The Grow Report - The Press Room

The ba5tards

MartialAnt — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:16:17 GMT

Cannabis factory found in raid at Lancashire house

Cannabis plants found in Poulton Police said the seizure would disrupt local supplies

Police have found 168 cannabis plants in a raid on a house in Lancashire.

Officers who searched the house in Blackpool Old Road, Poulton, on Tuesday found a cannabis factory spanning three rooms, with growing equipment.

No-one was in the house at the time but an investigation is under way to find those responsible.

Insp Nigel Greenwood described it as "an extensive set up" and said the seizure would cause disruption to the local supply chain.

He said: "Drugs and drug dealing blight our local communities and we are dedicated to tackling this problem, along with the associated crime that can occur as result of drug abuse.

"I would urge anyone with information about drugs to contact officers so that we can take positive action."

8 September 2010 Last updated at 12:06
Cannabis factory found in raid at Lancashire house

Study debunking the myth : Cannabis causes psychosis ?

drdank — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:17:39 GMT

Good read debunking the "Cannabis causes Psychosis" Myth...

http://www.shroomery.org/forums/show...umber/13159764

-------excerpt-----

In an interview at the meeting, he noted, "Millions of people are using cannabis, and out of these millions very few become psychotic because psychosis disorder is so rare. In the EDSP study the odds ratio rose to 2.8 (with use 3 or more times per week), but here is what that means: among the 3000 subjects, 2000 used cannabis and we saw 2 cases of psychosis initially, which rose to 6 cases with cannabis use.

enjoy,

DrDank

Canadian Medical Association back's Insite operations!

Hudsonrulez — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:31:26 GMT

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/201...site-cmaj.html

CMA Journal article backs drug injection site
Federal government accused of ignoring addicts by opposing Vancouver site
Last Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010 | 5:10 PM ET Comments166Recommend42
CBC News

An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal slams the federal government for its efforts to shut down Insite in downtown Vancouver, Canada's only safe injection site for drug addicts.

Injection booths at Insite in Vancouver. Insite is the first legal supervised injection site in North America and is located in Vancouver's east side. Injection booths at Insite in Vancouver. Insite is the first legal supervised injection site in North America and is located in Vancouver's east side. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)A co-author of the paper has told CBC News he believes the federal government should stand aside, allow the centre to operate, and abandon an appeal to the Supreme Court

"We've concluded after reviewing the evidence that Insite is doing what it's supposed to be doing, and furthermore that we're very concerned that the federal government has misled on the science," said Dr. Michael Rachlis, a professor of health policy at the University of Toronto.

Insite was established in 2003, when there was a Liberal government in Ottawa, but has been fighting for its survival since the Conservatives came to power in 2006.

'We're calling on the federal government to drop the current action they have in the Supreme Court.' � Michael Rachlis, University of Toronto

The paper points out that soon after it was elected, the Conservative government removed harm reduction as one of the four pillars of its National Anti-Drug Strategy. The four-pillar strategy, endorsed by the World Health Organization also includes treatment, enforcement and prevention.

Two British Columbia court decisions have thwarted federal efforts to close Insite. In June, the Supreme Court of Canada gave the federal government leave to appeal the B.C. court rulings.

"We're calling on the federal government to drop the current action they have in the Supreme Court and to let local health officials, public and the local police get on and do their jobs in terms of dealing with the addiction problem," Rachlis said in an interview with CBC News.

A program worker at Insight, Canada's only safe injection site for intravenous drug addicts in Vancouver, assembles an injection kit together for a client. A program worker at Insight, Canada's only safe injection site for intravenous drug addicts in Vancouver, assembles an injection kit together for a client. (Richard Lam/Canadian Press)A study released three years after Insite opened showed that more addicts in Vancouver were accessing detoxification and addiction treatment services.

Another study found that Insite did not lead to increased relapses among former drug users, nor was it a negative influence for those trying to stop using drugs.

Rachlis says there is more than sufficient evidence to support Insite's future.

"As physicians we find this particularly concerning that the federal government appears to be flouting the scientific evidence in this area," he said.

Rachlis said he and co-author Kathleen Dooling, an associate medical officer of health in Ontario, decided to pursue the issue, because people with drug addictions aren't getting the best treatment available.

"That is driven mainly by ideology about the misconceptions about who addicts are."

He says drug addicts are sons and daughters, fathers, friends, neighbours and co-workers.

"They deserve as good a health care for their problems as we provide to people with heart disease or cancer."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/201...#ixzz0yE2QODac

Smoking Cannabis Relieves Pain Mcgill university study

Hudsonrulez — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:14:48 GMT

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...thic-pain.html

Smoking marijuana relieves some pain: study
Last Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010 | 2:08 PM PT Comments664Recommend228
CBC News
Marijuana flowers and leaves were blended into three different strengths for the study. Marijuana flowers and leaves were blended into three different strengths for the study. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)

Smoking marijuana does help relieve a certain amount of pain, a small but well-designed Canadian study has found.

People who suffer chronic neuropathic or nerve pain from damage or dysfunction of the nervous system have few treatment options with varying degrees of effectiveness and side-effects.

Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to nerves that don't repair, which can make the skin sensitive to a light touch.

Cannabis pills have been shown to help treat some types of pain but the effects and risks from smoked cannabis were unclear.

To find out more, Dr. Mark Ware, an assistant professor in family medicine and anesthesia at Montreal's McGill University, and his colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial � the gold standard of medical research � of inhaled cannabis in 21 adults with chronic neuropathic pain.

Investigators used three different strengths of the active drug � THC levels of 2.5 per cent, six per cent and 9.4 per cent, as well as a zero per cent placebo.

"We found that 25 mg herbal cannabis with 9.4 per cent THC, administered as a single smoked inhalation three times daily for five days, significantly reduces average pain intensity compared with a zero per cent THC cannabis placebo in adult subjects with chronic post traumatic/post surgical neuropathic pain," the study's authors concluded in Monday's online issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Short study

Study participants inhaled the 25-milligram dose through a pipe for five days and then took no marijuana for nine days. Then they rotated through the other doses of THC.

The participants also reported improvements in measures of sleep quality, the researchers said.

The most common drug-related side-effects during the trial among those receiving the highest dose were:

* Headache.
* Dry eyes.
* Burning sensation in areas of neuropathic pain.
* Dizziness.
* Numbness.
* Cough.

"Because the study was short duration, the exposure was quite small and the patients only used each strain for five days, the question is what about longer-term exposure?" Ware said. "Would they get better pain relief or would it plateau, or would it fall off if they used it for longer?"
'Trickle of evidence'

Those questions, as well as safety concerns, still need to be studied, the researchers said.

"The authors should be congratulated for tackling such a worthwhile question as: does cannabis relieve neuropathic pain? particularly because the trial must have been a major nightmare to get through the various regulatory hurdles," Dr. Henry McQuay of Balliol College, Oxford University, U.K., said in a journal commentary accompanying the study.

POLL: Marijuana: Should it be legalized?

McQuay concluded that the trial adds to the "trickle of evidence that cannabis may help some of the patients who are struggling at present."

The commentary called for more research into whether specific pain mechanisms respond to cannabis.

It is important for doctors to screen patients carefully for substance abuse problems before prescribing marijuana for pain relief, said Dr. Sandy Buchman, a family doctor in Toronto. His practice now consists mainly of seeing cancer patients at their homes near the end of their lives.

Buchman has prescribed marijuana to dozens of patients. Until now, however, it has been difficult to measure the dose in forms other than pills, he said.

"Having this kind of guidance and then further studies to delineate the dose and response would be extremely helpful," said Buchman.
'I swear by it'

Amy Brown of Toronto did not participate in the study, but uses marijuana for the chronic pain and swelling in her wrist. She broke several bones, including in her wrist, five years ago in a car collision.

Questions on smoking

Dr. Igor Grant, director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research and the University of California in San Diego, said smoking the drug raises other issues, including:

* Whether people who are non-smokers will tolerate the smoke.
* Exposure to second-hand cannabis smoke.
* The safety of lighting up near oxygen tanks in hospitals.

Grant is researching a vaporized form of cannabis to treat pain.

"I was very skeptical, but I tried it and it worked," said Brown, who has a grower's licence from Health Canada. "Now I swear by it. I won't go back to any kind of pills for my pain."

Brown described her pain as a sharp, burning, throbbing pain that just comes "out of nowhere." Brown said she also feels pain when she uses her swollen wrist, such as for turning a door knob on a wet day.

The marijuana for the study was obtained from Prairie Plant Systems of Saskatoon and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The federal government awarded a contract 10 years ago to Prairie Plant Systems to provide a standard supply of medical marijuana. The company now offers a product that is 12 per cent THC, Ware noted.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation funded the study.
With files from The Canadian Press

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...#ixzz0y8MtfYl6

Hash Gang Invasion!!!

nexus112 — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:59:00 GMT

Get this...

Quote:

BRUTAL south-east Asian trafficking gangs are today exposed as the sinister force behind Scotland's hash farm trade - with �40MILLION of pot already seized by cops.
The invasion of the drug lords - who harvest cannabis in homes across the country - comes as a disturbing Scottish Sun investigation shows the scale of the problem.

In just over four years, police battling the immigrant drug gangs have seized enough plants to cover the three pitches at Ibrox, Parkhead and Hampden.

Of 304 people arrested three in four were Chinese, and 22 per cent were from Vietnam, mostly VICTIMS of the evil drug barons.

Toronto Signs Vienna Declaration!!!

Hudsonrulez — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:33:10 GMT

Huge news guys. It looks like city council has formally endorsed the Vienna Declaration which encourages safe consumption sites such as vapor lounges, as well as safe injection sites.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1686999/
Anna Mehler Paperny

Toronto � From Friday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010 10:59PM EDT

Toronto has become the first city in the world � and the first government in North America � to formally endorse a declaration that advocates harm reduction over the war on drugs.

The Vienna Declaration, which slams the criminalization of illicit drugs as a major factor fuelling HIV infection rates, came to the fore during this year's AIDS conference. Its authors called on policy-makers around the world to refocus their approaches to illegal drugs and HIV-AIDS prevention � especially in light of new statistics that show HIV infection rates have climbed back to 1982 levels, largely thanks to infection in injection-drug users.

The declaration has thousands of prominent signatories � including doctors, epidemiologists and former heads of state, but few of the governments at whom it�s targeted. On Thursday, council passed a motion to endorse the declaration by a wide margin, 33 votes to 7.

Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has said the Canadian government has no intention of endorsing the declaration, which takes aim at the Conservatives� tough stand on drug use.

Those behind the declaration had planned to launch a concerted push to win over governments and policy-makers in September. One of the declaration�s authors, Evan Wood, University of British Columbia professor and founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, said he�s please Toronto endorsed it �spontaneously� without having to be lobbied.

�We�re obviously very excited.�

Councillor Kyle Rae, who put forward the motion after attending the AIDS conference in Vienna earlier this summer, said it solidifies the reputation of a city that has been �a leader� in harm reduction since it started giving out condoms in the mid-1980s.

David McKeown, Toronto�s medical officer of health, said the declaration is in line with the city�s four-pillared approach to drug use.

�That strategy did encompass law enforcement, but equally important pillars were treatment, harm reduction and prevention,� he said. �I think there�s already work going on now to implement the drug strategy � I�m hopeful that will continue into the future. There�s lots of work to be done.�

Dr. Wood said Toronto's commitment is an important symbolic step that solidifies Toronto's commitment to fighting drug addiction in more nuanced ways than a �war-on-drugs� stance. It�s one he hopes will create more dialogue about changing Canada�s strategy on a national level.

�We now have Canada�s largest city saying, �We endorse this� � that�s a way to start a conversation and hopefully break down those barriers,� he said. �We need to get away from the traditional scenario where drug policy has been exempted from this notion of evidence-based policymaking.�

Meanwhile, Toronto's still mulling the possibility of a supervised consumption site.

The city�s mayoral candidates are leery when it comes to committing to a supervised consumption site. George Smitherman, Sarah Thomson and Joe Pantalone said while they support harm-reduction strategies already in place in Toronto, they have their doubts the city needs a safe-injection site. Rocco Rossi�s campaign declined to comment.

And front-runner Rob Ford was one of the few councillors who voted against the Vienna Declaration endorsement altogether.

What ba5tards at Baxi Uk (the boiler manufacturers)

MartialAnt — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:34:55 GMT

Only just come across this. Its 10 days old now.
If your thinking of buying a new boiler read this first & then decide if you want to support Baxi.
If you know of any plumbers/gas fitters get them to boycott this shower of 5hit firm.

------------------------------------------

Baxi staff in drug probe

By Matthew Squires
Published on Fri Aug 13 09:23:56 BST 2010

Up to 19 workers have been suspended from a Lancashire firm after failing random drug tests.

The employees, believed to be boiler assembly workers at the Baxi site in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, were called in for drug testing around two weeks ago. It is understood the company, which employs around 120 people, called in an outside firm to conduct the tests.

One employee said the move had provoked fury among workers, who were allegedly asked to empty their pockets before the tests were administered.

An investigation is now underway and the suspended employees could face disiplinary action.

One employee, who asked not to be named, speaking outside the Baxi site in Club Street, said: �I think there were 19 of them altogether. They took everyone in, got an outside company to do whatever and escorted people off the premises if they failed.

�I�m not sure whether they were targeting people who were suspected. They were telling people to empty their pockets as they were coming in apparently.

�People were kicking off saying they shouldn�t be allowed to do it, but they are a law unto themselves.�

It is not clear what drugs the workers tested positive for, but cannabis is believed to be among them.

Chris Tyrer, manufacturing director at Baxi Group in Bamber Bridge, refused to confirm exact details of the suspensions.

He said: �At Baxi Group we have a strict policy in place regarding the use of drugs and alcohol, and take breaches of these rules very seriously. Occasionally, our screening process exposes violations of this policy, and, as in this case, we will carry out a detailed investigation and take appropriate disciplinary action.�

Terry Burns, of Unite, which represents around 80% of employees at the site, said: �If anyone starts being put into a disciplinary process, I would expect them to contact me.�

A spokesman for Lancashire police said they received a call from Baxi bosses at 10.27am on July 15, �about suspected drug taking among workers�.

Story here http://www.lep.co.uk/news/baxi_staff...robe_1_1160271

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Grassing them up to the ba5tard pigs is just out of fcuking order. I hope the bosses get there brake lines cut on there cars.

Pharma Rep Confession (youtube)

sttony — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:47:16 GMT

Pharma Rep Confession - Big Pharma does NOT want to sell you cures, but only treatments!

'Tame' bears guard Canadian marijuana farm

shockrocket — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:19:10 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11020965

"'Tame' bears guard Canadian marijuana farm
Canadian police with bears Officers were initially worried, but the bears sat around and watched the raid

Police raiding a marijuana farm in western Canada were astonished to find black bears apparently guarding it.

However initial alarm wore off when officers realised the 10 or so bears did not behave aggressively and were in fact docile and tame.

Police believe dog food was used to attract the animals onto the farm in British Columbia.

But they say the bears may have to be put down if they have become accustomed to living around humans.

Two people were arrested in the raid.

The five police who went to the farm near Christina Lake, close to the US border, to dismantle the marijuana plantation were amazed when the bears loped into view.

"They were tame, they just sat around watching. At one point one of the bears climbed onto the hood of a police car, sat there for a bit and then jumped off," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant Fred Mansveld.

In Canada, feeding bears is illegal as it leads to bears associating food with humans and increases the likelihood of bears coming into towns and cities to look for food.

Conservation officers are deciding the fate of the bears."

New chat is open

Administrator — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:45:48 GMT

We have our own java chat software, it's in testing mode until I get the unlock key but it fully functional and there is NO user limit!

There is a bug in the button on the nav bar, but for now it's good enough. I have more important things to do right now. Like install our casino again, the arcade, and more plug-ins to play with. I'll get the button problem fixed in time, but for now WE HAVE CHAT AGAIN!!!:toot::bong:

Peace

Z