DRUG WAR MEANS LESS REAL CRIMES ARE SOLVED!

By Chuck Ream

Police are not solving crimes like they used to, and now we can prove it.  Law enforcement dollars would be better spent protecting our safety or finding criminals than on persecuting potheads.

The urgency of spending local law enforcement dollars wisely is illustrated by what currently happens in Michigan following a rape. Thousands of “rape kits” in Michigan have not been processed, yet huge sums are spent on cannabis law enforcement. These priorities are wrong.

It is relatively unknown that law enforcement has been continually less effective at finding real criminals since it began to focus on Drug War.  Murderers, rapists and robbers are apprehended far less often in 2009 than they were when Drug War began in earnest in 1971.

LEGALIZE IT! IN LANSING NOV. 5, 2013!

By Chuck Ream

Michigan’s legislators are responsible every day for a brutal and anti-American cannabis prohibition, and every day they go to work in Lansing. Michigan’s voters from cities across the state have clearly voted that they would like to see the legalization of small amounts of cannabis, or at least full decriminalization. Legislators ignore the voters!

Lansing voters will give them the message!!  Our momentum in Michigan will keep rolling forward!

With your help, the Coalition for a Safer Lansing will have “legalization by exemption” of one ounce or less or marijuana on the ballot for the November 2013 city elections! We know that, in their wisdom and compassion, Lansing voters will find that cannabis prohibition is more dangerous than cannabis!

PLEASE support (give money) to the 2013 Lansing campaign for the legalization of possession of an ounce or less of cannabis by adults. Strike a huge nail into the coffin of cannabis prohibition in Michigan!

We need over 6000 signatures, and $12,000 is our budget. More than $2000 has been raised, and petitioners are already getting signatures. We need petitioners, or money to pay petitioners! Early in the game we can get signatures for $1. The final petition turn in date is August 8.

MMMReport donates $1000 to the 2013 Lansing Campaign!

MMReport is not just a magazine, it is a part of “the Movement”! Thank you MMMReport!

It was five victories in Michigan cities that set up the conditions to get the grant to put our Michigan Medical Marijuana Act on the ballot.

Michigan’s cannabis law reform movement won five local landslide victories on Nov. 6 2012. Ypsilanti voters gave 74% support to the idea of making marijuana laws the “Lowest Law Enforcement Priority” in Ypsi. (LLEP had won in Kalamazoo in 2011). In Kalamazoo medical marijuana dispensaries were on the ballot and won. Grand Rapids voters said they wanted to be like Ann Arbor, with pot possession punished by only a small fine. Detroit and Flint fully decriminalized (legalized) possession of pot for personal use, through the use of a brilliant concept pioneered by Tim Beck.

Tim crafted a petition that is sophisticated by being radically simple. It just attaches a paragraph to the local law that says that “the above law does not apply to any individual in possession of one ounce or less of marijuana who has attained the age of 21 years.”

I told him it wouldn’t work. The Detroit Election Commission said “no way”. The court and appeals court said “take a walk”. The Michigan Supreme Court understood that Tim’s concept of “decrim by exemption” was legal and forced Detroit to put it on the ballot last year. Tim paid the legal bill.

Detroit voters approved this “legalization” of one ounce or less by a 62 % victory margin. Flint voters also approved.

Now we have a “decrim by exemption” petition which has already been tested in the Michigan Supreme Court, which we can use in any Michigan city.

 Lansing is the prize – it will be done this year – please help!

PLEASE *CONTRIBUTE* TO THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN LANSING!

HELP US WIN OUR FIGHT IN MICHIGAN’S CAPITOL – ON OUR LEGISLATORS HOME TURF!

PLEASE! SEND CHECKS TO: COALITION FOR A SAFER LANSING, Committee # 46424,                                 P.O. Box 1358, E. Lansing, Mi, 48826                     Invest in Freedom!

(All contributions must be received by check and reported by amount, date received,                              and donors name and address – make sure this needed information is provided. If                               cumulative contributions are more than $100.01 in a year we must also record and                                report the donor’s occupation, employer, and principal place of business.)                                                       DO YOUR PART FOR VICTORY!  

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BIG PHARMA WANTS TO BE YOUR CAREGIVER

Study shows marijuana pill reduces pain

Recent studies on marijuana in England, Israel and Canada acknowledge the benefits of smoking marijuana to manage pain. Researchers in Israel noticed a significant decline in the amount of prescribed medications taken by patients. After a yearlong study they noted participants took 1.7 pills less per day when smoking marijuana. Along with pain relief, each of the 72 patients studied also reported other positive effects after smoking three times daily over the course of the one year study. Researchers from McGill University in Canada reported that patients with chronic neuropathic pain experienced pain relief, improved mood and better quality sleep after smoking cannabis. In England, Dr. Michael Lee from the University of Oxford has done research involving participants taking MRI’s after smoking marijuana. Dr. Lee stated “'Cannabis does not seem to act like a conventional pain medicine. Some people respond really well, others not at all, or even poorly. Brain imaging shows little reduction in the brain regions that code for the sensation of pain, which is what we tend to see with drugs like opiates. Instead cannabis appears to mainly affect the emotional reaction to pain in a highly variable way.” These MRIs may be able to predict who will respond to cannabis according to Dr. Lee.

This international research may have lit a fire under researchers in America as the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse funded a study that concluded what thousands of marijuana users have known for years, marijuana helps for pain management. Don’t light a celebration joint just yet. The new study conducted at Columbia University in New York suggests that a pharmaceutical drug containing the active ingredient of marijuana may be more effective for pain when compared to smoking the herb. The study group was comprised of 15 men and 15 women who were regular marijuana smokers in good health. In five experimental sessions participants were asked to smoke marijuana, take the oral pill, or a placebo. They then participated in a “cold pressure test”, in which they placed their hands in 39 degree water and answered questions about the intensity of pain and how high they felt. Both the smoked marijuana and the higher dose pharmaceutical pill increased pain tolerance and decreased pain sensitivity as the people took an average of 12 to 13 seconds longer to report feeling pain from the cold water than when they took the placebo.  While the group felt the effects from the joint peak in 15 minutes, the capsule took almost three hours. Researchers noted that the pill and the joint were equally effective at controlling pain but suggested that the pill offered longer relief compared to the smoked marijuana. Subjects also felt less high when taking the capsule than smoking the joint.

So what is this new miracle drug?  It’s called dronabinol but you may know it as the FDA approved drug Marinol. That’s right, the same shitty drug that has caused nausea and other horrible side effects since 1985 is making a comeback with a new generic name and propaganda. The price for dronabinal remains at a staggering $700 a month, but your insurance company will have plenty of economic incentive to cover most of that expense. With such large kickbacks available it is certain that the pharmaceutical companies will have all the backing they need as they attempt to take over the medical marijuana world. Hold onto your joints, this is going to be one long ride. 

 

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Grow Tips: Hydro Cloning

Grow Tip- Hydro Cloning

Ben Horner

Cloning with root cubes and rooting compound is the most common technique, but not particularly efficient. Hydroponic cloning can produce starter plants easier, faster and larger. Hydro cloners vary in number of sites; each site is for an individual clone. A twenty-four-site cloner can produce twenty clones at a time.

There are many such products on the market or you can make your own. Most units all use similar plug stem holder the fits into the top of the container. Then container is filled with water and cloning solution. Where they vary is in the way the moisture is propelled to the plant. Some us foggers, others use a drip system. For this article we will be looking at a manifold and sprayer system, which is powered by a submersible water pump.

As with all hydroponics the purity and PH balance of the water is paramount. Proper PH is between 5-6 on the PH scale. PH testing and balancing chemicals can be found at all indoor gardening stores.  Use filtered water when ever possible. The quality of the water makes all the difference, especially when cloning.

Step 1. Always make sure to your cloner is working well by completely assembling the device, filling it with water and letting it run for a few hours. Confirm that all the sprayers are functioning.  Once you are certain that the entire interior surface is receiving a good spray. add the directed amount of cloning solution.

Step 2. Take cuttings from a healthy female plant use sterile, sharp shears or a razor; make sure you leave at least 15cm of stem on each cutting.

Step 3. Using your cutting tool, clean any lower leaves and stems so that the cutting fits into the foam plugs and the stem is at least 8cm exposed. Repeat this until your sites are full. Make sure water is spraying on all the stems that are below the surface.

Step 4. Place the cloners that are in the cloner under a good quality grow light. Recommended light is in the blue spectrum, preferable a metal halide bulb or comparable floresant.  In three to ten day’s roots will form on stems below.

Step 5. Transfer the rooted clones into its new home. Any growing media should take the new plants. Be very careful not break the roots with the dirt or other growing substrates. 

 

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Compassion, War, and The Truth

Compassion, War, and The Truth

By Charmie Gholson
I’ve been writing for a long time and ordinarily, in December I would publish a guide for folks who want to take action and embody the “Spirit of the Holidays”. You know, so they can “make a difference” in their area.

But I don’t need to instruct you on how to make a difference in your neighborhood, in fact, to do so would be insulting because our community is defined by its compassion. You turn compassion into action, and do so year round. Every day, for four years, I’ve seen remarkable acts of generosity and selfless acts of compassion.

The most common example is open-handed generosity from people who have little to give. Those who have a little bit more than others happily share what they’re got, and I’ve been privileged to witness those with plenty act on their awareness of those less fortunate, and do so in extraordinary ways.

Kevin Spitler and Trena Martin at the Med Joint Compassion Club in Oshtemo, near Kalamazoo donated more than 10,000 pounds of food in the last year to community organizations and tons more to other charities.

And in this open letter to the Michigan NORML Membership, “Uncle Pete” from CannabisCamp.org recently broke down the sheer number of chronically and terminally ill folks his camp sees and works to help:

We deal with a heavy patient load of terminal patients and patients with cancer/tumors. Some of the current cases we are dealing with are suffering from things like:

-Stage 4 bone cancer. Patient is 100% terminal as far as we know. It was too late for this one without a miracle. Stranger things have happened. He went on hospice 3 days ago and started treatment last night.

-Prostate cancer: This is one of the easiest to beat for some reason.

-Brain tumors and multiple seizures: This patient will start treatment next week and we are confident we can make him well in a matter of a few months. The doctors say he will die. With a high school diploma, a YouTube video, and some desire.... we will save him. We have experience beating terminal cancer that is incurable according to the docs.

-Bladder cancer patient that is a couple weeks into her treatment and doing very well. Symptoms surrounding her paralysis have been relieved greatly and we are confident the tumors will be disappearing soon.

We have seen people in wheel chairs get up and walk, we have seen people on their deathbeds get up and live.

These are just the cases I have worked with in the last 24 hours. I am overloaded and pulling my hair out trying to find any doctors willing to listen much less help. So while I am excited about some classes going on next year, I would beg somebody to get involved with what we are doing now to start documenting this stuff on a professional level. We have over 90% success rate with our oils.

The members of this community are attacked simultaneously by the system and by our own bodies. We fight law enforcement and chronic pain. Legislators and cancer.  And yet, we are winning the battle of public opinion.

I’m sure our Attorney General and a few others were dumbfounded and furious November 7th, after two states completely legalized marijuana and five Michigan cities overwhelmingly passed marijuana regulations and reforms. It must really stink to have so much money and power, and still lose.

It’s pretty pathetic if you think about it.  Those with money, power and control of the media who want to see this war continued and work to silence us are getting their asses kicked by the sick, the have-nots and disenfranchised.

They’re probably wondering how we keep gaining ground, no matter how many times they knock us down, but it’s not that hard to understand. You good people possess the one thing they work to hide-- The Truth. And truth crushed to the ground rises again.

Happy Holidays Everyone. I pray you can see yourselves through the eyes of those you are helping. It’s remarkable to behold.

Charmie Gholson is co-owner of The American Cultivator and founder of Michigan Moms United to End the War on Drugs. You can email her at mimomsunited@yahoo.com

Charmie Gholson
Politics. Promotions. Peace.

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I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

I’M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

By Erikush Growski

Christmas time means a time to be joyous. In our culture, joy includes food, decorations, gifts, and good will. Those of us in the cannabis community would like to incorporate more of that natural ingredient into our holidays to promote that extra bit of “cheer.” We can all give a gift to Mother Nature by truly going green this year and using the natural ingredients and supplies we have around the house. If you are a grower, don’t buy a plastic tree or a cut tree; just choose one of your trees that you grew yourself. Marijuana plants are beautiful and green, and I dare say, smell better than pine anyways. You can use traditional decorations or things you have around the house such as popcorn, glitter, pine cones, buttons and beads. Place a tree skirt around the bottom of the bucket to complete the festive presentation. When you are done with the tree, smoke it!

If you save and mold the stems when you are trimming plants, they can be formed into a wreath. Use the long stems and shortly after cutting them, soak in water. Once they are pliable, you can form them into a circle and use twine to secure the shape. Place in a dry warm place for several days to set. Once this wreath is dry, you then can add the decorations such as pine cones, bows, bells, and glitter. This is a wonderful way to repurpose unused fibers. What better gift to give to yourself, Mother Nature, the planet, and future generations than repurposing and being less wasteful?

Making your own Yule log out of stems and trimming is a most rewarding task. Filling your home with the wonderful scent of fresh herb on the holiday makes a warm and relaxing atmosphere. Cut stems into strip and lay those strips and precut sections of natural twine. Once a complete layer is formed, add about a one inch tall section of partially dried clippings. You can add mesquite, scented wood chips, or even potpourri to the center for diversification of scent. Wrap using the twine in a log-like shape. Let dry completely for a minimum of three days then enjoy the wondrous scent you created.  

Last but not least – food! You can add kief to just about anything that has spices without upsetting the recipe. When cooking with marijuana you can really unleash your creative juices. My new favorite holiday treat is warm eggnog with tincture. The rich nog is the perfect counterbalance to the strong taste of tincture. A little splash of spiced rum is a good addition as well.

A little creativity goes a long way. Look around your home and see what you have to work with. Make a point to try and use things around your home as opposed to buying them. Congratulate yourself on every package, box, container, or product that you didn’t buy, as you are giving the gift of Green. 

 

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