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How Many People Use Marijuana Worldwide?

According to the United Nations, 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana—more than 3.8% of the planet’s population. Say what?! That’s a lot of people! But to put that in perspective, about 2 billion people across the world consume alcoholic drinks.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO); about 147 million people (2.5% of the world population) who are 18 or older consumed marijuana at least once during that year.

As of 2009, the United States is ranked #12 in annual prevalence for marijuana use. The results showed that 13.7% of adults ages 18 or older in the United States had consumed marijuana at least once during 2009. The United States is ranked #1 in lifetime prevalence (used at least once in their life). In 2010 it was found that 51.6% of people aged 16-34 had tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime.

Marijuana has been consumed throughout history for personal, social, medical, spiritual, and cultural use. It is no surprise that it the most consumed, produced, and trafficked drug in the world.

The rising popularity of marijuana worldwide is evident in voter results and legalization attempts. Uruguay has completely legalized the possession, sale, transport, and cultivation of marijuana. Here the United States, there is a huge movement to begin legalization at a state and federal level. Four states have currently legalized weed for adult use, 23 states and D.C have legalized for medical use and several more are making steps towards doing so. Many other countries have adopted decriminalization policies and are looking towards full legalization.

As more information is being spread to eliminate any misconceptions people may have once had, there is a growing support for cannabis legalization worldwide.

To find more information, recipes or news visit www.Greenito.com

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Against Medical Marijuana? What About Medical Cocaine?

cocaineEvery once in a while, I come across someone who is actually against medical marijuana. I try to explain to them the overwhelming evidence to support marijuana’s medical use, but they usually just say that the “chance of abuse is to high”. When I realize the stubbornness of their argument, I usually ask them if they think medical cocaine is ok. Of course, the answer is “no” and usually for the same reasons. Some will even admit that cocaine is worse.

Then I have to inform them that as a schedule 2 narcotic, cocaine is legally prescribed for medicinal use in all 50 states.

Cocaine is still used by some physicians to stop nosebleeds, and for pain control before minor nose surgery. Dentists or oral surgeons can also use cocaine for anesthesia before procedures. Cocaine is prescribed mostly as an anesthetic in topical or injectable form.

In addition to oral, and nasal surgery, The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inc. considers cocaine to be a valuable anesthetic and vasoconstricting agent when used as part of the treatment of a patient by a physician. No other single drug combines the anesthetic and vasoconstricting properties of cocaine.

*see links at bottom of page

So how do we move Marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2?

I don’t know anyone who thinks that marijuana should be regulated more heavily then cocaine. So how difficult is it to have marijuana moved from schedule 1 to schedule 2? According to the controlled substances act, subchapter I, part B, section 811 The Attorney General can remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule.

master-kush-1In section 812, in order to be listed as a schedule 1 narcotic, a substance must meet the following criteria:

Schedule I.—

  • The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
  • The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
  • There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

In contrast, a schedule 2 drug has to meet these following criteria:

Schedule II.—

  • The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
  • The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions.
  • Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

It seems obvious that the Attorney General is legally obligated to move Marijuana from its current Schedule 1 classification, and place it into Schedule 2 (at the very minimum).

In a recent paper, the National Institute on Drug Abuse admits that a “scientific study of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, has led to two FDA approved medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form. Continued research may lead to more medications.”

So if the FDA is approving medications based on the chemicals in marijuana, then the FDA is admitting that marijuana has medicinal use. Thereby proving that marijuana should not be a schedule 1 narcotic, and should be moved to schedule 2 with cocaine and other drugs that have “currently accepted medical use”.

Links to medical cocaine information

http://www.medicinenet.com/cocaine_hydrochloride-topical/article.htm

http://www.acmt.net/Cocaine.html#Q2

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1383/cocaine-top/details

http://www.entnet.org/content/medical-use-cocaine

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How Marijuana Prohibition contributed to the Baltimore Riots

We have seen in far to often over the past few years. Protests against police brutality being met with more police brutality resulting in lawlessness and rioting in the streets of American cities. The Baltimore riots are the latest, but it has been ongoing in our streets for years now.

The usual suspects are often blamed: racism, police brutality, oppression of some sort or the other. What does Marijuana prohibition have to do with any of it you ask? Well let me some it up for you.

civil-unrestRacism can not be the cause of what is going on in Baltimore. The mayor is black, the police commissioner is black, half the cops are black. It is very likely that any racist cops in Baltimore were long ago rooted out by their peers. So why does Baltimore still have problems with police brutality? Why are the Baltimore riots happening?

There used to be a time in this country when Police were respected and looked up to as the good guys. That day has long since past. It seems to me that the decline of the perception of law enforcement has a lot to do with the draconian laws that the police are made to enforce, and marijuana prohibition is at the top of that list.

It stands to reason that when the Police are telling us that marijuana is illegal because it has no medicinal value, and the doctors and scientists (and history in general) says that marijuana has an incredible amount of medicinal value, that the people will stop believing the police.

You lie, and you loose credibility. It really is that simple. When we have seen decade after decade of our friends and neighbors hauled off to jail, and having there lives ruined by criminal convictions for possession of marijuana when marijuana is no worse (indeed most studies show that is better) then alcohol, why should we have faith in our police forces? Why should we have faith in our judicial system when it has lied to us year after year?

And this has a lot more to do with the failure of the judicial system then police brutality doesn’t it? We all understand that there are bad cops. Just like there are bad landlords, and bad cooks, and bad people in every other walk of life. But the judicial system is supposed to be there to protect us from these abuses of power. Yet time after time, the judicial system has failed us.

Baltimore is a bastion of liberalism. There has not been a conservative mayor in Baltimore since the 1960’s. In the last national election, Baltimore voted 87% democrat. The liberal platform is based on the idea that government is the solution to problems. That government does what is best for people. That government helps. So, liberals should (more then other political ideologies) trust the government. However, what we see in Baltimore is a population that has so little trust in the government they elected, that they are would rather take violently to the streets instead of letting their elected officials do the job they elected them to do.

In my opinion, this comes down to a lack of trust. Even the people with the political ideology that government helps, no longer trust the government. This is due to a history of bold faced lies from the government, oppression in the judicial system, and subjugation by the police. And in this, prohibition of marijuana stands front and center as a gleaming example of how the government, the judicial system, and the police are not to be trusted.

The civil unrest in Baltimore has very nothing to do with racism and police brutality. It has everything to do with a loss of faith in the laws passed by the government, perpetuated by the judiciary system, and enforced by the police. Stop lying to us, and maybe we will start believing you again.

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Cannabis in The USA: a Brief History of American Marijuana

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Cannabis in the USA – Some Notable Facts

Many people wrongly believe that Cannabis (or marijuana) was never used in the United States of America by acceptable society. The truth is that Americans of all walks of life enjoyed the benefits of Cannabis.

In 1619 the first law regulating Cannabis in the American colonies was passed. The Law Required All farmers to grow Cannabis.

From 1842 to 1900 Cannabis made up half of ALL medicine sold in the USA.

In the 1890s, many popular American marriage guides recommend cannabis as an aphrodisiac.

1850 to 1942 – marijuana was listed by the United States as a useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism, and labor pains and was easily obtained at the local general store

a number of women’s temperance organizations suggested “hashish” as a substitute for “demon” alcohol during alcohol prohibition in the 1920’s

Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. – DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young – 1988

We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption.

– US President John Adams

I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana.”

– US President Jimmy Carter

When I was a kid I inhaled frequently. That was the point.

– US President Barack Obama

 

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LSD Was Just Successfully Used as Therapy for Dying Cancer Patients for the First time in Decades

LSD Was Just Successfully Used as Therapy for Dying Cancer Patients for the First time in Decades (via Americans Against The Tea Party)

The fungus ergot has been known to man for a long time now. Most notoriously, its known for growing on grain stocks like wheat, rye and barley; when those stocks are later ground into bread, a chemical in the fungus makes its way into the body and causes…

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Phillip Morris Introduces Marlboro Marijuana Cigarettes

Phillip Morris Introduces Marlboro Marijuana Cigarettes (via http://thewatchtowers.com)

SATIRE! http://abriluno.com/phillip-morris-introduces-marlboro-marijuana-cigarettes/ Phillip Morris, the world’s biggest cigarette producer, announced today that they will join the marijuana legalization bandwagon and start producing marijuana cigarettes…

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Wendy’s employee fired and arrested for leaving marijuana ‘blunt’ in burger

Wendy’s employee fired and arrested for leaving marijuana ‘blunt’ in burger (via Raw Story )

A Georgia Wendy’s employee was fired and arrested for marijuana possession after she stowed a half-smoked marijuana “blunt” in a customer’s cheeseburger, wrapped it and served it. The Associated Press reported that Amy Elizabeth Seiber admitted…

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