by Kitty Testa Recreational marijuana usage elicits visions of dread-locked burnouts giggling over pot gummies, but a more refined market is developing—at least in Colorado. Cultivating Spirits is an upscale eatery in Silverthorne, CO offering cannabis pairings to complement their food and wine offerings. The establishment’s owner, Philip Wolf, is a cannabis sommelier, accredited by…
by Wayne Pac Canadian songwriter Alan Ranta was traveling to Washington when he was questioned by police officers if he smoked marijuana. When the police asked if he had ever smoked, he told the truth — that he had smoked it regularly. The police then handcuffed Ranta and took him to the PD, then proceeded…
by Craig Boudreau Opioid abusers have taken to an odd new trend to get their fix: taking anti-diarrheal medicine for its opioid ingredient. Addicts have been taking the drug loperamide, commonly found in medicine like Imodium A-D, by the dozens to help them alleviate withdrawal symptoms, NJ.com reported Sunday. “If they’re addicted [to opioids] and treatment is too…
by Russ Read Hard-line Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs is quickly closing in on killing more people than the drug dealers themselves, according to the country’s national police chief. Filipino police raids have killed 712 since the start of Duterte’s crackdowns on July 1, while drug gangs and various other vigilante groups have killed 1,067, national…
Craig Boudreau A Massachusetts ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana has enough signatures to be on the ballot in November, meaning the Bay State could be the next state to legalize pot use. The Massachusetts secretary of state told the initiators of the measure, The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, that it had passed the threshold…
Craig Boudreau California’s Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to know why more of his colleagues don’t support efforts to legalize marijuana. Newsom said that many of his colleagues say the so-called “war on drugs” as a failure, so he wonders openly why they don’t see the benefits of legalizing the drug, The Huffington Post reported Thursday. “What we’re doing to criminalize the…
By Craig Boudreau Recent moves from some states to medicalize or legalize marijuana, coupled with the potential rescheduling of the drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), give positive signs that the century-long war on weed may be going up in smoke. Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML),…
Libertarian Candidate Suggests Drug War Incentivizes Brutality Following the string of lethal shootings directed both by and at police officers, many have rushed to point fingers. While politicians and pundits have continued perpetuating divisive rhetoric, Gary Johnson has a different perspective on the situation. “The root is the war on drugs, I believe. Police knocking…
On Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey announced that he would not recommend any criminal charges against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for her “extremely careless” handling of classified emails over a private server. “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable…
Steve Birr Officials in Washington, D.C., have called for a regulated market for marijuana consumption and redefined the issue as a threat to public health and safety, in an effort to circumvent Congressional blocks to the District’s efforts to legalize the drug. The D.C. Department of Health released a July report calling on officials to…