CANNABIS: LEGALIZATION VS DECRIMINALIZATION

Cannabis: Legalization vs Decriminalization

Legalization of cannabis gained more than the recent approval of two American states (Washington & Colorado). It's supporters now have a poll result, conducted by that granddaddy of polling Gallup, that says 58 percent of Americans favor legalizing cannabis. No question was reported about public usage, age requirements, driving under the influence or taxation and control by government.

There is more than just a semantic difference between the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of marijuana. The difference is that one is a mare’s nest of logistical and pragmatic questions and the other is a benign way of ending draconian laws that account for the incarceration of hundreds of thousands of American citizens over the last fifty years, billions of dollars spent by government on a flawed War on Drugs, ruined lives and careers, and sales by an industry that is grassroots at best, violent and criminal at worst.

Legalization appears to be the best remedy: not only does it remove criminal penalties but it’s yet another source of taxation and control by local, state, and someday, the federal government (which, with the “Marihuana Act,” is where this whole fiasco started eighty years ago) so how could that go wrong? The common notion put forth by the legalization proponents is a trade off of sorts: leave us alone to smoke our pot and you can tax and regulate the hell out of us. Even some Republican legislators beginning to warm to this notion. What government wouldn't want another source of revenue, another tax on a substance, or another commodity to control?

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/25/theres-a-big-difference-between-legalization-and-decriminalization/#ixzz2rRDAFKho

Decriminalization, which is what I am in favor of, does none of that, it simply removes criminal and monetary penalties for possessing any amount of marijuana, including the “manufacture,” transportation, or storage of the substance. It does not address in any way the actual usage of marijuana, the sale of it, taxation, quality, driving under the influence, age restrictions, etc. because these are better left up to local, county and state governments to determine, certainly not the federal government which is the seminal reason cannabis became illegal and has stayed illegal throughout the United States in the first place.

Most recreational cannabis proponents are just that: they like if not worship cannabis, promote its responsible use, want unhindered access to it, and have a multitude of studies that say it is a benign substance. The upstart Marijuana Policy Project, once funded by Progressive Insurance executive Peter Lewis, is less a proponent of its use as much as a reformer of marijuana laws. They have thrown millions of dollars at efforts to get the legalization issue on state ballot questions and referenda, with some success and some failure.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/25/theres-a-big-difference-between-legalization-and-
decriminalization/#ixzz2rRDHOc1q




This blog is dedicated to Lois Carter, my HSL. LOVE YOU!!

Mamaepps Hemp...WHY USE HEMP OIL SOAPS??

A PROUD HEMP OIL USERS STORY: 

 A bit of back story on my skin condition, I have very oily, very fair skin that breaks out easily with large pores. Although I do get some small blemishes and the dreaded TOTM cysts my main problem is the ever populating blackhead colonies that live ALL over my face, most dense on my T-zone. These are the main issue b/c I tend to obsessively pick at them...daily I must admit. Believe me I know how terrible this is, I can see the damage it has done, mainly on my cheeks and chin...perma-redness and sometimes I'm unable to fully extract them and they turn into a full blown blemish that, surprise-surprise I pick at too, that leaves me a lovely post acne scar that takes months to fade. Its a ugly chain of events. On my decolletage I had a very bad sunburn when I was about 23, despite wearing SS and covering it with a scarf anytime I was out in the sun it was constantly red and blotchy...and had its own colony of blackheads and blemishes. Quite defeating to my self-esteem. 

I have tried everything under the sun to clear my skin, from ProActiv to KH, every scrub and acne treatment. While some did work for a while on one issue, nothing addressed all my problems for any real length of time, most made them worse with long term use. The best I have found is Ayurvedic skin care but I still needed to address my sticky sebum issue. 

I was actually looking for a Omega dietary supplement to try and help heal my various eczema patches and other dry/itchy skin issues when I stumbled upon Hemp oil by accident. I was researching how sebum flow effects blocked pores and what I could use to keep them clear and flowing (other than scrubs and acids) when I decided to take a break and skim through some EDS threads, I have been loosely following the 302 thread b/c I think the idea of a non-acid approach is very interesting when I came across a post by Boski that gave me an idea. She posted this quote from Skintactix " When linoleic acid is not available in the skin, the sebaceous glands produce sebum with oleic acid and this form of sebum is irritating to the skin. It promotes blockage that causes blackheads, whiteheads and acne. Some scientists have suggested that sebum produced with oleic acid is drier, firmer and therefore it promotes blockage within the follicles, such as blackheads and whiteheads. " 

So I thought that if I could find and oil with the correct balance of EFA's and incorporate it into my diet and use it topically that, although I would still be oily, possibly I could cause my sebum to be less sticky and irritating thus resulting in less acne and blackheads. Cue Hemp oil music. From what I have read Hemp oil contains a perfect ratio of EFA's, has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties and has superior healing benefits and is very high in the super food chlorophyll. It also supposedly had sun block effects while allowing absorption of Vit D, still doing research on this. I do not claim to be a scientist so I will post some links at the bottom of my review to provide more accurate clear info. *I am also taking this internally, its too soon to comment on that as I need at least 8-12 weeks to see improvement but I will update when I reach that mark with any comments/signs of improvement. If you decide to take it internally be sure to take the appropriate dosage for you body weight as this oil can really get things moving if you know what I mean, while not a negative effect I think that at too high a dosage the effect might become unpleasant. 


I have tried nearly every oil from Emu to Jojoba to sweet almond to EV coconut, while they might have helped a bit they never fully sank in and left my already oily skin even oilier. Living in the humid South these were not a good option for my face. The first time I applied Hemp oil to my face it looked just the same as when I used any other oil...shiny. Then about 3 mins later I went to go put my makeup on and when I looked in the mirror, to my great surprise, my face was totally hydrated and matte. WTH?!? I had not applied anything else. I brushed it off as a fluke and proceeded with my MU (which applied like a friggin dream btw!). However, all night at work people kept commenting on how nice I looked and when I got home and looked in the mirror I still looked fab. I chalked it up to a "good skin day" and washed my face, did my shameful nightly blackhead removal, applied more hemp oil and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning I reached up to rub my face and was again surprised to find that my face felt hydrated (not its usual greasy mess) and soft. When I went to go look in the mirror I was again shocked at how great my skin looked. I don't think my skin has ever been properly moisturized since I hit puberty and it went haywire, and honestly, I had even forgotten what fully hydrated normal skin looked like on my face. Any creepiness was gone and I some how looked airbrushed and best of all my recurring blackheads had not "filled" back up. Now I'm thinking I'm on to something. I have stripped my routine down to let the hemp oil really work, currently I'm using a super mild cleanser or OCM to remove MU at night, then toning with Thayers rose petal witch hazel followed by Hemp oil. In the AM I'm using raw honey as a wash, tone then Hemp oil. Once a week I use a mild scrub, maybe a fruit acid mask and usually a clay based cleansing mask. Results are awe inspiring. 

Now let me be clear, I'm not saying that this miraculously overnight freed me of any and all skin issue but it has from the first application fully moisturized without being greasy and majorly soothed any active flair ups (in fact they seem to be "drying up" and disappearing with no acne spot medication) and any blackheads that I extracted have not formed in the same pore. The skin around my eyes looks particularly fabulous, plump, smooth and firm. And for a smoker like myself that's pretty awesome! (I know, I know, no lectures please!) The redness on my chest is subsiding and really is nearly gone. Any area I apply the oil becomes velvety soft and glows like crazy, I feel like I finally understand what people mean when they say something makes them glowy. Even my EX H kept commenting on how great my skin looked, and that man does not freely pass out compliments to anyone but himself, so I know its not just me. 

Benefits for me: 

-Reduction in blocked pores/blackheads. 
-Active acne soothed and seems to be fading away. 
-Almost immediate redness/inflammation reduction (thinking this would be great for rosacea suffers). 
-Moist, plump, glowy, hydrated skin. 
-No oily residue after applying, it sinks in like a dream. 
-Its affordable. 
-Beautiful airbrushed finish under makeup or alone. 

Cons: 

-Is a green oil, due to the chlorophyll I assume, so if you don't wait for it to fully soak in it will lightly stain lighter colored clothes. 
-Has a grassy scent(no pun intended!), light and non-offensive but it there. 
-Needs to be refrigerated, not sure how I would travel with it. 


http://mamaeppshemp.com/

http://stores.ebay.com/Mamaepps-Hemp

Links to more info: 
Benefits of hemp 
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/plandahemp.htm 

Writer does a good job of explaining EFA's, etc. 
http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip091.htm 

Another good overview 
http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=64 

Vitamin D is better than ANY vaccine and increases the immune system

PLEASE SHARE THIS EASY ADDITION TO YOUR LIFE.


5000 IU a day for adults. Babies gets 1.0 ML


Allow our bodies to work for themselves.


ONE LOVE

Becoming SuperMommy: Marijuana and Motherhood

Becoming SuperMommy: Marijuana and Motherhood: Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science, and Sociology (Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics) I recently finished reading what was, to the best ...

2014...the year of LEGAL recreational cannabis

Legal Recreational Cannabis Industry Opens in Colorado

Crowds were serenaded by live music as they waited for the nation's first legal recreational pot shops to open. They ate doughnuts and funnel cakes as glass-blower made smoking pipes. Some tourists even rode around in limos eager to try weed.

And when the sales began, those who bought the "drug" emerged from the stores, receipts held high and carrying sealed shopping bags, to cheers.

"I'm going to frame the receipt when I go home, to remind myself of what might be possible: Legal everywhere," said musician James Aaron Ramsey, 28, who did some time in jail for pot possession in Missouri and played folk tunes with his guitar for those in line.

Activists hope he's right, and that the experiment in Colorado will prove to be a better alternative to the costly American-led drug war, produce the kind of revenue that state officials hope and save the government costs in locking up drug offenders. You would think that once other states see the numbers in black and white they won't be able to argue anymore.

On the first day, prices in some places rose to more than $500 an ounce, and some shops announced mid afternoon they would close early because of short supply. It's too soon to say whether the price spikes and long lines will persist.

Washington state will open its pot industry later this year. Both states' programs will be watched closely not just by officials in other states but by activists and governments in other countries because the industries will be the first to regulate the production and sale of cannabis.

Some countries have decriminalized, and the Netherlands lets people buy and sell it but it's illegal to grow or process it.

Uruguay is the only country to completely legalize...as of now : )

Just as shops opened Wednesday, the Denver Police Department tweeted, "Do you know the law?" and linked to city websites on state and local laws that include bans on public consumption, driving under the influence, taking marijuana out of state and giving pot to anyone under 21.

Denver police said one person was issued a summons for public consumption. The Colorado State Patrol reported no pot-related incidents. No pot-related incidents were reported at Denver International Airport, where signs warned travelers that they can't take it home.

At least 24 cannabis shops in eight towns opened. In Denver, pot users welcomed the new year and the new industry by firing up bongs and cheering in a cloud of marijuana smoke at a 1920s-themed "Prohibition Is Over" party — a reference to the 1930s-era law that outlawed marijuana.

Shopper Jacob Elliott said he wrote reports in college about the need to end pot prohibition but never thought it could happen in his lifetime.

"This breaks that barrier," said Elliott, who traveled to Colorado from Leesburg, Va., to be among the first to buy legal weed.

Preparation for the retail market started more than a year ago, soon after Colorado and Washington voters in 2012 approved legal pot industries. Uruguay passed a law in December to become the first nation to regulate pot, but regulatory system isn't in place yet.

Pot advocates, who had long pushed legalization as an alternative to the drug war, had argued it would generate revenue for state coffers — and in Colorado's case to support education — and save money by not locking up low-level drug offenders and non violent criminals.

"I feel good about it. The money's going to schools," said shopper Joseph Torres of Denver.

http://abcnews.go.com