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Cannabis smoke 'here to stay' By Sabine Fiedler in Amsterdam COULD a smoking ban spell the end of Amsterdam's world famous coffee shops, where smoking cannabis is one of the main attractions? No chance, says local conservative politician and coffee shop owner Michael Veling. The Dutch may well follow other European countries in banning tobacco smoking in restaurants, cafes and bars, but Veling says it should still be possible to smoke dope. "It is ridiculous to think that a smoking ban would be the end of coffee shops," the 50-year-old Veling says. TOBACCO BAN WON’T CLOSE THE JOINT He says the clientele who have been coming to coffee shops to buy and inhal…

NIMBIN, Australia (Reuters) - The pungent smell of marijuana fills the air outside The Rainbow Cafe in Australia's hippy capital Nimbin as a shopkeeper smokes a joint during a coffee break. Across the road the Hemp Embassy is busy with shoppers inspecting bongs and pipes, as well as hemp T-shirts and hats, while a few enjoy a joint of marijuana in a side room. "Hey mister, want some weed," says a voice in a dark corner of the Nimbin Museum, a cave-like labyrinth which tells of the hippy birth of Nimbin following the Aquarius Festival in 1973. Selling and smoking marijuana may be illegal in Australia, but in Nimbin on Australia's fertile northeast coast authorities u…

HOSPITALS have endured a fourfold increase in cases of drug-induced psychosis in the past decade, fuelled by addiction to dangerous stimulants, landmark research shows. Drug experts and emergency doctors have warned that the problem of addiction to methamphetamines – ice, crystal meth and speed – is set to escalate unless funds are urgently redirected into health and social services. New research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has estimated that synthetic drugs are responsible for more than one in every 100 emergency presentations. A significant number of patients were aggressive, agitated, arrived by ambulance and required "extensive resources" like …

http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g270/reecePhotophucket/th_addiction_.jpg © 2007 ABC. A few months ago I predicted the introduction of a "treatment" for drug users which would permanently alter their brain chemistry making them "immune" from drugs. Whether they are endogenous (like endorphin or anandamide) or exogenous (like heroin, nicotine or pot) drugs are a natural and very important part of life. ABC's Catalyst has been pointed out on this forum before for its government-friendly "War on Drugs" stance. An example was when they reported some morgue findings about a year ago regarding the presence of cannabis in car crash victims as supposed to be showing that m…

Police bust cannabis operation in national park A major drug growing operation has been discovered inside a national park in Victoria's north-west. Police say a complex piping system that stretched for several kilometres was used to grow marijuana crops inside the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, between Ouyen and Mildura. The pipes were traced back to a nearby property, where police say large quantities of processed cannabis and cash were found buried. A man is being interviewed about the find, but no charges have been laid. Sergeant Mark Edwards says the pipes were traced back to a nearby property. "We've executed a drug search warrant on the property," he said. …

"Pot. It mightn't kill you, but it could turn you into a dickhead" Ads target cannabis smoking teens A NSW anti-cannabis campaign will target teenagers as they travel to school and surf the internet. NSW Health launched the $600,000 campaign, which it says is designed to warn the 14 to 19-year-old age group on the dangers of starting the marijuana habit. Print advertisements, carrying tag lines such as "Pot. It mightn't kill you, but it could turn you into a dickhead", will appear in youth magazines and on bus stop posters. The ads feature a person staring accusingly from a black and white photo and quotes such as: "You've got great eyes, when they're not bloo…

California in bid to impose 7.25% sales tax on cannabis FOR decades, smoking marijuana has been an illicit affair, a key anti-establishment ritual for America's counter-culture underground. But the legalisation of the drug for medicinal purposes in California has presented its advocates with a dilemma: to remain firmly on the wrong side of the law or accept a demand to pay taxes on its sale. Marijuana prescribed by a doctor for health reasons was decriminalised in a state-wide referendum in 1996 and has grown into a billion-dollar industry. About 25,000 patients and carers are now members of the so-called pot clubs. Chris Moscone, an attorney who represents the …

Ice pipes, bong components banned By Roberta Mancuso February 05, 2007 04:53pm Article from: AAP Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email SHOPS that sell pipes used to smoke the drug known as ice will face penalties of up to $10,500 under new Queensland laws banning the utensils. Premier Peter Beattie today said Cabinet approved amendments to the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998 which will also close a loophole that had allowed retailers to sell separate parts of cannabis utensils such as "bongs". The laws will be introduced to state Parliament this week. Mr Beattie said the ban on ice pipes was part of his Government's "ice-breaker strateg…