Market Analysis:

Kush crushed the competition and once again finished as the month’s most submitted strain. After losing the top pot spot in December 2009, Kush submissions have been pouring in, and the strain has yet to be dethroned in 2010. The top-five performers have been fairly consistent thus far; however, Trainwreck made the cut for the first time this year, dislodging Strawberry Cough.

The top five submitted strains (with average price) were Kush ($400), Diesel ($408), Purps ($359), Blueberry ($387) and Trainwreck ($351).

hightimes.com

Mendocino County's economic future may rest with a marijuana-fueled version of Wine Country, complete with tasting rooms, bud boutiques and pot-garden tourism.

"It's the only thing we have that brings money into the county," said Mendocino County Supervisor John Pinches, who believes that marijuana accounts for at least half of the county economy.

Estimates of the value of the county's pot crop range from $1.2 billion to $4.4 billion. In comparison, the county's total taxable retail sales were $1.3 billion in 2007, according to the Center for Economic Development at CSU Chico.

pressdemocrat.com

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s narcotics team on Thursday discovered what it says was $6.2 million worth of marijuana plants growing in Placerita Canyon State Park in Newhall.

Narcotics detectives with the marijuana eradication team were hiking in a fairly remote part of the canyon Thursday morning when they found several thousand plants being guarded by two men, sheriff’s officials said.

latimes.com

In Nordrhein-Westfalen (Städteregion Aachen) erkrankte Mitte März ein weiterer Heroinkonsument an Milzbrand (Anthrax). Der Mann wird antibiotisch behandelt und ist derzeit in klinisch stabilem Zustand. Neben dem Mitte Dezember in Aachen Verstorbenen ist dies der zweite Milzbrandfall bei einem Heroinkonsumenten in Deutschland seit Dezember 2009.

drugscouts.de
old shit

Mega-star Sting is so enamored with the Drug Policy Alliance that he's signed on as an honorary board member. "Their work spoke directly to my heart as an activist for social justice," says Sting about the DPA, "because ending the War on Drugs is about exactly that."

Dear friends,

Whether it's music, activism or daily life, the one ideal to which I have always aspired is constant challenge -- taking risks, stepping out of my comfort zone, exploring new ideas.

I am writing because I believe the United States -- and all of us -- must do precisely that in the case of what has been the most unsuccessful, unjust yet untouchable issue in politics: the war on drugs.

The war on drugs has failed -- but it's worse than that. It is actively harming our society. That is why ending the drug war is a matter of social justice. And it's why I hope you'll donate to the Drug Policy Alliance today.

Violent crime is thriving in the shadows to which the drug trade has been consigned. People who genuinely need help can't get it. Neither can people who need medical marijuana to treat terrible diseases. We are spending billions, filling up our prisons with non-violent offenders and sacrificing our liberties.

For too long, the war on drugs has been a sacrosanct undertaking that was virtually immune from criticism in the public realm. Politicians dared not disagree for fear of being stigmatized as "soft on crime." Any activist who spoke up was dismissed as a fringe element.

But recently, I discovered just how much that's changing -- and that's how I came to speak out on behalf of the Drug Policy Alliance. Join me in supporting them with a donation today.

I learned of DPA while reading what once might have been the unlikeliest of places for a thoughtful discussion, the Wall Street Journal.

It featured an op-ed that dared to say in print -- in a thoughtful, meticulous argument -- what everyone who has seriously looked at the issue has known for years: the war on drugs is an absolute failure whose cost to society is increasingly unbearable and absolutely unjustifiable.

Their work spoke directly to my heart as an activist for social justice -- because ending the war on drugs is about exactly that.

To me, it all adds up to a clear message of exactly the sort I've always tried to heed in my life: It's time to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.

That's where DPA comes in. Their focus is on reducing the harm drugs cause rather than obsessively and pointlessly attempting to ban them. I hope you'll assist their work by donating today.

I'm partnering with DPA because they champion treatment, advocate effective curricula for educating young people about drugs -- and from local courtrooms to the Supreme Court, they are utterly relentless defenders of the liberties that have been sacrificed to the drug war.

Now, political conditions in Washington seem finally to be aligning in favor of profound change in drug policy. But success is far from guaranteed. We must all work to ensure this issue becomes a priority and is acted upon in a meaningful and sensible way.

That's why I hope you'll join me in becoming a member of the Drug Policy Alliance today. We are building a movement that will put the team at DPA in a position to take maximum advantage of the political changes in Washington while continuing to fight for sanity in drug policy across the nation.

Everyone knows the war on drugs has failed. It's time to step out of our comfort zones, acknowledge the truth -- and challenge our leaders ... and ourselves ... to change.

Sincerely,

huffingtonpost.com

Yesterday, we heard the breathtaking announcement from Ricky Martin, that he was actually gay. Today, there is even bigger news surrounding rap superstar, all around awesome dude, Snoop Doggy Dogg, or Snoop Dogg for the young ‘uns. Read on to find out.

sfgate.com