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This so called synthetic marijuana, known as Spice and K2, is legal in Virginia. It can be purchased online, in convenience stores and at tobacco shops. But it may not be legal for long. Some state lawmakers have proposed banning the synthetic-marijuana substances in Virginia, as they have been outlawed in 13 other states. The US Military and other forces has also banned the use of such substances and has also blocked off access to bases to specific companies which sell the substances.

Fort Lee has not yet taken that step. Soldiers stationed at the installation in Prince George County are not banned from area establishments that sell Spice, though they are still prohibited from using it. Spice is a synthetic blend of chemically treated, smokable leaves. With the addition of chemicals similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, the herbs can provide a legal high.

But that was not the intent when synthetic compounds such as K2 and Spice were developed in John W. Huffman's laboratory more than 10 years ago. K2 and other such substances have been found in some synthetic marijuana. His research is geared at understanding the interactions between cannabinoid receptors in the brain and other organs. The receptors play a role in regulating appetite, nausea, mood, pain and inflammation. They may also be involved in the development of such conditions as osteoporosis, liver disease and some kinds of cancer.

Huffman said synthetic cannabinoids can help researchers understand these interactions and may contribute to the development of new therapies. They have been discussed in scientific publications.

A judge is considering whether Walmart employee Joseph Casias was wrongfully terminated after he tested positive for pot. Casias' attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union argue he is approved for medical marijuana use to treat the pain from an inoperable brain tumor, and medical marijuana users should not have "to choose between their jobs and their medicine."

But Walmart's legal representation says Michigan's law legalizing medical marijuana was never meant to regulate business or prevent civil penalties, only to protect users from criminal prosecution.

(Source: mlive.com)

(This article was submitted by Joe Spaulding.)

When Jack Poll, the current Mayor of Wyoming, was running for election in 2009, the Grand Rapids Press editorial board gave himtheir endorsement, sighting, among other things, his opposal to the city’s notorious “crash tax.” The fees dispensed to anyone who was unfortunate enough to get in an accident within the city limits, regardless of who was at fault, were massively unpopular, nationally ridiculed, and laughingly unprofitable.

The fees were repealed within a year-and-a-half of being passed. Getting rid of them was a no-brainer, and the Press wasn’t sticking its neck out too far in supporting Poll for mayor. Unfortunately, Poll and the Wyoming city council have not learned from the mistakes of the recent past, and due to the Press’ cozy relationship with Poll, they have failed to take him to task for this.

On November 1, the GR Press published two articles discussing the state of Michigan’s recently passed medical marijuana law in terms of the City of Wyoming. The first described a Wyoming man, licensed by the state to be a medical marijuana patient and caregiver, who had his house broken into and plants and other property stolen in October. Due to the city’s ambiguous stance on the state’s law, he was reluctant to call the Wyoming Police to report the incident. Perhaps he was right to have his doubts. In an extravagant display of blaming the victim, as well as a hopelessly distorted view of public safety, Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody has stated that these types of robberies are a reason for the city to adopt a ban on medical marijuana.

The second Press article came a little later on in the evening, and was posted to mlive.com. It announced the city council’s decision to ban medical cannabis use, growing, and distribution in Wyoming city limits. The Press quoted Poll as saying “There’s a right way to do it. The state of Michigan did this the wrong way.” The article also mentions that the City Attorney stated fears that the city would be sued for being out of compliance with state law. Here is where the newspaper drops the ball. Instead of using tools available to anyone on the Internet (especially in Chile) to examine the validity of the City Attorney’s claims, the Press let his statement hang in the air as if the city’s ban has a 50/50 chance of surviving a court challenge. Within ten days, a Wyoming resident stepped up to sue the city over the obviously illegal ban.

The law, passed by the majority of Michigan voter’s (and 27 out of 28 districts in Wyoming), allows for any patient or caregiver charged with marijuana related legal violations to have those charges dismissed once his or her medical marijuana license is presented in court. Now that the city has banned medical cannabis, Poll is in a double bind – either he doesn’t encourage the arrest and prosecution of medical pot growers and patients, and the only effect the council has is discouraging otherwise law abiding citizens from assisting the already cash-strapped and over-burdened police, or the law faces challenge after challenge in court until it is innevitably overturned, costing the citizens of Wyoming thousands of dollars they do not have.

The other thing the Press failed to do was to hold Poll accountable for his evident disdain for Michigan’s initiative process (and by extension the voters and possibly the democratic process), as well as his doubts about the ability of the citizens of Wyoming (and probably all of Michigan) to determine what is best for their future. Poll talks about the medical cannabis law like it was passed by the Michigan legislature, and the Press never reminds its readers that the law is the will of the people of Michigan. Maybe the Press was afraid of looking like they were flip-flopping within a year of endorsing Poll for mayor. The end result being the will of 17,888 voters getting temporarily overturned by six city council members, and the cash-strapped,  job-starved citizens of Wyoming being left paying for court costs of trials with forgone conclusions.

(Source: griid.org)

Despite the Netherlands liberal reputation for allowing ‘coffee shops’ the small scale cannabis growers who supply them are being threatened with extinction due to increased police harassment. The result is that coffee shops in Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands are now selling lower quality, and even dangerously adulterated merchandise sourced from major criminals.

Now a large number of mayors in the Netherlands want small-scale producers to be registered so they can legally sell their product to coffee shops. At the moment coffee shops in the Netherlands are authorized to sell up to 5 grams per customer, but are expected to materialize the product from nowhere, as under Dutch law they have no legitimate source of supply. This means they are being forced to acquire their product from illegal growers, unfortunately for the coffee shops this means the weed that they are selling is of poor standards and will eventually lead to very unsatisfied customers.

The idea that the Dutch authorities have of every grower registering themselves is one of the most smartest ideas yet as this will eventually lead to eradicating illegal growers and of course stop the produce of adulterated weed which will benefit us all.

So, You have finally got your gardens set up and your plants are growing nicely and steadily but there is one small problem, your plants have gotten spider mites on them and you don’t know what to do. Instead of spraying strong pesticides on them and damaging your crop we’re going to show you a way on removing these unwanted pests and keep your crop healthy.

Spray a strong jet of water over all surfaces of the plant, including stems, foliage and undersides of the leaves. The stream will wash the insects off. This is the easiest way to control spider mites. If the water alone doesn’t do the job, spray with a soap/oil mixture. Mix 1/2 tsp. insecticidal soap, 1/4 tsp. horticultural oil, and 1 quart water in a spray bottle. For more stubborn infestations, spray with pyrethrin or neem oil. Water the plant well before spraying. Both of these products are organic but have a good track record for controlling spider mites. Numerous chemical products are also available for the control of spider mites.

If all of this fails then you may very well have to harvest your crop early, We know that this is really unwanted by many growers but if worst comes to worst than this is the only thing that you can do without damaging your crop.

Pennsylvania rapper Wiz Khalifa was arrested by North Carolina police on drug charges following a concert which he recently held. The 22 year old rapper was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a performance at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. 

According to MTV News, “police raided the rapper's tour bus while he was performing on stage and marijuana was found”. Cameron Thomaz, also known as Khalifa was charged with trafficking in marijuana, maintainin and storing marijuana and one misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. MTV News also reports that nine other people were arrested on the same charges. Khalifa was held at the Pitt County Detention Center where he awaited to post bail. Khalifa apparently posted bail at 300,000 Dollars and was released from the detention center at around 8 am.