New York:

Last Wednesday (07/10/09), changes to New York?s notorious Rockefeller drug laws went into effect, allowing judges to shorten the prison terms of some non-violent offenders; particularly those incarcerated for non-violent crimes such as cannabis posession. This measure will further reduce New York?s prison population, which has already declined in the past 10 years from about 71,600 in 1999 under Mayor Rudy Giuliani to about 59,300 today – The state?s crime rate also dropped substantially during that time.
Nevertheless, the state has been slow to close prisons;  this is a multi-billion-dollar industry – opposition from the correction officers? union and politicians from the upstate areas where most of our correctional facilities are has been fierce.

It was not until earlier this year that policymakers in Albany, confronted with fiscal crisis, mustered the will to shut three prison camps and seven prison annexes which amounted to a total of about 2,250 prison beds. This move is expected to save $52 million over the next two years.
But the state could go further… The prison system still has more than 5,000 empty beds in 69 prisons. What?s more, there are other ways to lower the prison population. For starters state lawmakers could repeal the Rockefeller mandatory sentencing provisions that remain on the books. This could automatically release hundreds (maybe thousands) of prisoners currently incarcerated where the presiding judge was obliged to impose a mandatory-minimum sentence.

Another option would be to increase the number of participants on work release. Today a mere about 2,500 are enrolled compared to 1994 when more than 27,000 people were in this time-tested program that helps prisoners manage the transition back into their communities.
In addition, the state could reduce the number of people who are returned to prison for technical parole violations like missing a meeting with an officer or breaking curfew – last year, this was more than 9,000 parolees . Most experts agree that for about half of these people it would be safer and smarter to enroll them in re-entry programs or provide more supervision. Also, more prisoners with good institutional records could be given parole. And eligibility for so-called “merit time”, which reduces prison terms for non-violent inmates (such as those convicted of marijuana-related crimes) who complete educational and other programs, could be expanded to people convicted of violent offenses many years ago.
Taken together, these actions could cut the state?s prison rolls by 5,000 to 10,000 more, enabling the governor and the legislature to close at least four prisons the size of Attica, which holds 2,100 inmates, or a greater number of smaller facilities.
After New York passed the Rockefeller drug laws in 1973, a mandatory sentencing movement swept the country, raising the nationwide prison population from 300,000 to nearly 2.4 million. This experiment in mass incarceration was a failure. There is no conclusive evidence that it enhanced public safety, and some research suggests that time in prison makes people more prone to violence. It has wasted billions of dollars a year and has devastated the low-income minority communities where most of our prisoners come from.
By downsizing its prison system, New York can now help point criminal justice in a more sensible and constructive direction and show other states how to save money in the process. Similar plans have been put in motion in California which spends an estimated $2bn annually on its 155,000 prisoners. Like New York, California is in a major financial crisis and has a reported fiscal deficit of over $29bn for 2009. It is the financial argument which is most convincing to politicians: for several years lobbyists have been campaigning for these releases on moral and compassionate grounds but it is only now that they are in financial meltdown that the lawmakers have started to take notice.

Just thought we’d share some helpful tips on what NOT to do when growing cannabis:

• 1. Don?t Over water – Over watering kills weed plants. Water once the top few inches of the soil dry out.  Hydroponics is harder to over water because rockwool has such excellent drainage properties. As long as the rockwool cubes are not sitting in liquid it is virtually impossible to over water a hydroponic setup. A hydroponic setup could either be watered constantly as the drip method, or once to three times a day as in the flood and drain method.

• 2. Don?t Tell People – Why? They will only be jealous. People love to feel important and that is why they will tell other people; because others will listen to them. – Keep it to yourself.

• 3. Touch/kill Germinating Seeds – Please have some patience. It sometimes takes 10 days for a seed to sprout. The paper towel method is recommended but be careful  because you must handle the seeds when transferring them from the paper towel to your growing medium. This must be done with extreme care!

• 4. Grow seeds from seeded weed – One of the greatest disappointments known to the growing man.

90% of what the final product will be is in the seed?s genetics and has little to do with the environment the plant is grown in.

Many get their hands on the seed and think they have a gold mine. They will probably grow something like this: hermaphrodites, tall late flowering females coupled with early flowering males. This is because the only pollen that could have produced the seed was from a hermaphrodite or a very stunted and late flowering male the grower did not notice. Unless you are prepared for possible disappointment don?t use “unknown”  cannabis seeds. This is why people buy seeds from seedbanks such as Sensi Seeds, White Label Seeds, Weed Seed Shop or Flying Dutchmen.

• 5. Don?t Over fertilize -Fertilize after first 2 spiked leaves appear follow the label. DON?T FERTILIZE EVERY TIME YOU WATER!!! Start with 25% and work your way up!  Leach the plants with lots of pure water every 2-4 weeks.  If the leaves suddenly twist or fold under, Leach and Spray with pure water for several days!

• 6. Don?t Under fertilize – Under fertilizing is less common but it happens. If you are one of those people that likes to give the plant just enough nutrients make sure you use a organic soil mixture with blood meal and bone meal or some slow release fertilizer with micro nutrients.

• 7. Don?t Start Too Early Outdoors – For several reasons! If you are starting outdoors June 1 is perfect. But if I start earlier I will get bigger buds right? Probably Wrong! Its strange but usually true: Plants started in early spring will get big but they will take significantly longer to start flowering. This is because at the peak vegetative period they sense the light cycles getting longer and longer, until June 21. But they don?t realize that its time to flower yet. Finally in the middle of August the plant says “HEY” “time to flower already” and it produces buds in August and September or later they will be tall as trees but thinner buds due to the fact that the sun is not as strong in September. Now if the ganja plants were put out later, as soon as they get a foot off the ground they say “what?s going on” I am just in early veggie and the light hours aren?t getting longer in fact SHORTER” Then the plants go crazy and since the sun is so bright in July and August you get amazing 6 foot trees that are heavier than the plants started in April!!! in addition to finishing earlier the late started plants are not nearly as noticeable.

Indoors is the same for different reasons. The light cannot penetrate more than a foot or two. So flower when plants are a foot tall. If you wait longer because you want bigger yields, you will get smaller yields and wait longer for them.

• 8. Don?t Start too Late Outdoors – Plants need atleast a few weeks growing time before flowering starts as the summer days get shorter.  Starting too late in the summer will lead to small and/or immature plants by the time the season ends (harvest time)

• 9. Don?t Provide A Bad Environment – Always provide air circulation and fresh air even during the night cycle is fine. All the air indoors should be replaced every 5-10 minutes.  Humidity between 30-70% temp aim for around 75-85? Even seedlings need a gentle fan to strengthen the stems.

• 10. Don?t Harvest Too Early – We know its hard. You see the buds and resin forming at a rapid rate. The buds are potent and you feel tempted to chop em down! The only problem is that another 25% of the weight will form in 2 more weeks. Wait until the plants have totally stopped growing and the white pistils are at least 50-75% brown.

*NOTE: Outdoors if security is a factor make your own call on when to sacrifice the fields. Also take buds continuously in case of thieves.*

Exports of Jamaica’s primary agricultural products – sugar, bananas and bauxite – have slumped severely since the start of the global financial crisis. As this crisis deepens, many prominent Jamaicans are calling for the cultivation and exportation of marijuana to be legalized for medicinal purposes.

“This is the approach we have to take because marijuana can bring in some serious revenue….. the pharmaceutical industry needs marijuana as a major ingredient for medication” said Amsale Maryam of the Association of Developmental Agencies in Jamaica, at a Caribbean Regional Civil Society Consultation last month.

Drugs which contain marijuana derivatives are used to treat many diverse medical conditions including glaucoma, bipolar disorder, inflammation of the intestines, nausea and AIDS amongst others – with a reported US$200 million worth of medical-marijuana purchases each year, according to California’s State Board of Equalisation.

The city of Oakland became the first place in America to impose a tax on the sale of medicinal marijuana this week in what has been seen as a huge step on the path towards marijuana’s eventual decriminalization. Famed for its liberal stance on the subject, Oakland (fondly dubbed Oaksterdam by the cannabis community) city council backed the move by unanimously voting through a proposition to allow voters a chance to have their say on Measure F.

Proposed by the city’s 4 “cannabis clubs” themselves as a way of contributing towards the local economy, Measure F imposes a tax of 1.8% on the sale of medical marijuana – $18 on every $1000 sold. “It is important because the city of Oakland is facing a massive deficit like many jurisdictions in California,” says Steve DeAngelo, a leader of one of the city’s cannabis clubs.. “And we decided to step up to the plate and make a contribution to the city in a time of need.” Measure F was passed into state law last Tuesday with 80% of voters backing the proposal in a special postal ballot.

Source: CNN.com

Posted in Cannabis News, medicinal, Society and Cannabis