Smoking cannabis helped man reduce his criminality, according to Solicitor
May 11th
A CARMARTHEN man with a long court record has reduced his criminality by smoking cannabis, according to his solicitor.
Robert Connelly, 30, of Belvedere Avenue, pleaded guilty to possession of 3.05 grams of cannabis resin when he appeared before Llanelli magistrates on Thursday.
His solicitor Aled Owen said Connelly took the drug to help cope with a nervous disorder and anxiety, which has helped him keep his nose clean.
“He has stayed out of trouble for quite a long period,” he said.
“The last occasion was 12 months ago and he has not been in trouble since.”
Referring to Connelly’s previous convictions, he told magistrates: “You can see his offending was at a high level at one time, but you can see there is a lowering of the offending.
“When he was younger there was thefts, twocs, a robbery, affrays.
“But when you look through it you can see the level and frequency getting far lower.
“All we have now are cannabis offences at the very lowest scale.
“Although cannabis is illegal it is something that is helping him to lower his criminality.”
Prosecutor Gerald Neave told the court that at around 10.50am on April 7, police were on patrol in Russ- ell Terrace, near the alleyway leading to Belvedere More >
New Year, Same Smoke
Jan 6th
First of all I would like to wish all of you stoners a happy new year! So (unsurprisingly) the world didn’t end, and most of us sat there, stoned while December 21st passed quite uneventfully.
Then we had Christmas, a joyous time of celebration, and New Year (Happy new year by the way!) Lets hope that 2013 will see more progress in our struggle to bring cannabis regulation to the UK.
But now cannabis users have the another thing to worry about -
ITV News reports: (Saturday 5th Jan)
Drug-drivers face more rigorous tests after a kit for detecting cannabis was approved for use in police stations across the UK.A positive saliva test with the new device means officers will no longer have to call a doctor before asking for a blood sample if they suspect a driver of being on drugs.
The testing kit is able to detect THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, while equipment capable of accurately identifying other substances is still under development.
Motorists can already be punished for driving while impaired by drugs, but the new testing equipment will make it easier for the police to prove a case
Offenders will face up to six months in jail and a fine of More >
Excellent News – Amsterdam Mayor Rejects Weed Pass – Stoners Everywhere Rejoice
Nov 1st
Amsterdam tourist cannabis ban rejected by mayor
Well isn’t this the best news you’ve heard in a while? I have just booked what I thought would be my last visit to Amsterdam whilst it was still ok to smoke in coffeeshops. But a report I read on BBC News has brightened my day:
The mayor of Amsterdam says he will not ban foreign tourists from using the city’s famous cannabis cafes, after months of argument over new drug laws.
The move comes after the new government of the Netherlands said it would be up to local authorities whether or not to impose such a ban.
Mayor Eberhard van der Laan said banning the sale of the drug to foreigners could lead to more crime.
Each year, some 1.5 million tourists visit Amsterdam to consume cannabis.
“The 1.5 million tourists will not say ‘then no more marijuana’, they will swarm all over the city looking for drugs,” said Mayor Van der Laan, who has long opposed a ban.
“This would lead to more robberies, quarrels about fake drugs, and no control of the quality of drugs on the market – everything we have worked towards would be lost to misery.”
Tourism fears Amsterdam also relies heavily on tourism, and cannabis More >
Want Regular Cannabis Articles To Wet Your Stoner Taste Buds? Check Out ISMOKE Magazine
Sep 30th
ISMOKE Magazine is the voice for cannabis users in the UK. It aims to educate the masses on the benefits of cannabis with regular articles, competitions, strain reviews, photos, stoner product reviews, stories, points of view, medical testimonies, interviews and much more.
Because we wanted to make ISMOKE Magazine as accessible as possible, we decided to re-launch it as an online website, where articles are posted and available free to anybody with the internet. You can still view and download the old issues as pdf files here.
You can visit www.ismokemag.co.uk for some awesome cannabis content – we recently interviewed Howard Marks, perhaps the most famous cannabis user/advocate in the world.
There is also a chance for budding authors/photographers to work with ISMOKE Magazine – so please get in touch (ismokemag@gmail.com) if you want to be a part of ISMOKE!
Please check out www.ismokemag.co.uk You can also Like us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter
25 Legal Drugs More Dangerous Than Cannabis
Sep 18th
How long will politicians live in fear of marijuana and throw billions of dollars at eradicating it and jailing thousands of people for possessing it? The overwhelming majority of its users do not develop addictions. It is practically impossible to overdose on. It even has health benefits, like slowing tumor growth and easing glaucoma. And it’s safer than the 25 legal drugs, substances, and even household products we’ve laid out here. By the end, you’ll be ready to say with us: legalise it!
Over-the-counterWith a few restrictions, these products can be obtained without a prescription from everywhere from drug stores to the nearest vending machine.
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Alcohol:
The phrase “drugs and alcohol” is redundant. People who drink alcohol can impair their faculties, develop a tolerance for it, and become addicted. That’s a drug, and a very dangerous one at that. Brain damage, cancer, and death (37,000 of them in the U.S. each year) are just some of those dangers to alcohol consumers, not to mention the nearly one-third of violent crimes perpetrated in the U.S. each year that are alcohol-related.
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Tobacco:
Yes, through some fluke in the legal system, cigarettes remain legal while weed is banned. As cigarette smoking claims more than 5 More >
Proud to be a Stoner
Aug 21st
I’ve been thinking recently how proud I am to be a fully functional cannabis user. I mean, I prove the prohibitionist’s stereotype wrong – I am active; I go to the gym, work full-time, run a blog and a Cannabis Magazine and still manage to be a massive stoner smoking every evening and at weekends. It just doesn’t affect my lifestyle, and I believe that all too-often, cannabis is used as a scape-goat for lazy people that use it as an excuse for their failings in life, giving the herb a bad name amongst ignorant people that are quick to jump on the anti-cannabis bandwagon.
A substance that has caused zero deaths throughout the history of man, which I am able to use and still maintain a regular lifestyle cannot be deemed a danger to my health.
And a plant which has so many medicinal benefits, plus a whole bunch that we don’t even know about yet should not be illegal to consume, medically or recreationally.
I am proud to be a recreational cannabis user, and I hope that you are too.
Keep toking,
Nuff Said.
New Study Suggests that Cannabis use is Associated With Superior Cognitive Performance in Bipolar Sufferers
Aug 12th
Glen Oaks, NY: Bipolar patients with a history of cannabis use demonstrate superior neurocogitive performance compared to patients with no history of use, according to clinical data published online in the journal Psychiatry Research.
Investigators at The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Long Island, NY, along with researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City compared the performance of 50 bipolar subjects with a history of cannabis use versus 150 bipolar patients with no history of use on a battery of standardized cognitive measures. Patient groups did not differ regarding age, racial background, or highest education level achieved. Bipolar patients with a history of cannabis use had similar age at onset as did patients who did not consume cannabis.
Researchers found that subjects with a history of cannabis use exhibited better neurocognitive performance than that of non-users, but they did not differ significantly on estimates of premorbid IQ.
Authors reported, “Results from our analysis suggest that subjects with bipolar disorder and history of (cannabis use) demonstrate significantly better neurocognitive performance, particularly on measures of attention, processing speed, and working memory. These findings are consistent with a previous study that demonstrated that bipolar subjects with history More >
Can you spot 7 strains of cannabis seeds in the painting? Competition.
Aug 8th
Planet Ganja – competition – can you spot 7 strains of cannabis seeds in the painting?
Contemporary Devon based cosmic artist, Michael Shurman, has launched his latest painting Planet Ganja.
Brought to you by our good friends over at Pot-Seeds.co.uk
The painting, which was exclusively launched by NORML UK, the UK branch of the world’s largest and oldest cannabis campaigning organisation, is a celebration of the cannabis plant.
Planet Ganja is the latest in Michael’s 2012 series of paintings which include Core- amodern day take on Magritte, Banker’s Requiem – an inter-dimensional showpiece of the bankers and a portrait of none other than Howard Marks aka Mr Nice.
The concept for Planet Ganja was sparked from the tiny planet floating in Howard Marks’ hair-space.
Pot Seeds have this awesome painting on loan at the moment, so we decided to have a competition. In the painting there are at least seven strains of cannabis seeds – can you name seven of them? Some of the strains of cannabis seeds are more obvious, some are more subjective and cryptic in smoke code form. The more stoned you get, the more you’ll see; perhaps you’ll find some cannabis seed strains we haven’t seen, if they are viable answers, then we More >
New Stoner Music – Wiz Khalifa @ The Green House Amsterdam
Aug 6th
Here is a great new track – a freestyle by bigtime American stoner and rapper Wiz Khalifa. This Breh loves his chronic, as you may have seen recently when he was seen puffing a massive blunt with Snoop Dogg at Coachella 2012 – his other videos and tracks are generally cannabis related, check out this extended and ganja-filled video of Reefer Party which is another sick tune.
What a cool guy. Maybe one day we’ll have a smoke up! Hit me up if you’re reading this Wiz Khalifa @ismokemag
So This Is Why I’m Not Fat – Cannabis Could Be Used To Tread Obesity-Related Diseases
Jul 29th
I have smoked cannabis for 5 and a half years now, and during that time I’ve eaten a lot of takeaways and fast food. I’m one of those people that eats quite (ok very) unhealthily, yet manages to somehow not put on weight.
Both myself and most people around me have commented at one point or another that they don’t know how I’m not fat from the amount of shit that I eat, and I always wondered.. Until now.
The Telegraph recently reported that scientists have found that compounds (I’m assuming cannabinoids) found in cannabis can increase the amount of energy that the body burns. As I smoke a lot of chronic, I am pretty sure that it is helping to speed up my metabolism, quite possibly to counterbalance those extra calories I consume during “The Munchies”.
Now OK prohibitionists, this might not be good for those in third world countries where food is harder to come by, but over here in Western society we have a lot of fat people. People who could probably use burning off a bit of excess energy.
Anyway, The Telegraph reports that: “Test in animals have already shown the compounds can help treat type two diabetes while also More >
The Latest Cannabis Headlines from Around the World
Jul 21st
Here are the latest cannabis news headlines worldwide:
From ISMOKE Magazine. Thanks Alun Buffry andCCGuide.org for the code
Jack Herer – Legend
Jul 16th
Jack Herer b.June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010), known as the “Emperor of Hemp”, was an American cannabis activist and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, an excellent resource citing in great detail the many uses and benefits of the cannabis or hemp plant.
Jack firmly believed that cannabis should be decriminalised because of its use as food, fuel and medicine, and the fact that it can be grown almost anywhere.
There is even a strain named after Jack – Jack Herer – a popular medical strain because of its pain-relieving properties.
Stoner Music on ISMOKEHERB
Jul 12th
Those of you that have been visiting ISMOKEHERB for a while will know about our awesome Stoner Music section..
For those of you that don’t know, ISMOKEHERB has one of the biggest online collections of stoner music (found a better collection? – let us know!)
You can check out the songs, organised the following genres:
Reggae | Rap/Hip Hop | Dubstep | Other
or you can go to the stoner music page and decide there by clicking here, or enjoy some of the highlights below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzFXTyd-73E
There are loads more here
Keep toking,
Nuff Said
Snoop Dogg detained for cannabis possession at Norwegian airport
Jul 4th
New York: Snoop Dogg was detained at Norway airport on Thursday for carrying marijuana and more cash than is legally allowed.
The 40-year-old rapper was packing 8 grams of cannabis when he was detained in customs at Kjevic Airport in Kristiansand.
Authorities were able to discover the sneaky stash with the help of their customs drug dogs.
According to Norway’s Verdens Gang newspaper, customs officers weren’t able to recognize the megastar at first and found him to be polite and cooperative, showing “no prima donna whims.”
Because his stowed-away drug was a small amount, Snoop was fined about 1,980 dollars and released.
The self-proclaimed cannabis connoisseur was slapped with another fine of about 7,000 dollars for carrying more cash than is legally allowed.
Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was scheduled to perform in Norway Thursday night at the Hove Festival in the southern town of Kristiansand.
Shortly after the incident, he posted a photo on Twitter that appeared to show him passing a joint.
The airport incident was the rapper’s second drug bust this year alone.
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