Governor Rick Scott has been so anxious to have everybody in the world drug tested, whether it’s welfare recipients, unemployment recipients, or state workers.
Court rejects Scott’s plan for broad drug testing of state workers
TAMPA — In a second major blow to a drug-testing initiative by Gov. Rick Scott at the outset of his administration, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a court ruling invalidating his attempt to subject state employees to random drug tests.
The Scott administration already was appealing a December decision by a federal district judge that invalidated a drug testing requirement for applicants for welfare benefits.
Hmmm… Supreme Court not willing to dismantle the remnants of the Fourth Amendment just yet?
I wonder when the Supremes will get the message that the public
doesn’t want the drug war anymore? I’d love to see the court start to heal some of the damage of decades of drug war exceptions to the Bill of Rights.
I took a few flesh wounds in the drug war but since I knew the enemy well,I managed to collect a couple o pounds of flesh. What side am I on?
Which side do you want to be on, Russell?
Plato’s.
Rick Scott, upon learning of the Court’s ruling: “This decision is an outrage that could only be the product of a drug-addled mind. I demand that the justices responsible for this atrocity immediately provide samples of their urine, blood, saliva, hair, sweat, fecal matter, and–as applicable–semen and vaginal secretions for testing. I will personally observe the collection of these specimens to ensure that they are not in any way contaminated or falsified. The good people of Florida deserve nothing less.”
Francis…
Rick “the Tick” Scott is an ass. He’s had his day, all downhill for him from here on.
*innocently* What? I was just quoting the guy. 😉
BTW, Rick “the Tick” Scott is the perfect name for this particular prohibitionist parasite.
yeah… when was the last time you were “innocently” anything?
This couch is one of the few places I go that makes me literally laugh out loud sometimes. That one or another of us at times offer true profundities is a bonus.
Now if Duncan can just grasp the concept of humor. And I mean that in the kindest medical sense…
OT…
this is a story that needs to be spread, so folks, if you will…
Five Medical Marijuana Patients from Washington State Proceed to Trial in Federal Court
OT but related (because federal courts).
http://goo.gl/9fE5yg
I was under the impression that the fed gov does NOT raid or prosecute people who are growing fewer than 100 plants. I’m certain I saw an article which included a screenshot of the guidelines for this, these people who are all medical patients (allowed 15 plants each by WA State law) should have fallen way below that guideline amount with only 44 plants. Methinks this US Attorney (Michael Ormsby) needs to be removed from his position for malicious prosecution of this family based on his personal bias against marijuana; and I have said so to the three democrat females who are the congressional delegation for my district.
Added in edit, guess I should have read through the comments before posting, allan beat me to it. Oh well, c’est la vie.
redundancy in what we do is a good thing Windy, esp. on stories like that.
i havent seen much discussion re scotts profitting through his readycare/urinanalysis network in florida. Profitting through his own legislation is unethical and ought to be illegal.
Good old Rick Scott;
From the article;
In a press statement, Scott contended that “the merits of this case are still being deliberated†in a lower court, “and we will continue to fight to make sure all state employees, who are paid by taxpayer funds, can work in a safe, drug-free workplace.â€
—————
Yet (from Wikepedia);
“He resigned as Chief Executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997 amid a controversy over the company’s business and Medicare billing practices; the company ultimately admitted to fourteen felonies and agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million, which was the largest fraud settlement in US history; Scott however was not implicated and no charges were raised against him personally. Scott later became a venture capitalist.”
—————-
Hubris redefined. Hmm, I wonder where he got the seed money to become a venture capitalist….?
.
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I’ve read a lot of posts written by people who find it annoying that there are local yokels in Washington and Colorado who want to “opt out” of those States’ respective cannabis law reform, but still want a cut of the tax loot. Many of them say that those greedy Herberts must have balls the size of oranges to even propose such a plan. This one is from the “then these Herberts must have balls the size of cantaloupes and brains the size of peas!” category:
Always and ever, the real motivation:
“Hayward said political leaders in Lincoln don’t appear to want to get involved.
“I don’t know what it will take to get someone to stand up and do something to try to get some of our money back,†he said.
Uh, no, Chief, it’s not your money, it’s the taxpayer’s money. Forgot about that, didn’t you? A bad habit the police keep engaging in.
And if they keep forgetting that little fact, then maybe they don’t need so much of said taxpayer’s hard earned money.
Given that most people under the age of 35 want cannabis legal again, and they will be paying the tax bills their parents and grandparents can’t through age, infirmity and death, if the prohibs keep getting in the way of reform, the prohibs can expect to see some legislation in a few years suggesting cutting bloated police department budgets. Then they’ll have real reason to scream./
They should STFU and enjoy their ill-gotten gains while they can. But if they keep calling attention to themselves, they’ll have REAL reason to cry the blues.
was watching a program last night on Benazir Bhutto and a scene really caught my eye, when they released the political prisoners… the expressions of those being freed was… inspirational.
Also noted her calling the US’ arming of foreign mujahadeen (Bin Laden, Al qaeda, etc) in Afghanistan “America’s Frankenstein”…
Oh, I can see a Byrne grant being cooked up as we speak…and winging it’s way to Nebraska.
OT, I suppose this was bound to happen;
Purple Kush recall?
http://tinyurl.com/lpfon7f
“Few details have been given, but the cannabis is not believed to be hazardous.
“It’s not a danger to those people using the product, but they are being asked to discontinue use,†said a spokesperson for Health Canada.”
[note to Health Canada: using a boomerang to guide your communication is almost as bad as consulting a Ouija board. Almost].
———
Likely some overly ridiculous protocol was not followed. Yet another reason why a home growing provision needs to be reinstated. Not just in Canada, but EVERYWHERE. Duh.
Another OT from me then it’s back to work;
Illinois Hydroponics Store’s Business Increases Following DEA Raid of Customer
http://tinyurl.com/k9ycg8w
“A women’s gardening club came in on Saturday because they read about Ms. Kirking,†Vota said. “They bought 47 bags of soil for their gardening club. They’d never been here before. I’m putting people to work, not taking them away from their families.â€
————
Thank you anonymous woman’s gardening club. Thanks very much.
I should add, that while the action of the woman’s gardening club mentioned above nudges the needle on the thud-o-meter just a tad, it’s a thud of merit nonetheless. Bravo.
Here’s a thud, though not the kind you were looking for:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_ANONYMOUS_TIPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Justice Clarence Thomas said the tip phoned in to 911 that a Ford pickup truck had run the caller off the road was sufficiently reliable to allow for the traffic stop without violating the driver’s constitutional rights.
Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the dissent in which he called Thomas’ opinion “a freedom-destroying cocktail.”
OMFG! Scalia said that? Are you sure that isn’t spillover from some alternate universe? Mr. Orgy’s record on individual liberties has been execrable, to say the least. For him to take Thomas to task with regards to freedoms lost is the height of hypocrisy…if not outright lunacy.
OT : I thought Mother Jones was more 420 savvy than this crap.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/marijuana-pot-weed-statistics-climate-change
They say ” An indoor module accommodating 4 plants sucks as much electricity as 29 refrigerators.”
So my 600 watt HPS is an energy hog? It does nudge up my hydro bill a bit but 29 frigs ?
I think I can smell a Sabet…sniff,sniff.
NT, the first thing Mother Jones should mention is the efficiency of the US power grid. Designed over a century ago, it delivers only about 35% of the power generated — meaning of course, 65% is lost before reaching final destinations.
Another thing to consider is, believe it or not, in due time your HPS lighting system will become antiquated (probably much sooner than later, or already is?). While advances in LED technology have been promising, its likely OLED (organic light emitting diodes) will take the efficiency mantle once manufacturing reliability and yield are improved. Picture buying OLED “paint” that you coat the walls of your grow room with. A small connector imbedded in the wall connects and powers the “paint”. A controller (or phone app) allows you to precisely dial in the appropriate light wave length according to grow cycle. All at a fraction of the operating cost of HPS and much more long lasting. But that’s just one scenario. It’s possible another technology will come along and render OLED obsolete before it gets off the ground.
While I don’t grow or currently consume cannabis because of job drug testing requirements, I look froward to the day when the Mother Jones article you reference is yellowed and long ago recycled. And I grow my own and my electric bill barely even registers it, if at all.
Yes Howard the HPS system is rather dated and not even as efficient as the tube bulbs (T5 )that are gaining in popularity in this area so I was just making the point that 29 refrigerators would still use a lot more so the writer is full of shit.
I thought Mother Jones mag was better than printing typical prohib articles saying every day cannabis users are at direct for doing destructive operations in conservation areas where that damage is a direct result of cannabis prohibition.
Legalise it and those “dirty” grows will disappear.
NT, I agree. The article is too focused on power consumption and the “less-than-green” aspect of home growing. Their refrigerator example is ridiculous. But a little more research by the author could have shown that there are alternatives and newer, more efficient ones on the horizon. Definitely a disappointment from Mother Jones. But they can be too narrowly focused sometimes.
Now if they really wanted to get to the “green” aspect, how much of a footprint do the offices of DEA, ONDCP and NIDA occupy? How many running refrigerators does their power consumption equal? Not too mention the truly less-than-green wall the DEA has maintained for decades disallowing industrial hemp to be cultivated in the US. But that would take more journalistic digging than the author of the Mother Jones article cared to delve into. Pity.
Yes I think Mother just wanted an interesting read.
And discussing cops environmental aspect.
About twenty years ago a swarm of RCMP cops,vehicles and one helicopter spent from 9am till late afternoon pulling plants out of cornfields for a four kilometer stretch involving five different landowners near my home.
My brother in law was working on a construction site at the far end and the cops were plucking plants nearby at 4 pm. Him and his worker buddys were laughing at the cops carrying the dangerous prey.
The copter was hovering and throwing down flagged markers at every plant in the corn.
What was the fiscal and environmental cost of this effort?
The cops were never able to press charges against anybody. LOL
not to mention the damage caused by dea spray ops in rain forests and other environmentally sensitive areas
.
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How big are the refrigerators? Are they Energy Stars? Were these refrigerators running in Death Valley or did they cause some poor aboriginal to get nagged by his wife for being a naughty Eskimo?
The word “refrigerator” is not a standardized unit of measure you know.
Tip of the pin to Darrell Huff for writing “How to Lie with Statistics” in 1954.
If I’m not mistaken (and I’m fairly sure I’m not – or I wouldn’t be typing), The device, appliance or ‘tech’ in the average home, that consumes the most electricity is actually the Cable-Receiver/DVR box…
And, about a year or so ago my cable company offered 4 per household for $20 a month. They got a deal because the cut-off date for support/warranty of this particular model/generation of the devices produced by manufacturer – would nearly coincide with the sale date.
That’s important because they’re really just specialized PC’s running firmware that is a sightly odd version of Linux – and it would look really bad to be selling them after that date. So = they sold them *just in time* to be used within the “warranty period” more or less.
Which turned out great for me – we had 3 cable boxes with no DVR at all for ~$7 or 8 each… Now, we’ve got 4 and I can use the DVR hard-drive space from both the one in the office & the one in my bedroom. And as I’d expected – they got close to full pretty fast they came with 160 GB of storage – though some version came w/ 320 GB.
Which is a tiny hard drive compared to what you can get cheap = even a couple years ago – But its kinda understandable they were practically giving these away, and they don’t want you to DVR “too much” of what you watch = or their ‘Ratings Systems’ would become that much more obsolete.
*The More You Know*
Once cannabis is legal all over north America, the distribution will inevitably move toward a system of complete control and lowest initial cost. The result will be imported cannabis grown in other countries, imported through bonded warehouses to regulated wholesalers and thence to retailers. Offshore pot costs less to produce than domestic. Once offshore is as good as domestic, it will be imported to compete with domestic and drive it out of production by lowering the prices and profits. Taxes are based on a percentage of the value, so as the prices drop so will the taxes, but in the final analysis, that will lead to undercutting the black market. As prices drop and police pressure is maintained, fewer illegal sellers will be around, and many growers will stop growing and just buy their pot, because it’s easier and quality is consistent. Once the black market and most indoor growers are gone, it will be simple to raise the prices somewhat to increase profits and taxes. If the price rises too much the black market will grow in size. That will keep the price increases and the taxes in line.
don’t remember where I saw it but supposedly Mex kilo brick weed prices are falling… like back to the $10 lid days. I’d buy a $10 bag just to clean seeds outta m’weed again!
Al Jazeera’s Marijuana Wars-Part2, section “Impact on Farmers” speaks to the reduced amount farmers can get for “the good stuff” marijuana has been reduced by half, from 1000 pesos ($75) to 500 pesos per kilo because of medical marijuana and legalization.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2014/03/marijuana-wars-part-two-2014348714913842.html
allan,,my last oz of brick had about 5 seeds and 2 of those were crushed.
They are reducing their male plants and if all those green houses reported in MEX starting in 2012 were seed factories they should be producing high end pot this harvest,,it won’t be shipped in bricks anymore.
“As prices drop and police pressure is maintained, fewer illegal sellers will be around, and many growers will stop growing and just buy their pot, because it’s easier and quality is consistent.”
Yes, many growers will stop growing their own, but never underestimate the crazed enthusiast (of which I am one ;)). A lot of people have access to things that are easier and cheaper to procure but they love “making their own” anyway. Home vegetable gardeners can get excellent produce at farmer’s markets but grow their own for the fun of it. Home brewers can get very good consistent quality beer at the grocery store or local brewpub/brewery but still like brewing their own (and the home brewery segment is actually growing). Even once cannabis is legal in the US, there will be US based connoisseur cannabis breeders offering their wares to people who grow at home and don’t want offshore grown cannabis in spite of its lower price. Also, it’s very likely that over time large scale US or foreign grown “consistent” cannabis will become boring and homogenous in the same way many mass produced products often become. And definitely don’t forget government based “quality and potency” control standards (yikes). Again, yes, the home grower segment will shrink, but it will remain a viable and robust segment all the same. I’m looking forward to it.
I think growing is addictive,,after just a few years of it I would go into Jone’sing if there weren’t plants for me to check on every time I go to the bathroom.
Clay, What the hell is going on in our state?;
http://tinyurl.com/me9zfum
Now, let’s factor in that Progress Texas is liberal as the article suggests. And then lets factor in the +3/-3 error rate of most polls. No, lets factor in +20/-20 based on Progress Texas being a “librul” organization. What do we have, Mr. Gooding? Well?
[Hint: it’s WAY better than the tone of my comment suggests]
We have a Democratic candidate for governor having a picnic with Willie Nelson and the Repubs are freaking out cause all they have is a gun crazy homophobic ex-rocker,,the red in TX is starting to darken.
Down the walls come. Good. We need the brick and mortar to rebuild after this mess that’s involved generations.
Personally, I err on the side of potential progress. If doing the same thing over and over expecting different results equals insanity, then how havent most politicians been committed?
Don’t worry, I’ll be doing bits here all week, guys.
Rick Scott’s next dilemma;
Cannabis Derived CBD Used To Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
http://tinyurl.com/m2cf95y
Florida’s gubernatorial election is November 4, 2014. Floridians also vote on whether or not to allow medical marijuana in the state. The polls have shown upwards of 80% approval for the measure. Rick Scott and fellow toady State’s Attorney Pam Bondi are opposed to medical marijuana. The reason I reference the link above is because Florida is home to a lot of elderly people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. For most of them it’s too late for cannabis based treatments. But for their boomer aged children it’s not. The focus on CBD based medical marijuana has been on children with intractable forms of epilepsy. This is going to change. And THC will not be left out of the discussion either (it is also a potent anti-inflammatory — and fun to boot;)). Many caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s are often children who fear they might be headed for the same fate as their parents. Tell them they can greatly reduce (or possibly eliminate) the likelihood of coming down with the same disease by consuming cannabis and, well, you don’t want to be standing between them and the lowly plant.
Rick and Pam, even if you stand your ground, you will be trampled. Bet on it.
[By the way, there are better articles regarding the efficacy of using cannabis and reducing inflammation that increasingly appears to be linked to Alzheimer’s. The link I included popped up in my Google alert today so I included it.]
This is great (AND hilarious);
http://tinyurl.com/kygle9h
THUD! (with an added KABOOM!)
I’m beginning to think that even the media arm of prohibition is beginning to tire. I know in my home state of Massachusetts, we are seeing increased coverage of the medical marijuana issue.
Mostly, they’re just coming up with zoning. No doomsday scenarios here. Put it somewhere and tax it please!
I said way back in the late ’90’s when I started doing commentary that every time a reformer made an offer to debate a prohib and the prohib wouldn’t show, the reformer should have had an empty chair on the stage to represent the cowardly prohib and gone ahead with their presentation, anyway.
Enough of that and the other side would have been shamed into making a showing…and received the drubbing they could expect and so richly deserve.
Don’t believe the damning hype about marijuana
http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/debate-forum-0415/
I was back reading that little speech by Asst Sec Brownfield in Austin and – I don’t know how I missed it – but this bit just blew my mind:
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest to you that it is a little bit early, perhaps a century or two, perhaps a millennium or so, to declare success on this particular issue?”
Wow. Talk about twisted visions of our future…
http://politi.co/1idJhyp
Speaking of governors, here’s some more nonsense from Christie about Colorado’s pot tourism.
According to this brain scan study I just found, over-eating leads to brain abnormalities: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v37/n2/full/ijo201213a.html
N.J. Weedman, marijuana legalization activists protest outside Statehouse in Trenton (photos)
Colorado policymakers fire back at Gov. Christie over pot comments
Colorado lawmakers move to tighten laws governing the sale of marijuana-infused edibles, an issue that has gained attention following two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of cannabis products, the measures’ main sponsor said on Tuesday.
Mountain High Suckers.jpg
College Student Ate 6 Times Recommended Amount Of Pot Cookie Before Jumping To Death
6 times recommended dosage. Still died from gravity, not Ganja. Still prohibition causing any problems and harm., not edibles. Inconsistant doses, self regulating market. still federally black market leaving it up to states to test samples the same as the USDA for orange juice.
Police: Man Ate Pot Candy Before Fatally Shooting Wife
A Denver man accused of killing his wife while she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher ate marijuana-infused candy before the attack.
Researching casual marijuana use causes brain abnormalities.
Which is strange since The Denver Post and The Cannabinist ran independent testing of a wide variety of commercial edibles and found that the actual THC concentrations were usually very different from what was advertised on the packaging. Most of the time, the investigation found that folks in Colorado are getting far less THC then they paid for. Sometimes, though, they’re getting considerably more, and both outcomes have their downsides.”
All the cop gossip does is perpetuate hurting people…
‘Involuntary Intoxication’ Could Set Man Accused Of Shooting Wife Free
Drug usage will play a big role in the defense of a man accused of killing his wife. If a jury finds Kirk not guilty by involuntary intoxication, he will go free. Kirk’s sister told CBS4 she thinks his use of pain killers and marijuana pushed him over the edge.
‘After Two Puffs, I Was Turned Into a Bat’
Anslinger swept all before him for decades, to the extent that his success began to pose its own problems. Admitting to marijuana use became a popular way of avoiding conscription, and murderers cited the brainwashing powers of “an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality and death” to plead diminished responsibility for their crimes. Their claims were frequently supported by an expert witness, the pharmacologist Dr James Munch, who claimed that “after two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat”. Sentences were commuted from death to imprisonment on Munch’s evidence, and Anslinger had to ask him to stop testifying.
We have our own modern versions of Munch and Anslinger
Hemp Flag To Be Flown At Capitol On July 4 last year
9 Reasons Why Sanjay Gupta Changed His Mind About Marijuana
1. Calvina Fay
Ex-Soldiers Are Being Given MDMA to Help Them Forget About War
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Marijuana
(Cannabis sativa) – Dosing
(Cannabis sativa) – Evidence
Child accidentally shoots brother —
and the media blames #marijuana:
Have another slice of 2 for 1 pizza Mr Christie.
It’s good for you.