The Cannabis Agenda Podcast

Welcome to our new listeners on the NORML Network. We’re airing at Mondays at 8pm PST and you can find the Network at live.norml.org. We have to cut the show short to fit the one-hour time block, so check out the full show on iTunes or on our web site at CannabisAgenda.com.

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS:

Mike lets us know that a Texas prosecutor says Willie Nelson could plead guilty to possession, pay a $100 fine, and play a courtroom performance of his 1975 hit “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” as his community service. The Judge gets wind of this suggestion and is NOT too thrilled about it. [link]

Thanks Denton for the writeup from the High Times Doobie Awards

Blake calls in to ask what’s the loophole that allows states to legalize pot even if it’s not legal federally. [call]

Shakedown sends a link to a story regarding cannabis lobbying on Capitol Hill that we’ll discuss later in the show.

Several weeks back Sean emailed us asking what are some of the negative connotations associated with cannabis that people draw over from smoking tobacco?

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA NEWS (IDAHO?)

Senate approved the repeal bill, which is now headed to the Governor’s desk [clip]

Senate has also passed a new bill SB 423 which would impose serious restrictions on the industry and reduce the number of cardholders from the present 30,000 to under 2,000. [clip]

Montana man faces life in prison over 3 grams of pot [clip]

Colorado dispensary selling joints for Japan

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

National Cancer Institute adds marijuana as possible treatment option for not only symptom management but also for its possible anti-tumor effect [clip]

MMJ sales reach reach $1.7 billion annually [clip]

Medical marijuana featured on daytime TV show “Dr. Oz” with guest Montel Williams [clip]

Pot Politics on Capitol Hill

The National Voice for the Cannabis Industry

BUT IS IT SOPHISTICATED?

Boy these criminals sure are smart, what with their intricate systems and all [clip]

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Oregon Cannabis Tax Act kicks off petition signature gathering drive [clip]

CALIFORNIA UPDATE

Appeal trial for landlord in grow house civil case to begin tomorrow

ILLINOIS UPDATE

House panel approves Illinois medical marijuana legislation

Illinois geniuses kill state hemp legislation

Official Illinois Bill Status Here and Here,

SOUTHWEST

Lawsuit filed over New Mexico licensing of dispensaries [clip]

Official medical marijuana rules finalized in Arizona

FROM THE RESEARCH BIN

Cannabis Inhalation Associated With Spontaneous Tumor Regression, Study Says

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS:

Mat from the Hot Box Podcast called to welcome us to the NORML Network. Thanks Mat!

King Closet from Chicago area asking for comment on SB 1258. We’ll answer the call later during the Midwest segment.

Mr. Hyde from El Paso area writes about the drug war on the border. Not a happy situation.

Phil writes in with regards to finding MMJ in Alaska. He’s a Iraq and Afghanistan vet who suffers from PTSD and TBI.

Dan writes in about the Supremacy Clause discussion from last week. Thanks Dan!

Josh from Washington state writes in with some kind words. Thanks Josh we look forward to talking to you in the future!

CM from the Bluegrass state asks about “red eye”. We’ll try to find out and get back to you!

Scott from Leafly.com writes in with a “But is it Sophisticated” story. We’ll add it to the list!

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Spokane dispensaries “on notice” from the feds [clip]

Washington lawmaker wastes taxpayers money on pot joke

STONED IN THE SOUTH

Jeffrey Kennedy trial in Palm Beach, FL (comment) [clip]

HJR 1407 for more info about bill

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA/IDAHO NEWS

Colorado MMJ Patients Denied Because of Probation

DOH! $50,000 Growbot swiped outside Denver's HT Cannabis Cup

Fallout From Medical Marijuana Reform, Repeal Felt Around Montana

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Pot growers consume 1% of nation’s electricity supply

CO. Rep Jared Polis on the federal government’s role in MMJ [clip]

DC Passes Emergency Rule on Medical Marijuana

MARC EMERY

From Jodi: Marc desperately needs positive messages. We learned bad news today, that the Conservatives have ended early-release for non-violent (i.e. "marijuana-related) prisoners in Canada, so Marc will serve more time behind bars even when he gets transferred home. He's devastated by this news. PLEASE send a message of love, strength, and support to get him through this.

QUIT CALLING IT “SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA”

New Zealand takes different approach to synthetic cannabis wannabes

TOPICS BARELY WORTH ANY OF OUR TIME

Plants discovered in empty home near window

Big bust in Illinois leaves only an infinite amount of cannabis left to be seized

EAST COAST SCOOP

Delaware Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

MMJ bill moves forward in Maryland

New Jersey introduces Corporate Cannabis

BUT IS IT SOPHISTICATED?

Cutting edge? Sophisticated? Massive? Check it. [clip]

MIDWEST MALAISE AND GLIMMERS OF HOPE

Illinois HB1258, incentive for police to arrest cannabis users?

A WALK DOWN THE GREEN CARPET

Natalie Portman takes a break....makes some pot movies.  MovieTrailer is here

ACTIVISM SPOTLIGHT

A NORML call-to-duty for North Carolina, Vermont, and Connecticut residents.

Drug War's 40th, 40 miserable, costly, and counter-productive years

FROM THE RESEARCH BIN

Marijuana allergies are fairly common, study finds

Cannabis could be used to treat epilepsy, British study says

CLIP FOR END OF SHOW

Paul Amentano speaks about cannabis

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS:

Roy Ary sent in a scoop in regards to a big US bank laundering billions in drug money from Mexico gangs.

Shakedown emailed in a couple stories which we are covering this week.  Thanks Shakedown!

ANNOUNCEMENTS, EVENTS, QUESTIONS TO LISTENERS

Oakland to combine 420 holiday with Earth Day celebrations

Welcome to our new listeners on the NORML Network. We’re airing Mondays at 8pm PST and you can find the Network at live.norml.org.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

How is Obama doing on pot policy? ASA gives him his report card

Big Pharma set to dominate cannabis market? Hypocrisy reaches new high

Drug Czar ready to bail on awful and ill-suited position

CALIFORNIA UPDATE

Lawsuits challenges LA's plan for MMJ dispensary lottery

California dispensary to sue the IRS

California legislature to consider workers rights bill - Take action now!

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA/IDAHO NEWS

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer vetoes mmj repeal bill

Colorado house passes new medical marijuana rules

Thousands of cannabis advocates light up at Boulder 420 smoke-out

INTERNATIONAL INSANITY

Ontario court strikes down anti-cannabis law

Jamaica takes another look at decriminalization

MARC EMERY

Marc gets expected "Denial of Treaty Transfer" from U.S. Dept. of Justice

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Federal intimidation works on Washington state Governor  the letter [pdf]

Guns and Medpot? - When state policies collide

SMOKE BREAK - IT’S ALWAYS 420 SOMEWHERE

STONED IN THE SOUTH

Oklahoma legislature considers life sentence for hash [clip]

Arkansas med-pot initiative signature gathering effort gets underway

For more info, contact ACC at http://arcompassion.org/

Florida welfare drug testing bill advances

MICHIGAN MARIJUANA

MSU extension offers advice on growing medical marijuana

EAST COAST SCOOP

Maine legislator stands up for marijuana legalization   official HP1607

Vermont medical marijuana bill meets with strong senate approval

Pot smell not enough for cops says Massachusetts Supreme Court

SOUTHWEST

Arizona medical marijuana program now open for business

MIDWEST MALAISE AND GLIMMERS OF HOPE

Illinois medpot bill goes forward, with some BIG changes

Illinois House Majority Whip Lou Lang speaks on his House Bill 30 [clip]

A WALK DOWN THE GREEN CARPET

420Magazine singles out favorite celebrity stoners

CLIP FOR END OF SHOW

Women’s Marijuana Movement with Mason Tvert! [clip]

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Authorities Raid Spokane Medical Marijuana Dispensaries [clip]

Washington Governor vetoes most of medical cannabis licensing bill [clip]

Aftermath of the Spokane raids, dispensaries closing [clip]

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Feds continue to influence med-pot states through threat and intimidation

US Congressman to file marijuana legalization bill this year

EAST COAST SCOOP

New Jersey AG asks Obama administration if state MMJ law illegal

RI marijuana center suffers setback [clip]

Pennsylvannia Senator (re)Introduces medical marijuana bill  full text for SB1003

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA/IDAHO NEWS

Colorado latest target of federal intimidation tactics

Montana Governor "disgusted" with legislature

Montana Senate Bill 423 - Full Text

Activist wages direct fight against new Montana med-pot rules

CALIFORNIA UPDATE

After ten year battle, latest victims go to federal prison

Six more dispensaries sue L.A. over so-called "lottery" plan

Police probe arson at Santa Cruz County’s Capitola Healing Association [clip and clip]

MIDWEST MALAISE AND GLIMMERS OF HOPE

Illinois Supreme Court makes bad ruling that could hurt cannabis users

Illinois House may vote on MMJ bill this week

Kansas medical marijuana bill a non-starter

HAWAII HIGHS

Hawaii Senator attacks states medical cannabis laws

MICHIGAN MARIJUANA

ACLU appeals dismissal of Joseph Casias lawsuit

STONED IN THE SOUTH

Georgia to begin medical marijuana research trials

CLIP FOR END OF SHOW

Dad Saves Toddler Battling Brain Cancer, With Medical Marijuana

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS:

Eva sent us a message about other “synthetic marijuana” products that may be on the market. This stuff looks like hash and could easily be passed off as such on the street.

With regards to our question about if “Doobie” is still a cool word, James wrote in to say: “In my opinion the word doobie will never get old or be uncool it's like the great stoner classics such as Cheech & Chong.”

Mike T. (aka Splifcoli) shares a couple of stories: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/robert-watson-faces-drug-_n_853236.html and http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ixuPPcDzPJRZnh8ZQmIqGNyPSWwA?docId=e2531ecf1700422bbc2b5fe00560e4c1

Brandi from South Carolina wants to know what actions she can take towards legalizing marijuana in her state.

James writes to ask if we’ve heard of Ohio’s 2012 medical marijuana ballot question.

Shakedown writes in with more info on the Ohio initiative. He also shares a link to a video about the story of Gary and Sherri Burton of Medina, OH.

Alex writes in from the University of Wisconsin - Madison to share the sad news of the death of long time Madison cannabis activist Ben Masel.

Patrick sent us a thoughtful email regarding his thoughts on marijuana prohibition.

Kirk McNeil, executive director of New Hampshire Compassion got in touch via email as well as Facebook about the situation in his neck of the woods. He says: “The Senate tabled HB442 today.  I think we're going to try and turn their arguments around on them and push for full decrim next session.”

EAST COAST SCOOP

Delaware becomes 16th medical marijuana state

R.I. Congressman faces pot possession charges in Connecticut

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA/IDAHO NEWS

Medical Marijuana Overhaul Set to Become Law, DPHHS Says They'll Keep Issuing Cards [clip]

MCIA group to fight back with powerful Montana lawyer

Mother worries son may struggle to find medicine [clip]

Jason Christ files lawsuit against Montana DPHHS for failing to renew medical card [clip]

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Washington still stuck in medical marijuana hell [clip]

NORML's "radical" Russ Bellville responds to bushbama's policy shift

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Mike Huckabee on Ron Paul’s suggestion about legalizing drugs [clip]

INTERNATIONAL INSANITY

Canada - Ottawa appeals medical pot ruling

Dutch high court rules five plants is OK

Marijuana march draws thousands internationally, not much US support [clip]

Terrorists smoke pot, too!

SOUTHWEST

Arizona bill protects rights of employees using medical marijuana [clip]

DEATHS AT THE HANDS OF DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT IN 2011

StopTheDrugWar.org is tracking deaths by drug law enforcement. Here are the 25th, 26th, and 27th.

BUT IS IT SOPHISTICATED?

Pasco police busts “organized” grow operation [clip]

SPECIAL THANKS TO SUPPORTERS OF THE CANNABIS AGENDA

Mentions of new donors/supporters

MIDWEST MALAISE AND GLIMMERS OF HOPE

Ohio billionaire vows to get MMJ on 2012 ballot

Another big time criminal off the street! What a waste of tax [clip]

Illinois MMJB bill fails. Fed scheduling and intimidation tactics mentioned

STONED IN THE SOUTH                                        

Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison after fourth marijuana charge [clip]

YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME

Tomato Grower Wrongly Caught Up In Marijuana Roundup [clip]

ACTIVISM SPOTLIGHT

Cannabis culture says goodbye to dedicated activist - RIP Ben Massel

Pennsylvannians, take action!

Oklahoma, ask Governor Fallin to veto ridiculous hash bill!

CLIP FOR END OF SHOW

Scott Morgan of StopTheDrugWar.org on recent DOJ scare tactics [clip]

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Supreme Court gives police more leeway in home searches

Group sues feds over marijuana rescheduling petition delay

Willie Nelson endorses Gary Johnson for President, then backpedals

POT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Oregon Supreme Court decides med-pot patients still have gun rights

Oregon faces tough changes with new legislation

DEA back to their no-good in Spokane

Local officials ask Washington legislators to fix MMJ regulations

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS:

Sponge Billyboi lets us know where Tasco, FL is.

Chubba from Albany, NY wants to know about recent Supreme Court decisions that are destroying Fourth Amendment rights.

CALIFORNIA UPDATE

California AB 1017 aims to reduce sentencing guidelines

Taxing Medical Marijuana Reaps Benefits in San Jose

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - COLORADO/MONTANA/IDAHO NEWS

Coloradans aim for legalization vote in 2012

INTERNATIONAL INSANITY

Military police attack pot protesters in Brazil

TOPICS BARELY WORTH ANY OF OUR TIME

Random pot packages popping up [clip]

WOMEN AND WEED

Rape opponents push for pot to replace alcohol

DEATHS AT THE HANDS OF DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT IN 2011

Marine Survives Two Tours in Iraq, SWAT Kills Him

EAST COAST SCOOP

Connecticut legislators moving forward with MMJ bill

Rhode Island judge rules in favor of gun rights in med-pot case

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME

Fear, uncertainty and doubt spread about first east cost dispensary [clip]

CANNABIS IN SPORTS

Coach Tony Dungy discusses marijuana use in the NFL [clip]

SENSI STOCKS MARKET UPDATE (MAYBE PUSH)

Tech company uses novel approach to identifying cannabis strains

FROM THE RESEARCH BIN

Cannabis legalization, are we at a tipping point?

CLIP FOR END OF SHOW

Christopher Fichtner on his book: Cannabinomics: The Marijuana Policy Tipping Point [clip]

On this episode:   Upcoming SSDP National Conference DEA Raids Colorado medical marijuana patient's home Olympic athletes and marijuana The "tipping" of the Midwest NORML puts together cash for prime time ad on CBS, CBS turns it down Discussion of California market scene Cost of cannabis for medical patients

We lost our introduction... Has anybody seen our missing introduction? We join this episode already in progress, on the subject of the economic impact of marijuana legalization, then continue with: More on the DEA raid in Colorado UK research debunks links between cannabis and schizophrenia. Where's US research into cannabis? Summary of pending legislation and ballot measures in: Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin

On this episode: Colorado update Why is Obama smoking tobacco rather than herb? LA medical marijuana ordinance Marijuana vs. Alcohol, what gives?

In this episode:   New Hampshire votes to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana Hawaii passes three cannabis reform measures Superbowl approves anti-abortion commercial, denies marijuana ad Ex-prohibitionist does a 180 California market update: trendy marijuana strains Nice Joint! Berkeley Patients' Group