Canada troops battle 10-foot Afghan marijuana plants POSTED: 5:12 p.m. EDT, October 12, 2006 Adjust font size: Decrease fontDecrease font Enlarge fontEnlarge font OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of marijuana plants 10 feet tall. General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana. "The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices. ... And as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa, Canada. "We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said. Even successful incineration had its drawbacks. "A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those [forests] did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hiller said dryly. One soldier told him later: "Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I'd say 'That damn marijuana'."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061219/od_nm/usa_marijuana1_dc Marijuana top U.S. cash crop, policy analyst says By David Alexander Tue Dec 19, 8:44 AM ET WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters Life!) - U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country's largest cash crop, bigger than corn and wheat combined, an advocate of medical marijuana use said in a study released on Monday. The report, conducted by Jon Gettman, a public policy analyst and former head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also concluded that five U.S. states produce more than $1 billion worth of marijuana apiece: California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii and Washington. California's production alone was about $13.8 billion, according to Gettman, who waged an unsuccessful six-year legal battle to force the government to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed to have no medical value. Tom Riley, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he could not confirm the report's conclusions on the size of the country's marijuana crop. But he said the government estimated overall U.S. illegal drug use at $200 billion annually. Gettman's figures were based on several government reports between 2002 and 2005 estimating the United States produced more than 10,000 metric tons of marijuana annually. He calculated the producer price per pound of marijuana at $1,606 based on national survey data showing retail prices of between $2,400 and $3,000 between 2001 and 2005. The total value of 10,000 metric tons of marijuana at $1,606 per pound would be $35.8 billion. By comparison, the United States produced an average of nearly $23.3 billion worth of corn annually from 2003 to 2005, $17.6 billion worth of soybeans, $12.2 billion worth of hay, nearly $11.1 billion worth of vegetables and $7.4 billion worth of wheat, the report said. Gettman said the 10-fold increase in U.S. marijuana production, from 1,000 metric tons in 1981 to 10,000 metric tons in 2006, showed the country was failing to control marijuana by making its cultivation and use illegal. "Marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the economy of the United States," he said. "The contribution of this market to the nation's gross domestic product is overlooked in the debate over effective control." "Like all profitable agricultural crops marijuana adds resources and value to the economy," he added. "The focus of public policy should be how to effectively control this market through regulation and taxation in order to achieve immediate and realistic goals, such as reducing teenage access." Riley said illegal drug use was a "serious part of the economy," but he rejected the notion of an economic argument for legalizing marijuana. He said marijuana use was [lies] an "inherently harmful activity" with serious physical and mental health consequences. He said more American teens were in treatment centers for marijuana dependency than for all other drugs combined.[/lies]
How long till marijuana is legalized in the US? The news above helps getting it legalized IMO, albeit slightly, because it reinforces the fact that the govenment could make a killing off of the ole' Mary Jane....I give it 15 years, what do you guys think? ricky williams ricky williams
I smoked last night, from a bong...I don't smoke weed often, maybe once a month, if that. But I prefer blunts...Bowls kills my throat and bongs i'll cough my brains out. I did get high, and watched Coming to America on Comedy Central...GREAT.
Yeah I've seen that one a few times. The cat one is PRICELESS. & Yeah Ecko bongs kill ya, which is why you should put lotsa of ice cubes in it when you're gunna smoke, makes it cooler...or else just have a drink..or get used to it
4:20 always treats me well, I have a Little Sista RooR Icemaster with a diffuser and ashcatcher, she hits like Mike Tyson in his prime
Damn man RooR's are the shit, and awesome analogy haha.....got a fresh new bag of some fine bud myself but no class on Friday's= Thursday Night Hammer Time, I deserve it after this week....the bud will do me real well in the morning though....Wake and Bake+ A lot of Gatorade + Anything you want for breakfast pretty much= No Hangover, ever.......it really works Have fun tonight everyone
