News in English 2015

[ohase]

Please post nothing but news from the year mentioned in the thread topic. All posts must include the main content of the news item in writing and the cited reference, with an optional link to the news item referred to. This all is due to the limited life of external images, videos and links. Please use another thread for discussing the news.


SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEY HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW SPECIES OF CANNABIS IN THE AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAINS

Scientists at the University of Sydney believe they have found a fourth species of cannabis. The finding took place in 2010, when a group of people were hiking in the Blue Mountains of Australia and discovered a single plant that resembled cannabis. The shrub was later donated to a research laboratory at the University of Sydney where a series of tests were conducted on the plant – proving that it was indeed cannabis. “When we first received the plant we were very skeptical about its relation to cannabis. It has somewhat similar growth structure, but the leaves look nothing like cannabis leaves,” according to researcher Christopher Pool.

The test results show that the species is resistant to freezing temperatures and the plant grows more like a shrub, without the archetypal candelabra shape of most cannabis strains. Countless cannabis breeders the world over have offered to pay upwards of $2,000 per seed, but Pool stated “The only problem is that we don’t have any seeds, we only have one plant,” adding, “We’ve exhausted our funding trying to find another like it.”

It’s easy to see the appeal of a cannabis plant that is resilient in cold temperatures– making open-air cultivation accessible to people in all climates.

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope scientists uncover more of this elusive and rare specimen.

http://ireadculture.com/article-5031-scientists-believe-they-have-discovered-a-new-species-of-cannabis-in-the-australian-mountains.html

[åke pakana]

toren tot. tämse samalaise ketju kannattais laitta yhte klimppi.

mut englannikiäline ketju sais ol ain näkyvis,
kosk mist vitust mee tierettäis kosk ulkomaise kannapikse ystävä tullessas tän suame turistimatkal,
tiätäisivä mist sais mahrollist tuprutteluseura? ajankohtast tietto, eikä vuarelt 2009 taik jotta.
mää ole käyn ulkomail ja koittan saara yhteyt paikallissi, jot mist sitä tupru kannattais hakke.
ole joskus jotta vähä löytänykki ja muutaki.

[Danxter]

http://www.hightimes.com/read/new-species-cannabis-discovered



New Species of Cannabis Discovered

BY SIRIUS J · TUE JAN 20, 2015

It was thought that Cannabis sativa, indica and ruderalis were the only three species of cannabis that existed, but in 2010 hikers in Australia’s Blue Mountains came across a single plant that resembled cannabis, and donated it to researchers at the University of Sydney. Through a battery of tests, it was confirmed the plant was indeed a new species of cannabis, never before seen.

Researchers were hesitant at first. "When we first received the plant we were very skeptical about its relation to cannabis. It has somewhat similar growth structure but the leaves look nothing like cannabis leaves," said researcher Christopher Pool in an interview with Discovery News.

While researchers think the most likely explanation for the new strain’s existence is from humans bringing over hemp seeds 50,000 years ago when the continent was first populated, it is also possible that Australia’s continental drift away from the rest of the world led to its creation. This has been theorized regarding other unique Australian species.

The University of Sydney only has one specimen, and it's offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can bring researchers another one. According to Pool, "The only problem is that we don’t have any seeds, we only have one plant. We've exhausted our funding trying to find another like it."

HIGH TIMES is reaching out to the University of Sydney to get more information on the new strain. We will follow up with pictures and more information on this fascinating discovery when we can.

---

http://ireadculture.com/article-5031-scientists-believe-they-have-discovered-a-new-species-of-cannabis-in-the-australian-mountains.html

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEY HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW SPECIES OF CANNABIS IN THE AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAINS

By Zara Zhi / Jan. 12, 2015 09:45

An update published Jan. 20, 15 on this topic can be found here.


As reported by NBC in December of 2014, a University of Sydney believe they have found a fourth species of cannabis. The finding took place in 2010, when a group of people were hiking in the Blue Mountains of Australia and discovered a single plant that resembled cannabis. The shrub was later donated to a research laboratory at the University of Sydney where a series of tests were conducted on the plant – proving that it was indeed cannabis. “When we first received the plant we were very skeptical about its relation to cannabis. It has somewhat similar growth structure, but the leaves look nothing like cannabis leaves,” according to researcher Christopher Pool.

The test results show that the species is resistant to freezing temperatures and the plant grows more like a shrub, without the archetypal candelabra shape of most cannabis strains. Countless cannabis breeders the world over have offered to pay upwards of $2,000 per seed, but Pool stated “The only problem is that we don’t have any seeds, we only have one plant,” adding, “We’ve exhausted our funding trying to find another like it.”

It’s easy to see the appeal of a cannabis plant that is resilient in cold temperatures– making open-air cultivation accessible to people in all climates.

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope scientists uncover more of this elusive and rare specimen.

---

Nyt ollaan jännän äärellä.

[Danxter]

Ja tietty jos ois lukenut kaikki linkit läpi niin ois tämänkin löytänyt..

http://ireadculture.com/article-5038-update-on-%E2%80%9Cscientists-believe-they-have-discovered-a-new-species-of-cannabis-in-the-australian-mountains%E2%80%9D.html

UPDATE ON “SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEY HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW SPECIES OF CANNABIS IN THE AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAINS”

By Zara Zhi / Jan. 20, 2015 12:29

As if this story couldn’t get any more bizarre, after contacting various sources, we have discovered that the validity of the original NBC News article about the new species of cannabis found in the Australian Blue Mountains, is questionable to say the least.

The story cited above was written by a journalist named Edward Randall via Discovery News and published on NBC News on Dec. 29, 2014, who used a “researcher” by the name of Christopher Pool as their main source (and is apparently dating Meghan Trainor).

Cannabis Culture Magazine, owned and operated by famed cannabis activists and personality, Marc Emery, published an article an entire 15 years ago stating the exact same findings accounted for in the NBC News piece. However, the tone—and all information, piece by piece —was drastically altered following the publishing of CULTURE’s take on the findings, published Jan. 12, 2015.

According to Randall, the journalist who published the article via NBC News:

“Researcher Christopher Pool (who is also rumored to be dating rising pop star Meghan Trainor) stated "When we first received the plant we were very skeptical about its relation to cannabis. It has somewhat similar growth structure but the leaves look nothing like cannabis leaves." He also went on to say that if anybody has information leading to the procurement of another of these plants they will be generously rewarded.

By "generous" he means $10,000.”

That’s some serious reward dough. Randall then went on to provide Pool’s email address for inquiries.

When we followed up with the University of Sydney about the discovery, we got this response:

“Very odd story. He’s dating a famous singer and offering a $10,000 reward?!” replied Verity Leatherdale, Media and Public Relations Adviser for the Division of Natural Sciences at the University. “We have agriculture, psychology and pharmacology experts here who research cannabis in a variety of ways, but this story is completely unknown to us.”

So, the only story here is a revision and tons of questions. Did Cannabis Culture fabricate the entire story from imagination (shame, shame)? How did a reputable news agency like NBC News end up with the story 15 years later? When we contacted NBC reps, all we heard were crickets. If anyone has any information regarding this elusive NBC story, and this supposed ABC plant, please feel free to comment.

[HamppuWelho]

http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/10/marijuana ... t-5144623/

Marijuana can kill cancer cells, the US government has confirmed.

It is believed that the drug – which is legal in a number of American states – can also shrink some of the most serious types of brain tumours.

The research was carried out by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is funded by the federal government.

Part of a NIDA publication reads: ‘Recent animal studies have shown that marijuana can kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others.

‘Evidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can shrink one of the most serious types of brain tumors.

‘Research in mice showed that these extracts, when used with radiation, increased the cancer-killing effects of the radiation.’

It comes as a bill is being put together which would re-categorise cannabis to a new level that states it has some medicinal value.

[Tulintakas]

Soini perässä?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33312962

Pope 'plans to chew coca leaves during Bolivia visit'
29 June 2015
From the section Latin America & Caribbean
Coca plants in Colombia
Coca plants have been grown for medicinal use but are also the raw ingredient for cocaine


Pope Francis has requested to chew coca leaves during his forthcoming visit to Bolivia, according to Bolivian Culture Minister Marko Machicao.
Coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine, has been used in the Andes for thousands of years to combat altitude sickness and as a mild stimulant.
Mr Machicao said the government offered the Pope coca tea and the pontiff had "specifically requested" to chew coca.
The Vatican has not yet commented. The Pope travels to Bolivia on 8 July.
'Sacred plant'
Coca leaves were declared an illegal substance under the 1961 UN convention on narcotic drugs.
But the growing of coca leaves for religious and medicinal purposes is legal and licensed in Bolivia.


Chewing of coca leaves is a centuries-old tradition in the Andes, where it is used to combat altitude sickness

Many indigenous Bolivians consider the coca bush a sacred plant and chewing its leaves or brewing them into a tea is very popular.
Bolivia's 2009 constitution even declared the coca leaf "a cultural patrimony".
President Evo Morales, who used to be a coca grower, has long campaigned to decriminalise the consumption of coca leaves.
If the Pope were to chew coca leaves during his visit to the Andean country it would provide strong backing for Mr Morales's campaign.
"We will be awaiting the Holy Father with the sacred coca leaf," Mr Machicao said.
The Pope's visit to Bolivia is part of a larger tour of Latin American countries which will also take him to Ecuador and Paraguay.

[Finnish Herbsman]

Chile lawmakers approve marijuana decriminalisation bill

A bill which will allow Chileans to grow small amounts of marijuana for medical, recreational or spiritual use has been approved by the country's lower house of Congress.
8 July 2015

The measure will allow each Chilean home to grow up to six plants.
Up to now, planting, selling and transporting marijuana has been punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The new bill will go before a health commission and then the Senate for approval.
Members of the lower house approved the bill by a wide margin, with 68 in favour and 39 against.
However, some lawmakers criticised the result, saying it would encourage drug use.

Growing trend

A Chilean municipality began planting the country's first medical marijuana in October, as part of a government-approved pilot programme.
However this bill, if passed, will also decriminalise recreational use.
Several other countries have eased restrictions for medical or personal use of marijuana in recent years.
In the US, more than 20 states allow some form of medical marijuana and Colorado and Washington have legalised it for personal use.
Uruguay became the first country to create a legal marijuana market in 2013 and earlier this year Jamaica decriminalised personal use of the drug.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33438405

[Punkkikuiskaaja]

UK: Legalization Petition Secures Enough Signatures to Earn Debate in Parliament

Parliament may soon be forced to seriously consider the legalization of marijuana, especially with a petition circulating throughout the United Kingdom that has managed to collect more than 156,000 signatures in support of the issue over the past few days. 

Recently an e-petition, which suggests that ending prohibition in the UK could generate in upwards of $800 million in taxes, save nearly $400 million in law enforcement resources, and create thousands of new jobs, was posted to the government’s website promoting democratic order. The petition says that cannabis is “safer than alcohol, and has many uses,” but despite being a product of society for over 4000 years, the herb was “made illegal in the UK in 1925.”

Similar to the White Houses’ We the People page, the UK petition site claims that any issue with the power to secure at least 100,000 signatures is to be awarded Parliamentary debate.

In spite of this appeal for pot reform being given until late January 2016 to collect the necessary signatures, it surprisingly managed to surpass the requirement over the weekend – accumulating well over 156,000 signatures by Monday morning.

Supporters must now wait for the topic to be picked up by the Petitions Committee sometime in September.

This successful plea, which may eventually have the House of Commons squirming to find a trap door, was mastermind by 25-year-old James Owen, a student of economics attending Aberystwyth University. The young activist recently told The Guardian that petitioning the government for answers in regards to the continued illegality of the cannabis plant is the result of drug policy actions taking place in the United States and Uruguay.
“There’s roughly 3 million adult [cannabis] smokers in the UK and I don’t think it’s right for the government to be criminalizing such a large section of society,” Owen said.

The petition was launched just days after Durham County crime commissioner Ron Hogg announced that his forces would no longer pursue small-time cannabis growers. The jurisdiction’s leading law enforcer said last week that unless a resident was blatantly disregarding the law or causing reason for complaint, the department’s new policy was to turn a blind eye to individuals growing weed for personal use. Instead, Hogg said his officers would be refocusing their efforts on bringing down the scourge of the illegal drug trade. 

Later in the week, Alan Charles, the police and crime commission in Derbyshire, made a similar statement, arguing that although the government seems to have has a skewed vendetta against the use of illegal drugs, his department was going against the grain by prioritizing enforcement against drug traffickers and violent offenders.

[Tapionpoika]

Colombia decriminalises marijuana cultivation up to 20 plants

Colombia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that growing up to 20 plants of marijuana is not a crime. The possession of small amounts of the drug had already been decriminalized.

The court ruled on the private cultivation of marijuana in an appeal filed by a man who had been sentenced to more than five years in prison after he had been caught by police with a recently cut plant weighing 124 grams.

The maximum amount of marijuana that can legally be carried is 20 grams in Colombia.

However, because the plant was meant for personal consumption, the court confirmed that there is no crime unless a person cultivates more than 20 plants.

The court ruling further decriminalizes the cultivation and possession of the drug for personal use.

Lähde: http://idpc.net/alerts/2015/08/colombia ... -20-plants

[KeijoBanaani]

Colorado Raised More Tax Revenue From Marijuana Than From Alcohol

It clocked in at $70 million last fiscal year alone.


Pot is a boon for tax revenues in Colorado, outpacing revenue from alcohol taxes in the fiscal year ending on June 30.

Colorado collected almost $70 million in marijuana taxes during that time, nearly double the $42 million collected from alcohol taxes. The state had a tax holiday for marijuana on Wednesday, an event that was welcomed by consumers and producers alike.

The sales tax holiday underscores the sheer productivity of marijuana taxes, Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, told the Colorado Spring Business Journal.

“Marijuana taxes have been incredibly productive over the past year, so this tax holiday is a much-deserved day off,” Tvert said. “This will be the one day out of the year when the state won’t generate significant revenue. Over the other 364 days, it will bring in tens of millions of dollars that will be reinvested in our state.”

Tvert’s prediction isn’t an exaggeration, as Colorado’s data indicated that the 10% retail tax on marijuana and 15% excise tax for large wholesale weed has been fruitful.

On the state’s one-day tax holiday, shoppers saved about $20 an ounce on Wednesday, but distributors saved roughly $300 a pound, with one grower telling ABC he “probably saved $45,000 before lunch.”

http://time.com/4037604/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/

[Tulintakas]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/techn ... rough.html

Marijuana Start-Ups See an Industry on the Cusp of a Breakthrough

NOV. 11, 2015

One morning in September, I logged on to the website of HelloMD, a medical start-up that promises to connect patients with doctors instantly over the Internet. I filled out my personal details, explained my ailment — I often get heartburn — and entered in my credit card number to cover the $50 consultation fee.

Within 10 minutes, a pediatrician based near Washington, D.C., who is licensed to practice medicine in my home state of California popped up on my screen. She appeared to be sitting in her home — there were a few teddy bears and ceramic figurines on a cabinet behind her — and she wore a red shirt, not the traditional white coat.

The doctor asked about my medical history, current symptoms and familiarity with certain medicines. The interview lasted about three minutes, after which she announced what everyone who visits HelloMD expects to hear: According to her diagnosis, my heartburn made me a candidate for medical marijuana, which has been legal in California since 1996.

HelloMD is at the forefront of a new trend in Silicon Valley: the cannabis tech start-up. As marijuana laws are being loosened across the country, entrepreneurs and investors are creating new businesses to cash in on what they see as an emerging bonanza. Like start-ups in other industries, these firms are trying to use technology to bring speed and efficiency to what has long been a face-to-face, pen-and-paper market. In the process, they are also trying to alter mainstream perceptions of the marijuana industry, shedding the ganja and Rasta imagery to cultivate a wider audience.

“What we see is moms, dads, professionals, old people, everyone wanting access to cannabis,” said Mark Hadfield, the founder of HelloMD. “The old type of experience — go to a crummy dispensary, wait in line — was not going to appeal to the market that we were after, which is everyday Americans, a market that, by the way, is much larger than the old market of — I don’t want to call them stoners, but let’s say, ‘recreationally minded young people.’”

People in the marijuana industry have lately taken to saying that legal marijuana is the next Internet, an untrammeled new market opportunity that is just waiting for its own big brands, the Google and Facebook of pot. But many businesses are also finding that, in an environment of only partial legality, not everything in the marijuana business is smooth sailing.

Proponents for legalization expect a handful of states to vote on ballot measures to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the 2016 election. The biggest prize is California, where a wealthy coalition of advocates, including Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and the former president of Facebook, is pushing for recreational legalization.

“California is the biggest domino,” said Justin Hartfield, the founder and chief executive of Weedmaps, a kind of Yelp for marijuana dispensaries, who is also backing the California initiative. “Once California goes legal, very shortly after we’ll have a majority of states where adult-use is legal.”

The ArcView Group, a company that connects investors to cannabis businesses, estimates the American legal cannabis industry generated $2.4 billion in sales in 2014, up 74 percent from 2013. Legalization will lead to continued growth of at least double-digit percentage points for the rest of the decade, according to Troy Dayton, the chief executive of the ArcView Group.

“This is already the fastest-growing industry in America, and when these new markets come online, the impact will be huge,” Mr. Dayton said.

And when millions of new customers flood into the marijuana business, tech companies will be lining up to offer them an easy way to find a hit. They’ve already made it pretty simple: After getting my prescription, I didn’t have to do much more to get some drugs.

HelloMD emailed me a letter, a “medical recommendation” that is the technical equivalent of a medical marijuana prescription, stating that “this patient has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition, and that the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.” Using Weedmaps, I found a service that would deliver marijuana to my house. After uploading a picture of my driver’s license and the HelloMD letter to the dispensary, I was cleared to order from a voluminous online menu.

I chose a Shatter Tank, a $100 pen-shaped electronic cannabis-extract vaporizer (even when it comes to drugs, I choose the techie route). About an hour after placing my order, a young man who bore the faint smell of a joint rang my doorbell and handed me the package. The entire process was easier than ordering a pizza. I've since forgotten about my heartburn.

HelloMD is not alone. On Wednesday, Meadow, a one-year-old company that also makes it easy to get a prescription and order online, is announcing the introduction of software that will eventually let many businesses in the medical marijuana supply chain manage their operations digitally.

“As the laws change, what we’re trying to build is a seed-to-sale platform,” said David Hua, Meadow’s co-founder and chief executive, who shows that even a marijuana executive can’t resist the pull of Silicon Valley jargon. “We want to connect growers, distributors, dispensaries, patients and doctors, so that anyone in the business can streamline their operations.”

Meadow has received funding from Y Combinator, the technology incubator. “We’ve seen a spike in applications in the past year in companies that are doing stuff in cannabis,” said Justin Kan, a partner at the firm, who noted that Y Combinator recently invested in another cannabis-related company that has yet to be announced.

In April, Founders Fund, the venture capital firm co-founded by the investor Peter Thiel, made a multimillion-dollar investment in Privateer Holdings, a Seattle company that manages several marijuana businesses. Among Privateer’s companies is Leafly, a site that offers news and reviews of various marijuana products, and Tilray, which researches and cultivates marijuana crops at a state-of-the-art grow facility in Canada.

Brendan Kennedy, one of Privateer’s founders and its chief executive, worked for years in Silicon Valley finance, and he began researching the cannabis business after chatting with a potential client.

“After looking into the industry, we quickly realized that this is no longer, and hasn’t been for years, a countercultural product, ” Mr. Kennedy said. There was opportunity, he added, because “the brands that were out there tended to embrace the clichés of the industry.”

Privateer’s ultimate goal is to become something like the Anheuser-Busch InBev — or maybe even the Coca-Cola — of pot: The friendly, widely recognizable face of an everyday pastime.

But the reality of breaking into the marijuana business has not been easy. In 2012, Mr. Kennedy spent about half a year trying to raise money for the company. He eventually managed to get about $7 million, but it was largely from wealthy private individuals, not big funds. The company’s second fund-raising round in April netted $75 million, making Privateer one of the best-funded start-ups in the business. But it is a mark of the tender sensibilities of investors toward marijuana that the largest investor in that round has declined to be named.

(Founders Fund did not lead the round but was willing to be named, though Geoff Lewis, the Founders partner who made the investment, declined an interview request.)

“Everything in this industry is harder,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Things that would be check-the-box items for any Silicon Valley technology company, like opening a bank account or hiring a marketing firm or finding a lawyer to represent you, becomes a three- or four-month project in this business.”

And because the federal government considers marijuana illegal, many cannabis companies are not allowed to write off business expenses on their tax returns. “Every other industry only pays taxes on their profits,” said AJ Gentile, the chief executive of the marijuana delivery company SpeedWeed, which serves the Los Angeles area. “I have to pay federal tax on gross revenue.”

SpeedWeed delivers about 200 orders a day and it is growing, but Mr. Gentile isn’t sure about the prospects of his business. “If you factor all these extra costs in, the margins become very small,” he said.

But legalization looms — and with it, Mr. Gentile and other entrepreneurs hope for a wave of new customers and investors, and a widespread cultural acceptance of weed.

[Tulintakas]

http://thisisafrica.me/swaziland-minist ... t-economy/

Swaziland should legalise marijuana to boost economy – minister

By Arthur Chatora on December 10, 2015 — Swaziland’s Housing and Urban Development Minister, Phiwayinkosi Mabuza, says the country should raise taxes and legalise dagga to boost the economy. Recently, the National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula, called on the government to do a study to establish the “desirability or otherwise of legalising the drug”

Phiwayinkosi Mabuza, Swaziland’s Housing and Urban Development Minister says the country should raise taxes and legalise marijuana to develop the economy, APA reports.

Mabuza, a parliamentarian for Mhlambanyatsi constituency reportedly said the government needs to decriminalise marijuana and explore its economic benefits to increase the country’s revenue.

“First world countries have decriminalised the growing and use of dagga. We have to be objective and not hysterical when we approach the subject,” Mabuza said.

Mabuza, added that the country was losing out on potential revenue by not utilising the widely grown but illegal crop.

Campaigners have been pushing for the legalisation of cannabis in Swaziland, which is illegally grown by some of the country’s poorest, making their living by selling the crop.

The country has been debating the legalisation of marijuana. Recently, the National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula, called on the government to do a study on the legalisation of dagga.

“We would recommend that a proper research and/or study be conducted by the relevant ministry on the desirability or otherwise of legalising the drug, as this line of thought has huge implications and challenges in the international law enforcement perspective and control of drug and substance abuse,” Magagula said.

Other countries in Africa have mooted plans to decriminalise cannabis and industrial hemp. Malawi’s Minister of Agriculture, Allan Chiyembekeza last month said the country approved plans to grow industrial hemp for export on a trial basis and defended the plans because of the crop’s close relationship with marijuana.

Industrial hemp has various uses, which include the manufacturing of paper, clothing, fibre, medicine and food products, amongst others.

Source: APA