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October 17th 2009 saw the end of one of the most significant contributions to the antiprohibitionist fronts in Spain and Europe of the past decade. Gaspar Fraga Gonz?lez, founder and director of Ca?amo magazine, shed his mortal coil and peacefully departed on his final trip, surrounded by his loved ones, at the age of 65. His long battle with cancer had broken his body, but not his will. As the Commander of the Ca?amo vessel, he stood at the helm until the very end, inspiring those around him with his strength and determination in the face of adversity. His remains were put to rest in his beloved city of Barcelona to the music of his also beloved Frank Zappa and the adulations of the many present. He is survived by his two wifes, Sara and Mari Carmen, his daughter Lidia, two grandchildren, and many loving friends.

Here’s a piece I found on Marc Emery on U.S TV – it includes an interview with his wife Jodie Emery and is well worth a watch!

The Obama administration announced today that it will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday 19th October. A 3-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent Monday to federal prosecutors in the 14 states which allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes, and also to top officials at the FBI and the DEA.

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.

Historically, hemp has proven to be a versatile and durable substance and therein lies the contradiction. For nearly a century now, Hemp has been overlooked and under-appreciated as a viable alternative to cotton, possibly as a result of its connotative association with marijuana. To clarify, hemp has no psychoactive properties.

United States Patent US6113940:
Cannabinoid patch and method for cannabis transdermal delivery.

We  found this patent application in the U.S for a cannabis patch similar to the nicotine patch which has been commercially available for years. Several companies (and even the U.S government – see our previous article “U.S Government Patents Cannabis“) have recently started to take notice of the medicinal properties of cannabis and have started a rush to patent any possible application of this wonderful natural herb. Part of this trend could be linked to the legalization movement which has successfully highlighted several medical advantages to cannabis over traditional pharmaceuticals, particularly the lack of significant negative side-effects when treating serious illness.

We are happy to see that more and more people are realizing that smoking weed is not just for the typical Hollywood stereotype “lazy stoner” or the terminally ill cancer patient. Normal career minded people smoke cannabis too. Most people that smoke weed do it to relax after a day of hard work. Have a look at the video below that is part of NBC’s “today’s women” – It’s really worth watching to the end, for once the “experts” seem to be talking sense on prime-time US television!

News has reached us that the world-renowned author, activist and marijuana anti-prohibitionist Jack Herer suffered a heart attack this weekend.  Emergency crews were called in as he collapsed in his chair after delivering a fiery speech at the Portland Hempstalk Event at Kelly Point Park. After spending a lengthy amount of time stabilizing Jack at the scene, he was transported to the Emanuel Trauma Center in Portland in critical condition with his son at his side. Soon after that, his family were told that he was the victim of a heart attack, a result of arterial blockage.

Just over a year ago we brought you a spectacular video of ENCOD?s Frederick Polak, trying in vain to get a very relevant question answered by UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa.

Here’s the follow-up;  Costa reportedly went to Amsterdam to see for himself, yet still manages to avoid the question and tell blatant lies: