Ashland, OR — The man who opened the nation’s first “pot club” for medical marijuana users will come to town Tuesday to speak in favor of legalizing marijuana. Dennis Peron, known as the “father of medical marijuana,” supports across-the-board legalization of marijuana. In a telephone interview, he said enforcing existing laws costs the criminal justice system a fortune. Peron is scheduled to speak from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday in the Meese Auditorium in the Visual Arts Building at Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland. The free presentation is sponsored by Ashland Alternative Health, a clinic that helps people obtain medical marijuana cards. Peron championed California’s 1996 medical marijuana ballot measure — the first in the nation. His position is at one extreme in the range of opinions on marijuana’s role in society. Law enforcement officials say the present arrangement, in which some people with a medical condition can legally possess marijuana, makes enforcement of drug laws difficult. In Southern Oregon, police have arrested a number of medical marijuana card holders for exceeding the number of plants they were allowed to grow and seized hundreds of pounds of illegal pot in several widely publicized arrests. Peron said the passage of medical marijuana laws changed the image of pot from something used by “long-hair, hippie-crazy” people to a drug of middle-class people. “It helped make (marijuana use) more benevolent. We changed the tide,” said Peron. He said the thrust of his work now is ballot measures to normalize distribution, so “you can get it at Walgreens,” at affordable prices. Peron, who also is a gay-rights advocate, said he joined the effort to legalize pot when his lover was dying of AIDS and found that marijuana helped him when chemotherapy didn’t. “When he died, I decided to dedicate my life to alleviate the suffering” of users, he said. “I opened the (Cannabis Buyers Club) to serve the dying. It was in the belly of the beast. The cops and the mayor supported me.” Alex Rogers, director of the clinic that’s bringing Peron to Southern Oregon, predicted backers of Oregon’s proposed ballot measure for a state-licensed, nonprofit marijuana supply system would get enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Rogers said he opposes state control of marijuana culture because “they don’t have the ability to provide a multitude of strains” of the plant, which he said are beneficial to specific ailments. After the dispensary initiative, he said, advocates will work to end to all civil and criminal penalties for cannabis possession and use. Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author: John Darling for the Mail Tribune Published: February 08, 2010 Copyright: 2010 The Mail Tribune Contact: letters@mailtribune.com Website: http://www.mailtribune.com/ Other Posts of Interest: Prescription For Trouble: Students With Medical Pot Cards Medical Marijuana on Tap at Oregon Cafe Employers Cautious Under Medical Marijuana Law Marijuana Expert Speaks at University

‘Father of Medical Marijuana’ Speaks

Amber Ladd : Music is not just Amber Ladd’s passion. It’s her life, her soul and her purpose. Born in a small town in Ontario, Canada, Amber is a product of two starkly different cultures – beginning her experiences in absorbing the music of different people from different places. Many different places, in fact. Having moved more times than she can count and having spent plenty of time at plenty of parties enjoying plenty of styles to the fullest, it makes sense that a true expression of herself through music would be a combination of so many of them. And that it would be so unique. Her self-produced solo project tRip vividly expresses to audiences each of Amber’s true life passions: good music, living life to the fullest and, equally important in her opinion – weed. It’s an album for stoners by a stoner, but in addition, Amber is and will always remain (until no longer necessary) a proud, dedicated and outspoken fighter for the cause of legalization – an end to marijuana prohibition. Because the music has so much of her heart in it, it’s not surprising that it’s… well, so tRippy.   Along with vocals not to be forgotten, Amber uses instruments, processors, samples and turntables to put together her multi-faceted electronic musical creations. To her, they are not just tracks, they are steps on her journey exploring her passions, and steps closer to achieving her dream life – which, she would tell you, we are all meant to do.

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Unsigned Band of the Week: Amber Ladd

Part 1   My girlfriend asked me a great question today: Why would High Times pay you for writing, when you already write for them for free?   First of all, I could write a few blog posts a day for HT.com if I wanted to; I choose not to, because as they say, always leave them wanting more. As a paid writer, I would write all day, every day for High TImes to the exclusion of everything else, even my own blogs.   Second, I’m just that good. Please don’t think me arrogant; writing is about the only talent I have. I believe I would bring a lot to the High Times staff, in terms of my work ethic and ability.   Third, I’ll work for cheap. Sure, cheap isn’t as good as free, but I’ve been poor all my life. It doesn’t take much money for me to survive.   Last but not least, I’m passionate about marijuana reform, and what the movement needs more than anything is passionate people.   I’m sure there are a lot of people who try to work for HIgh Times and don’t make it, especially in this economy. But I think I’m good enough to be one of the few stoner writers on the HIgh TImes Staff. The quest continues…   See my blog at http://potheadpundit.blogspot.com

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My Life’s Quest: To Write for High Times Part 2

The WeedMaps.com Blog With great regret and chagrin to report, CBS has rejected a contract deal with NORML to place a pro-cannabis law reform advertisement on the biggest electronic billboard in Times Square (The CBS ‘Super Screen’ at 42nd St) claiming that the advertisement is too political. NORML had a contract for the 15 second spot below on the giant billboard (and a second one featuring President Obama and New York City’s high cannabis arrest rate with its shocking racial disparity in enforcement ). High Times breaks the story tonight here . This of course makes no sense to have CBS reject a non-profit organization like NORML’s pro-cannabis law reform advertisement, when, during the Super Bowl on Sunday–the most watched TV event annually in the United States–CBS is scheduled to air a controversial anti-abortion television advertisement produced by the socially conservative non-profit group Focus on the Family (who, like apparently CBS, is anti-cannabis). Last year, CBS rejected an advertisement from the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org claiming it was too political as well. The hypocrisy and double standard here is appalling. NORML and MoveOn.org ads are deemed ‘political’ and can’t be purchased and broadcast by CBS, but Focus on the Family can roll a political hand grenade in the form of an anti-abortion TV ad into American households on no less than Super Bowl Sunday for the full and desired effect of creating public discussion. Worse, beyond the fact that CBS censors political speech, the company has no apparent problems making money off the general public’s strong interest in ‘marijuana’ as the network has established Marijuana Nation , an eye-ball sucking, archive-rich, comprehensive and well done webpage relating to cannabis found on the Internet (Ironically, CBS’ site competes with NORML and High Times’ general content for readers…). There are numerous reasons why cannabis prohibition has lasted over 72-years, and when huge, mainstream media outlets (who control bill boards, radio and TV, etc…) pick and choose what organization’s free speech they support and those they don’t–recognizing that absent a vibrant and informed public discussion about needed public policy changes, like ending cannabis prohibition, those needed public policy changes take so much longer than they would organically absent the filter of mainstream, corporate-leaning mega media outlets. Personally, I can only wonder what public discourse, with now even more corporate influence, is going to look like in America post the SCOTUS decision two weeks ago in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission . By Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director Thanks for reading and remember to spread the bud! admin General california dispensaries , cannabis clubs , marijuana dispensaries , medical marijuana dispensaries

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Times Square Billboard From NORML Denied By CBS – 5282th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog Ummm…if marijuana was deemed not responsible for Mr. Lewis’ death, why the lead in the headline regarding marijuana? C-L-A-S-S-I-C media Reefer Madness! Coroner’s report: Lewis had marijuana in system Feb 04, 2010 1:21 PM INSIDE 14WFIE.com OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) – USI basketball player Jeron Lewis died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to the final report issued by the Daviess

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NORML’s Reefer Madness Du Jour: Bad Journalism 101 – 5283th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog Lawmakers around the country are debating a record number of marijuana law reform bills in 2010. NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up is your one-stop guide to pending marijuana law reform legislation around the country, along with tips for influencing the policies of your state. ** A note to first time readers: NORML can not

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NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up – 5281th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog If you’re a veteran from any era and have some time to answer questions about your experiences, your input could be a huge help. A survey from Dr. Mitch Earleywine, a member of the NORML Advisory Board, addresses cannabis, military experiences, and a whole lot more. Responses are completely anonymous and there’s a chance

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Scientific Survey: Ever Been In the Military? Ever Used Cannabis? – 5279th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog (The Raw Story via InfoWars.com) “We’re not at war with people in this country,” [US Drug Czar Gil] Kerlikowske told The Wall Street Journal in May. For every dollar of your tax money Obama puts toward treatment, two dollars are sent to guys like him. However, if the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP)

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Obama’s new Drug Czar budget tilted 2-1 for law enforcement vs. treatment – 5280th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog Ummm…if marijuana was deemed not responsible for Mr. Lewis’ death, why the lead in the headline regarding marijuana? C-L-A-S-S-I-C media Reefer Madness! Coroner’s report: Lewis had marijuana in system Feb 04, 2010 1:21 PM INSIDE 14WFIE.com OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) – USI basketball player Jeron Lewis died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to the final report issued by the Daviess

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NORML’s Reefer Madness Du Jour: Bad Journalism 101 – 5273th Edition

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] The WeedMaps.com Blog Lawmakers around the country are debating a record number of marijuana law reform bills in 2010. NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up is your one-stop guide to pending marijuana law reform legislation around the country, along with tips for influencing the policies of your state. ** A note to first time readers: NORML can not

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NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up – 5271th Edition