Reefer Rumble smokes out Ohio Valley

Cincinnati, OH – The second annual Cannabis Cup, renamed the Reefer Rumble after threats of legal trouble from High Times, took place on October 11th on the outskirts of the Queen City. Modeled after similar cannabis judging events like Amsterdam’s Cannabis Cup, the Reefer Rumble was a grand ball for cannabis growers and connoisseurs alike. Patrons sampled numerous varieties of the Ohio Valley’s finest strains of cannabis while enjoying an evening of everything pot.

The true value of the Reefer Rumble lay not in the copious amounts of cannabis consumed, but in the bold act of defiance that the celebration represented. In an age of unparalleled persecution of pot smokers the Reefer Rumble showed all who were in attendance that prohibition is but a passing nightmare.

California clarifies Compassionate Use Act

Sacramento, CA – On October 12th Governor Gray Davis signed S.B. 420 into law creating medical marijuana guidelines for the state of California.

Medical marijuana has been legal in California since voters enacted Proposition 215 in 1996, but until now there have been no guidelines as to what constitutes medical use.

The new law establishes a possession standard of eight ounces dried marijuana, six mature plants and twelve immature plants. Additionally, S.B. 420 establishes a voluntary statewide registry for medical cannabis users. The ID system has been created in an effort to protect legitimate medical marijuana patients from arrest.

Activists in California are split in their sentiments about S.B. 420. Ed Rosenthal, the self-proclaimed “Guru of Ganja” remarked, “I don’t believe that police, prosecutors or any part of the criminal justice system are stakeholders in making the policy decisions regarding people’s health.” Yet Jeff Jones, executive director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative, has called S.B. 420 “one of the best things that’s happened to our movement.”

Drug war Briefs: Supreme Court defends medical marijuana

Washington D.C. – On Tuesday, October 17th the Supreme Court declined to hear the Bush administration’s request to penalize doctors prescribing medical marijuana.

The Bush administration was seeking to revoke the licenses of doctors who prescribe medical marijuana in accordance with state law.

This is the latest chapter in the ongoing battle of states rights to medical marijuana. Since 1996, nine states have legalized marijuana for medical uses, but the federal government has insisted on enforcing federal marijuana prohibition despite voters’ efforts to determine their own laws regarding medicinal marijuana.

The decision by the Supreme Court is being heralded as a victory by the medical marijuana movement because doctors can continue to prescribe medical marijuana without fear of reprisal.

Lighten up liberals! Michael Moore advises

The problem with the modern American liberal is that they take things too darn seriously, says Michael Moore. The director of the Academy Award wining Best Documentary, Bowling For Columbine and author of the best-selling book, Stupid White Men was in Columbus October 30 as part of a 39 city tour to promote his new book, Dude, Where’s My Country?

Invited by the Students for Economic Labor and Justice, Committee for Justice in Palestine and the Council for Graduate Students, Moore spoke to a standing-room crowd of over 400 wildly enthusiastic students at the Ohio Union East Ballroom. Moore delayed his remarks step out to the front lawn of the Ohio Union to address a crowd of another 400 or so whom had been turned away. He told both audiences, “There’s hope that things are going to change and we’re going to remove George Bush.”

By an odd coincidence, the author of Dude, Where’s My Country was in the city at the same time as President Bush, the dude Moore says stole the country in the election of 2000. The president was in Columbus for a Republican fund-raiser.

Halliburton’s Iran connection

Halliburton Corp., the oil field services company once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, told the New York City Comptroller’s office Monday that it won’t scale back its business dealings in Iran, despite concerns from the City’s Comptroller William Thompson about “corporate ties to states sponsoring terrorist activity,” which could force the New York City Police and Fire Departments to pull its $23 million investment in the company.

The Comptroller’s office, on behalf of the New York City Police and Fire Department pension funds, in a resolution last March urged the boards of directors of Halliburton and General Electric and ConocoPhillips to set up committees to review its operations in terror-linked countries, specifically Iran. Halliburton helps build drilling rigs in Iran’s southern oil field.

  Thompson accused the firms of setting up offshore and United Kingdom subsidiaries to sidestep U.S. laws against doing business with Iran and Syria, countries that Washington says sponsor “terrorism.” Shareholder value is threatened by possible negative publicity, public protests and a loss of consumer confidence, he said.

Reflections of a virgin activist: March on Washington October 25th, 2003

Like so many Americans, I do feel frustrated, angry, and disheartened with the current government. Many friends, colleagues, and acquaintances have shared their sense of betrayal by George W. Bush. For the first time, I decided to actually act, to do something. Writing two letters a week to various politicians and companies didn’t seem like enough. I marched on Washington DC with the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition last October 25th.

Having never done this before, I was hesitant and wary. Getting on a bus of complete strangers to protest our military’s occupation of another nation, what am I doing? I could get arrested. My dad’s going to flip! My students could see me on the television. What am I going to pack? I’ll admit, it was a little thrilling. By Friday the 24th, I was telling everybody about it not to sell my beliefs or obtain a reaction, but simply out of anticipation. Reactions were intriguing.

Boycott CM foods

The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption that have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. Agribusiness is criticized for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards of GMOs, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican and the Prince of Wales have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks and economic concerns. Genetically Modified foods are finding their way in increasing numbers into the marketplace. Find out how to avoid them here:

The year democracy ended

As the year ends, 2003 will be remembered by future historians as the year the pretense of democracy in the United States ended.

Since the 1940s, conservatives have accepted the assumption of economist Joseph Schumpeter that democracy in a mass society existed of little more than the following: the adult population could vote; the votes were fairly counted; and the masses could choose between elites from one of two parties.

With the most recent revelations about the 2000 Bush coup in Florida disclosed in the shocking stolen Diebold memos, the Bush family has signaled that an authoritarian right-wing dynasty is the future course for American politics.

Playboy uncovers Rainbow Farm siege

The October 2003 issue of Playboy included the must-read article “Siege at Rainbow Farm” chronicling the events leading up to the dramatic 5-day standoff between the farm owners and the FBI that left two gay marijuana activists dead in Michigan. The Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, which publishes the Free Press, was mentioned in the article as an ally of the hemp festivals thrown at the legendary Rainbow Farm. The Free Press was one of the few newspapers that gave extensive coverage to the killings which occurred just prior to September 11, 2001. More than anything else, the article documents the vicious reactionary agenda of right-wing Republicans and their Bible-thumping buddies in northern Indiana and southern Michigan who will go to any length to keep the population from smoking pot. Now if we could just get the ATF to attack the pharmaceutical companies that addict thousands to their happy pills Prozac and Zoloft we could have a real war on drug pushers.

Pages

Subscribe to ColumbusFreePress.com RSS