to board Monarch flight ZB 063 to Luton.

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10/02/2009 | USA

Obama is Powerless Over DEA Says ‘Weeds’ Candidate Craig Rubin

By Aria Munro - eNewsChannels

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The pro-medical marijuana candidate said, “While the DEA is raiding local marijuana facilities against the wishes of President Barack Obama our mayor says nothing. When I am Mayor I’ll protect patients and clubs.” L.A.’s current mayor has ducked debating candidate Craig X Rubin who is challenging him for another term as leader of the City of Angels. The number one question on the President’s “Change.gov,” web site was whether or not the President was going to tax and regulate marijuana. The same plant that is non-toxic and has never killed anyone in recorded history.

People who supported Mr. Obama are expecting him, an admitted past user of both cocaine and marijuana, to do something about the Drug War, which he has called an utter failure. While the raids went on patients chanted, “Save us Obama.”

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09/02/2009 | UK

Cannabis doubles testicular cancer risk, says US study

By Ian Sample - Guardian

Young men who smoke marijuana are more likely to develop an aggressive form of testicular cancer than those who have never tried the drug, a study has found.

Smoking the drug at least once a week, or using it regularly from adolescence, doubled the risk of a fast-growing form of the disease called nonseminoma, which tends to strike men in their 20s and 30s, researchers said.

The US study is the first to find evidence of a link between cannabis and testicular cancer, which is the most common type of cancer among British men aged 20 to 44. More than 1,900 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the UK each year, but it responds well to treatment, with nine in 10 men surviving.

The findings suggest that smoking the drug before the age of 18 raises the cancer risk by coaxing immature cells in the testes to become tumours later in life.

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05/02/2009 | USA

White House Vows to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana

By Unknown - OpposingViews.com

White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro reacted to new Drug Enforcement Administration raids at medical cannabis collectives in California, saying he expects President Obama to end that policy when a new DEA Administrator is seated.

“The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind," Shapiro said.

The statement puts the Department of Justice and the DEA on notice of a change in federal policy, and indicates that continued raids may not be tolerated. "Americans for Safe Access acknowledges President Obama's continued pledge to end federal interference with state medical marijuana laws," said Caren Woodson, Director of Government Affairs. “We look forward to working with the President and his Administration to enact long-term policies that support safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research."

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05/02/2009 | USA

DEA Continues To Raid Pot Dispensaries

By Unknown - redOrbit.com

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents this week raided four Westside California medical marijuana dispensaries, angering supporters of pot for medicinal purposes who cited a comment made by President Barack Obama during his bid for the presidency last year.

DEA agents seized more than 400 pounds of marijuana and other cannabis infused items along with about $10,000 cash, according to special agent Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the DEA, adding that no arrests were made. The raids prompted outrage among advocacy groups including the Drug Policy Alliance and Americans for Safe Access.

The Drug Policy Alliance posted several “sample call scripts” in hopes that medical pot supporters would call President Obama to ask that he put a stop to dispensary raids.

One sample script reads: "I just read that the DEA made several raids recently on medical marijuana patients and providers in California. I’m calling to urge President Obama to put a stop to this."

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05/02/2009 | Japan

Magazine featured cannabis cultivation

By Unknown - Daily Yomiuri Online

A magazine recently published by a Tokyo-based company carried an article detailing how to cultivate cannabis, even after the Tokyo metropolitan government previously designated another of the publisher's magazines featuring a similar article a harmful publication for juveniles.

The metropolitan government designated the latest magazine a harmful publication and gave a stern warning to the company, while declaring it will deal severely with publication of similar potentially criminal material featuring illegal cannabis cultivation. Actually, however, the local government is struggling to take countermeasures under existing laws and ordinances.

The publisher is Core Magazine in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. The magazines in question are published on an irregular basis, with a past feature article discussing how marijuana is smoked overseas.

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02/02/2009 | Australia

Ship's master 'tried to import drugs'

By Christine Flatley - theDaily.com.au

A ship's master helped organise two failed attempts to bring millions of dollars of cannabis resin into Australia, a court has been told. Andrew Robert Hyde was the master of a vessel named Highlander, which made two unsuccessful attempts to bring almost eight tonnes of the drug to Queensland in late 1996, the Supreme Court in Brisbane was told on Monday.

It is alleged that Hyde, 51, and other co-conspirators organised for the Highlander to meet another vessel in waters off Tuvalu, a Polynesian island nation in the Pacific Ocean, where the drugs were to be transferred. Commonwealth prosecutor Glen Rice told the court that Hyde made two attempts in September and October 1996 to collect the drugs, but the planned rendezvous failed to eventuate.

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02/02/2009 | USA

Olympic star Phelps in hot water over pot-smoking picture

By Nicole Jeffery - The Australian

HISTORY'S greatest Olympian, American swimmer Michael Phelps, is embroiled in a drugs scandal after a photograph that appeared to show him inhaling from a bong was published internationally. The glass pipe is generally used to smoke cannabis. London tabloid The News of the World obtained the photograph, which it said was taken at a party at the University of South Carolina on November 6. The paper claimed Phelps went to the party with a girlfriend, who is a student there.

Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last August and took an extended break after the Games to celebrate his success.The initial newspaper report suggested evidence of cannabis use threatened Phelps's career as an athlete. But Phelps wouldn't be banned as a drug cheat even if he were using cannabis in the image.

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