Marijuana Called Top U.S. Cash Crop
By Nitya Venkataraman
December 18, 2006





















http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=2735017&page=1

Dec. 18, 2006 — Weeding through the value of the nation's cash crops, a study released today states that marijuana is the U.S.'s most valuable crop and promotes the drug's legalization and taxation.
Drug enforcement officials say the equation is not that simple.
The report, "Marijuana Production in the United States," by marijuana policy researcher Jon Gettman, concludes that despite massive eradication efforts at the hands of the federal government, "marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the national economy."
In the report, Gettman, a marijuana-reform activist and leader of the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, champions a system of legal regulation.
Contrasting government figures for traditional crops — like corn and wheat — against the study's projections for marijuana production, the report cites marijuana as the top cash crop in 12 states and among the top three cash crops in 30.
The study estimates that marijuana production, at a value of $35.8 billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion).
Pot Tax?
To activists for marijuana legalization, the study confirms a position they've held for years, and uses government stats to support their claim.
"The fact that marijuana is America's No. 1 cash crop after more than three decades of governmental eradication efforts is the clearest illustration that our present marijuana laws are a complete failure," says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington D.C., a group that focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use.
Kampia, whose comments were included in the study's press release, adds, "Our nation's laws guarantee that 100 percent of the proceeds from marijuana sales go to unregulated criminals rather than to legitimate businesses that pay taxes to support schools, police and roads."
A 2005 analysis by Harvard visiting professor Jeffrey Miron estimates that if the United States legalized marijuana, the country would save $7.7 billion in law enforcement costs and could generated as much as $6.2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like alcohol or tobacco.
Miron's report on the costs of marijuana prohibition was signed by more than 500 leading economists, most notably the late Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, who served as an economist in both the Nixon and Reagan administrations.

Thats gully...

(From http://www.thefader.com)

No 'Smoking' Gun: Research Indicates Teen Marijuana Use Does Not Predict Drug, Alcohol Abuse

By American Academy Of Neurology

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050211084701.htm

Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study's findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child's bedroom.
The Pitt researchers tracked 214 boys beginning at ages 10-12, all of whom eventually used either legal or illegal drugs. When the boys reached age 22, they were categorized into three groups: those who used only alcohol or tobacco, those who started with alcohol and tobacco and then used marijuana (gateway sequence) and those who used marijuana prior to alcohol or tobacco (reverse sequence).
Nearly a quarter of the study population who used both legal and illegal drugs at some point -- 28 boys -- exhibited the reverse pattern of using marijuana prior to alcohol or tobacco, and those individuals were no more likely to develop a substance use disorder than those who followed the traditional succession of alcohol and tobacco before illegal drugs, according to the study, which appears in this month's issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"The gateway progression may be the most common pattern, but it's certainly not the only order of drug use," said Ralph E. Tarter, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and lead author of the study. "In fact, the reverse pattern is just as accurate for predicting who might be at risk for developing a drug dependence disorder."
In addition to determining whether the gateway hypothesis was a better predictor of substance abuse than competing theories, the investigators sought to identify characteristics that distinguished users in the gateway sequence from those who took the reverse path. Out of the 35 variables they examined, only three emerged to be differentiating factors: Reverse pattern users were more likely to have lived in poor physical neighborhood environments, had more exposure to drugs in their neighborhoods and had less parental involvement as young children. Most importantly, a general inclination for deviance from sanctioned behaviors, which can become evident early in childhood, was strongly associated with all illicit drug use, whether it came in the gateway sequence, or the reverse.
While the gateway theory posits that each type of drug is associated with certain specific risk factors that cause the use of subsequent drugs, such as cigarettes or alcohol leading to marijuana, this study's findings indicate that environmental aspects have stronger influence on which type of substance is used. That is, if it's easier for a teen to get his hands on marijuana than beer, then he'll be more likely to smoke pot. This evidence supports what's known as the common liability model, an emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the user's individual tendencies and environmental circumstances.
"The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a person's behavior, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs," Dr. Tarter said. "To become more effective in our efforts to fight drug abuse, we should devote more attention to interventions that address these issues, particularly to parenting skills that shape the child's behavior as well as peer and neighborhood environments."
Indeed, according to the study, interventions focusing on behavior modification may be more effective prevention tactics than current anti-drug initiatives. For example, providing guidance to parents -- particularly those in high-risk neighborhoods -- on how to boost their caregiving skills and foster bonding with their children, could have a measurable effect on a child's likelihood to smoke marijuana. Also, early identification of children who exhibit antisocial tendencies could allow for interventions before drug use even begins.
Although this research has significant implications for drug abuse prevention approaches, Dr. Tarter notes that the study has some limitations. First, as only male behaviors were studied, further investigation should explore if the results apply to women as well. Also, the examination of behaviors in phases beyond alcohol and marijuana consumption in the gateway series will be necessary.
Other study authors include Michael Vanyukov, Ph.D., and Maureen Reynolds, Ph.D., and Levent Kirisci, Ph.D., also of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy; and Duncan Clark, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Man calls police when DEA agents take his pot

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16045729.htm

By Karl Fischer
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Members of a federal marijuana enforcement team caught a whiff of something familiar Thursday as they walked to lunch in San Francisco -- then confiscated about 2 pounds of pot from a passer-by.
The Drug Enforcement Administration agents were near the Philip Burton Federal Building at 1:15 p.m. when a man passed them on the 400 block of Turk Street carrying a cardboard box. The box, emblazoned with the logo of a common brand of hydroponics equipment, reeked of marijuana.
"These agents were hungry, just on their way out to grab a sandwich, when this guy walks past them," DEA Special Agent Casey McEnry said. "They couldn't believe it."
The narcotics agents stopped the man and asked what was in the box. He showed them about 1.5 pounds of marijuana, 12 ounces of hashish and an electronic scale.
Then, in a move that apparently stunned the 20-year-old Eureka resident, the agents took his pot away. While his crime was too minor to prosecute under federal law, the federal government does consider marijuana to be contraband, McEnry said.
"He tried to follow them through the employee entrance when they went back to the federal building. One of the agents looked back at him and said, 'Hey, where do you think you're going? You need to go through the metal detector,'" McEnry said.
Realizing the DEA did not intend to return his stash, the man then called 911 on his cell phone to report the incident to San Francisco police.
"It sounded like he was questioning their authority," McEnry said. "They had shown him their identification, but he kept saying, 'They said they were DEA agents, and they took my marijuana.'"
No officers came to retrieve the marijuana, McEnry confirmed.
In 1996, California voters approved marijuana as a legal treatment for some medical ailments. State and local government have begun to regulate use of the drug, and privately run dispensaries sell the drug to those with medical prescriptions in cities around the state.
But the federal government considers pot an illegal drug, a position upheld in a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The man had a medical marijuana card and said he planned to sell the drugs to the Divinity Tree, a marijuana dispensary, for $4,000 per pound, agents said. McEnry said the man planned to use the proceeds to finance a weekend snowboarding trip to Lake Tahoe.

We're Official!

Check us out on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spliff_Committee

Good lookin out Styles....















(our corporate office...haha)

Weed's Not a Drug



http://www.ifilm.com/video/2771088

New York pot dealers now making home deliveries???

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/06/pot.delivery.ap/index.html
From CNN.com
NEW YORK (AP) -- In a city where you can get just about anything delivered to your door -- groceries, dry cleaning, Chinese food -- pot smokers are increasingly ordering takeout marijuana from drug rings that operate with remarkable corporate-style attention to customer satisfaction.
An untold number of otherwise law-abiding professionals in New York are having their pot delivered to their homes instead of visiting drug dens or hanging out on street corners.
Among the legions of home delivery customers is Chris, a 37-year-old salesman in Manhattan. He dials a pager number and gets a return call from a cheery dispatcher who takes his order for potent strains of marijuana.
Within a couple of hours, a well-groomed delivery man -- sometimes a moonlighting actor or chef -- arrives at the doorstep of his Manhattan apartment carrying weed neatly packaged in small plastic containers.
"These are very nice, discreet people," said Chris, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition only his first name be used. "There's an unspoken trust. It's better than going to some street corner and getting ripped off or killed."
Customer service
The phenomenon isn't new. It has long been the case around the country that those with enough money and the right connections could get cocaine or other drugs discreetly delivered to their homes and places of business.
But experts say home delivery has been growing in popularity, thanks to a shrewder, corporate style of dealing designed to put customers at ease and avoid the messy turf wars associated with other drugs.
"It's certainly been the trend in the past 10 years in urban areas that are becoming gentrified," said Ric Curtis, an anthropology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who specializes in the drug culture.
The corporate model -- and its profit potential -- were demonstrated late last year when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it had taken down a highly sophisticated organization dubbed the Cartoon Network. DEA agents arrested 12 people after using wiretaps and surveillance and making undercover buys.
Authorities estimated that since 1999, the ring made a fortune by delivering more than a ton of marijuana, some of it grown hydroponically -- without soil -- in the basement of a Cape Cod-style home on 10 acres in Vermont, where an informant reported the smell of the crop was overpowering.
The dealers, working out of a roving call center, processed 600 orders a day -- from doctors, lawyers, Wall Street traders -- even on Christmas, investigators said. Authorities refused to give names, but in one conversation overheard last October, a courier boasted about the ring's upscale clientele, according to court papers.
"We know comedians. We know celebrities," the courier said. "So you might meet a rapper, a singer. We go to a lot of people."
New kind of office pool
One former customer named Lucia, a 30-year-old employee at an entertainment cable network, recalled blatant deals done at the company's Manhattan headquarters. Executives and employees alike would pool their orders as if they were buying lunch together, then await the arrival of a courier, Lucia said.
The cost was $60 for one plastic case holding two grams of marijuana -- a steep markup, but worth it because of convenience and quality, she said.
"It was kind, kind bud," she said. "Yummy stuff."
The emphasis on customer service and satisfaction was evident at one stash house, where agents found more than 30 pounds of marijuana in plain view, already packaged for holiday delivery, court papers said. The packages featured the drug ring's cartoon character logo and the greeting, "Happy Holidays From Your Friends at Cartoon!"
The operation's alleged mastermind, John Nebel, "should have been the CEO of a Fortune 500 company," said his attorney, Steve Zissou.
Instead, Nebel, who is awaiting trial, could get a minimum of 10 years in federal prison if convicted. Prosecutors also are demanding the forfeiture of $22 million in cash, homes, cars, motorcycles and a boat owned by him and his compatriots.
At Lucia's workplace, employees were "bummed" by the news of Nebel's bust, Lucia said. But worries that the office might get raided evaporated, and other dealers stepped in, though "their product does not hold up to Cartoon," she said.
Investigators seized customers' names and addresses from the drug operation's computer logs. But those people face little risk of prosecution, authorities said.
Authorities conceded the home delivery trade will probably survive because of the high demand for marijuana and the low penalties for dealing it.
Under state law, most marijuana offenses "are not treated as very significant crimes," said Bridget G. Brennen, the city's special narcotic prosecutor. "That is why you see the marijuana delivery services proliferating. Their exposure is slight."

Check this 1 too...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30821

This 1's on God....














And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:12)

Chew on that shit.....

City moves forward on its ban of blunts

http://philly.metro.us/metro/local/article/City_moves_forward_on_its_ban_of_blunts/5387.html

CITY HALL — The city’s war on drugs yesterday became a war on blunts.
After a City Council hearing that was more an anti-drug public service announcement, the loose cigars available at most inner-city convenience stores and Chinese takeout joints — typically emptied out and filled with marijuana — may soon become illegal to sell.
Council’s Committee on Licenses & Inspections unanimously approved a bill yesterday to outlaw the sale of “loosies” and other drug paraphernalia, including cigarette wrapping papers. The full Council is expected to approve the measure next month.
“I think it sends the wrong message when you can get a blunt or rolling papers with your Now and Laters or Lemonheads or pretzel sticks,” said Stephen Clay, the medical director at the Gaudenzia drug treatment facility.
Clay said that those coming to Gaudenzia for treatment are asked to write a life story. Many, he said, start their stories at the age of 7 or 8, when they smoked their first blunt.
Activists say the blunts come in more flavors than soda and their easy availability on the streets helps lead to a feeling of “lawlessness.” Blunts are sometimes laced with PCP or cocaine, activists say, for an even greater high.
“It just seems outrageous what’s going on in the city,” said Councilwoman Joan Krajewski. “It is a serious problem plaguing our city.”
According to one major retailer, they would stop selling small packages of blunt cigars if the bill passed. The bill outlaws sales of cigars in packages of fewer than six, except by specialty tobacco shops.
“We have a long history of not selling items of that nature, especially the rolling papers and so forth,” said Lori Bruce, a spokesperson for Wawa. “We certainly will continue to work with City Council and comply with whatever it is that they mandate.”
City Council in brief
• CULTURE City Council approved Mayor John Street’s plan to borrow $150 million for arts and cultural groups in the city. The plan to issue bonds was approved, 11-3, with Councilman Brian O’Neill, Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco and Council President Anna Verna voting against the plan that some say is just a way for Street to boost his “legacy.”
• ELECTIONS City Council approved a ballot question yesterday that will allow voters in May to decide whether to appeal the city’s “right to run” rule. Those hoping to run for elected office in the city must now resign from their current positions. One person caught up in the rule was former Councilman Michael A. Nutter, who was forced to resign from Council last summer in order to run in next year’s mayoral race.
• ELECTIONS Councilman Wilson W. Goode amended his campaign finance bill yesterday, adding language to clarify just who counts as a “candidate.” Anyone who forms a political fund-raising committee, even if not officially declared as a candidate, would be a “candidate” under the new rules.
• PRISONS Council also approved Goode’s ex-offender employer tax credit bill, which grants employers a $5,000-per job credit against business privilege taxes for jobs created for ex-cons. Mayor John Street is expected to sign the bill into law, Goode said.

Marijuana-Like Compound May Ease Stomach Cramping





http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/10/24/hscout535642.html

TUESDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A synthetic form of a chemical component found in marijuana may help relax the colon and reduce stomach cramping after eating, says a Mayo Clinic study.
Researchers compared the effects of dronabinol and a placebo on colonic motility and sensation in 52 health adults. Dronabinol is a synthetic version of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana.
The study found that dronabinol relaxes the colon and reduces post-eating contractions and cramping. The effect was most apparent in women.
"The potential for cannabinoids to modulate colonic motor function in disease deserves a further look," study leader Dr. Tuba Esfandyari said in a prepared statement.
Currently in the United States, dronabinol is used to prevent nausea and vomiting for cancer patients after chemotherapy. But it's used only when other kinds of medicine for nausea and vomiting don't work. It's is also used to increase appetite in AIDS patients.

Baby on bong: Court upholds mom's conviction
September 22, 2006 - CNN.COM






http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/09/22/baby.bong.reut/index.html

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- A Montana mother who allowed her 18-month-old baby daughter to inhale from a marijuana water pipe was properly convicted, but should not have to spend five years in jail, a U.S. appeals court ruled Friday.
Jessica Durham was photographed allowing her toddler Michala to suck from a marijuana water pipe, also known as a bong, in 2004 by a friend upset about the activity.
"Ms. Durham allegedly remarked that smoking improved Michala's appetite and left Michala lethargic and mellow - a manner she found consistent with her own experience smoking marijuana," Judge Louis Pollak of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in summarizing the case.
In 2005, a lower court sentenced Durham to five years in prison for unlawful marijuana distribution. She appealed both the conviction and the sentence.
In its ruling Friday, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld the conviction but said the sentence exceeded the applicable federal law which calls for punishment of no more than two years in prison.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Marijuana may stave off Alzheimer's
October 5, 2006 - CNN.COM



http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/10/05/pot.alzheimers.reut/index.html
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) -- Good news for aging hippies: Smoking pot may stave off Alzheimer's disease.
New research shows that the active ingredient in marijuana may prevent the progression of the disease by preserving levels of an important neurotransmitter that allows the brain to function.
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California found that marijuana's active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, can prevent the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from breaking down more effectively than commercially marketed drugs.
THC is also more effective at blocking clumps of protein that can inhibit memory and cognition in Alzheimer's patients, the researchers reported in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.
The researchers said their discovery could lead to more effective drug treatment for Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia among the elderly.
Those afflicted with Alzheimer's suffer from memory loss, impaired decision-making, and diminished language and movement skills. The ultimate cause of the disease is unknown, though it is believed to be hereditary.
Marijuana is used to relieve glaucoma and can help reduce side effects from cancer and AIDS treatment.
Possessing marijuana for recreational use is illegal in many parts of the world, including the United States, though some states allow possession for medical purposes.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Hard time and killer tactics...


http://thespliffcommittee.com/
http://myspace.com/thespliffcommittee

The Spliff Committee is an organization of people who share a common interest of promoting public and political awareness/acceptance of marijuana and cannabis recreational use. The committee was formally born in 1999 but the original crew was organized approximately 5 years earlier in 1994.

Borrowing a lyric from rapper Redman featured in the LL Cool J song “4,3,2,1” (“Terrorize your city, from the spliff committee…”) the name was dubbed on the team. The name was displayed in various graffiti murals throughout the New York/New Jersey area – more specifically, Staten Island, NY (also referred to as “Shaolin”).

It is estimated that the original crew was approximately 15-20 members (although it is estimated that the actual number may be much higher). The committee is now around 200 members strong and has actually spread nationwide (with a few international members). It is the unofficial mission of The Spliff Committee to organize all marijuana users universally to spread word of mouth support and appeal to the government and law enforcement for legalization. Current marijuana laws are outdated and do not reflect the popular opinion with our generation. They feel that users should not be penalized and subject to incarceration for private home usage and cultivation.

As the committee begins to grow by leaps and bounds, they remain confident that the mindset of the US population is beginning to warm up to the fact that this substance is safe for recreational use and is beneficial for comfort and ease of many medical conditions’ side effects (pain, appetite loss, etc). They also want to bring attention to the fact that large amounts of our tax dollars are being used to combat this harmless, beneficial plant. Through legalization, users would be able to cultivate their own supply and drug trafficking would decrease.

By spreading word of their campaign through use of street promotions, music, film, the world wide web, and, most recently a clothing line, The Spliff Committee is beginning to build notoriety with their core supporters. By remaining on the forefront of popular culture, the name is building with students, blue collar workers, and even corporate America.

The Spliff Committee clothing line is currently under development. The theme of the clothing line is to bring our struggle to new demographics who have not given thought to the benefits of marijuana.

The Spliff Committee will provide a network for all members to organize and work together brainstorming ideas as to how our battle can be won.



Please visit http://thespliffcommittee.com/

Just some random shit....

..... Bahamas Xmas 2005 .....

THE SPLIFF COMMITTEE