Toke Radio 43: Congress Votes To End War On Medical Marijuana! Minnesota Becomes 22nd MMJ State! Hemp Planted In Kentucky!

Find out what you need to know about the week in cannabis/marijuana news, in just 25 minutes!

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Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

U.S. Congress Votes To End War On Medical Marijuana Patients And Providers

(Hemp News)

After years of effort and six previous tries, an unprecedented victory has finally happened. Congress on Thursday night approved a measure (219-189) that will prevent the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. The legislation marks the first time in history that Congress has voted in favor of ending the federal government’s war on medical marijuana patients and providers. A record-high 49 Republicans joined 170 Democrats in voting for the measure.

Advocates Welcome Minnesota As 22nd Medical Marijuana State, Object To Restrictions

(Hemp News)

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton on Thursday signed a bill into law officially making Minnesota the 22nd state in the nation to allow people with debilitating conditions to access medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. Patient advocates celebrated the passage of SF 2470, which will protect some patients from arrest, prosecution, and discrimination, as well as license two cultivators of medical marijuana and eight distribution centers across the state.

Kentucky: Hemp Seeds Legally Planted For First Time In Decades

(Hemp News)

 

Hemp has been legally planted in Kentucky for the first time in decades, signaling the tentative return of a crop which once was a lucrative industry for the Bluegrass State.

Backers Launch Ballot Initiative Signature Drive To End Marijuana Prohibition In Nevada

(Hemp News)

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol on Tuesday launched a signature drive in support of a 2016 ballot measure that would end marijuana prohibition in Nevada. State Sen. Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) and former Nevada Republican Senate Caucus Executive Director Joe Brezny were the first to sign the cannabis legalization petition at a news conference in Sen. Segerblom's law office.

Washington Parolees Allowed To Smoke Marijuana Starting June 1

(Hemp News)

In a refreshing bit of "if it's legal, it's legal," parolees in Washington state will be allowed to smoke marijuana starting on June 1, according to the Washington Department of Corrections.

New York State Assembly Passes Comprehensive, Bipartisan Medical Marijuana Bill

(Hemp News)

The New York State Assembly on Tuesday passed the Compassionate Care Act (A. 6357-B/Gottfried) by a bipartisan vote of 91–34. This is the fifth time that the Assembly has passed a medical marijuana bill, and comes just months after the Assembly included the measure in their one-house state budget proposal. The bill remains stalled in the Senate.

Mendocino Sheriff Flush With Cash Due To Marijuana 'Restitution'

(Hemp News)

Is it an inventive new way to clear marijuana cases off the docket, or is it simply a way of separating medical marijuana patients from their money? The Mendocino County Sheriff's Department is flush with cash due to what some are calling "the Mendocino Model," and others are calling the Mendocino shakedown.

Toke Signals Must Read of the Week

Yes We Are: An Interview with R.U. Sirius

(Toke Signals)

An outdoor deck overhanging the Pacific blue, Santa Barbara, California, must have been September 1988, was when I first heard of an entity known as R. U. Sirius. Whatever it was, I was told by a university-era pal who I trusted, I should pay attention.

And I said, “Are you serious?”

This hep buddy slid a half-dozen thin-paper tabloids across the table of the Sea Cove — at which we were dining on calamari and strong iced tea; the LSD was just coming on — and having flipped through the indices and a couple of interviews, I knew that he was. Very.

 

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

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Toke Radio 42: FBI To Let In Potheads?! Feds May Cut Off Water For Weed! Wingnuts Oppose Medical Marijuana In Florida!

Find out what you need to know about the week in cannabis/marijuana news, in just 21 minutes!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Toke TV channel on YouTube.

Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

FBI Says It May Have To Let Potheads In To Get The Best Hackers

(Hemp News)

The FBI's long-standing policy of no tolerance for marijuana use has forced the law enforcement agency to turn away the very best computer hackers -- and now the agency is looking at letting in cannabis users.

Federal Government May Cut Off Water For Legal Marijuana Crops

(Hemp News)

Some marijuana farmers may soon find themselves with some thirsty plants if the federal government decides to block the use of federal water for state-legal cannabis cultivation.

Florida: 'Vote No On 2' Push Against Medical Marijuana Campaign Begins

(Hemp News)

Amendment No. 2, the medical marijuana question on Florida's ballot for the November general election, is supported by more than 80 percent of Sunshine State residents, according to the latest polls. But a new group, the Vote No On 2 campaign, has launched a website and video denouncing the amendment as legalizing weed for "money for dope dealers."

Vermont: New Poll Shows Strong Majority Support For Marijuana Legalization

(Hemp News)

A strong majority of Vermonters support making marijuana legal for adults, taxing it, and regulating it similarly to alcohol, according to a Castleton Polling Institute survey released on Wednesday.

New Mexico Court Upholds Insurance Coverage For Medical Marijuana

(Hemp News)

An injured auto mechanic who uses medical marijuana to treat pain can have his former employer and the company's insurance provider reimburse him for the cannabis, a New Mexico appeals court ruled on May 19.

Bermuda Activist Wants Immediate Amnesty For Marijuana Growers

(Hemp News)

Activist Alan Gordon has demanded "immediate amnesty" for people who grow cannabis for gravely ill patients in Bermuda, saying that patients can't afford to wait.

Good Kitty Brings Owner Bag Of Weed; Dumb Owner Calls Cops

(Hemp News)

Cats are known to give such gifts as dead mice to their owners. But a cool kitty in New Zealand brought a bag of weed home; too bad the clueless owner called the cops.

Toke Signals Must Read of the Week

Christie Prefers Online Gambling Over Marijuana For New Jersey

By Michael Hayne

(Toke Signals)

 

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — who has his eyes on the White House — has made it abundantly clear that he opposes marijuana legalization in the Garden State. Speaking at a carefully screened townhall of mostly older residents, the blustery bombast of bridges had these words to say regarding marijuana:

“I am not going to turn our state into a place where people fly into to get high,” said Christie. “And if people want legalized marijuana in the state, elect a new governor.” (CBS)

As of now, people fly into New Jersey to get high off of industrial fumes and Snookie’s hairspray. Given all the millions in pot revenue raked in by Colorado, it’s odd that Christie would so deeply oppose it.

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

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Toke Signals Radio 41: Legalization Billboards In Oregon! McConnell Slams DEA For Blocking Hemp! NFL Reducing Marijuana Penalties!

Find out what you need to know about the week in cannabis/marijuana news, in just 27 minutes!

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Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Special of the Week

Highlights from Steve Elliott's speech at Westlake Park, downtown Seattle, just after the Seattle Cannabis Freedom March 2014.

Thanks to Toke Signals' own Kim Williams of Indie Media Weekly for video editing! (Without Kim's hard work, you certainly wouldn't be seeing this site, viewing Toke TV, or hearing Toke Radio every week.)

Thanks to Nightmare Alabama for the footage!

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

Oregon Legalization Drive Rents 20 Billboards Across The State

(Hemp News)

Activists in Oregon have rented 20 billboards in prominent positions across the state in support of their campaign to end criminal penalties for cannabis.

Minority Leader McConnell Slams DEA For Blocking Kentucky Hemp Research

(Hemp News)

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has weighed in on the political firestorm that has ensued since the DEA recently seized legal hemp seeds bound for a Kentucky hemp research program that was approved by Congress. McConnell told Politico Wednesday night, “It is an outrage that DEA is using finite taxpayer dollars to impound legal industrial hemp seeds.”

New NFL Policy Would Reduce Punishments For Marijuana

(Hemp News)

The National Football League is ready to address the marijuana issue by renegotiating its drug policy; the new rules will reportedly reduce the punishments for cannabis use.

Colorado Symphony Tries To Calm Denver's Concerns Over Classical Cannabis Concerts

(Hemp News)

The Colorado Symphony now says a series of marijuana-friendly classical fundraising concerts will be by invitation only, in an attempt to calm concerns from Denver city officials that audiences were going to break the law by smoking pot in public.

Is Anyone Surprised? Shuman Finishes Taking Over Moms For Marijuana

(Hemp News)

 

Was anybody dumb enough not to see this coming? In a move which probably didn’t surprise anyone in the cannabis community who has remotely been paying any attention, Cheryl Shuman on Friday announced the official completion of her takeover of Moms For Marijuana International, the formerly grassroots group over which Shuman acquired day-to-day control last fall. It’s now the Cheryl Shuman Show.

1986 Rookie of the Year Serving Life Sentence For Marijuana

(Hemp News)

Racing fans might wonder whatever happened to one the world’s most exciting young stars, 1986 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, Randy Lanier. These days, Lanier can be found at Coleman Federal Prison in Florida where he is in his 26th year of incarceration serving a sentence of life without parole for a first time, nonviolent marijuana offense.

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

 

Check out this episode!

Steve Elliott ~ Seattle Cannabis Freedom March 2014

Steve Elliott, Westlake Park,  Seattle Cannabis Freedom March, 2014

Toke Signals Radio 40: DEA Wants More Weed! Pot Lawsuits In WA! Legal Marijuana Clubs In Spain!

Find out what you need to know about the week in cannabis/marijuana news, in just 25 minutes!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Toke TV channel on YouTube.

Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

DEA Wants More Than 30x the Amount of Research Marijuana It Originally Requested

(Hemp News)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on May 5 said it needs hundreds of pounds of marijuana for research this year, more than 30 times the amount of cannabis it originally ordered for 2014.

Some Washington Marijuana Entrepreneurs Who Didn't Win License Plan Lawsuits

(Hemp News)

 

Some entrepreneurs who spent months and thousands of dollars on their dream of opening a retail cannabis shop are very disappointed that they didn't get a license in Washington state's marijuana lottery. Some of them are so disappointed, in fact, that they plan to sue.

Spain: Basque City Votes To License And Regulate Private Marijuana Clubs

(Hemp News)

 

The Spanish city of San Sebastian, also called Donostia in the Basque region of Spain, has voted to license and regulate -- and thus legalize -- private marijuana clubs.

Florida Student Not Allowed To Publish Medical Marijuana Story In High School Newspaper

(Hemp News)

Medical marijuana will be on the ballot this November in Florida -- but a high school student in Lakeland is fighting for permission to report on that story after being told it couldn't appear in the school newspaper.

Uruguay Will Issue Government-Approved Clones; Non-Government Marijuana Still Illegal

(Hemp News)

Uruguay President Jose Mujica said on Friday that his country's system of marijuana legalization -- which will allow only government-approved strains, and under which all other cannabis will still be illegal -- will be better than Colorado's, whose cannabis law he called "fiction" and "hypocrisy."

Texas Man Faces 5 Years To Life In Prison For Making Marijuana Brownies

(Hemp News)

A Texas man could get five years to life in prison for making marijuana brownies and cookies.

Army Veteran Wants To Give Away Marijuana To Others Who Have Served

(Hemp News)

A Vietnam-era Army veteran wants to give away marijuana to others who have served in the military. It's a simple matter, the way Roger Martin sees it.

"True patriots support cannabis for heroes," he said, reports CBS Denver.

Toke Signals Must Read of the Week

Book Gives An Insider's View Of World's Biggest Hippie Commune

(Hemp News)

 

The Hippie. Emerging from the ruins of the Beat Generation, the Hippie had a brief shining moment at the apex of the popular imagination, encapsulating both the highest hopes and darkest fears of the post-Kennedy world.

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

 

Check out this episode!

Toke Radio 40: DEA Wants More Weed! Pot Lawsuits In WA! Legal Marijuana Clubs In Spain!

Find out what you need to know about the week in cannabis / marijuana news, in just 23 minutes!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Toke TV channel on YouTube.

Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

DEA Wants More Than 30x the Amount of Research Marijuana It Originally Requested

(Hemp News)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on May 5 said it needs hundreds of pounds of marijuana for research this year, more than 30 times the amount of cannabis it originally ordered for 2014.

Some Washington Marijuana Entrepreneurs Who Didn't Win License Plan Lawsuits

(Hemp News)

 

Some entrepreneurs who spent months and thousands of dollars on their dream of opening a retail cannabis shop are very disappointed that they didn't get a license in Washington state's marijuana lottery. Some of them are so disappointed, in fact, that they plan to sue.

Spain: Basque City Votes To License And Regulate Private Marijuana Clubs

(Hemp News)

 

The Spanish city of San Sebastian, also called Donostia in the Basque region of Spain, has voted to license and regulate -- and thus legalize -- private marijuana clubs.

Florida Student Not Allowed To Publish Medical Marijuana Story In High School Newspaper

(Hemp News)

Medical marijuana will be on the ballot this November in Florida -- but a high school student in Lakeland is fighting for permission to report on that story after being told it couldn't appear in the school newspaper.

Uruguay Will Issue Government-Approved Clones; Non-Government Marijuana Still Illegal

(Hemp News)

Uruguay President Jose Mujica said on Friday that his country's system of marijuana legalization -- which will allow only government-approved strains, and under which all other cannabis will still be illegal -- will be better than Colorado's, whose cannabis law he called "fiction" and "hypocrisy."

Texas Man Faces 5 Years To Life In Prison For Making Marijuana Brownies

(Hemp News)

A Texas man could get five years to life in prison for making marijuana brownies and cookies.

Army Veteran Wants To Give Away Marijuana To Others Who Have Served

(Hemp News)

A Vietnam-era Army veteran wants to give away marijuana to others who have served in the military. It's a simple matter, the way Roger Martin sees it.

"True patriots support cannabis for heroes," he said, reports CBS Denver.

Toke Signals Must Read of the Week

Book Gives An Insider's View Of World's Biggest Hippie Commune

(Hemp News)

 

The Hippie. Emerging from the ruins of the Beat Generation, the Hippie had a brief shining moment at the apex of the popular imagination, encapsulating both the highest hopes and darkest fears of the post-Kennedy world.

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

Check out this episode!

Toke Signals Radio 39: Global Marijuana March! GOP Mad About Legalization! Let Doctors Recommend Medical Marijuana!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Toke TV channel on YouTube.

Toke Signals Bud Pick of the Week

Toke Signals Stories of the Week

Oregon Congressman Blumenauer To Give Keynote Speech After Portland Marijuana March

(Hemp News)

On Saturday, May 3, nearly 300 cities worldwide, including Portland, will participate in the 15th annual Global Cannabis March. Portland participants will gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square to march at high noon through downtown Portland, accompanied by a police escort.

Republicans Assail Obama Administration's Tolerance Of Marijuana Legalization

(Hemp News)

 

Republicans on a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday assailed the Obama Administration's tolerance of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, but Treasury Secretary Jack Lew defended the decision to let banks provide services to legal cannabis businesses.

Nearly 200 Members Of Congress Tell V.A. To let Doctors Recommend Medical Marijuana

(Hemp News)

Nearly 200 members of Congress, including 22 Republicans, on Wednesday voted in favor of an amendment intended to allow physicians within the Veterans Affairs system to recommend medical marijuana to veterans in states that allow it. The bipartisan-sponsored amendment failed 195-222.

Groundbreaking Report: America Needs To Significantly Reduce Prison Population

(Hemp News)

A groundbreaking report released on Wednesday by the National Research Council, the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences, documents the unprecedented and costly price of U.S. incarceration rates.

Vermont Senate Approves Marijuana Dispensary Improvement Bill; Measure Going To Governor's Desk

(Hemp News)

The Vermont Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that will expand access to medical marijuana for qualified patients. It will now be sent to Gov. Peter Shumlin, who has expressed support for the measure.

Minnesota Law Enforcement 'Compromise' Wouldn't Provide ANY Patients With Access To Marijuana

(Hemp News)

A medical marijuana "compromise" proposed on Thursday in the Minnesota House of Representatives would not actually provide anyone with access to medical marijuana.

The unworkable proposal, which of course is being backed by the law enforcement industry -- they just love it! -- would require a state agency, researchers, and doctors to violate federal laws in a manner never before seen in states with effective medical marijuana laws.

Washington State Update: Don't Cut Down Your Medical Marijuana Gardens

(Toke Signals)

 

You’d think it was a done deal, if you were satisfied with the skewed version of the “truth” presented you by “Radical” Russ Belville’s High Times story of April 28. It sounds pretty cut and dried, after all: “Washington Bans Collective Medical Marijuana Gardens,” reads the headline, and the news doesn’t get in better in the story.

Toke Signals Must Read of the Week

Marijuana Prohibition Wastes $20 Billion Every Year [Infographic]

(Toke Signals)

This infographic illustrates how people, especially minorities, are being put in prison at incredibly high rates for simple marijuana possession.

Toke TV/Toke Radio = a joint production
of Toke Signals and Indie Media Weekly

Check out this episode!