Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jan 2014
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

ALL ABOARD THE WEED WAGON

Happy New Year! What was your favorite weed news from 2013?

- -Sammy Softball

Happy New Year to you, too! 2013 has been a great year for weed. In 
December 2012, I listed three good things, three bad things and three 
just OK things in the cannabis community that year. This year, I am 
just going to list the good things. And away we go:

Science and weed had a great year. There were studies showing that 
grass can help with Crohn's disease, HIV, skin cancer, post-traumatic 
stress disorder, heart attacks, epilepsy and strokes. And a new study 
was just released showing that marijuana strains high in cannabidiol, 
a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, can help with the symptoms of 
psychosis, according to a review published in the November issue of 
the Neuropsychopharmacology journal.

Just think what we could learn if the federal government wasn't 
trying to stop us.

The legalization battle is also doing very well, thank you. The feds 
decided not to go after Colorado and Washington for legalizing pot, 
and now I am planning my Colorado jay-cation. Right after I get back, 
I'm going to start saving up for a visit to Uruguay, since weed is 
also legal there. Besides the fact that adults in Colorado and 
Washington can buy weed, they can no longer be arrested for weed 
there. That is a big, huge, giant step forward. Thousands of people 
weren't arrested this year. Not only that, but Washington actually 
dropped marijuana charges against a bunch of people since weed is no 
longer a crime. Oregon is headed toward legalization, and California 
has several different groups trying to get an initiative on the 
ballot for 2014. Meanwhile, activists in Alaska claim they have 
enough signatures to get a marijuana-legalization initiative on the 
ballot, and in New York, lawmakers have introduced legalization 
legislation (say that three times fast after taking a fat dab).

Marijuana is also turning opponents into proponents. Former Drug 
Enforcement Administration agents have started working in the 
cannabis industry, according to a December 20 story in the The 
Oregonian newspaper. Imagine that.

Meanwhile, New York state Assemblyman Steve Katz, a Republican who 
once voted against a medical-marijuana bill before getting busted for 
marijuana possession, is now looking to raise $10 million for 
marijuana businesses. In an interview about his newfound vocation, 
Katz said, "For me, entering this industry at this time is a dream 
come true from a child of the '60s all grown up."

If being a grown-up means you can stop being a hypocrite and get on 
board the weed wagon, I say, "Welcome aboard, Mr. Katz."

Marijuana is also doing well in the polls. An October Gallup poll 
shows that 58 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Weed. Is. Winning. 
Like Mohandas Gandhi said: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at 
you, then they fight you, then you win."

Here's to more weed, more medical studies and more winning in 2014. 
May you all have a great New Year.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom