Coast Guard seizes 800 pounds

Posted on May 31st, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CaribbeanThe Coast Guard discovered nearly 800 pounds of cannabis in a boat traveling from the Bahamas on May 30. The 20-foot US-flagged boat was stopped around midnight after authorities received reports of a suspicious vessel making its way west from Bimini. Inspectors found 47 bricks of cannabis with an estimated value of $725,000 on the boat. Two crew members were detained and turned over to Customs and Border Protection, along with the cannabis and the vessel. (ANH, May 31)

"Haute stoner cuisine" makes NY Times

Posted on May 30th, 2010 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , .

foodKim Severson, writing in the New York Times May 18 under the headline "Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture," quotes author and professional foodie Anthony Bourdain to the effect that chefs in the Big Apple's classiest eateries are regularly toking. "Everybody smokes dope after work," says Bourdain. "People you would never imagine." Severson argues that cannabis-induced cravings are even starting to influence the city's culinary trends:

Morocco: six tons incinerated

Posted on May 30th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

North AfricaMorocco's Royal Gendarmerie announced the seizure and incineration of 5.8 tons of "chira" or cannabis in the southeastern province of Errachidia this month. Last December, Moroccan authorities seized nearly 10 tons of cannabis in the same region and arrested six suspected members of an international trafficking network—three Malians, two Moroccans and one Algerian.

Amnesty International calls for Jamaica probe

Posted on May 29th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

CaribbeanAmnesty International has called for an investigation into the violence in Kingston this week, saying that Jamaican police had a "dire" human rights track record. With the official death toll at 73—including three members of the security forces—the manhunt for Christopher "Dudus" Coke has been suspended. Many Jamaicans believe the government wants Dudus "dead or alive." Authorities, however, insist he will be arrested and brought to justice. (BBC News, May 29)

Oaksterdam U. unionizes

Posted on May 27th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CaliforniaThe USA's premier cannabis education institution, Oakland's Oaksterdam University, boosted its legitimacy and ended a long-simmering internal issue May 27 with an announcement that the school is unionizing about 100 jobs. The Bay Area's UFCW Local 5 said that employees at Oaksterdam and five related enterprises have voted to join them, and separate elections are also being verified at cannabis hydroponics retailer iGrow and cultivation company AgraMed.

Obama to send National Guard to Mexican border

Posted on May 27th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

MexicoThe New York Times in a front-page story May 26 said that President Barack Obama will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border and seek increased spending on enforcement there to combat drug smuggling. The decision was disclosed after Obama met the previous day with Republican senators.

Jamaica: slaughter of the innocents?

Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , .

CaribbeanResidents of the besieged Kingston neighborhood of Tivoli Gardens accuse army troops of shooting indiscriminately and burning victims' bodies in their search for wanted drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke. Army commanders say the slain men were defending  barricades erected to prevent police from executing the arrest warrant. But residents say many of the victims were innocent bystanders.

Colombian beauty queen busted on drug charges

Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

Colombian beauty queen Angie Sanclemente Valencia, 31, was arrested in Argentina May 26 on charges of leading a drug trafficking ring. Argentine police had been looking for her for more than five months before they tracked her down in a youth hostel in Buenos Aires. She is accused of persuading young women to smuggle cocaine from Argentina to Europe via Mexico. She denies the charges.

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