One might think that the legalization of marijuana allows smokers (whether in a medical or recreational setting) to be safe and harmless. Well no, reports Wired site. Because even when the grass is legal, nobody knows if it has been sprayed with pesticides. Annoying when joints are smoked by sick people for therapeutic purposes ...

Indeed, cultivating cannabis plants is not the most obvious. It is appropriate for it to get rid of pests. Farmers are turning to pesticides. And that's where the trouble begins. First, be aware that in the US the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot report what pesticides are authorized or which ones are allowed for the cultivation of marijuana. Because growing marijuana is not legal at the federal level but only in a few states.

I occasionally enjoy smoking weed. I was also raised in a pretty buttoned up Catholic home, though I'm not really sure where my "faith" is these days. I do, however, enjoy learning about new "organized" religions. So when I learned that there was a new church in Indiana that used marijuana as a "sacrament," I was more than a little curious. And I had a million questions. 

Why does this church exist? Is it because people have exhausted their unheard prayers on the more traditional religions? Is it because the Bible belt of Indiana has asphyxiated the level-headed lungs of Indiana, and this is a cry for help? Or is it a clever protest-slash-manipulation of a law poised to protect religious freedoms but contained a subtle veil of discrimination?

Conscious Cannabis Journeys™ are intentionally and skillfully guided psychedelic medicine experiences, using powerful transformational  techniques developed through our Mindful Journeywork and Mindful Guidework programs.  Intention setting and integration sessions are also recommended for the facilitator to prepare the journeyer.  The facilitator can help advise the journeyer in the creation of their own special journey blend of cannabis strains, and afterwards help integrate the powerful shifts in physical, mental and psycho-spiritual wellbeing.  

A recent marijuana study has presented some alarming results but not in the way you might think. This study actually shows that teens and adolescents who use marijuana earlier in life do not necessarily have a higher risk for things like depression or psychosis or asthma, as earlier studies have shown.

“What we found was a little surprising,” explains lead study author Jordan Bechtold. “There were no differences in any of the mental or physical health outcomes that we measured, regardless of the amount or frequency of marijuana used during adolescence.”

In Germany the possession of cannabis is illegal. Even small amounts are prosecuted, but charges are usually dropped.

The definition of this "small amount" varies depending on the federal state. Most states do not prosecute up to 6 grams. The state of Berlin, being the most liberal, allows 15 grams.

Berlin is one of the cannabis hotspots in the world. Germany's number one open illegal market to buy cannabis in public is Gorlitzer Park, affectionately known as “Gorli” by the locals.

However the use and consumption of Cannabis is not forbidden in Berlin, it’s actually one of the most liberal cities in the world regarding cannabis.

William Shakespeare sought inspiration by smoking weed in the sort of pipe commonly referred to as a "bong", a South African scientist has claimed.

In a paper published in the South African Journal of Science last month, Francis Thackeray suggested the playwright used cannabis as a "stimulant which had mind-stimulating properties".

Thackeray, who currently holds the Phillip Tobias Chair in Palaeoanthropoloy at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at University of the Witwatersrand, analysed the "plant residues" found in the tobacco pipes used in Stratford Upon Avon during the 17th Century - some of which were reportedly found in the Bard's garden.

In Berlin on Saturday, marchers will come out in force in support of cannabis. Politicians, too, have called for weed's legalization. Many Germans consider prohibition policies to have failed, Matthias von Hein reports.

A spokesman for the ‘Feed the Birds’ organisation, which aims to spread awareness of the medicinal and practical uses of the plant, said 40kg of hemp and cannabis seeds had been scattered ‘on every roundabout, slip road and entrance into the town’.

“We have tried to create a green cannabis wall around the town,” he said.

On Wednesday, police swiftly removed around 25 hemp plants on a patch of private land next to the A143 Great Barton roundabout near Moreton Hall after being alerted by the Bury Free Press.

A spokesman from Feed the Birds said: “The main aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the medicinal uses for cannabis but also to help people understand the other qualities of the plant, its useages for food, building and fuel.

(CBS SF) — An increasing number of marijuana operations is making California’s drought worse, according to a new study.

A research team in the August issue of the journal BioScience estimates 60-70 percent of the marijuana consumed in the United States comes from California — with the majority centered in sensitive watersheds with high biodiversity.

The team said aside from the negative environmental impacts such as land clearing and the pollution from pesticides, large-scale marijuana cultivation is diverting precious surface water away from streams and wetlands.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- Law enforcement officials in northern Idaho are worried local vape shops may be violating the state's strict anti-marijuana laws by selling oil derived from cannabis plants.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the oil is a non-psychotropic extract, meaning users are unable to get high using the product.

However, Post Falls Police Chief Scott Haug says the oil is illegal under Idaho law because it comes from a marijuana plant.

Haug added that local and federal law enforcement agencies tend to focus on large-scale drug busts rather than address possible cannabis oil use.

Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter vetoed legislation earlier this year that would have decriminalized cannabis extract oil while not loosening Idaho's marijuana laws.