On April 15th the District of Columbia will move ahead with their medical cannabis system by publishing regulations in the DC Register.  But the nation’s capital is following a similar path as New Jersey: Both are attempting to provide just a handful of centralized cultivation and dispensing centers without any provisions for patients to cultivate at home. DC and NJ have also delayed the implementation of their medical marijuana laws for over a year, the extra time has seen what should be simple regulations have evolve into complex even draconian rules.

The DCist reported today:

The medical marijuana program sketched out by District officials will be more restrictive than similar programs in other states. Only five dispensaries and 10 cultivation centers will be allowed, and each will pay significant fees for licenses and registration. Only patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis will qualify, and will be limited to two ounces a month. Home cultivation will not be permitted, which has rankled advocates and raised a tough question — where exactly will cultivation centers get seeds to grow the marijuana they will then provide to dispensaries? No clear answers have yet emerged, but at a February townhall on the program, one advocate hinted that plants seized by the Metropolitan Police Department may well be a source. (There’s still the unsettled issue of how the feds will respond to the program; a recent raid in Montana and an IRS investigation into the taxes of the country’s largest dispensary in California have some local advocates worried. read more

Still, Washington DC is planning for five dispensaries in a city of approximately 600,000 residents. New Jersey is putting in just six Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) sites to serve a state with nearly 10 million people.

Applications to run the DC dispensaries are set for publication on April 17th, unless there is a federal government shutdown. The District of Columbia relies on federal funding for its municipal operations.

Read more Canna-Business news at Freedomisgreen.com

No Permit for Low Cost Marijuana Supplier in NJ

Ronda Rousey speaks out (actually shouts out, if you listen to the interview below) on medical marijuana after fellow fighter Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana. Due to his attention deficit disorder, Diaz has a medical marijuana card in California, but unfortunately, it doesn’t supersede commission policy.

Rousey fights back by saying that Diaz’s privacy is being invaded and the repercussions are severe and unfair.

“They have just as much of right to say that ‘you know what? We don’t believe that athletes should be promiscuous so we’re going to start testing for genital herpes and genital warts,’” said Rousey. “‘We’re going to start testing women for birth control because we don’t think you be having premarital sex. They don’t have a right to do it. It has nothing to do with sports.”

Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Keith Kizer disagrees.

“The drug is banned because of the damage it does to the person taking it. It could make you lethargic, slow your reflexes, and those are dangerous things in a combat sport,” Kizer told the L.A. Times in 2009.

Call me crazy but I get the distinct impression that this man’s reflexes are just fine:

Ronda Rousey’s Interview:

Source: Yahoo!Sports

 

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished artist with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can be found surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Okay, so like Miley had a birthday party last week and Kelly Osbourne (a BFF) gives her a cake with a picture of Bob Marley on it, whose like some dead Jamaican rapper or something. Which was really funny and sooo Kelly. So then like, Miley makes a joke to her friends:

“You know you’re a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake.”

And like now, everyone thinks she’s a stoner! What? Come on – that’s just SO silly.

Here’s why:

A. She worked for Disney. D-I-S-N-E-Y. They’re all about family values and friendly mouses and stuff. Next thing you’ll be telling me, Tinkerbell is a crackhead. (Which she can’t be, because they don’t make pipes that small…hello!)

B. She’s a tween role model. SO many young girls look up to her. (Not like Jamie Lynn Spears who is totally slutty with a capital S.) Do you really think Miley would ruin her image by being a stoner? Celebrities have to be smart and do the right thing or helllllooo, they’d be out of a job, people!

C. Miley smokes salvia, which is much classier than pot. It even sounds classier.

D. Miley is like an uber-brainiac and only dopes smoke weed.

Let Miley tell you in her own words:

“I almost feel like people think of me as dumb…I’m like, I’m smarter than you think. You know, I understand what you’re trying to do. It’s all a mind game and what not.”

See? What did I tell you? Right from the horse’s mouth! Hardly the words of a stoner.

Well, Kelly Osbourne (BFF) sure came to her defense on Twitter:

“U guys if @MileyCyrus is not recording/filming/touring she is works everyday how could she possible do all that if she was a stoner! #think.’ (sic).”

Hello, right? OMG, I couldn’t have said it better myself, typos and all.

So y’all, give Miley a break. Cuz like she’d SO give you a break if you said something stupid.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Other blogs:

on Opensalon.com

Hot Buttered Media

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Other blogs:

on Opensalon.com

Hot Buttered Media

After making the final four in the Miss USA competition, Alyssa Campanella answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn’t think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies. No, wait…that’s not exactly what she said.

Let’s look at her actual answer:

“Well, I understand why that question would be asked, especially with today’s economy, but I also understand that medical marijuana is very important to help those who need it medically,” she said. “I’m not sure if it should be legalized, if it would really affect, with the drug war. I mean, it’s abused today, unfortunately, so that’s the only reason why I would kind of be a little bit against it, but medically it’s OK.”

I knew this competition was about beauty and brains. I don’t care what those feminists say. That answer was the best mushy non-answer ever! I hope she runs for office soon. Maybe then she’ll find out that medical marijuana has actually been legal in California for quite some time. But I’m glad she’s okay with it.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar. Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

As part of an ongoing series, we’ll explore the great big world of herbs in general.

As you know, marijuana has numerous medicinal properties. And many of you are probably already hip to the other herbs out there that possess their own special healing and protective properties.

What you may not know is that herbs possess a more concentrated amount of antioxidants than you’ll get from fruits and vegetables alone. Not only that, but herbs often possess a wider array of antioxidants. So by integrating herbs into your diet, you are protecting your body from free radical damage in a substantial way.

So if  marijuana is part of a holistic lifestyle choice, then that lifestyle should include any ways we can return to nature as a method to heal and protect ourselves.

Last month, we explored the myriad of benefits of thyme.

This week, the spotlight is on rosemary.

 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region and a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. The name is derived from the Latin name rosmarinus, meaning “dew of the sea,” based on the fact that in many locations it needs no other water than the humidity carried by the sea to live.

Health Properties:

• A study published in the August 23, 2010, issue of Phytotherapy Research confirmed that rosemary does increase circulation by dilating arteries and noted that rosemary has antioxidant properties that reduced atherosclerosis risk in young healthy adults by improving serum activity.

• According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, rosemary has been shown to have antioxidant properties that can prevent free radicals from damaging cell membranes and altering DNA, which can result in cell death.

• Rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving concentration.

• Rosemary contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks.

• This herb is exceptionally rich in many B-complex group of vitamin, such as folic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin.

• The herb extractions of rosemary when applied over scalp have stimulating function on the hair-bulbs and help preventing premature baldness. It forms an effectual remedy for the prevention of scurf and dandruff. [I have no clue what scurf is but the name conjures up enough.]

• Rosemary tea is a good remedy for removing nervous headache, colds and depression. [I’m drinking this stuff now and high as a kite. It’s potent.]

• Recent research is now revealing even more benefits attached to this rosemary, including its ability to help prevent cancer and age-related skin damage, boost the functioning of the liver and act as a mild diuretic to help reduce swelling.

• Many people gargle rosemary tea to help heal mouth ulcers, sores and as a mouth wash.

Cooking with Rosemary:

Whenever possible, choose fresh rosemary over the dried form of the herb since it is far superior in flavor.

Fresh rosemary herb should be stored in the refrigerator inside plastic bags. Dried rosemary should be kept in an air tight container and placed in a cool, dark and dry place where it will keep fresh for several months.

Finely chopped fresh rosemary is used in the preparation of delicious sauteed rosemary potatoes.

Rosemary complements fatty, strong-tasting meats such as lamb, pork, duck, and game. Add to casseroles, tomato sauces, baked fish, apples, summer wine cups, cordials, vinegars and oils.

Rosemary matches well with garlic and red wine. The spicy, pungent tough leaves of late season rosemary are strongly aromatic and peppery and will add to the roasting or grilling of meat. Use rosemary sprigs to flavor grilling charcoals or use sprigs to brush olive oil on meat and poultry before roasting.

Rosemary flowers are sweetly perfumed and delicious on salads, rice, pasta, or fruit salads.

Use the branch of rosemary to skewer meat and poultry before grilling. It infuses the food with the taste.

When burned, rosemary branches give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning wood, which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing.

Random Facts and Tips about Rosemary:

• In ancient Greece, the smell of rosemary was thought to enhance one’s memory. Students used to wear a sprig of rosemary behind their ear when studying and then later when taking their exams.

• In Ancient Greece, people burned rosemary branches on the altars of the gods, considering it a sacred herb. The plant was also sacred for the Romans (who gave it its name) and Egyptians (the evidence to that was finding traces of rosemary in the pharaohs’ tombs.)

• The custom of burning rosemary branches has become a practice in hospitals in France – where it has been maintained until the 20th century – and used for cleaning the air.

• The goddess Aphrodite is associated with rosemary, as is the Virgin Mary, who was supposed to have spread her cloak over a white-blossomed rosemary bush when she was resting; according to legend, the flowers turned blue, the color most associated with Mary.

• It was said to be draped around Aphrodite when she rose from the sea, and was originally born of Ouranos’s semen. [Oh, mythology, you’re so weird.]

• Rosemary tea is a popular flavor drink in Mediterranean region.

• Rosemary can be used in place of rice at weddings. It’s the herb of remembrance (good for remembering vows) and smells lovely when people walk on it.

• Throw some rosemary in the fireplace on the outer edges of the burning wood and your space comes alive with a delightful, pine-scented aroma.

Recipes:

Tattooed Potatoes with Rosemary

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
6 small fresh rosemary sprigs
3 russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the olive oil into a medium-sized glass baking dish and add the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Press a rosemary sprig or parsley leaf on the cut side of each potato half and place cut side down in the oil.

Note: A glass dish works well in this case because you can check for doneness by carefully holding the dish overhead and looking to see if the potatoes are browned. When you do this, be careful not to spill the hot oil. A metal pan will do, too, but testing for doneness will not be as easy.

Bake until the potatoes are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, using a spatula, gently move them every now and then to keep them from sticking. When they are ready, remove them from the pan, turning them flat side up and carefully leaving the pressed herb in place. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Interactions:

If you have epilepsy, don’t take medicinal amounts of rosemary. The camphor in the herb could potentially aggravate seizures.

Pregnant women and those with high blood pressure should not take Rosemary extract. (However, the amounts that typically appear in food or cosmetics pose no risk.)

Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs (blood-thinners) — Rosemary may affect the blood’s ability to clot. It could interfere with any blood-thinning drugs you are taking, including:

• Warfarin (Coumadin)
• Clopidogrel (Plavix)
• Aspirin

ACE inhibitors — Rosemary may interfere with the action of ACE inhibitors taken for high blood pressure.

• Captpril (Capoten)
• Elaropril (Vasotec)
• Lisinopril (Zestril)
• Fosinopril (Monopril)

Diuretics (water pills) — Because rosemary can act as a diuretic, it can increase the effects of these drugs. That can raise your risk of dehydration.

• Furosemide (Lasix)
• Hydrocholorothiazide

Lithium — Because of its diuretic effects, rosemary might cause the body to lose too much water and the amount of lithium in the body to build up to toxic levels.

Diabetes — Rosemary may alter blood sugar levels and could interfere with any drugs taken to control diabetes.

Sources:

LiveandFeel.com

WHFoods

The Healthier Life

Bright Hub

What’s Cooking America

Livestrong

Harvest to Table

Urban Times

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

If that dull Hallmark card with the trite and dusty expressions of motherly love is just not cutting it this year (did it ever?), consider sending this e-card, created by The Women’s Marijuana Movement.

As part of an ongoing monthly series, we’ll explore the great big world of herbs in general.

As you know, marijuana has numerous medicinal properties. And many of you are probably already hip to the other herbs out there that possess their own special healing and protective properties.

What you may not know is that herbs possess a more concentrated amount of antioxidants than you’ll get from fruits and vegetables alone. Not only that, but herbs often possess a wider array of antioxidants. So by integrating herbs into your diet, you are protecting your body from free radical damage in a substantial way.

The way I see it: if marijuana is part of a holistic lifestyle choice, then that lifestyle should include any ways we can return to nature as a method to heal and protect ourselves.

 

This week, the spotlight is on thyme.

Thymus vulgaris grows as a small, woody shrub with petite and flavorful gray-green leaves. There are up to 400 subspecies of thyme; common thyme and Spanish thyme are often used interchangeably for medicinal purposes. Thymol is the primary volatile oil constituent of thyme. It’s powerful health-supporting effects continue to unfold, after centuries of use.

 

Health Properties:

• A study at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Milan in Italy has concluded that thymol has the ability to interfere with the formation of candida, a yeast that lives in your gut. (Candida can result in a serious condition called candidiasis, which causes a range of symptoms including chronic fatigue, thrush, abdominal bloating, depression and irritable bowel syndrome. Candida has reached epidemic proportions because of the large amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates we typically consume.)

• In studies on aging in rats, thymol has been found to protect and significantly increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell structures. In particular, the amount of DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after supplementation with thyme.

• Thyme contains a variety of flavonoids (antioxidants found naturally in plants), increasing thyme’s antioxidant capacity. Combined with its status as a substantial source of manganese, thyme places very high on the list of antioxidant foods.

• The volatile oil components of thyme have also been shown to have antimicrobial activity against a host of different bacteria and fungi. Staphalococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei are a few of the species against which thyme has been shown to have antibacterial activity.

• Thyme possesses expectorant and bronchial antispasmodic properties, making it useful in the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.

• A preliminary in-vitro study has determined the effectiveness of thymol, and other oil extracts in treating onychomycosis, the fungal infection of toe and fingernails.

• The vapors of essential oil of thyme and thymol have exhibited suppressive activity on molds from damp buildings and can be used for disinfection of moldy walls.

• Carvacrol, p-cymene, linalool, alpha-terpinene, and thymol are all ingredients derived from the essential oil of thyme and have been studied for their mosquito repellent properties (equal to, or more so, than commercial repellents).

Cooking with Thyme:

Restaurant critic Jeff Cox, a gardening and cooking guru, says if you have only one pot to use for an herb planting, plant thyme. And it’s one of the easier herbs to grow. (Trust me, I just look at plants and they wilt and die.)

Thyme, either dried or fresh, should be added near the end of the cooking process since heat can easily cause a loss of its delicate flavor.

Thyme can enhance the taste of:

• Pasta sauce
• Egg dishes
• Bean dishes
• Poached fish (place sprigs of thyme in the liquid)
• Soups and stocks
• Butters and mayonnaise

Random Facts about Thyme:

The Ancient Egyptians used thymol and carvacrol because of their ability to preserve mummies. Thymol and carvacrol are now known to kill bacteria and fungi, making thyme well suited for such purposes. (So if mummification is in your future, don’t forget thymol. Your mummy will remain fresh and clean.)

Thymol and carvacrol are extensively used in book binding because of its ability to kill spores in the books which needed to be rebound after damage from mold.

The English word “thyme” comes from the Latin thymus, derived from the Greek thymon, “courage.” It also means “to fumigate or cleanse”, possibly because of its use as an incense throughout time.

A soup recipe of 1663 recorded the use of thyme and beer to overcome shyness.

Scottish highlanders drank tea made of wild thyme for strength and courage and also to prevent nightmares.

Thymol, one of the active ingredients in thyme leaves, is still used in cough preparations.

Thyme tea can be used as a digestive tonic, for hangovers, and as an acne wash. (Good for partying teens with sensitive stomachs.)

Thymol was used as a powerful antiseptic chemical in World War I to disinfect battlefield wounds.

Thymol is one of the ingredients in the antibacterial Listerine mouthwash.

Thyme may have the ability to attract fairies. (Now that’s a real added bonus, in my opinion.)

Just as sage is often used, thyme can been burned to cleanse the air and ward off evil spirits.

Interactions:

Do not use thyme essential oil internally. For instructions on how to use thyme for medical conditions, read here.

Theoretically, thyme may decrease levels of thyroid hormone. Patients taking thyroid replacement therapy or anti-thyroid agents should use cautiously. Monitoring may be necessary.

Although not well studied in humans, thyme may interact with agents with estrogen or progesterone receptor activity. Examples of agents that may be affected include hormone replacement therapies and birth control pills.

Topical (applied on the skin) thymol may increase the absorption of 5-fluorouracil. Caution is advised in chemotherapy patients, as 5-fluorouracil is often used in cancer chemotherapy. Consult with a qualified healthcare professional, including a pharmacist, to check for interactions.

Although not well studied in humans, thyme may interact with herbs with estrogen or progesterone receptor activity. Caution is advised when combining thyme with other herbs and supplements with proposed hormonal effects, such as black cohosh.

Sources:

Sunland Herbs

Antioxidants for Health and Longevity

Integrative Practitioner

Vegetarian Nutrition Info

Health-Herbal.com

Healthier-Life.com

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

UPDATE 6/14/2011- 11:13AM ET – Maine House accepts the “ought not to pass” report from Criminal Justice Committee – bill sent to Senate. 

6/13/2011 – World leaders and even President Obama say that there should be a “legitimate” debate about cannabis prohibition. But this week a body of elected officials may actually engage in that dialogue. The House and Senate in Maine could consider LD 1453, “An Act to Legalize and Tax Marijuana.” The last two days of the legislative session are this week. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland), says that the issue has garnered enough interest among her peers for a floor debate.

Today Russell sent an email to supporters that said, “We have all worked so hard for this to happen and now the day is upon us.”

LD 1453 had a hearing on May 10th before the Criminal Justice Committee where two caveats were added. It must wait to become law until 1) federal policy changes and 2) it is approved by Maine voters directly on the ballot. Those two criteria must be met after LD 1453 passes a floor vote in both houses (outside chance but possible) and is then signed by Governor LePage (less possible). The bill creates careful systems of regulated cultivation, cannabis sales (to adults only) and taxation models.

This week marks the 40th year since President Nixon declared a “War on Drugs” that has largely been fought against marijuana consumers.  A 1972 Presidential Commission presented a report that called for cannabis to be de-scheduled from the Controlled Substances Act and that personal possession should be decriminalized at the federal level. Nixon instead placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and began vigorous enforcement worldwide.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy held a press conference on June 2, 2011 calling for governments to explore new options to replace criminal prohibition. Regulating cannabis was a priority, especially for the former Presidents of Colombia and Brazil.

This week there will be demonstrations, press conferences and vigils commemorating the victims in the 40 years of prohibition. But the live stream from the State House in Maine may be the only chance to see politicians get into the nuts and bolts of crafting a vital solution for cannabis.

Because it is the end of the session, the debate for LD 1453 is not a sure thing. Rep. Russell is asking Maine residents to contact their legislators and support the bill’s open debate. Maine House:  (207) 287-1400 — Maine Senate: (207) 287-1540.

Grassroots link: http://www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

5/11/2011 UPDATE 4:59PM ET – A landmark hearing yesterday in Maine before the Criminal Justice Committee on a bill to tax and regulate recreational marijuana had an interesting outcome: The issue could eventually be decided by Maine residents.  If LD 1453 does pass floor votes in the legislature the bill must also pass a voter referendum to become a  law.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Diane Russell of Portland, made the referendum motion and was pleased with the hearings. She has reported a massive surge of public support for Maine’s legalization effort. The media and bloggers have also been focused on the bill, bringing in attention from around the country. For example, the hearing on LD 1453 is the top story right now at Reddit.com.

Rep. Russell said in an email to Freedomisgreen.com today, “I had no idea this would make it to the front page of Reddit literally overnight. The response has been astounding and there have been a remarkable number of interesting and good questions. Not to mention, a ton of support!”

Maine could join California and Colorado as states that are looking to end marijuana prohibition by the end of 2012 with direct participation by voters. All three would create systems of regulated cultivation, sales to adults and taxation systems.

[Editor’s Note – Original post at 4:28PM ET mis-stated that LD 1453 would go  directly to the voter referendum process.]

Maine First Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.