DEA Head Stepping Down, Demi Lovato’s 4/20 Insta Pic to Miley
Leave a Comment
Here are a few hot cannabis-related topics that you should be aware of this week. Continue below to find out the news.
What you'll learn about:
[Click any of the section titles below to jump there]
DEA Head Stepping Down
Embattled Drug Enforcement Administration chief and marijuana foe, Michele Leonhart is expected to step down soon. Leonhart moved up the ranks in the DEA to the top spot in 2007.
She has been a vocal opponent of lifting the ban on marijuana. Speaking with a group of law enforcement professionals, she reiterated her disagreement with President Obama’s stance that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol.
While testifying House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Leonhard refused to even acknowledge that marijuana was less harmful than crack, methamphetamines or heroin. Questioned by Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, she refused to budge, “I believe all illegal drugs are bad.”
Polis was unimpressed, “You should know this as the chief administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency. I’m asking a very straightforward question: Is heroin worse for someone’s health than marijuana?”
The head of the DEA refused to answer. Instead she repeated the blanket statement that seems to be her mantra, “All illegal drugs are bad.”
A report last month revealed that during her tenure DEA agents had dozens of sex parties with prostitutes in Colombia. It’s unclear whether the parties were funded by drug cartels or the American taxpayers. Agents that admitted to participating were suspended for 1 -10 days.
Earlier this month, members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a statement saying they had lost confidence in her ability to lead the agency.
Kansas Cannabis Advocate Loses Custody After…
Medicinal marijuana proponent Shona Banda has lost temporary custody of her 11 year old son. Her nightmare began when her son spoke up during a drug education class. Banda’s son did not remain silent when some anti marijuana comments were made. Due to his remarks, police detained her son and raided the family home.
Law enforcement found cannabis, paraphernalia and lab equipment used to extract cannabis oil. Banda is is a vocal advocate of medicinal marijuana. She tells her story of using cannabis oil to help deal with Crohn’s Disease in her book, ”Live Free or Die: Reclaim your Life . . . Reclaim your Country!”
The Wichita district attorney is mulling over possible charges including possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and child endangerment. A gofundme page has been set up for her legal expenses.
Comedian/Cannabis Activist Roseanne Barr Is Going Blind
Speaking with The Daily Beast, the former presidential candidate and comedic icons revealed that she is losing her sight due to macular degeneration and glaucoma. She uses marijuana to help with the pressure in her eyes. She also advocates cannabis to free one’s mind, “It’s expansive. It opens your mind.” We couldn’t agree more.
Read here: The Daily Beast
They Grow Up So Quickly
Former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato made some news yesterday by wishing Former Disney Channel star Joe Jonas a happy 4/20 on Instagram. Apparently, she and former Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus introduced him to marijuana.
We’re not sure if the Disney clubhouse was the happiest place on earth, but it was definitely the chillest.
Way to go, Demi.
Marijuana News 4/20/15: Gateway Drugs, Chris Christie & Obama
Leave a Comment
April 20. Ahh, yes, April 20. 4/20. Cannabis appreciation day in our book. Here’s are roundup of the best marijuana news segments of the day.
What you'll learn in this post:
[Click any of the section titles below to jump there]
Washington Post Shreds “Gateway Drug” Label
Today, the Washington Post took a hard look at the theory that Marijuana is ‘gateway drug’ leading to use of harder substances. Although that theory was first introduced in 1937, it has yet to be verified by any legitimate research. If anything, increased access to marijuana seems to lower rates of opiate overdoses.
Read it here: Washington Post
Christie Out of Step with His Own Party
New Jersey Governor and possible presidential candidate Chris Christie made headlines last week when he asserted that legalizing pot would open a Pandora’s box of drug use across the country. He may have been hoping to energize his base in light of slipping poll numbers, but the opposite seems to be occurring.
Reason, a Libertarian magazine, calls Christie out on his unrealistic assertion that the federal government could stop state-licensed marijuana business. With California likely joining the list of states repealing marijuana prohibition, it would be almost impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.
A Pew poll conducted last month shows that a majority of Americans (59%) believe the Federal Government should not interfere with states that allow marijuana sales. Even more disconcerting for the Republican governor, 54% of Republicans also believe the Fed should have a hands off approach when it comes to legal cannabis. Stay tuned to see if Christie ‘evolves’ on the issue as most of the country has done.
Read it here: Forbes
Obama Supports Legalizing Medicinal Cannabis
In a CNN documentary Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution that aired last night, Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke with President Barack Obama about medicinal and recreational marijuana.
Obama elaborated on his support for medicinal cannabis:
“I’m on record as saying that not only do I think carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow the science as opposed to ideology on this issue, but I’m also on record as saying that the more we treat some of these issues related to drug abuse from a public health model and not just from an incarceration model, the better off we’re going to be.”
He also read the (pot) tea leaves and sees more states legalizing marijuana is an inevitability.
Happy 4/20 from Nugg!
Obama Checks Out Bob Marley Museum
Leave a Comment
President Obama made a brief stop at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica during his trip to the Caribbean island. Obama has made no secret of his affinity for the reggae singer’s music. Even after his death in the early ‘80s, Bob Marley continues to be commercially and artistically influential.
Forbes lists Marley as the fifth top earning dead celebrity in 2014, netting more than $20 million. Expect that number to climb in the coming year as his name is licensed to a new line of marijuana products, Marley Natural.
Advocates hoping to end marijuana prohibition in California are preparing a ballot initiative for next year’s November election. They hope syncing the vote with the upcoming presidential contest will bring a large number of young people to the ballot box.
After legalization failed in 2010 during a midterm election, legalization advocates have been studying how to ensure success this next time. Presidential elections tend to bring a much larger (and younger) turnout. A 2015 Public Policy Institute of California poll showed that 61% of 18 to 34-year-olds thought recreational cannabis should be legal.