April 20 has been an informal holiday for cannabis enthusiasts for years, but “420” seems to be going mainstream. In addition to the celebratory clouds of odoriferous smoke in cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Portland, Canada’s new government used the opportunity to announce plans for recreational cannabis legalization. Last year, now-Canadian Prime Minister Justin […]
Weed
Posted inNews
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Urge Removal of Barriers to Cannabis Research
On April 15, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and 24 other members of Congress urged President Obama to remove barriers to research on medical marijuana. This would facilitate new medical research on cannabis and its derivatives that has not been possible in the U.S. under current federal law […]
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Marijuana Policy Experimentation Goes Nationwide
America’s federal system of government allows states to function as “laboratories of democracy.” Under the U.S. Constitution, states have the authority to “try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country,” as esteemed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Bandeis so eloquently said in 1932. That is exactly what is happening […]
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Cannabis and Athletic Performance
Uncle Spliffy is the nickname of former Portland Trail Blazer and 18-year National Basketball Association-veteran Cliff Robinson. Robinson admits he was blazing while playing for the Blazers in the early 1990s, and says that smoking cannabis helped calm his nerves. Robinson also thinks team doctors should treat player pain with cannabis when indicated. In the […]
Posted inCulture
Smoke Signals 3/30-4/6
A new perspective on the war on drugs
Thanks to the War on Drugs, America now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. In the summer of 1969, President Richard M. Nixon called the use of illegal drugs like cannabis a growing menace and a serious national threat to the personal health and safety of millions of Americans. Nixon declared illegal drugs […]
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Smoke Signals: Oregon Dept. of Agriculture Issues Pot Pesticide Warning
One of the many strange consequences of America’s paradoxical cannabis laws is that there are currently no pesticides specifically labeled for use on cannabis crops. Most cannabis consumers are like most consumers of other food products in that they prefer to consume cannabis that has not been treated with pesticides. That’s because pesticides have been […]
Posted inCulture
Smoke Signals 3/16-3/23
The MFL—Marijuana Football League
American football is a brutal sport. Many players leave the NFL disabled and many die young. For professional football players, “your job automatically gives you the symptom of chronic pain,” says Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. Currently, most NFL team physicians, like most physicians nationwide, prescribe opioids for pain relief. But these drugs come […]
Posted inCulture
Smoke Signals 3/9-3/16
The Million Stoner March
Last week, Smoke Signals explained how the federal government’s classification of cannabis as a very dangerous drug with no medical value has stymied experimental scientific research into the actual benefits and/or dangers of cannabis. We also explained that President Barack Obama has the legal authority to change this classification – without legalizing cannabis – so […]
Posted inCulture
Smoke Signals 2/24-/2
Around Oregon in weed—starting at home
Last month, the City of Bend began accepting applications for local land use approval for cannabis businesses. Continuing the tradition of making things as difficult as possible for cannabis business owners, the city’s regulations required existing business owners to get in line early and beat would-be competitors to the clerk’s office or risk losing their […]
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
High Standards in Bend
A quick look into some of Central Oregon’s most popular dispensaries
Since Oct. 1, 2015, the state of Oregon has allowed medical marijuana dispensaries the option of selling marijuana to adults age 21-and-over who do not possess a state-issued medical marijuana card. This was a historical step in the acceptance of recreational use of cannabis not only for Oregonians, but also for the country as a […]