Oregon has legalized marijuana after a prolonged wait of four decades. The state was the first to take initiatives and decriminalize possession of marijuana in the earlier 70’s. Under Oregon marijuana laws, there are no charges against a person if caught with an ounce or less of cannabis. Oregon legislation is on the roll to regulate use of marijuana in the state. The House Bill 3371, passed in the House and sent to the House Revenue Committee for further examination, proposes to allow production, processing, and sale of the drug. Oregon marijuana laws aim to end the argument on the drug and benefit from regulated marijuana smoking, both socially and economically. Anthony Johnson, a marijuana activist said, “It makes sense to regulate marijuana like alcohol and for the Legislature to take the lead and ensure that sensible regulations are enacted.” The Oregon laws on marijuana will tax the drug, but

In the club of illegal marijuana cultivation, a marijuana crop of around 100 cannabis plants was spotted in the Great Southern region in Australia. The accused, Alan Richard Simpson, 47, and his wife Adriana Mary Melia, 46, were sentenced 12 months of imprisonment, who tried to convince the officials that the crop was for personal use. The couple claimed that they were harvesting cannabis for their Rastafarian religious beliefs and chronic pain issues. However, the District Court laid out the final sentence after making it sure that they intended to trade marijuana, a drug that is illegal, and harmful to the community. The police officials, who raided the marijuana estate in the 50-acre property of the couple near Mount Baker, found 93 cannabis plants and evidence of another previous crop of around 40 plants. Judge Kevin Sleight said to the media that though the cultivation was not hydroponic, the sophisticated

Investigators spotted a home cultivation of marijuana in Modesto, California. The state narcotics team coordinated the raid, and discovered around 106 marijuana plants in a ‘sophisticated home garden’ in West Service Road. Surprisingly, the accused is a former Stanislaus County sheriff’s detective. Kari Abbey, was charged with violation of federal laws, along with her husband Bennie Taylor, and her father James Abbey. In addition to the charges of harvesting cannabis, the guilty party was accused of conspiring to forcibly enter rental homes that their family owned. Abbey and her husband own the property where cannabis garden was discovered, and they shared it with her parents. Kirk Bunch, an investigator with the District attorney’s office testified in the court in the preliminary hearing of the case. The former detective, Kari Abbey is being prosecuted separately and awaiting trial. Investigators reported that the average height of the marijuana plants were 3 to

As per the court order of California Supreme court, the counties and cities have the power to ban the marijuana dispensaries within their borders. This is the law that is passed despite of the fact that a state law exists which protects the patients who use marijuana. As per the Americans for Safe Access, a marijuana advocacy group based at Oakland, 193 cities in California banned marijuana dispensaries. The Board of Supervisors at Sacramento County voted unanimously to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in the county in December 2011. About twenty counties have banned medical marijuana dispensaries within their boundaries. A case at the Supreme Court had a dispensary involved which is the Inland Empire Patient’s Health and Wellness Center, and it was prohibited from providing medical marijuana facilities. The patients who are severely ill get protection according to the state’s Medical Marijuana Program law of 2003, and these patients get

The recent shift in the attitude of majority of Americans towards the legalization of marijuana owes it to the baby boom generation that feels strongly about the “drug of their youth”. In a recent survey released by the Pew Research Center, more than fifty percent of adult Americans support the legalization. This is a notable shift from last decade, when the same survey showed that only one third of adult Americans favored the legalization of the production and use of marijuana. There are various factors that contribute to the growing support for marijuana legalization and the resultant changes in the marijuana laws by state. One among them is the fact that majority of Americans no longer consider marijuana as a “gateway” to some of the more dangerous drugs. Cannabis use is not considered as an addictive habit by the teens of the country. The earlier perception of marijuana use being

The debate on legalization of marijuana is a never-ending topic. The origin of the argument goes back to the late 60’s, but the drug legalization did not find favor in the eyes of the public. However, federal laws classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, in the earlier 70’s. Marijuana was regarded as an illegal substance, harmful for the users, with no medicinal benefits. New Jersey marijuana laws go hand in hand with the federal laws on marijuana, and consider cannabis as a Schedule I drug. It says that marijuana has no accepted medicinal properties in the United States, which could be used for treatment of any disease. Interestingly, more than a dozen states have recognized marijuana as a medical alternative for severe pain, treating glaucoma, AIDS, MS, and many other diseases. New Jersey also approved the medical benefits of marijuana, and permitted legalized medical

The support on legalizing marijuana has grown immense in the past few months. Facts say that more than half of the American public support the move to legalize weed, which is the largest ever seen in the past four decades. Where more than 18 states in the US have legalized weed for medical purposes, Washington and Colorado have also permitted recreational marijuana use for adult residents. However, federal law on marijuana is firm on its point, which classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Reports say that the first marijuana dispensary in the country’s capital state would be open for patients by the second quarter of this year. The dispensary in Washington, promises to provide a safe and profitable marijuana micro-industry, which could help the drug to be legalized nationwide. Vanessa West, general manager of the Metropolitan Wellness Center, spoke to the media on the

Since, medical marijuana is legal in 19 states and the recreational marijuana legal in Washington and Colorado, the citizens in these states might be under the wrong notion that they now have the right to use marijuana. However, it’s not so.  According to the Obama Administration, the federal law overrules state laws when it comes to marijuana use. The federal law on marijuana As per the federal law, marijuana is an addictive psychoactive substance and hence falls under schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. The possession, production, sale and distribution of the drug are criminal offences, under the law.  If caught with marijuana, you are likely to spend a few years behind bars and pay a heavy fine. So, what about the 19 states where marijuana is legal? The federal officials in these states are duty bound to enforce the federal laws and they should continue to do so,

Lawmakers in Colorado have been considering a plan to regulate and tax marijuana sales in their state. The plan was recently approved, but will take longer to become law. According to Colorado state laws on marijuana, every new tax levy ought to be approved by the voters of the state. In the case of marijuana sales, the state has proposed a 15 percent sales tax and 15 percent excise tax. In the month of November, the voters will decide upon whether the proposed tax rate is acceptable. This implies that weed users will have to wait at least until November to legally avail their required dose of marijuana. Amendment 64 is the marijuana legalization law enacted by the voters of the state of Colorado. There have been reported attempts from the part of the Colorado’s state senate to undermine Amendment 64. The attempt was made by anti-weed legislators during the

Hemp is a family member of the marijuana plant. However, the concentration of the THC component in the hemp plant is comparatively less that makes the weed smokers ‘high’. This is found to be as low as less than one percent. A normal hemp plant could attain a height of about 15 feet. People started cultivating hemp from ages and today, hemp is widely used in construction, fabrics, health food, paper, fuel and biodegradable plastic industries etc. In this article, we will discuss in detail about the hemp curing methods. Before harvesting hemp Before harvesting hemp plant, it is important that the plant and the soil dry up. To achieve this, stop watering the hemp plants for at least a day or two. This will ensure that the soil and in turn the hemp plant becomes dry. Hemp harvesting equipments The machines used for harvesting cannabis and hemp are almost