Federal legislation is proposed in Congress at the moment. The law, introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) would restrict federal authorities from interfering with state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs and it moves Marijuana from Schedule 1 (no medicinal value, high potential for abuse) to Schedule 2 (has medicinal value, high potential for abuse) in the Controlled Substances Act.

Congressman Barney Frank introduced legislation yesterday aimed at making marijuana available through a doctor’s prescription nationwide.

Please help MPP support H.R. 2835, by e-mailing and calling your U.S. Representative. MPP’s online resources at mpp.org/federal-action make it quick and easy to ask your legislator to cosponsor this important legislation.

Click here to take action.

H.R. 2835 makes two important changes to federal law. First, it eliminates federal authority to interfere with patients, caregivers, and collectives operating in accordance with state medical marijuana laws. Second, it moves marijuana from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act into Schedule II. Schedule II drugs have recognized medical benefits and can be prescribed by doctors to patients in need (for example, morphine is a Schedule II drug).

Congressman Frank’s legislation comes after months of growing debate over marijuana policy reform, but it will still face significant opposition in Congress.

This brave officer spoke out against our drug laws and lost his job because of it. He sued for his job back and won because his free speech was violated. He also got a fat wad of cash and took temporary leave to teach at a college.

http://marijuanacannabis.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/fired-officer-gets-his-job-back/

A Mountlake Terrace police sergeant who was fired in part for alleged dishonesty has gotten his job back and an $812,500 settlement from his department, Snohomish County and the city of Lynnwood.

Jonathan Wender’s battle to clear his name centered on allegations that police internal investigators and the prosecutor’s office targeted him unfairly because of his outspoken views in favor of limited decriminalization of marijuana and reforms in the nation’s war on drugs.

“I think that those of us on the front lines have an obligation to speak out,” said Wender, 42, who now is on a two-year paid leave and teaching at the University of Washington. “I have devoted most of my professional life to protecting constitutional rights of citizens. Rights are violated when there is a chilling of free speech, which I believe was the case here.”

While this surly isn’t the first house made from hemp, it is one of the most conventional looking. However, underneath the convention, this home utilizes sustainable Hempcrete (chopped hemp + lime + water) for mortar. This is good because hemp sequesters massive amounts of CO2 and the hempcrete is biodegradable when buried. Also, Hempcrete has low-thermal conductivity which means that it insulates very well.

How about this for a ‘green’ house? - Bedford Today

A home made of hemp and designed in Bedford

This three bedroom house may look like an ordinary home, but it is actually a “revolutionary” property of the future, constructed from natural hemp for only £75,000.

Designed by Bedford firm Archial Architect, the building is constructed from hemcrete, a mixture of hemp plants and lime.

The plant absorbs around five tonnes of carbon dioxide during its rapid growth period making the fabric of the house carbon neutral.

Andrew James, director of the Cardington Road-based architects, said: “The house is far from conventional. I think it will be one of the different technologies that people will be exploring in the future.

“We are in a situation where a vast majority of homes are bricks and blocks, which use a lot of the earth’s resources and a lot of carbon.

“At the end of this building’s life the hemcrete can be crushed and ploughed back into the ground as a fertiliser.

“It’s a practical sustainable solution.

Interesting: at the end of this list of hemp’s benefits, the author notes that China’s army, the largest standing army in the world, will be adopting hemp uniforms.

Hemp–China Chemical Fiber & Textile Market Price and Reports from CCFGroup- Leading Industry & Market Consultancy.

China-hemp is an ancient plant, known as “the king of natural fibers”. Clothing and clothing products made from China hemp have many functions like moisture-absorption, breathable, comfort, heat-disperse, anti-mildew, antibacterial, anti-radiation, anti-ultraviolet, and sound-absorption. The fabric is suitable for military and civilian. The excellent properties of China hemp will bring about revolutionary changes to food and clothing for soldiers in the future.

China hemp is a magical plant, which can be processed into a variety of military apparel and high-end apparel materials. It is expected to change the structure of textile products in the world; it might become alternatives of oil, coal and other fossils to reduce environmental pollution caused by energy consumption.

China hemp is a multi-purpose plant that is eco-friendly and renewable. It can become white fiber like cotton after processes of degumming and spinning, and then the fiber can be used in wool textiles, cotton textiles, and blended textiles at low-cost.

With in-depth study of China hemp, experts find that the plant is all of magic. Moisture-absorption rate of China hemp is 3 times of cotton. China hemp fabric can kill bacteria attached to the fabric within one hour; China hemp fabric can shield more than 95 percent of ultraviolet rays. The fabric does not fade in 370 ℃ high temperature and does not burn at 1000 ℃. The fabric has excellent heat resistance and anti-UV properties.

Stalk core of China hemp can be processed into wood powder, activated carbon and pulp for paper; hemp leaves, hemp flowers and hemp roots can extract drugs with functions of hemostasia, loosing sediment, detoxification and securing embryo; hemp seed can squeeze oil; hemp stalk core can absorb formaldehyde 11 times higher than pine and it also has special features to decompose harmful chemical gases.

China hemp will be promising in production of military uniform. Chinese army is the world’s first army to use china hemp fiber in large volume.

Canadian scientists researching the effects of Cannabis on the brains of rats have found that high doses of Cannabis actually lead to accelerated neuron growth in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory. The scientists found that the rats memory improved when those hippocampus neurons matured over two to three months.

Study turns pot wisdom on head - The Globe and Mail

Forget the stereotype about dopey potheads. It seems marijuana could be good for your brain.

While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health problems down the road, new research suggests the drug could have some benefits when administered regularly in a highly potent form.

Most “drugs of abuse” such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats’ hippocampuses.

Hippocampuses are the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, and the study held true for either plant-derived or the synthetic version of cannabinoids.

“This is quite a surprise,” said Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

“Chronic use of marijuana may actually improve learning memory when the new neurons in the hippocampus can mature in two or three months,” he added.

One common argument made against using raw Cannabis as a medicine is that a synthetic FDA-approved THC is already prescribed by doctors called dronabinol, commonly sold as Marinol. The problem is that there are as few as 60 other cannabinoids, along with THC, which delivers appropriate medicinal benefits. Marinol delivers only synthetic THC. Also, proper [...]

Marc Emory, no stranger to Cannabis controversy, has set a lofty goal: to end the United States war on drugs. He has sold and delivered millions of Cannabis seeds from Canada to the rest of the world. The sale of Cannabis seeds in Canada is legal. The United States requests to extradite Marc Emory from [...]

Det. Racine is scared that medical marijuana laws in Michigan are going to cause ‘nightmares’ for the legal system. He cites people using false defenses in courts and brings up the so-called ‘gateway theory,’ which has been addressed here.
Medical marijuana is ‘nightmare’ for some - DailyPress.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Escanaba Information | The Daily [...]

A group of San Diegons want the Supreme Court to review whether or not California’s medical marijuana laws are just in relation to the Controlled Substances Act. Unfortunately for them, the Supreme Court decides not to hear the case. Stay classy, San Diego.
Supreme Court Will Not Review California Medical Marijuana Law - US Supreme Court [...]

Perhaps we are ok knowing that we pay a premium on hemp products because they are imported from other countries. Maybe we are fine with burning the extra fuel to get hemp products here. Could it be that we are ambivalent to the fact that other nations are profiting through our unjust laws?
A great [...]

This Canadian man synthesized marijuana down to a super potent oil. He then gave the oil away, free of charge to people with terminal and chronic illnesses. These people got better, according to the local Mounties (who subsequently lost their jobs for stating their observations). Watch the story below.

According to this study conducted in Spain, THC (the major psychoactive substance of Cannabis) encourages brain cancer cells to feed on themselves instead of healthy cells.
Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer
The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.
Guillermo Velasco [...]

Company looks to help dispensaries with tax and other administrative services.
Medical Marijuana Inc. Signs 1st Medical Cannabis Co-op to use Tax Remittance Card - 420 Magazine
Medical Marijuana, Inc (OTC: MJNA) is happy to announce that it has signed the first Memorandum of Understanding with a marijuana collective in Southern California to use Medical Marijuana, Inc’s [...]