Miami Brother And Sister Busted With $24 million Cash Money From Marijuana Sales

Cash Money and Gun

[From article]

Police made quite the discovery when raiding a home in Miami Lakes on Tuesday: over $24 million from a suspected marijuana trafficker, the largest money seizure in the department's history.
Authorities found the money stuffed in dozens of five-gallon buckets located in a hidden attic compartment inside the home,
[. . .]
Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez, 44, was taken into custody on several drug and firearms charges stemming from an investigation by the Miami-Dade police and the Drug Enforcement Agency. His sister, Salma Hernandez, 32, was also arrested.
Both siblings appeared in court Wednesday, with Hernandez-Gonzalez ordered held on more than $4 million bond. His sister was given a $12,500 bond,

[. . .]


Cash Money Containers

Police said Hernandez-Gonzalez, who runs The Blossom Experience store in Miami-Dade, was involved in trafficking marijuana to Tennessee along with two other men. He had been the target of an investigation dating back to 2010, speaking with informants about the drug trade, according to police.
The store’s website proclaims its expertise in indoor gardening needs and lists items including lights and fans. The business was raided as part of the operation, with officers finding drugs and $180,000 in a safe.
Hernandez-Gonzalez was recorded on various phone calls giving advice on how to care for the plants. After his arrest, Hernandez-Gonzalez allegedly admitted to helping customers grow the drug.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Siblings-Arrested-After-Drug-Bust-Largest-Money-Seizure-in-Miami-Dade-Police-History-384888001.html

Siblings Arrested After $24M Drug Bust, Largest Money Seizure in Miami-Dade Police History
Authorities found the money stuffed in dozens of five-gallon buckets located in a hidden attic compartment inside the home
Published June 29, 2016

Westford, MA Concentrated Marijuana Operation Busted

Westford, MA Group Photo After Arrest

[From article]
A police raid on a sprawling home in Westford uncovered a fully stocked basement drug lab, where police say a 22-year-old man processed pot into “dabs” — a potent marijuana extract — while selling the drug from his parent’s driveway and making drops to buyers from the family mailbox.
Westford police and federal drug agents arrested Bradley Heath II yesterday, along with his father, mother, sister and two friends — all of whom, prosecutors say, must have been aware of the drug den that held $29,000 in goods because the $829,000 home reeked of pot.
In court, prosecutor David Kete said: “It would almost not be possible not to notice the odor of the marijuana.”
A lengthy investigation relying on confidential informants concluded that Bradley Heath manufactured and sold dabs from the Mountain View Lane home that police described as a well-known “party house.”
According to police, Heath made the dabs by saturating marijuana buds with lighter fluid — or butane — resulting in a yellowish honey-like substance.
Heath, who was arrested in 2014 for selling “N Bomb,” a dangerous synthetic LSD that three juveniles overdosed on, branded his basement-vintage dabs “Gold Street Extracts,” police said.
Prosecutors said Heath would also “blast” people’s marijuana for them into dabs for a fee.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/06/cops_westford_clan_s_home_was_a_drug_factory_reeked_of_weed

Cops: Westford clan’s home was a drug factory, reeked of weed
Brian Dowling

Thursday, June 09, 2016

Boston Herald

* * *


Cops stormed the four-bedroom house - which has its own swimming pool - following a tip-off about drugs possibly being made on the 3,855sq ft property.

[From article]

A family-of-four are among six people who have been charged after a DEA raid uncovered an alleged marijuana oil lab at their sprawling suburban home.
Officers arrested Bradley Heath Sr, 63, and Diana Heath, 61, their son Bradley Heath Jr, 22, and their daughter Linley Heath, 28, on drugs offenses following the search on Wednesday.
Heath Jr's girlfriend, Lyndsey Holston, 20, and Linley Heath's friend, Prachi Joglekar, 22, were also detained by agents at the home in Westford, Massachusetts.
Cops stormed the four-bedroom house - which has its own swimming pool - following a tip-off about drugs possibly being made on the 3,855sq ft property.
As soon as they entered the property, officers could smell the lab's 'overwhelming odor', which was found in the basement, CBS Boston reported.
Drugs worth around $29,000 were found inside, police said.
A bomb squad had to be called during the search because the butane oil used to make the substance is highly flammable, according to the Boston Globe.
'Their alleged lab operations compromised the safety and security of their neighbors, as well as the law enforcement officials who arrested the suspects today,' Middlesex district attorney Marian Ryan said.

Pictured: Marijuana extract product referred to as butane honey oil - the same product being produced at the Heath home. Hash oil can be up to four times more potent than the normal drug.

Marijuana oil - also known as hash oil and dabs - is made by running butane through cannabis to create a honey-like substance that is up to four times more potent than the normal drug.
Police and the DEA believe the family was manufacturing the narcotic on their property and selling it under the name Gold Street Extracts.
The parents - who are real estate agents - did not know about the lab, their attorneys said, despite living in the property with their son and daughter.
An attorney for Heath Jr and Holston said they both had medical marijuana cards.
Heath Jr was charged with distributing LSD in 2013, although it is not clear what the outcome of criminal proceedings were in that case.
Holston's personal blog contains an array of pictures of marijuana and related drugs paraphernalia, however she is not seen using these or cannabis itself in any of the images.
Jogelkar 'likes' a medical marijuana page on Facebook, as well as other cannabis-related pages.
The six appeared in court together on Wednesday and all denied manufacturing and possessing marijuana. They also all denied conspiracy to break drug laws.
Heath Jr was also charged with possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance, possession of a Class B, and driving with a suspended license
Heath Jr is being held on a $30,000 bail, but has also been denied bail for violating his probation by being charged.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3632554/Family-four-six-charged-DEA-raid-sprawling-Massachusetts-home-marijuana-oil-lab-basement.html

Family-of-four ALL charged after DEA raids their sprawling Massachusetts mansion and 'find marijuana oil lab in the basement'
DEA raided suburban home and found an alleged marijuana oil laboratory
Parents Bradley Heath Sr and Diana Heath, as well as son Bradley Heath Jr and daughter Linley Heath were arrested and charged
Heath Jr's girlfriend Lyndsey Holston and Linley Heath's friend Prachi Joglekar were also charged
Alleged lab and $29,000 in drugs was found in sprawling home's basement
Police believe family were selling oil under the name Gold Street Extracts
All six deny a string of drugs offenses
By OLLIE GILLMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 00:43 EST, 9 June 2016 | UPDATED: 09:05 EST, 9 June 2016

Study Indicates DNA Damage From Marijuana Use

[From article]
Smoking cannabis can alter a person's DNA, causing mutations that expose a user to serious illnesses, experts have warned.
Furthermore, the heightened risk is not exclusive to the marijuana user, a study has shown.
The disease-causing mutations are passed on to their children, and several future generations, it has emerged.
Though the link between cannabis and severe illnesses, such as cancer, has previously been documented, how this occurs and the implications for future generations was not well understood.
'With cannabis use increasing globally in recent years, this has a concerning impact for the population.'
While a person may appear healthy and lead a normal life, the unseen damage to their DNA could also be passed on to their children, and cause illness for several generations to come.
'Even if a mother has never used cannabis in her life, the mutations passed on by a father's sperm can cause serious and fatal illnesses in their children,' Dr Reece said.
'The parents may not realise that they are carrying these mutations, which can lie dormant and may only affect generations down the track, which is the most alarming aspect.'
Dr Reece said that when the chemicals in cannabis altered a user's DNA structure it could lead to slow cell growth and have serious implications for the fetal development of babies, potentially causing limbs or vital organs not to develop properly or cause cancers.
He said: 'The worst cancers are reported in the first few years of life in children exposed in utero to cannabis effects.'
Dr Reece said the finding was of major importance due to the fact cannabis use is increasing in many nations around the world, as many countries begin to legalize its use.
'Some people may say that previous data collected doesn't show there are serious effects from using cannabis, but many authorities acknowledge that there is now a much larger consumption of cannabis use compared to previous years,' he added.
The study carries implications for researchers, medical health professionals and governments in regulating drug use and protecting those who are most vulnerable.
The research has been published in the journal Mutation Research – Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3607444/Smoking-cannabis-ALTERS-DNA-causing-mutations-trigger-illness-including-cancer.html

Smoking cannabis ALTERS your DNA 'causing mutations that can trigger serious illness, including cancer'
Smoking cannabis alters a person's DNA, causing mutations, experts say
These mutations can trigger serious illness, including cancer
Mutations passed to children and future generations, raising their risk too
By Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com
Published: 15:07 EST, 24 May 2016 | Updated: 16:44 EST, 24 May 2016

Teen Suspected Using Synthetic Marijuana Attacks Police in Concord, MA

Jacob Andrew Randle, 19, of Concord

[From article]
Concord Police arrested a 19-year-old man Tuesday after he assaulted and threatened to kill three Concord police officers.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to Baker Avenue to reports of a disturbed person and attempted to calm Jacob Andrew Randle, 19, of Concord. Randle later assaulted three officers and threatened to kill them.
Officers later ordered Randle to the ground, but he responded by taking a fighting stance. Police were able to contain Randle using tasers. Two officers were transported to Emerson Hospital with minor injuries.
Randle, who police believe was under the influence of synthetic marijuana or another hallucinogenic substance, has been charged with assault with intent to murder, assault and battery of a police officer causing injury, simple assault and battery of a police officer, assault and battery of a person over the age of 60 and malicious destruction of property over $250.

http://patch.com/massachusetts/concord/concord-man-assaults-threatens-kill-three-officers-0

Concord Man Assaults, Threatens to Kill Three Officers
Police believe that the man smoked synthetic marijuana or another hallucinogenic substance prior to the incident.
Concord, MA
By JOE LIPOVICH (Patch Staff)

March 23, 2016 10:45 pm ET

Major Pot Bust In Brooklyn, NY

In this undated photo provided by the New York City Police Department, containers of packaged marijuana ready to be sold are shown inside a New York warehouse. 

(New York City Police Department via AP)

[From article]
Detectives uncovered a $10 million Brooklyn drug operation that included liquefied pot used in e-cigarettes when they stopped a U-Haul truck stuffed with hundreds of pounds of marijuana hidden among furniture, police said Friday.
Acting on a tip from federal investigators that a large shipment of drugs was headed from the West Coast to Brooklyn, officials pulled the vehicle over outside a garage Wednesday. They discovered 300 pounds of marijuana inside, said Inspector John Benesopolis, the commanding officer of the New York Police Department's criminal enterprise investigative division.
The driver, Philip Feng, 36, and passenger Victor Bae, 35, were arrested on charges of drug and gun possession. The two were being held on $2 million bail after their arraignments Friday, and messages left with their attorneys were not immediately returned.
Police said they believe the operation was in business for at least four years and made about $10 million annually.
Benesopolis says a search of Feng's garage turned up 100 pounds of marijuana, liquefied pot used in e-cigarettes, mushrooms, PCP and a loaded revolver. They also found e-cigarette cartridges. Police said the liquefied pot and PCP is odorless when smoked in an e-cigarette. Overall, they recovered about $2.5 million in drugs and drug paraphernalia, police said.[. . .]
The high-end pot called "Emperor Jack," ''Sour Diesel" and "LA Confidential" was worth $6,000 a pound, police said.
Police said Feng used some of the drug money to collect World War II memorabilia, including a decoding machine similar to the one created by Alan Turing, who was depicted in the Oscar-nominated film "The Imitation Game."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/12/detectives-uncover-10m-drug-ring-after-stopping-uhaul-in-new-york.html?intcmp=ob_article_sidebar_video&intcmp=obnetwork

Detectives uncover $10M drug ring after stopping UHaul in New York
Published March 12, 2016

Associated Press

NYPD Pot Bust In Greenwich Village Yields 300 Pounds of Dope

Washington Square Park

[From article]
Cops busted three men who allegedly accepted a delivery of 300 pounds of pot in Greenwich Village on Friday, police said.
The officers spotted the men hauling a large wooden crate into a Bleecker Street building and became suspicious. They found it held 150 pounds of pot, cops said.
On board a delivery truck was another crate that allegedly held the same amount of pot.

http://nypost.com/2016/02/27/cops-bust-trio-accepting-300-pound-pot-delivery/

Cops bust trio accepting 300-pound pot delivery
By Amanda Woods
February 27, 2016 | 2:25am

New York Post

Marijuana Bust Becomes Arrest For Terrorism in Dearborn, Michigan

Abu-Rayyan wearing the Muslim scarf of choice while making the ISIS gesture.

[From article]
Charges against a Muslim man in Dearborn, Mich. rapidly escalated from possession of marijuana to being an ISIS supporter with plans to carry out a terror attack against a large Detroit church that holds up to 6,000 people.
[. . .]
At the end of last year, an undercover agent began interacting with Abu-Rayyan, which is when they learned that, among other weapons, he had an AK-47 machine gun with a 40-round magazine.
The Daily Mail reports:
While on social media he told an undercover agent that he “tried to shoot up a church one day. I don't know the name of it but it's close to my job.
“One of the biggest ones in Detroit. I had it planned out. I brought a bunch of bullets. I practiced a lot with it.
“I practiced reloading and unloading, but my dad searched my car one day and he found everything. He found the gun and the bullets and the mask I was going to wear.” (snip)
When investigators asked Abu-Rayyan why he allegedly wanted to target a church, he said: “It's easy, and a lot of people go there, plus people are not allowed to carry guns in church.”
[. . .]
Abu-Rayyan expressed regret that he never carried out his terror plans, stating that if he can’t “do jihad at the Middle East, I would do my jihad over here.”
In addition to his desire to shoot unarmed Christians in a church, Abu-Rayyan also stated that he wanted to murder the police officer who originally arrested him for speeding, drugs, and weapons charges, saying that he wanted to do a “martyrdom operation” and kill him.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/02/the_aspiring_beheader_of_dearbornistan.html

February 9, 2016
The aspiring beheader of Dearbornistan
By Carol Brown

Drug Dealing Students at Harvard University, Who Me?

[From article]
“I’m not a dealer,” Noah said. “I only ever sell to my friends. I mean, I guess technically it is dealing, but it’s because I’m not buying weed to sell. When I buy weed, I never plan to resell it, but sometimes my friends come to me and tell me they need some.”


http://oncedailyharvard.com/2015/10/26/how-harvard-kids-buy-weed-4/

OCTOBER 26, 2015
HOW HARVARD KIDS BUY WEED
Reported by Flavia Cuervo

NYPD Busts Large Synthetic Marijuana Ring in East Harlem

A man holds a K2 cigarette in East Harlem, an area where the use of the synthetic marijuana has exploded.
Photo: Getty Images

[From article]
The suspects were identified as Abdullah Deiban, Faris Nasser Kassim, Morad Nasser Kassim, Nageab Saeed, Waldie Saeed, Mohamed Saeed, Hamid Moshref, Mohamed Salem, Mohamed Almatheel and Fikri Nagi.
They’re expected to appear before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on Wednesday afternoon, Bharara said.
“Deiban, Faris Nasser Kassim, Morad Nasser Kassim arranged the importation of illegal synthetic compounds in powdered form from China to the United States via commercial delivery services,” according to a law enforcement statement.
“Upon the arrival of the compounds in the United States, Deiban, Faris Nasser Kassim, and Morad Nasser Kassim then arranged for the illegal synthetic compounds to be retrieved and transported to a processing facility, where they directed other co­-conspirators to mix the illegal synthetic compounds with chemical solvents including acetone and/or flavoring additives and to spray the resulting liquid mixture onto tea leaves.”

http://nypost.com/2015/09/16/police-bust-massive-synthetic-marijuana-ring/

Police bust massive synthetic marijuana ring
By Larry Celona
New York Post
September 16, 2015 | 11:45am

New York City Gentleman Meets Woman On Subway, Sells Some Weed, Rapes Woman in Central Park

[From article]
A young Harlem woman was raped in Central Park early Tuesday by a smooth-talking predator she met on the subway only hours before the attack, law enforcement sources said.
The 22-year-old victim told cops the brute forced her to have sex with him on a bench near the Loeb Boathouse just before 3 a.m. She then managed to run away and hail a cab to a local hospital, sources said.
The woman said she was riding an uptown A train earlier in the evening when the man boarded at the 34th Street station and sat next to her, law-enforcement sources said.
The charismatic fiend struck up a conversation with the woman, telling her that his name was “Golden” before getting her to agree to leave the train with him at the next stop.
Two then grabbed coffee at a Starbucks near Times Square and food at a Shake Shack at Eighth Avenue and 44th Street, where the victim allegedly saw the man sell a bag of marijuana to someone outside the restaurant, law-enforcement sources said.

http://nypost.com/2015/08/11/woman-sexually-assaulted-in-central-park/

Woman raped in Central Park after meeting attacker on subway
By Jamie Schram, Shawn Cohen, Natasha Velez and Priscilla DeGregory
New York Post
August 11, 2015 | 9:32am

Updated: Synthetic Marijuana Dangerous, Causing Violence; 12-year-old Video Used For Scaremongering

Posted August 5, 2015 9:07 PM ET; Last updated August 6, 2015 8:53 PM ET


Synthetic pot known as "K2" on the streets has been on the rise.

Photo: AP

[From article]

The NYPD released a 2002 video of a man on the psychotic drug PCP in Iowa and claimed it was recent footage of a New Yorker under the influence of synthetic marijuana.
The clip shows a naked man screaming wildly, squatting in the street, and scrambling up a fence, defying Taser guns with 'super human strength'.
It was played during a press conference on Tuesday as Police Commissioner Bill Bratton issued an 'urgent' warning that 'weaponized marijuana' - or K2 - is a growing concern for New York officers.
But it has since emerged the scaremongering clip is 12 years old, filmed in Des Moines for the TV show COPS, and depicts a man on PCP, not K2. 

[. . .]
A spokesman for the NYPD told Gothamist the video was merely 'shown to depict the type of behavior sometimes associated with "excited delirium syndrome"'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186598/How-NYPD-released-scaremongering-video-psychotic-naked-Iowa-man-high-PCP-2002-claimed-New-Yorker-synthetic-marijuana.html

REVEALED: Scaremongering NYPD video of psychotic naked New Yorker high on 'weaponized marijuana' was actually of Iowa man high on PCP in 2002
Police issued a public warning over use of the synthetic marijuana 'K2'
Released two videos showing two crazed users of the drug, both naked
But the clips are actually from TV show COPS in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2002
And the men in the video had taken psychotic drug PCP - not K2
NYPD spokesman insists they did not say they were on K2 or in New York
By MIA DE GRAAF FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and JAMES DUNN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 20:07 EST, 5 August 2015 | UPDATED: 09:35 EST, 6 August 2015

* * *

[From article]
The drug, which cops say is prevalent in the homeless community, is a cheap high that also increases body temperature, leading users to strip naked.
“A better term for it might be weaponized marijuana,” Bratton told reporters at a press conference at police headquarters.
“A number of individuals, when under the influence of this drug, are relatively impervious to pain and also have significant enhancement of their physical strength,” he said.
“So our officers encountering these individuals face more significant risk of having to subdue these individuals and potentially receiving injuries.”
Spice users are impervious to traditional takedown methods used by cops, such as tasers and mace, officials said.
[. . .]



“You’re going to see much more of it in the short term,” Bratton said of the drug. “Our concern in the potential overdose and death, the incredible number of people going to hospitals as well as those that we take into custody.”
Bratton added that while local politicians look to loosen marijuana laws, the synthetic stuff is wreaking havoc across the city.
“Ironically, even as the trend is to decriminalize and effectively pay less attention to marijuana, the synthetic marijuana issue is one of great and growing concern here in New York City,” he said.

http://nypost.com/2015/08/04/weaponized-weed-that-makes-people-strip-naked-wreaking-havoc-in-nyc/

‘Weaponized weed’ triggering nude, psychotic rampages in NYC
By Daniel Prendergast
New York Post
August 4, 2015 | 6:12pm

Dating App For Pot Heads Only

'Tinder for stoners'
Cannabis smokers in the United States will be able to make new friends using a new stoner-focused dating app recently launched. The app, called High There!, is only available in US states that have either decriminalised the drug or made it available for medical use

Fool Me Once Shame On You. NYC Driver Pushes His Luck and Loses

William Reed, Suspect

[From article]

PA Police Officer Martin Smolen initially pulled over William Reed at 12th and Provost streets in Jersey City around 9:15 p.m. May 15 for driving his silver 2005 Dodge van without his headlights on near the tunnel, law enforcement sources said.
Reed, 42, of Bethlehem, Pa., handed the officer his registration with his name on it — then roared off through the tunnel to Manhattan, the sources said.
Police didn’t pursue Reed because of safety concerns, they said.
But seven days later, Smolen got the chance to even the score.
The cop spotted the elusive Reed driving the same van only four blocks away, on 14th Street near Erie Street, and pulled him over.
When Smolen placed Reed under arrest for warrants stemming from their first encounter, Reed admitted having marijuana in his van — and a search turned up 16.5 pounds of the leafy stuff, the sources said.
He was charged with obstructing government function, hindering apprehension, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

http://nypost.com/2015/05/26/driver-caught-with-17lbs-of-pot-pressed-his-luck-with-cops/

Driver caught with 17 pounds of pot pressed his luck with cops
By Philip Messing
New York Post
May 26, 2015 | 4:29am

NY Gentleman Arrested With Huge Stash In His Baggage At Airport

Photo: Handout

Kelvin Smith, Suspect

[From article]
A career Bronx drug criminal on his way to the Caribbean made a rookie mistake when he packed enough drugs in his checked luggage to get the whole plane high, sources told The Post on Sunday.
[. . .]
Authorities found 18 pounds of pot after an alert went off moments before the flight left La Guardia Airport, notifying them to take a closer look at his luggage. His second bag, which had already cleared the scan, had 2.8 ounces of crack and three ounces of psychedelic mushrooms, the sources said.
Smith admitted to transporting the marijuana, but insisted he didn’t have anything else. “It’s only marijuana.”

http://nypost.com/2015/04/27/man-busted-with-18-pounds-of-pot-crack-and-mushrooms-at-airport/

Man busted with 18 pounds of pot, crack and mushrooms at airport
By Philip Messing
New York Post
April 27, 2015 | 4:18am

California Marijuana Industry, Grows More Than Mexico, Depleting Water During Drought

[From article]
a San Francisco-based author with a PhD in Nutritional Ethnomedicine floated an interesting theory regarding those water shortages earlier this week. Speaking on the radio, he suggested that California’s huge crop of marijuana plants is “depleting the water table,” and is partially responsible for the massive shortfalls in water that the state is now facing.
It may sound outlandish, but it turns out that there may be something to the good doctor’s theory.
As anyone who has ever had the misfortune to visit, say, Santa Cruz can attest, there’s a lot of marijuana in California. (This despite the fact that it’s only legal for medicinal use in the state.) Indeed, by some estimates, California now produces more marijuana than Mexico.
[. . .]
Meanwhile, one outdoor marijuana plant requires approximately six gallons of water per day during its roughly 150-day growing season. That means that, over California’s four-year drought, outdoor marijuana plants -- based on the six-gallon a day estimate, and the 2006 figure -- have used roughly 63 billion gallons of California water. (Indoor growing is also rough on the environment; roughly 9 percent of household electricity use in the state is used for marijuana cultivation, reports Evan Mills of the Lawrence Berkeley National Library.)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/marijuana-plants-soak-billions-gallons-water-california_913101.html

Marijuana Plants Soak Up Billions of Gallons of Water in California
High times are dry times.
7:01 AM, APR 9, 2015 • BY ETHAN EPSTEIN

Youth Must Be Taught About Strong Marijuana; Colorado's Legalization

Michael Ellis (above), a Tory member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the 'study illustrates that those in government and the police must be careful to send out the right message' about cannabis.

This almost two-hour video shows some of the effects of legalizing marijuana in Colorado. A lawyer whose firm focuses solely on marijuana issues, a mother who started an organization to inform the public, a former drug addict turned rehab counselor, and a Democratic Washington DC lobbyist speak on the issues. The distinction is made between, decriminalization, legalization, and commercialization. The latter is what creates problems, especially with edibles. One observation is that the rush to legalize marijuana brought unintended consequences like the new health care law rushed into law by the Democratic Party without reading it. 
http://www.c-span.org/video/?323692-1/colorado-marijuana-law-anniversary

JANUARY 22, 2015
Colorado Marijuana Law Anniversary
Panelists talked about the local, state, and national impact of decriminalizing recreational marijuana, and gave advice to other states passing similar laws. In January 2014, the first retail marijuana stores opened in Colorado following the passage of legislation making Colorado the first state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana use.

* * *

[From article]
As many as a quarter of new cases of psychotic mental illness can be blamed on super-strength strains of cannabis, scientists will warn this week.
The potent form of the drug – known as ‘skunk’ – is so powerful that users are three times more likely to have a psychotic episode than those who have never tried it.
The study, leaked to The Mail on Sunday, will reignite debate around Britain’s drug laws – and will add weight to calls for a tougher stance towards those caught dealing or in possession of cannabis.
According to Crime Survey figures for England and Wales, more than a million youngsters aged 16 to 24 smoke cannabis.
Regular users are most at risk of a psychotic episode, prompting experts to warn that youngsters need to be aware of the dangers of skunk, which has been cultivated to be four times as strong as cannabis smoked by previous generations.
The researchers, led by a team at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, conclude there is an ‘urgent need… to inform young people about the risks of high-potency cannabis’, despite a worldwide trend towards relaxing drug laws.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2955020/Strong-cannabis-causes-one-four-cases-psychosis-Users-three-times-likely-episode-never-tried-it.html

Strong cannabis causes one in four cases of psychosis: Users three times more likely to have an episode than those who have never tried it
Scientists at King’s College London say youngsters must be told of risks
Study will add weight to calls for a tougher stance on cannabis users
More than 1 million 16-24-year-olds in England and Wales smoke the drug
Those who use weaker 'hash' over potent 'skunk' less affected by episodes
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 19:27 EST, 15 February 2015 | UPDATED: 04:17 EST, 16 February 2015

Uruguayan President States Marijuana Will Be Common Worldwide Within 30 Years

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica
[From article]
Legal marijuana will become common around the world within the next 30 years, putting drug traffickers out of business, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said Thursday.
Drug trafficking “has become a market dominated by monopolies controlled by those willing to do anything,” Mujica said in a radio interview. “That’s why we need to confront them with the laws of the market, stealing the market away from them and leaving them with no business.”

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2370735&CategoryId=23620


Uruguay’s President Predicts Global Mass Market in Legal Pot
Caracas,
Friday January 23,2015

Colorado Governor Regrets Legalizing Marijuana

[From article]
Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana was a bad idea, the state’s governor said Friday.
Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who opposed the 2012 decision by voters to make pot legal, said the state still doesn’t fully know what the unintended consequences of the move will be.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/230511-colorado-governor-legalizing-pot-was-bad-idea

Governor: Legalizing pot was bad idea
01/23/15 09:42 AM EST
By Kevin Cirilli

Massachusetts Lady Busted With Ton Of Marijuana

[From article]
A 37-year-old Randolph woman was released on $100,000 surety yesterday after she pleaded not guilty in federal court to drug possession and distribution charges in connection with the seizure of a ton of marijuana.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Collings ordered Andrean Jaggon to report weekly to probation, appear at all her court dates, stay away from witnesses in the case and remain drug-free while she is on bail. If she skips bail, the judge warned her that she or her brother — who also signed the surety — would be held liable for the $100,000.
Jaggon and Michael Gordon, 45, and Dagoberto Oleo, 43, of Mendocino County, Calif., were charged with running a “transcontinental” marijuana distribution operation. Gordon and Jaggon were arrested Thursday after federal agents raided a home on Garden Street.
Prosecutors said that the drugs were delivered to the home in Randolph and were distributed around Boston in an operation that “produced millions of dollars 
in profits.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/11/randolph_woman_pleads_not_guilty_in_1_ton_pot_case

Randolph woman pleads not guilty in 1-ton pot case
Saturday, November 8, 2014
By: O’Ryan Johnson

Twenty Year Study Shows Marijuana Is Not Harmless

[From article]
A definitive 20-year study into the effects of long-term cannabis use has demolished the argument that the drug is safe.
Cannabis is highly addictive, causes mental health problems and opens the door to hard drugs, the study found.
The paper by Professor Wayne Hall, a drugs advisor to the World Health Organisation, builds a compelling case against those who deny the devastation cannabis wreaks on the brain.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

The terrible truth about cannabis: Expert's devastating 20-year study finally demolishes claims that smoking pot is harmless
One in six teenagers who regularly smoke the drug become dependent
It doubles risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia
Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development
Driving after smoking cannabis doubles risk of having a car crash
Study's author said: 'If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin'
By BEN SPENCER, SCIENCE REPORTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 18:02 EST, 6 October 2014 | UPDATED: 02:08 EST, 7 October 2014