Online video of Miley Cyrus smoking the plant in a bong has peaked interest in the legal psychoactive, which is sold locally.

Health Canada is warning people to avoid using the Mexican herb Salvia divinorum until its effects are better understood.

Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, the plant known as Magic Mint or Seer's Sage has been used for centuries by Mazatec Indian shamans for medicinal purposes and to induce visions, but also has gained a foothold in Canada and United States as a recreational drug.

Salvia divinorum is not illegal in Canada, but the herb has been under study by the national health agency since at least 2006 to determine whether it should be regulated under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act.

 

calgaryherald.com
old zack

Ehepaar zapfte Strom illegal am Gang an - Anbau seit mindestens zwei Jahren

Eine äußerst professionell betriebene Marihuanaplantage hat die Polizei in Wien-Neubau ausgehoben: Das verhaftete Ehepaar soll eine Wohnung am Urban-Loritz-Platz als Anbaufläche genutzt haben. Mindestens zwei Jahre lang bauten die 44-Jährige und ihr 55-jähriger Partner auf der gesamten Wohnfläche Hanfpflanzen an, teilte die Polizei in einer Aussendung mit.

Für den Betrieb der Anlage mit Beleuchtungs- und Bewässerungsgeräten zapften die beiden Strom am Gang ab und überbrückten dabei den Stromzähler. Von außen gab es keine Hinweise wie Gerüche auf die Riesenplantage.

derstandard.at

Chefs Scott Durrah (8 Rivers), Lauren Gennett and Rachel Wolpo will offer a series of cooking demonstrations for Simply Pure, the Colorado edibles company founded by Durrah and his wife, Wanda James, at KushCon II, which runs today through December 19 at the Colorado Convention Center.

"I never would have imagined that my love of cooking and cannabis could bring so much comfort and peace to people's lives," says Durrah. He and James were our Best Medical Marijuana Advocates in the Best of Denver 2010. "We care about what our patients eat, so everything we prepare is 100 percent organic and tested for potency and purity."

westword.com

City's Medical Pot Sales Reach $35 Million In 2010

Most sectors of the economy are pretty grim right now, but that assessment doesn't include the medical marijuana business in Oakland, California.

The city is projecting that Oakland's three dispensaries will sell between $35 million and $38 million worth of cannabis this year, reports Zusha Elinson at The Bay Citizen. That means about three and a quarter tons of marijuana -- 104,000 ounces, or 4.2 million joints.

tokeofthetown.com

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley entered the fray over the city's new law regulating large-scale commercial marijuana grow operations this week, warning that the law is probably illegal and could land city officials in jail.

In a letter to Mayor-elect Jean Quan, which was also delivered to members of the City Council, O'Malley cautioned that the city's attempt to tax and regulate grow operations for medical marijuana would most likely be considered illegal under state law and result in prosecution by her office.

mercurynews.com
californiachronicle.com

Preliminary rules for would-be users and prescribers of medical marijuana in Arizona are so stringent that no more than 20,000 people likely will qualify for the drug - a sharp decrease from earlier estimate of 100,000 in the first year alone, a regulator said Friday.

The revised estimate was made after Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble looked at rules and numbers of users in 14 other states that allow medical marijuana

washingtonpost.com
phoenixnewtimes.com

Marijuana sellers in Colorado could have to wear photo badges, and patients could have new limits on changing their primary dispensaries if tough, new rules are adopted next year.

The changes were contained in a 99-page list of draft rules posted online Thursday by Colorado regulators crafting the nation's most extensive rules for commercial marijuana sales.

The state revenue department is expected to adopt the new rules early next year and does not need approval by lawmakers.

washingtonpost.com
gazette.com