3/7/14

CPAC: earth haters ponder legal cannabis

It adds up to a quandary for the GOP: Should it embrace the unpopular position still disproportionately favored by its members and risk marginalization as a result? Or will the burgeoning conservative voices in favor of legalization win out? Simply put, do Republicans want to be on the losing side of yet another culture war? For the CPAC panel's audience, which was passionate and disproportionately young, the answer was clearly no. [Molly Ball, The Atlantic]
A source close to former Senator Larry Pressler's campaign has passed a tip to this interested party that the candidate will soon announce his support for ending the federal ban on cannabis. More to come.




Ian Bremel-Allen, 34, of Hayfork, Calif., Benjamin Manship, 22, of Olympia, Wash., James Hold, 23, of Matton, Ill., and Emily Niemerg, 22, of Olympia, were all arrested for two counts of possession of a controlled substance; possession of marijuana, 1-10 pounds; possession with intent to distribute 1 pound or more of marijuana; and distribution or manufacture of a controlled substance. Each possession charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The possession of 1 to 10 pounds of marijuana and distribution or manufacture of a controlled substance charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The possession with intent to distribute more than 1 pound of marijuana charge carries a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. [Mitchell Daily Republic]
Hey guess what the ninth most important cash crop in South Dakota is.
Seventeen states have removed the threat of jail time for the possession of modest amounts of marijuana. Many of these states, including Minnesota, made these changes as far back as the 1970’s. In fact, just yesterday, Richard Bonnie – former director of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse and policy advisor to the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations – submitted testimony in support of a similar proposal in Maryland. [Robert Capecchi, MPP blog]

420 Alert! Beware if traveling eastbound I-90 in South Dakota!

Aggressive polizei interdiction deploying weaponized dogs. If traverse of this police state is unavoidable, ensure that the driver of your vehicle is Caucasian and rent cars without California, Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia license plates. Inspect your vehicle for faulty equipment, obey all traffic laws, and remove the batteries from your cell phones.

Join interested party in going to Craigslist or your favorite online forum, then copy and paste the above warning. Thank you.

In her push to legalize medical marijuana in Minnesota, Rep. Carly Melin expected there would be tough negotiations and, inevitably, some compromise on the fine points of the proposal. “The public has long questioned law enforcement’s motivation behind its staunch opposition to medicinal marijuana, and suspected that a threat to the law enforcement’s revenue stream through forfeiture laws creates an inherit conflict. The fact that the VCCC opposed both medical marijuana and a restructuring of forfeiture laws at the same meeting raises a red flag that needs further exploration.” [Mike Mosedale, Melin challenges cops on pot opposition]


The sativa-dominant Blue Dream sparks energy and wild ideas — like baking a pie from scratch, for the first time. Strain Theory: Blue Dream: By the numbers: $8/gram, $150/ounce (medical patients) at Good Chemistry, 330 E. Colfax in Denver.
A cannabis windfall being labeled a “tax bonanza” for Colorado has more states investigating legalization, potentially leading to large-scale market growth for support-industry companies including Neutra Corp. By providing new technologies designed to ensure safer, more reliable access to cannabis in approved markets, Neutra Corp. plans to enjoy unprecedented growth in 2014 alongside Cannabis Science, Inc. [press release, Business Wire]
Disclosure: I'm long CBIS.





know your enemy


A majority of Americans support legal cannabis.
South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper John Lord’s four-legged partner is all business. On Tuesday, Lord, 38, and his partner, a drug-sniffing dog named Aros, got a break from their usual work catching criminals and gave a presentation to about 20 local members of Community and Family Extension Leaders, a group affiliated with South Dakota State University Extension, at the city Public Safety Building in Mitchell. The Highway Patrol trains drug dogs and their handlers with a six-week course in Pierre. Each dog typically costs between $8,000 and $8,500, Lord said. The Highway Patrol has 12 drug dogs in service across the state.--Chris Mueller, The Daily Republic
Cannabis advocate, Emmett Reistroffer weighed in on Amicus lector, the blog of Argus Leader crime and justice reporter, John Hult:
Policing for Profit also grades the states on how well they protect property owners—only three states receive a B or better. And in most states, public accountability is limited as there is little oversight or reporting about how police and prosecutors use civil forfeiture or spend the proceeds. Federal laws encourage even more civil forfeiture abuse through a loophole called “equitable sharing” that allows law enforcement to circumvent even the limited protections of state laws. With equitable sharing, law enforcement agencies can and do profit from forfeitures they wouldn’t be able to under state law.
Hult made this chart showing where the loot from drug busts goes:



The large awards to Corson County stand out:
The racial makeup of the county was 60.80% Native American, 37.19% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.05% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. 2.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.3% were of German ancestry.
Proceeds from seizures are netting less cash for South Dakota's police state after interested party began alerting West Coast and Colorado patriots.
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3 comments:

  1. Bill DithmerMarch 8, 2014 at 6:26 AM

    Meanwhile, the people taxed with running SD continue to flail around like a bunch of men in cement shoes. Always looking, but never finding the sugar tit that would allow them to retain complete control of the population without the burden of actually doing anything.

    The Pine Ridge is in the unique position to bring it's people out of poverty and at the same time give lawmakers in Pierre a bloody nose. If they legalize industrial hemp and pot at the same time their history with this state would just be a bad dream.

    I'd sure like to be alive twenty years from now. The Blindman

    ReplyDelete
  2. larry kurtzMarch 8, 2014 at 6:42 AM

    I'm optimistic that the Senate campaign will force discussion on the issue, Bill but Democrats are running on safe topics. Pressler's entry has made the race interesting for sure.

    How's the water level at the ranch?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bill DiThmerMarch 8, 2014 at 6:57 AM

    We've lost about a foot of static in the last five years, probably due to all the new circles south of 18. Here at the house the well is only 38ft, great water but 3 gallons a min. Creek always the same, WPA dam always the same.

    Hemp would change all our future plans here on Pass Creek. Pot would change the future on the Pine Ridge

    The Blindman

    ReplyDelete

Republican is simply another word for Earth hater but comments intended to troll the author or other readers will not be published so use a handle or even your real name and don’t be an asshole.