Cannabis Hemp News

United Kingsom -- Drug experts will begin debating today whether stronger "skunk" varieties of cannabis should carry higher penalties for possession. The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs, which meets in London, has been asked by the home secretary, Charles Clarke, for its advice on varieties of cannabis containing high levels of THC, the active ingredient. In his letter to the committee, Mr Clarke pointed it to these forms of the plant, known as skunk, which are often grown in nutrient-rich water. "I am aware the Dutch government are taking a particular interest in very high strength strains and are considering whether cannabis above a certain strength shoul…

Assertions that our nation's drug policy minimizes cocaine and heroin while focusing on marijuana are misleading. The fallacy involves interpreting drug arrests as signals of changed drug policy, rather than as indicators of drug use. As drug use went down during the 1980s, arrests fell accordingly. When drug use climbed between 1992 and 1997, arrests followed suit. And when the cocaine epidemic struck, cocaine arrests rose steeply, only to drop as the epidemic waned. The common sense conclusion is that drug use rates and criminal justice responses are linked. Thus, the key to reducing drug arrests is reducing drug use. Important progress has already occurred - youth dr…

Toronto -- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients with neuropathic pain for whom conventional treatments have failed now have an alternative to Health Canada's controversial medical marijuana program. Canada has become the first country to approve the cannabis-based drug, Sativex, for the treatment of MS-related pain. That approval means the drug has demonstrated promising benefit, is of high quality and possesses an acceptable safety profile based on a benefit-risk assessment. Further studies will now be required to confirm the promising nature of the clinical evidence its approval is based upon. Despite revised medical access regulations that in July 2001 legalized the us…

A LETTER outlining allegations concerning Australian baggage handlers' involvement in drug smuggling would be sent to the Bali court hearing charges against Schapelle Corby, Prime Minister John Howard said today. Mr Howard said the Federal Government had prepared a letter for the court hearing Ms Corby's case, outlining claims that airport baggage handlers in Sydney had used luggage to traffic drugs. "The letter was settled on Friday by the attorney-general," Mr Howard said on Channel 10. The news has been welcomed by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and comes after Ms Corby made a direct plea to Mr Howard for help. Fifteen people were charged last week after 9.9kg o…

Haha, Jesus! 100 GRAMS of Hash! No wonder they got sick, talk about greening-out!!! http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15317034-13762,00.html

CANNABIS worth a potential $715,000 has been discovered growing in a New South Wales forest near Canberra. Drug police, detectives and the PolAir helicopter searched the Bondo State Forest, near Brindabella, yesterday after receiving a tip-off. A well-established crop was discovered, and police seized 359 plants, ranging in height from 30cm to 183cm. The plants had an estimated street value of $715,000, police said. The plants were airlifted from the site to be destroyed, and a number of items were also seized for forensic testing. No arrests have been made. Author:AAP Date:April 22, 2005 Source:The Daily Telegraph Copyright:Copyright 2005 Nationwide News

A grandmother who was spared jail after making cannabis-laced casseroles for herself and friends will be one of the speakers at a pro-cannabis rally. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40762000/jpg/_40762383_granbody.jpg Patricia Tabran, 66, will speak at the Cannabis Education March and Rally in Trafalgar Square, central London. Ms Tabran, from Northumberland, admitted in April to possession with intent to supply and was given a suspended six-month prison sentence. The march began in Russell Square, central London, at 1300 BST on Sunday. The annual event usually takes place in south London. Drug dealers But Lambeth Council would not permit the seventh Cann…

Jail over largest hash seizure November 11, 2004 FIVE men found guilty of possessing the largest quantity of hashish seized in Victoria have been jailed for at least five years. A Victorian County Court jury found the men were knowingly involved in unloading three tonnes of cannabis resin, with a street value of about $140 million, on August 14, 2001. They unloaded the drug – which was labelled as Finnish coffee – from a shipping container in Campbellfield that had been tracked by the Australian Federal Police. An earlier hearing was told that the men were allegedly associates of murdered crime figure Lewis Moran. David Ciampoli, 44, of Avondale Heights, Robert …

The Crown has asked that a man sentenced to three years' jail for cultivating his second cannabis crop within two years be declared a drug trafficker. Colin Jonathon Hennig grew 362 plants in a remote bush location, the Supreme Court heard. Hennig, 36, pleaded guilty to cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis. Justice Sally Thomas said Hennig had breached a June 2003 suspended sentence for cultivating cannabis and other drug charges. She restored the unserved 18 months of that sentence. For the latest crop, discounting the sentence for his guilty plea, she sentenced Hennig to three years' jail, concurrent with 18 months for the breach, and ordered that he be…

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer Wed May 4, 7:22 AM ET WASHINGTON - Youngsters who use marijuana are more likely to develop serious mental health problems, the government said Tuesday. A private group said law enforcement increasingly is targeting people who smoke and deal the drug. ADVERTISEMENT Past medical studies have linked marijuana with a greater incidence of mental disorders such as depression or schizophrenia. But questions remain about whether people who smoke marijuana at a young age are already predisposed to mental disorders, or whether the drug caused those disorders. Government officials say recent research makes a stronger case tha…

Tony Blair gave a strong indication today that his government's decision to downgrade the classification of cannabis 15 months ago will be reversed if Labour is re-elected. "We have asked for advice on it. What we did was perfectly sensible but I think it sent out the wrong message," the prime minister said in an interview on GMTV. In another interview ahead of tomorrow's general election, Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that there was emerging medical evidence that cannabis was potentially more harmful than had been previously thought. It was put to him that it was clear he was going to reverse the reclassification and Mr Blair said: "My basic hunch abo…