Cannabis Hemp News

This letter to the editor was published in today's Sydney Morning Herald (6 feb 2006): Shoot, don't smoke The new cannabis laws provide for up to one year imprisonment for possession of small amounts of cannabis, while heroin users have government-approved injecting rooms ("Cannabis targeted in mental health drive", February 4-5). Macquarie Street, we have a problem. Alex Jones Leichhardt

People could face up to 20 years' jail for growing cannabis and smokers of the drug forced to undertake counselling on its links to poor mental health under a legislative crackdown. The NSW government is about to introduce what it claims will be the most hardline cannabis laws in Australia, in response to growing concerns of the drug's link to mental illness, according to The Daily Telegraph. People could be jailed for 10 years for growing as few as five higher-strength hydroponic plants, or face a $550,000 fine and/or 20 years' jail for 200 plants. Hydroponic cannabis is between five and seven times stronger than conventionally grown cannabis. NSW Premier Morris …

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - A 'high tech' cannabis factory holding more than 1,000 plants has been smashed by helicopter police using thermal imaging cameras. Officers seized six 'Eco-Pods'- large drum shaped self-containing machines that give plants the heat, water and artificial light they need to grow faster. Each pod was full of about 100 plants. The three-bedroom house in Watson Street, Deptford, south-east London was raided on 24 January after Community Support Officers were alarmed by strong smells of cannabis coming from the property. Officers carried out a full investigation of the house and the Met's Air Support Unit carried out a fly over where thermal imagin…

Author:By SETH FREEDLAND Date: Sunday, February 05, 2006 source: Source City Council votes to require pot cultivation be indoors The Ukiah City Council's ongoing modification of its marijuana cultivation ordinance took another divergent leap Wednesday, when the council voted to require that all cultivation take place indoors. The council members chose to focus on the public safety and quality of life concerns neighbors of pot-growing Ukiahans have delivered to city staff. After four months of administering the ordinance, various issues, including odor and air quality complaints, and an increase in acts of violence and intimidation, led the city to move all med…

By SIMON BENSON February 03, 2006 CANNABIS smokers may be forced to take counselling sessions on the links between marijuana and mental disorders to avoid being charged on a first offence, in a rewriting of NSW drug laws. The Daily Telegraph has learned Premier Morris Iemma called for a review of the cannabis cautioning scheme to send a stronger message about the effects of marijuana on mental health. But the real crackdown will be brought to bear on those caught growing high strength (hydroponic) cannabis - now thought to be a significant factor in rising mental health problems. The Government is about to introduce what it claims will be the most hardline legis…

STATE governments will be expected to toughen up drug laws, in exchange for federal funding to overhaul treatment for the mentally ill. Federal Health Parliamentary Secretary Christopher Pyne, a critic of "weak" cannabis laws, said there was an expectation the states would crack down on marijuana use. Mr Pyne said weak state and territory laws on marijuana use sent the wrong message to young people. He said the link between marijuana use and mental illness was clearly proved. "Those states where cannabis use is decriminalised, we call for them to recriminalise it," he said. "In the states where decriminalisation has not occurred, there is still universally a pol…

PEOPLE who smoke cannabis after work short circuit the brain's ability to dump the bad memories accumulated during the day, a Sydney drug expert said today. Dr Jon Currie, director of western Sydney's health services dealing with drug addiction, says smoking marijuana after work leads to emotional instability and abnormal brain function the following day. "Normally, you've had a whole lot of nasty things that have happened to you during the day and you tend to dump all those at night," Dr Currie said. "You just get rid of the bad memories from the brain in a core dump, using natural substances in the brain which are like cannabis. "When you smoke cannabis you are …

Cannabis almost doubles the risk of fatal car crashes, according to a new study, though smoking the drug is still far less risky than drink-driving, the researchers say. Stoned drivers were almost twice as likely to be involved in a fatal car crashes than abstemious drivers, according to a study of 10,748 fatal car crashes in France between 2001 and 2003. More than half of the drivers in the study themselves died as a result of their accidents and all the subjects were tested for drug and alcohol use after crashing. Even after accounting for factors such as the age of the drivers and the condition of the vehicle, the researchers conclude that cannabis caused a signifi…

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17519841-2,00.html

Will locals vote to put pot-related enforcement at the bottom of the cops' to-do list? The city of Santa Cruz sure does love its dope. At least that's the assumption Santa Cruz Citizens for Sensible Marijuana Policy are banking on as they work to get an initiative on November's ballot that would make marijuana-related crimes the lowest enforcement priority for Santa Cruz police. "I don't think that responsible adults should be punished for recreational use. And the vast majority of citizens in this city seem to feel the same way," said initiative proponent Craig Reinarman. The initiative follows over a decade's worth of pro-marijuana legislation in the city of Santa…

A FADED pop star and the father of a kidnapped baby faced court together yesterday on drug charges. Seventies sweetheart Allison Durbin is accused of supplying cannabis to convicted drug dealer Giuseppe "Joe" Barbaro, whose baby daughter Montana was kidnapped in 2004. Ms Durbin, named Australia's Queen of Pop three times in the late '60s and '70s, is charged with trafficking, cultivating and possessing cannabis, as well as theft of electricity. The 54-year-old still had the trademark long hair that thrilled thousands of male fans in her heyday when she appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court yesterday. But it was the only touch of glamour left for the one-time darl…

ONE of the state's most influential doctors has rejected calls for widespread drug tests for doctors, saying they should only be introduced if politicians roll their own sleeves up first. Speaking for the first time since he became the president of the South Australian Medical Board, Dr Trevor Mudge said he saw little point in drug testing doctors. "As soon as we have daily drug testing for politicians we should introduce them for doctors, because after all, they make much more important decisions than we do," Dr Mudge, an obstetrician, said. "The evidence from other countries is that widespread testing of doctors is very expensive and essentially not helpful." Whil…

A SECOND man has been arrested over a large cannabis crop located near the Sunshine Coast. A 33-year-old man from Bribie Island was charged yesterday over the crop discovered at a Conondale property, west of Maroochydore, on January 14, police said. He will appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court on February 15 charged with one count each of possess cannabis and produce cannabis in excess. Police charged a 52-year-old Conondale man over the crop on January 14. He was charged with one count each of produce cannabis, possess cannabis and possess things used in the production of cannabis. He will appear in Caloundra Magistrates Court today. http://www.news.com.au/st…