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  California's Pot Economy Explored in 2 TV Shows

Posted by CN Staff on November 29, 2011 at 17:21:40 PT
By David Wiegand 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 

California -- It says a lot about how complicated the national debate on marijuana has become that, even together, two new documentaries airing this week barely cover certain aspects of the topic.One of the challenges facing the producers of both "Weed Wars," a real-life series premiering Thursday on the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Channel's "Marijuana Gold Rush," a one-off airing Friday, is that the national debate has intensified in just the past two months.
On Oct. 7, the federal government's announcement of plans to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries sent the billion-dollar industry into panic mode - the collective equivalent of swallowing the roach.But even the perceived moment of clarity from the feds doesn't really help anyone sort out the issues - moral, financial, legal and medical - which have only become more complicated since California became the first state in the nation to legalize pot for medical use in 1996. Since then, 15 other states and the District of Columbia have legalized the sale of medical marijuana, but federal law still classifies the plant as an illegal substance, and the Supreme Court has sided with the feds. The lack of resolution to the debate between the federal government and the states has not only enabled the industry to grow to such an extent that it rivals illegal drug sales, it has also further complicated the debate itself. The longer it continues, the higher the financial stakes become for revenue-starved local and state governments, and the more the quasi-legal medical pot industry becomes further entrenched in the states' economies.What the two documentaries airing this week have in common is that they are largely about the financial side of the pot debate. "Weed Wars," whose producers, including Chuck Braverman, have filmed four episodes so far and may film more, focuses exclusively on Harborside Health Center in Oakland. Said to be the world's largest legal dispensary of medical marijuana, Harborside does about $21 million of business annually and is one of the many legal dispensaries in California that contribute to the $100 million in sales tax the state gets from the pot business. And that doesn't count the amount assessed by the city of Oakland, an issue that consumes Steve DeAngelo, Harborside's executive director, and his staff in the first episode of "Weed Wars."At issue in "Weed Wars" is whether the new tax imposed by Oakland has to be paid "in advance," as the city terms it, or retroactively for the previous year, which is how DeAngelo and his staff see it. When the law was passed, DeAngelo argues, the city promised the tax would not be retroactive. While his argument may have semantic logic, he learns again that you can't really fight city hall, something of which he's well aware after years of working as an advocate for legalization.While it's enlightening to see how Harborside operates and to meet the people who make it work, like Harborside co-founder David Weddingdress (he long ago decided he was more comfortable not having to deal with trousers), the focus of "Weed Wars" is sometimes frustratingly narrow. * Weed Wars: Reality series. 10 p.m. Thurs. on Discovery Channel.* National Geographic Investigates: Marijuana Gold Rush: Documentary. 9 p.m. Fri. on National Geographic Channel. Snipped  Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/gZu3t2eUSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: David WiegandPublished: Tuesday, November 29, 2011Copyright: 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/CannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #29 posted by Hope on December 05, 2011 at 18:19:27 PT
Time
Why Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deathshttp://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/why-medical-marijuana-laws-reduce-traffic-deaths/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #28 posted by Hope on December 05, 2011 at 12:06:51 PT
New York Times
Where Selling Pot Is No Longer a Backroom Dealhttp://tinyurl.com/d5clv7n
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Comment #27 posted by ekim on December 02, 2011 at 16:38:55 PT
thank you duzt for the information
 i see much is listed under cbds here.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/25/thread25978.shtmlcan only hope someone will do some studies on the ditch weed the DEA are spending our tax money eliminating all over thisCountry.Maybe someone will get some hemp seeds to the growers in CA
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Comment #26 posted by duzt on December 02, 2011 at 10:51:17 PT
cbd
We suggest high cbd strains for patients with pain or anxiety. CBD's are non-psychoactive and are generally low in THC. Hopefully CBC and CBG will be studied more soon as well. CBD is found in hemp, it doesn't work for me, but we have a lot of patients who love it.
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Comment #25 posted by afterburner on December 02, 2011 at 09:16:51 PT
Hope #19
afterburner: Good article, except for the usual Timothy Leary bashing.afterburner: Here's some info on a book written by the man in the picture, Charles Grob:Hallucinogens: A Reader by Charles S. Grob, Andrew Weil (Contribution by), Terence McKenna (Contribution by)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hallucinogens-charles-s-grob/1005045115 [posted for information only, not as a sales ad]
{OverviewIt's been forty years since Timothy Leary sat beside a swimming pool in Cuernavaca, Mexico, ingested several grams of the genus Stropharia cubensis, and experienced a dazzling display of visions that led him to herald the dawning of a New Age. And yet, from the counterculture movement of the 1960s, through the War on Drugs, to this very day, the world at large has viewed hallucinogens not as a gift but as a threat to society.In Hallucinogens, Charles Grob surveys recent writings from such important thinkers as Terence McKenna, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil, illustrating that a reevaluation of the social worth of hallucinogens-used intelligently-is greatly in order.Table of Contents	Introduction: Hallucinogens Revisited 	11 	A Conversation with Albert Hofmann 	152 	The Role of Psychoactive Plant Medicines 	233 	Psychedelic Society 	384 	Two Classic Trips: Jean-Paul Sartre and Adelle Davis 	475 	The Good Friday Experiment 	646 	Chemical and Contemplative Ecstasy: Similarities and Differences 	727 	Drugs and Jewish Spirituality: That Was Then, This Is Now 	82
}afterburner: BTW, "The Good Friday Experiment" mentioned above was also known as The Marsh Chapel Experiment. Quote from following reference: { The Marsh Chapel Experiment (a.k.a. "the Good Friday Experiment") was run by Walter N. Pahnke, a graduate student in theology at Harvard Divinity School, under the supervision of Timothy Leary and the Harvard Psilocybin Project. }Marsh Chapel Experiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_Chapel_Experiment
{
The round window above the altar at Boston University's Marsh Chapel resembles a mandala.The Marsh Chapel Experiment (a.k.a. "the Good Friday Experiment") was run by Walter N. Pahnke, a graduate student in theology at Harvard Divinity School, under the supervision of Timothy Leary and the Harvard Psilocybin Project. The goal was to see if in religiously predisposed subjects, psilocybin (the active principle in psilocybin mushrooms) would act as reliable entheogen. The experiment was conducted on Good Friday, 1962 at Boston University's Marsh Chapel. [1] Prior to the Good Friday service, graduate degree divinity student volunteers from the Boston area were randomly divided into two groups. In a double-blind experiment, half of the students received psilocybin, while a control group received a large dose of niacin. Niacin produces clear physiological changes and thus was used as a psychoactive placebo. In at least some cases, those who received the niacin initially believed they had received the psychoactive drug.[2]However, the feeling of face flushing (turning red, feeling hot and tingly) produced by niacin subsided over the first hour or so. Meanwhile, the effects of the psilocybin intensified over the first few hours. Almost all of the members of the experimental group reported experiencing profound religious experiences, providing empirical support for the notion that psychedelic drugs can facilitate religious experiences.In 2006, a more rigorously controlled version of this experiment was conducted at Johns Hopkins University by Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D., yielding very similar results.[3]
}afterburner: Tim Leary was there at the beginning of the psychedelic age and did scientific research at Harvard University before they got scared and unceremoniously fired him and other researchers. Having discovered such a profound therapeutic tool, he continued to research it outside the official university environment until the U.S. Federal Government made it illegal.
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Comment #24 posted by ekim on December 02, 2011 at 08:23:38 PT
10 million hits good going FoM 
thank you for all you and your family have given to help
educate everyone.Was interesting bit of info in last nights weed wars
when it was mentioned that cbds i hope that is the right
spelling -- were said to have more healing property.where are these cbds harvested from -- how much is in the common hemp plant that has been 
under a bounty and just about wiped out because of Gov't 
prohibition.
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #23 posted by FoM on December 01, 2011 at 20:13:06 PT

It Was Great!
I have to admit most documentaries on marijuana bore me but not this mini series. I wish it would have gone on longer. I am really impressed. I'm looking forward to the next one.
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on December 01, 2011 at 19:56:47 PT

That was good.
Interesting.Weed Wars I mean.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on December 01, 2011 at 19:39:47 PT

Hmmm...
Chuck Norris turned up in an in your face commercial.I found that kind of disturbing. Considering what a prohibitionist he is.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on December 01, 2011 at 18:32:36 PT

Weed Wars fixing to start.
I notice it's on another station on Dish, also. A health station. DFH Discovery Fit and Health .
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on December 01, 2011 at 17:14:22 PT

Turn on, tune in and get better?
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-drugs-of-abuse-20111130,0,305882,full.storyFoM. You have been a good friend to me. To all of us.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on December 01, 2011 at 08:21:35 PT

Hope
Thank you for being my friend and helping me to hang on thru hard times.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 01, 2011 at 08:20:39 PT

duzt 
I hope it goes well too. I worry but that is my nature.
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on November 30, 2011 at 22:26:00 PT

Comment 11
You have been such a diligent steward of this laudable web site and done so much for everyone that is concerned about this issue. You've kept us informed and given us a place, with a very healthy atmosphere, to talk and learn. Thank you. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #15 posted by duzt on November 30, 2011 at 19:31:01 PT:

fom
I hope it goes well, the owners are certainly eccentric. We'll find out tomorrow!
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 30, 2011 at 19:13:17 PT

duzt
I have the series set to record. I am looking forward to watching it. 
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Comment #13 posted by duzt on November 30, 2011 at 18:46:12 PT

harborside
Harborside is open and doing fine. Steve and Andrew (his brother the GM in Oakland) are on the Oreilly factor tonight at 8, weed wars is tomorrow. 
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Comment #12 posted by afterburner on November 30, 2011 at 09:59:07 PT

Somewhat OT
I heard yesterday on a mainstream news source [source unknown] that the rich are getting scared. Gee, I wonder why?Could it be that they have overstepped their boundaries and the public is getting wise and ticked off?Is it actions of our so-called leaders in government like the following?:Michael McAuliff.
Michael McAuliff mike.mcauliff huffingtonpost.com.
Jennifer Bendery.
Jennifer Bendery jen.bendery huffingtonpost.com.
Senate Votes To Let Military Detain Americans Indefinitely, White House Threatens Veto.
Photo:
Military Detention.
First Posted: 11/29/11 06:35 PM ET Updated: 11/30/11 12:05 AM ET.
Follow  Guantanamo Detainees ,  President Obama ,  Rand Paul ,  Senate ,  Terrorism ,  Video , National Defense Authorization Act , Robert Mueller , Due Process , Habeas Corpus , Indefinite Detention , James Clapper , Military Detention , Rand Paul Due Process , Us Military Detention Centers , Us-Military-Detainees , Politics News
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/senate-votes-to-let-military-detain-americans-indefinitely_n_1119473.htmlI agree with Rand Paul's statement about this atrocious bill and Obama's threat to veto and many of the commenters at Huffington Post. Please, President Obama, stand by your guns, veto and don't back down. Let the military and Defense sweat and realize that they, too, have gone too far for the American public to support. Send the bill back to square one: do not depend on some wishy-washy Congressional committee to do the right thing!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on November 30, 2011 at 08:51:40 PT

Hope
We are getting close to 10 million front page hits. It makes me tired just thinking about it!
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Comment #10 posted by ekim on November 30, 2011 at 06:39:12 PT

 74 years since last loss of billion $ industry
http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-three/
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on November 30, 2011 at 06:19:57 PT

Superplant is SAFER
US CO: Report shows fewer traffic fatalities after states pass medical-pot lawsWebpage: http://www.denverpost.com/news/marijuana/ci_19437417
Pubdate: 30 Nov. 2011
Source: Denver Post (CO)"The passage of state medical-marijuana laws is associated with a subsequent drop in the rate of traffic fatalities, according to a newly released study by two university professors....The study also found that medical- marijuana legalization is associated with a drop in beer sales."The result that comes through again and again and again is (that) young adults . . . drink less when marijuana is legalized and traffic fatalities go down," Rees said."Cont.
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Comment #8 posted by Oleg the Tumor on November 30, 2011 at 03:44:14 PT:

And the Supreme Court has sided with the Feds?
Did I miss something? Or is the fix already in?Why is the interested centered on the money! How about the point of view of the patient?
 
The caregivers? 
 
The plight of the Vets coming home from war?  
Expose the lies! 
 
How about a show detailing the history of marijuana laws right back to the beginning? 
 The living have a right to know! 
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on November 29, 2011 at 22:50:27 PT

Front page of Cannabis News.
Front page of Cannabis News.Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.This page accessed 9938005 times since Dec 1998.http://cannabisnews.com/index.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on November 29, 2011 at 22:13:38 PT

Apparently... from the articles,
Harborside is still open for business. I must be having a bad bout of chemo brain. 
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on November 29, 2011 at 21:50:55 PT

The Variety review I posted...
Finally! Someone that actually knows what a "contact high" is!A contact high isn't from inhaling second hand smoke. That's actually just getting high... from the smoke. A true "contact high" is when a person does not consume the cannabis or cannabis smoke but actually feels "high" just from being with or talking to people that are actually enjoying being "high" from actually consuming cannabis. It does happen. I've seen it and experienced it. Actually.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on November 29, 2011 at 21:40:43 PT

DiAngelo and Harborside
It looks like it wasn't the first of this series that I saw, but I saw something about them on a Discovery or National Geographic special or something about a month or two ago. 
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on November 29, 2011 at 21:37:29 PT

Weed Wars
Variety TV reviews Weed Wars
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946663'Weed Wars': Reality TV puts Oakland dispensary in spotlight
http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_19427529When I first saw Harborside and DeAngelo on TV, the first of these shows I guess it was, I was afraid they would get shut down because of the show. They did, didn't they? Just a few weeks ago? Like two or three weeks after the first show in the series was broadcast?
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 29, 2011 at 19:12:20 PT

I Wish Mr. DeAngelo The Very Best
Get Up Stand Up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuMlHdxiIZ8
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on November 29, 2011 at 18:54:55 PT

Steve DeAngelo
is a good man!He is actually the right man for the job. He is compassionate and a fighter for human rights, kudos Steve!Get up, stand up!Go Steve!
[ Post Comment ]





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