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Cannabis, the FDA, and the Broken System of Pharmaceutical Research 1 October 2008 PR Cannazine http://pr.cannazine.co.uk/content/view/701/27/ Medical marijuana advocates often hear that marijuana can’t be a real medicine because it hasn’t been approved by the FDA. One common response to this is that the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to block the only avenue that could produce the research needed to seek FDA approval for medical marijuana, over a year and half after an administrative law judge ruled that the project should go ahead. But that’s just the start. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a scathing critique of th…

October 01, 2008 06:21am Herald Sun © Herald and Weekly Times A MAN will face court today after police raided a hydroponic cannabis operation in Sydney's south west. Police found 21 cannabis plants worth $63,000 and a hydroponic set-up inside the roof cavity of the home in Cabramatta during the raid at 6.15am (AEST) yesterday. A small amount of white powder believed by police to be heroin as well as methadone and other restricted substances were also found in the Levuka Street house. A 39-year-old man arrested in the swoop faces a number of charges, including cultivating cannabis and possessing a prohibited drug. He has been refused bail to appear at Liverpo…

Cannabis Culture by Mike Adams, Natural News (24 Sept, 2008) If you like using natural, raw, organic products, you will find this story quite bizarre and distressing This story is just insane! Noted that Cannabis Culture comment that this story is indeed another example of insane Drug War nonsense . . . no apologies from the Police either for their interrogation of these innocent people [not once but twice!?!?!] And yet law enforcement the world over it seems insists on using 'testing' devices that are proven to be totally unreliable over and over again . . . I'm just gob-smacked that the powers that be continue to sink SO LOW . . . sad, sad state of aff…

Dustin Walker September 30, 2008 http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...7e-bc76885bdfb9 © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008 NANAIMO -- After a couple years of dismal outdoor marijuana harvests due to rainy weather, Vancouver Island could see a bumper crop this fall. Some growers have already harvested their pot plants, often hidden deep in the woods. But the optimal time to harvest marijuana is normally the first week of October, said Ted Smith, who teaches a free course about hemp and cannabis -- called Hempology 101 -- at the University of Victoria. He thinks if current weather holds for the next few weeks, this season will mark the start of the crop's recovery o…

Karen Matthews September 30th, 2008 http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/articl...20151_news.html The Geelong Advertiser Pty. Ltd. Copyright © January 2006 A POLICE raid on a Norlane home has uncovered 374 grams of cannabis and a quantity of cash. Robert Golightly, 22, of Camelia Cres, appeared in Geelong Magistrates' Court late yesterday charged with trafficking, possessing and using cannabis and possessing the proceeds of crime. Senior Constable Matthew Sims said that about 9.55am yesterday Geelong Regional Response officers executed a drugs search warrant at Mr Golightly's home in Camelia Cres. He said that during the search police found a bag containin…

Green Party plan for marijuana reform unworkable: Libertarian Party 26 September 2008 Western Standard http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2...-party-pla.html Libertarian Party candidate Krista Zoobkoff today launched her campaign in the federal riding of Wild Rose with a press conference with party leader Dennis Young. Zoobkoff and Young released the party’s strategy for marijuana policy reform at a Canmore hemp store owned by 29-year-old entrepreneur Zoobkoff, who also owns businesses in Banff and Airdrie. The party’s three-part strategy for reforming Canada’s approach to marijuana policy includes: Legalize the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana by adul…

I stumbled on this a while back and found it quite interesting. I for one understand the issues from social exclusion, and now work hard to educate others about it. I believe it still has relevence. Cannabis, social control and exclusion: the importance of social ties International Journal of Drug Policy Volume 12, Issues 5-6, 1 November 2001, Abstract This article analyzes psychosocial issues related to social exclusion created by the illegality of cannabis. The paper is divided into three parts. First, it provides a historical portrait of the penal approach to this social exclusion while focusing on the main recommendations of various international commissions in res…

Author: Date: September 26, 2008 01:11pm Source: News.com.au Copyright: © 2008 Davies Brothers Pty Limited. ACTING Prime Minister Julia Gillard has admitted she smoked dope while at university, but didn't like it. After federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull last night admitted he had smoked marijuana in the past, Ms Gillard admitted she too had tried it. "At university, tried it, didn't like it," she said on the Fairfax Radio Network. "I think probably many Australian adults would be able to make the same statement so I don't think it matters one way or the other." Ms Gillard said she did not think it mattered that Mr Turnbull had confessed to smoking d…

So just because the commisioner is unaware does not mean it's not happening! Is the Commisioner aware of everything that happens? I highly doubt it. http://www.bigpond.com/news/breaking/conte...928/2376202.asp Qld police deny journalist probe September 28, 2008 - 1:20PM Source: ABC There are claims journalists' private records have been examined The Queensland Police Service says it is unaware of any internal investigation targeting officers who talk to and associate closely with the media. The Police Union says it has been approached by members about an internal Ethical Standards investigation into police officers who associate with journalists. Police Union ge…

Drug Squad must concentrate on big boys 27 September 2008 Cyprus Mail http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?i...17&cat_id=1 THIS MUST be the most successful year ever in the police’s drive to combat drug trafficking. Unprecedented quantities of drugs have been seized and dozens of suspects are currently awaiting trial on a variety of drug-related charges. A week rarely goes by without a major drugs bust being made and the Drug Squad is earning a glowing reputation for it effectiveness. This had not always been the case. Until a few years ago, most drug-busts involved young users found in possession of a few grams of cannabis. The police would make a big song a…

Study puts illicit drug trade at $12b a year Mark O'Brien and Nick McKenzie September 27, 2008 Sydney Morning Herald http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/study-...2217517586.html UP TO $12 billion in illicit drug money is flowing out of Australia annually - an amount 10 to 30 times times greater than official estimates - according to the nation's most powerful and secretive crime-fighting agency. The Australian Crime Commission's estimates suggest authorities are drastically underestimating the quantity of drugs passing over the nation's borders without detection. It is expected that senior law enforcement officials will brief the Federal Government in the coming wee…