Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 12:42 pm | By: Radical Russ
Just looking at some of the podcast statistics when I noticed this:
Quarterly downloads map for the podcast
It is no surprise that 80% of the downloads for the Daily Audio Stash podcast come from the US. What’s fascinating to me is that the 2nd place country isn’t Canada or Great Britain, but New Zealand! A full 8% of all Stash downloads!
Hey Kiwis, we love ya here in the States. Can we call you “kiwis”? You can call us “yanks”, if you like. I am definitely going to have to visit someday.
Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 11:59 am | By: Radical Russ
(Wairarapa Times-Age) Marijuana activist Phil Saxby passed through Wairarapa yesterday on a tour to drum up support for reform advocacy group Norml New Zealand.
Mr Saxby is president and spokesman of Norml – the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and he said Wairarapa has had a “strong branch here”.
The push to increase support for Norml comes as the New Zealand Law Commission undertakes a comprehensive review of New Zealand drug laws, and Mr Saxby wants Norml to be a consulting party in that review.
He said he was disappointed in the lack of Parliamentary support last week for a bill allowing medicinal cannabis use, particularly the fact that no National Party voters supported the conscience vote.
Mr Saxby said the health vote would have been a step towards achieving Norml’s aims.
He says the key to successfully dealing with cannabis is “treating it as a health issue rather than putting people in jail”.
Check out www.norml.org.nz for more information on cannabis law reform in the Southern Hemisphere. While NORML is primarily about United States marijuana law reform, we are proud to help other countries apply the successful NORML principles and advocacy worldwide. If you are reading or listening from a foreign country and you want to join with us in ending adult marijuana prohibition, just send me an email at stash@norml.org.
Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
A cannabis smoking club is operating right under the nose of police in Auckland.
The Daktory has more than 1,000 members who openly flout the law.
Most people fly to Amsterdam to smoke dope so freely, but just two minutes from a West Auckland police station, members of the cannabis club The Daktory smoke dope every weekend.
“By definition cannabis is an illegal substance and yes we break the law. Every day, every day that I smoke a joint I break the law, sorry,” says Dakta Green, Daktory club founder,
The club is complete with a shop, smoking gear and creature comforts for some 1500 members who go there to smoke cannabis.
“Here we celebrate the cannabis culture. It’s an alcohol free zone, a drug free zone. Here we celebrate cannabis, anything at all to do with cannabis. We’ll talk about it, celebrate it, consume it, says Green.
Here in America, DEA would use forfeiture laws to seize that entire building and all the inventory within. That’s thanks to some legislation known as the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act. This Act was the re-introduction of the controversial RAVE Act, written by then Senator Joe Biden and cosponsored by many, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton [D-NY,] Senator Jon Corzine [D-NJ], Senator Mark Dayton [D-MN], Senator Richard Durbin [D-IL], Senator Edward Kennedy [D-MA], Senator Patrick Leahy [D-VT], Senator Patty Murray [D-WA], Senator Jack Reed [D-RI], Senator Charles Schumer [D-NY]. These Democrats failed to get the bill passed as a stand-alone RAVE Act, so the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act was repackaged as an amendment to the popular Amber Alert legislation, and passed without any public comment or debate.
Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 5:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
(CNN) — A policeman was killed Friday during a day-long siege with a gunman at a house in the town of Napier, in New Zealand’s north island.
The body of Senior Constable Len Snee was recovered from the driveway of the house, where a 51-year-old gunman had been embroiled in a standoff with police since Thursday morning, New Zealand police said in a statement.
Two other police officers and a civilian were wounded in the confrontation, and are in critical condition in a hospital, police said. Authorities did not say what had prompted the incident.
CNN affiliate TVNZ identified the man as Jan Molenaar and said police had arrived at his house Thursday morning in Napier, about 200 miles southeast of Auckland, for a “standard cannabis raid.”
Fortunately, Constable Snee did not die in vain, because after the arrest of Molenaar, all marijuana farming has now ceased to exist in New Zealand.
Does anybody think any good has come from this “standard cannabis raid”? What terrible harm had befallen the town of Napier that justified the death of a policeman and the wounding of two more and a civilian? Is stopping a 51-year-old man from gardening in his home and getting high worth it? Police should never be forced into this situation and citizens should never be forced to defend their home against police.
Changing attitudes to cigarette smoking are being linked to a reduction in the number of teenagers smoking cannabis, drug experts say.
An Auckland University student health and wellbeing survey released this week found a considerable drop in the rates of cigarette and cannabis use, which the Drug Foundation believed is linked to anti-smoking campaigns.
Director Ross Bell said the significant drop in cannabis use – from 39 per cent of secondary school students in 2001 to 27 per cent last year – was a good shift as the drug affected adolescent brain development.
He believed New Zealand’s long-running anti-smoking campaign, focusing on how smoking damages the lungs, had influenced teens’ perception of all forms of smoking.
“Young people are transferring the view that smoking is bad for you to anything they smoke, whether it’s pot or tobacco.”
See what happens when you gove young people realistic and truthful information about drugs? Tobacco smoking in America is down to below 20% of our population for the first time since they began measuring those rates. Tobacco smoking is down in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe as well.
Now it is perfectly natural for cannabis smoking rates to also decline. Smoking – anything – is a health risk. We know that smoking cannabis is far less harmful than smoking tobacco, but inhaling any carbonized vegetable matter into your lungs is not what you’d call a healthy choice. I always encourage any adult cannabis consumer to use a vaporizer or edibles, though that’s one of those “do as I say, not as I do” encouragements, because I love the act of smoking a joint, pipe, or bong. There’s something about smoke that has a grounding effect, that makes me feel in touch with nature and earth.
The Health Select Committee has been confronted by supporters of a law change allowing cannabis to be used as a pain relief.
Reform supporter Billy McKee says users are often unemployed and ostracised by family members for using the drug.
Mr McKee says there are also problems for people having to grow it, when burglars break in.
He says he has had his home burgled 10 times, and his dog killed.
Another supporter Will de Cleene says tolerance of medicinal cannabis may well provide the message to young people, that it is a medicine, instead of the illusion of the blind rebellion it currently garners.
He says patients who are having to using cannabis medicinally at the moment are doing themselves harm, because of the health risks associated with buying the drug on the black market.
Remember that New Zealand is country second only to the US in marijuana use, according to a recent WHO study.
It found that 373,310 people used cannabis, but only 17 per cent of these were frequent users.
There were 38,390 cocaine users, of which 88 per cent were frequent users.
Nearly 23,000 people used crystal methamphetamine (36 per cent of them often) and 81,890 took Ecstasy (24 per cent often).
So 83% of New Zealanders who use cannabis use it infrequently and responsibly, and the 63,462 who use cannabis often are almost as numerous as those who use coke, meth, and X (61,717). Plus, we can’t say how many of the frequent users use more than one drug.
Male cannabis users took about 8 per cent more sick days than the average male worker and opioid users took 40 per cent more days.
I’m curious about how many more sick days were taken by alcohol users? No matter – I can’t speak for New Zealand, but in America, the average number of paid sick leave days for first year employees is eight. So if cannabis smokers took 8% more, that works out to an extra five hours off for sick leave.
But I also doubt the reality of those numbers. How do male cannabis users track across the various fields of endeavor? For example, you’re going to find more cannabis smokers working in a restaurant than in a boardroom. Drug testing restricts the fields where cannabis smokers can work. Are there more overall sick days taken in those fields than others?
While stimulants contributed 41 per cent of the total costs, figures showed that in 2006, police and Customs seized 33,480kg of cannabis compared with only 155kg of stimulants.
And police dealing with drug offences spent 55.8 per cent of their time addressing cannabis, against 43 per cent of their hours dealing with stimulant-related issues.
Sounds like a lot of time and effort spent by the New Zealand authorities to fight cannabis, a relatively-safe, socially-benign drug that 83% of users are using infrequently, to the detriment of fighting meth, a very dangerous, socially-devastating drug that 36% of users are abusing. Kinda like here, huh?
Unfortunately he didn’t get a chance to discover whether the attendant would accept his offer, as the person behind him in the queue was a police officer, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.
The man’s attempt to buy two packets of M&Ms and a packet of potato chips to satisfy his “munchies” was caught short when he was arrested.
He must have been hungry, as he failed to notice the police patrol car sitting on the station forecourt being filled with petrol, the paper reported.
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It’s Monday, May 19th, and it’s 4:20 somewhere in the world. I’m your host, “Radical” Russ Belville.
Don’t forget to your Congress at 202-224-3121, and tell your representative to support Barney Frank’s HR5843 bill that would legalize marijuana for personal use. Ending prohibition starts with you!
For our Political Activism day today, I’ve just got to tell you about my Sunday at the Waterfront in Portland, where me and 75,000 of my friends gathered to hear Senator Barack Obama. Check out the pictures, map, and video on my personal blog at RadicalRuss.com. It’s exhilarating to feel so many people gathered for political change and awareness, and it’s my goal to bring that wave of change toward ending adult marijuana prohibition. It’s time for a change and it starts with you.
Today we start our Political Activism day halfway around the world to New Zealand, where we spoke with New Zealand NORML’s Chris Fowlie about their Global Marijuana March, or as they call it, “J-Day”.
For our musical break on Blues Monday we’ve got Julian Fauth, a contemporary bluesman from Toronto, Canada. Cannabis Karri picked out “Roll on In” – is it a tribute to great joint rollers? Stay tuned and find out. (If it is, it ain’t about me. I’m a lousy joint roller.)
To conclude our Stash we welcome back new NORML Dad, Deputy Director Paul Armentano. Our international flavor continues as Paul breaks down research from Israel comparing the driving effects of mild doses of cannabis vs. alcohol on drivers.
We’ve also got another great NORML Pass the Stash contest. This time you could win the uncensored DVD of “Totally Baked”, written by Craig Shoemaker (a guest on the Stash). Bonus for you Stashers: it’s autographed by the Executive Producer, Brian Johnson, the lead singer of AC/DC! No joke, there are even three brand new Brian Johnson songs on the DVD. Listen for details later in the podcast on how you can win.
And remember, if you are a business or non-profit who’d like your message heard on the Daily Audio Stash or the NORML Weekly News, you can advertise with us. We have rates for every budget and a 10% discount for non-profits. Just send us an email at stash ‘at’ norml.org and we’ll have you on the air in no time.
So sit back and relax with a good friend and your favorite strain, it’s time for your NORML Daily Audio Stash.
MrSpof: There was a LAG in my computer, a LAG in my computer :metal kicks out the amp Awesome
SneakerPimp: that was a lag in my comp
SneakerPimp: like the new pic slash5 and adam
SneakerPimp: like the new pic slash5
RevRayGreen: that blows B-dog.......
bullbog: Hawkeyes you had a good run...this toke is for you.
Track Snack: Mornin Stashers! Tokin on the Mean Green Martian for breakfast.
MrSpof: Maybe Dr Mitch could comment on the efficacy of reasonable amount of weed like that consumed (smoked) quickly mitigating migraine effects. I know the lowering of blood pressure would be [...]
MrSpof: Had the onset of a migraine yesterday. Immediately took 8 , moist cool washcloth on eyes, heating pad on neck and upper back, turned off lights. Migraine gone in [...]
MrSpof: As you personal non-accredited doctor, I advise the rest of you to smoke/vape/eat heavily
slash5city: frickazee'd.... Mr. Spof, thank you very much
MrSpof: Risen and roasted How the hell are you?
RevRayGreen: always Fidget......always.
Adam: Maybe in WA, judges are starting to think about the true cost of a Drug charge...
Adam: Tim Lincecum, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants will pea to a paraphernalia charge/ Possession charges DROPPED
Adam: Add some cottage cheese to your pancake batter, replace the maple with a fruit syrup! f-ing killer, YES I was stoned...
Fidget Truittelli: Good morning from beautiful Arizona! I hope you all have a happy, fun day. Remember to 'pay-it' forward. Do something nice for someone.
BenJaMin: Go NORML!!!
BenJaMin: Russ Is Tha BEst! :smokin:
SneakerPimp: oh there it is thanx russ
SneakerPimp: so whats up with today stash?
RevRayGreen: Barney Frank Present When Partner Arrested for pot-- http://bit.ly/1XpM2R
"Truth In Trials Act" Reintroduced In Congress; Maine: Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure; Colorado: Breckenridge Voters Overwhelmingly Decide To End Pot Penalties. […]
Maine: Voters To Decide Next Week On Medical Marijuana Expansion Measure; Colorado: Breckenridge Voters To Decide Next Week On Eliminating Pot Penalties; California: Lawmakers Hold Historic Hearing On Marijuana Legalization; New Hampshire: Senate Fails To Override Medical Marijuana Veto. […]
Gallup: Majority Of West Coast Voters Back Marijuana Legalization; Pot Arrests Responsible For Majority Of Marijuana Treatment Referrals; DOJ To Federal Prosecutors: Do Not Focus Resources On Medical Marijuana. […]
Some of the nation’s top athletes discuss why today's pros are turning to cannabis — and away from alcohol and painkillers — off the field, and question why pro sports leagues are continuing to sanction those who do. Moderator: Steve Bloom, Author, Pot Culture; editor, celebstoner.com * Toby Grear, MMA fighter * Sean Neumann, Documentary Filmm […]
Cannabis Law Reform's Missing Link: Law Enforcement Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper; LEAP and NORML Advisory Board; Author of Breaking Rank Putting the Mexican Cartels Out of Business Mexican drug cartels now employ over 100,000 soldiers and are responsible for nearly ten thousand deaths per year. Their largest source of income is marijuana. […]
New Zealand loves the Daily Audio Stash
Just looking at some of the podcast statistics when I noticed this:
There was a LAG in my computer, a LAG in my computer :metal kicks out the amp 
Awesome 
and adam 
frickazee'd.... Mr. Spof, thank you very much
and roasted 
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sorry i just dont have faith in much of anything federally controlled fda and their approvalls have...
