Sure all the crime was a result of that ban, but alcohol is more toxic than most drugs people ingest. You can take a look at our infographic for a more complete list but some of the things that are more toxic than alcohol are GHB, nutmeg and “topping” the list heroin.

Ok, does any of that really surprise anyone? Probably not, (wait nutmeg? I gotta slow down on the pumpkin pie,) but what is less toxic might, these include, cocaine, ketamine, LSD and of course Marijuana. Marijuana is so non-toxic in fact that if goes off the scale and they give it a simple score of >1000. Alcohol on the other hand has a score of 10. (according to the ratio of effective to fatal dose).

In fact there is almost no category where vaporizing your weed is more harmful than having a drink. And you do not even want to bring tobacco into the mix. But of course we are going to, even if just for a moment.

The average medical cost associated with smoking is $800 per year, per person. In contrast it’s only $20 for those who smoke pot. While the average for drinkers is $165. That doesn’t sound like much, but the yearly total for excessive drinking is 223 billion each year and 79,000 lose their lives. Heavy drinking also increases your chances of lung cancer by 30%. It is also considered a toxic substance and is considered a contributing factor to almost 5% of the total global disease burden.

Marijuana is not totally healthy though. With long-term use it was shown that it can affect the lungs, circulatory system and increase some mental-health diseases (which has been debated). Some of these negative affects can be greatly reduced by using a Vapohead vaporizer.

For more information you can check these sites

Journal of Psychopharmacology , http://jop.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/09/03/0269881111414751

the journal of the British Association of Psychopharmacology.

Alcohol 30% increse risk of cancer, http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/alcohol/heavy-alcohol-consumption-linked-with-greater-lung-cancer-risk

American Journal of Preventive Medicine - http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/health/costs-excessive-alcohol-consumption-2006/?utm_source=Journalist’s+Resource&utm_campaign=cf9606693c-10-4-11_campaign&utm_medium=email

British Colombia Mental Health and Addictions Journal - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-armentano/tobacco-related-health-co_b_362539.html

The California Medical Assn. officially recommended the legalization and regulation of weed on October 15^th 2011. This is great news for users (medical or otherwise) all over the United States and Canada. If California finally legalizes pot it will open the door for other medical marijuana states and for states that don’t have medical marijuana programs yet.

The doctors are stating that they need pot legalized so they can have more control over dosages and so they can do more research. There are few places that will do testing on weed because of federal laws. Weed is in the same illegal drug category as cocaine and heroin. They want to do more studies so they can figure out exactly what it is in marijuana that helps patients. This will help with recomending dosages.

Another reason they are pushing for legalization is money. If regulated properly it would mean millions in revenues and tax dollars. It would save 66 million in tax dollars that is lost annually because of weed related incarcerations.

The report is called the “white paper”and is fourteen pages long. This report has some up in arms, including the Covina Police Chief Kim Raney, who is also the vice president of the California Police Chiefs Assn. “It’s probably one of the most irresponsible, disgraceful position papers I’ve ever read.” He was also quoted as saying the CMA should be called the Cannabis Medical Assn.

Too bad for him both the public and doctors are leaning towards legalization. While there are some questions about negative side effects of cannabis use, most believe they are minor compared to the benefits. Some of these side effects can also be eliminated or minimized by using a vaporizer to inhale the pot.

Legalization would also open the door for more widespread use of other parts of the hemp plant. This other material can be used to make clothing, twine, paper and other products. Sadly in this day and age there are very few plants where every part is used.

Many companies have started adding hemp to their products and of course those of us at Vapohead don’t mind this one bit. The new trend is Vitamins that target medical marijuana and general cannabis users. Yes you can now find hemp in your health supplements

One of the newest products if from Kush Clear™, a subdivision of Marijuana Inc. They have started their line out with four products and hope to add three more soon. The first is called 3 Complete Proteins.

As stated it contains three complete botanical proteins. So what’s the big deal? Well a complete protein is one that contains all 23 amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. Ten of these amino acids are not made by the body and must be eaten. They’re called essential amino acids. Lk

These proteins also include natural omega 3 and 6. They also mix of hemp seed protein, spirulina and AFA, bio available protein, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and fiber. It also contains Cordyceps which help your immune, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Rhodiola rosea is another ingredient that helps to increase strength, stamina, and mental ability.

The other products they have available now are to enhance male and female sexual desire. There are two for men, one for short term to take right before the action starts and another to take daily to help by having a longer term effect.

In addition to these they have three more product in development for the line that they hope will become available soon.

Be Alert! Combines different herbs and other ingredients for both a quick short term boost and a longer more sustained one. It states there is no crash like you get from energy drinks.

Joint Strength – Is a mixture of ingredients to help heal joint damage, protect against future damage and includes antioxidants, trace minerals and electrolytes.

Focus – Includes ingredients to help with mental focus and agility which include: Citicoline, Phosphatidylserine, Acetyl L-carnitene, Bacopa, Ginkgo Biloba, Panax Ginseng, Rhodiola Rosea, AFA, Coenzyme Q-10, DHEA, SAMe, Schisandra and Zinc.

Personally I’m waiting for a reply from the company about my inquiry about getting some samples. You know so I can let you know from first hand experience if they work. Since these products are available for the general public they don’t contain any of the chemicals that make you feel high. So while you are waiting for your vitamins to show up sit back take out your Vapohead vaporizer and enjoy some cannabis the healthy way.

For more information go to www.kushclear.com

A different 2009 survey found that 16.7 million Americans age 12 and over had used marijuana at least once in the month before the survey. This had also been an increase over previous surveys. According to the National institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most used illicit drug. Which I don’t think should surprise anyone.

So who are the people most likely to support the legalization of pot? Male liberals who are 18 – 29 and living in the West. (With support percentages that look like this Males – 55%, Liberals (the highest percentage on the survey) – 69%, 18 – 29 (the second highest) 26%, West – 55%.)

The people least likely to support legalization are Female conservatives who are over 65 and living in the South. (Percentages for this group are Females – 46%, Conservatives (the second lowest survey result) – 34%, over 65 – 31% (the lowest in the survey result), South – 44%)

The only truly surprising part of this survey is the low percentage of Women who support this issue.

Regardless of who you are, Americans are getting more and more comfortable with the idea of marijuana legalization.

Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Oct. 6-9, 2011, with a random sample of 1,005 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents by region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cell phone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2010 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.

For more information go to

You can blame it on the times we live in, saying that people are getting desperate and this is what they turn to. Or you can say it’s one of the oldest stories in the book. Either way you look at it I think this is an example of what can happen when you let prohibition get in the way.

A few days ago a deportation officer with the U.S Immigration & Customs Enforcement office was retained in connection with illegally obtaining and transporting large quantities of marijuana.

He may have taken it from illegal immigrants in exchange for turning a blind eye to their border crossing. All that’s known for sure is that he initially started getting tracked after an informant called the 34 yr old, Jason Lowery to pick up 500 lbs of pot.

The Department of Public Safety and federal agents tried to pull Lowery over after he pick up the weed. Lowery let the agents on a 45 min. chase that sometimes reached 110 miles per hour. During this time he was throwing bundles of marijuana out the window. Of the 14 in the truck he got 10 out the window. The chase came to a close when he crashed his truck and surrendered.

This type of occurrence isn’t really unheard of with customs officers and Border Patrol agents, from 2003 to early 2010 there have been 129 arrests on corruption charges. This information comes from Tom Frost, who is an assistant inspector general for investigations for the Department of Homeland Security.

Another notable recent case is about Michael Atondo. He was a Border Patrol agent who was found guilty of trafficking weed in southwestern Arizona. He was arrested with 745 pounds in his vehicle, and will be sentenced in Jan.

These men aren’t monsters. While some of the 129 arrested are members of drug cartels that infiltrate our agencies, most are just people trying to make a living. In these frustrating economic times the temptation to make these huge amounts of extra money is just sometimes too great.

If anything I think this screams to the fact that marijuana needs to be legalized. These men were not found with crank, cocaine or other substances, just pot. If it were legalized there would be no temptation. These drug cartels would have a huge part of their monies and influence shut down. There would be no need for them.

Yes, there needs to be a plan in place, who can grow, who can distribute, what are the laws and restrictions for driving and working under the influence, taxation etc.? These are all things that can be worked out. But his could be exactly what our lagging economy needs, tax revenue, jobs and merchandise with huge potential for growth.

There are many who state that marijuana is bad for you because it contains so much more tar than cigarettes. Using Vapohead vaporizers can solve that problem as well. Since the pot isn’t actually burned but rather cooked, the harmful tar and carcinogens are never developed or released. The result is a much healthier experience. Before taking a stand either for or against legalization, educate yourself about the realities of marijuana use both in recreational settings and as a drug.

They found evidence that cannabidiol could prevent the pain in nerves that is caused by one of the drugs used in chemotherapy, Paclitaxel

One of the great things about cannabidiol is that it doesn’t cause any psycho-active side effects. Of course if you can use your vaporizer to ingest the marijuana and get all the medical benefits, such as euphoria and increased appetite, which are sometimes helpful when dealing with cancer and chemo. Of course if those are undesired side effects for you, this may be the way to go.

The research Ward has been focused on for a long time has to do with how marijuana effects systems of the brain and trying to figure out if those systems can be isolated for the treatment of different disorders. There are cannabinoid receptors in the body which weed binds to, researchers would like to find out if there is a therapeutic potential for focusing on these receptors.

After participating in a conference focused on the pain that can be caused by chemotherapeutic agents, she became greatly interested in the study. Breast cancer treatment can cause sever neuropathic pain and she wanted to try to reduce that.

It was also found that the cannabidiol found in marijuana has the ability to slow down tumors in animals. This is especially inportant for people who are trying to use alternative methods for treating cancer. While this is generally not recommended, some paitients who have been told they have a very short time to live have gotten extra months or years with these alternative treatment methods.

It of course also has great potential to be used in conjunction with more traditional and new cancer treatments.

Other researchers participating in the study are Michael David Ramirez, Harshini Neelakantan and Ellen Walker. The National Institutes of Health and PeterF. McManus Charitable Trust helped support the research by giving grant money.

Shortly after the program started people began petitioning to become part of it, with a high number of fourteen participants at one time. At this time there are only four left because the program stopped taking new members back in 1992, under Bush Sr.’s “War on Drugs”.

One of the remaining participants is an outspoken pod advocate named Elvy Musikka. The federal government has supplied her and the other participants of the program high-grade marijuana for years. She also uses the drug for glaucoma and is completely pain-free.

She has been known to criticize those against the program and pot legalization in general. They don’t acknowledge that it is a highly effective drug. She has stated that she doesn’t even have “an aspirin” in her home.

All of the weed for the program is grown at the University of Mississippi. This is where all the pot for federal research is grown, stored and effects studied. It is of the highest grade.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse is the agency that runs the program. The AP (Associated Press) asked them for data about how much marijuana the program had given out over the years and they supplied what they could. Data before 2005 have been destroyed, but the documentation given stated that between 2005 and 2011 the program had given out 584 pounds of weed. This would have a street value of approximately $500,000.

The program sends the herb in the form of cigarettes from a high security lab in North Carolina, which can be used as is or used in the patients preferred form (such as vaporized). They are sealed in metal tins.

While Musikka is legally able to have more marijuana than the others because she is also part of Oregon’s State Program the other three participants who live in Iowa and Florida are not. These states do not have medical marijuana programs and therefore this is the only way they can receive it.

The four remaining participants in the Federal Program are all highly active and vocal in trying to legalize pot for medical use. They are afraid that when they are gone the government will try to sweep the program under the rug and forget about it like a dirty little secret in its history.

The Le Dain was a commission that was put together by then Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The basic findings in this report are that criminalization of marijuana does nothing to stop people from using weed, it just contributes to a large criminal underground. These are usually the findings in such matters as those of us in the US know from our prohibition of alcohol.

These finding have been echoed many times over the years, in may countries. It has been found that weed, like other drugs has possible side-effects. It has been long debated whether it is addictive. Findings show that while there is little or no physical addiction and withdrawal, there can be a mental dependence. Some vulnerable individuals can development mental disorders. All of this points t cannabis use being a closer match to a public health framework, than to the criminal one that exists now.

This is also the recommendation of Benedikt Fischer and his team at Simon Fraser University.

He states that a looking at the issue from a public health standpoint would include strategies for prevention, risk reduction and treating problem users. The team has given an example of what these risk reducing strategies might look like in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

In the paper it gives a set of cannabis use guidelines which are similar to those used for alcohol and are backed by the latest research. They discuss some of the problems that are associated with marijuana such as daily use, use during pregnancy, starting use early in life and driving under the influence of marijuana.

Of course this doesn’t not include all the problems, but it is the start of a public health approach to this problem, using evidence, not just fear. Hopefully this will be a huge step towards decriminalization of marijuana as a drug and since it is fact based it is something that people will get behind and support; even those who don’t usually support marijuana use.

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This year the expo is a three-day event. It features music, many marijuana accessory venders (including vaporizers) and Prop. 215 friendly doctors. There is also going to be a Prop 215 Area where card holders will be able to blaze one. You know, in case you need to take your medicine. If you don’t have your card yet, there will be doctors available on-site to check you out. If eligible you will get your card at the event. An array of panelists, guest speakers, and advocacy groups featured during all three days of the event. Speakers will include writers, comedians, public defenders, attorneys and other activists.

In my opinion the greatest thing about this event is that it incorporates the Prop. 215 area. It’s a great opportunity to meet and bond with others that not only use marijuana, but also use it for medical reasons. A rare social opportunity that should defiantly be taken advantage of.

Another unique opportunity is being able to meet with a doctor at the expo. These are doctors that are pro pot and will not judge you as a drug addict just because you would rather use this natural medicine. There is none of the stigma that you may encounter by using your normal doctor or hospital. Also, in these days of economic trouble and health care woes, some people don’t have a regular physician that they can ask about this type of treatment. A wonderful way to see if you are eligible for your Prop. 215 card.

Vendors will also be a main part of this expo. They are inviting vendors that cover everything from paraphernalia, to software affiliates. So of course you can buy bongs, vaporizers, pipes and papers. There will be clothing booths and fashion accessories focusing both on lifestyle and actual use of hemp as a material. Other booths will include dispensaries, and growing items like water purification and hydroponics.

Don’t forget that besides all your hemp needs being met, there will also be three days of music.

Friday(Oct. 7 3pm – 9pm) will feature Reggae and World Music with Rock the Bike’s Pedal Powered Stage.

The Rock the bike’s stage is a full stage and sound system which is completely powered by energy generated by people riding the specially designed stationary bikes. While stage crew is provided to ride the bikes these guys take crowd participation to a whole new level, by asking for crowd members to ride as well. The sound quality of this stage is superb, though quieter than most. Making it a great for the expo because people will be able to groove to the music and still hold a conversation. The perfect social music experience

Saturday (Oct 8 1pm – 9pm) The stage will have Hip-hop, Funk and Jazz by some of the best and socially conscious groups in the Bay area

Sunday (Oct 9 1pm – 4 pm) On the final day Rock & Blues Classics featuring nostalgic music genres from the ’60′s and 70′s will be on the stage.

Any day that you come you will be entertained by some of the most talented local bands and great progressive acts visiting the area.

If you get the chance this is defiantly an event you will want to checkout

Though the above is a dramatization, it is the reality in one Montana town where policemen had become a delivery company of medicinal marijuana for Cannabis producers, because regular mail companies such as UPS or FedEx refuse to take care of those items because it could make them liable to criminal prosecution.

Yes, narcotics detectives are wasting their time and resources having to investigate legitimate businesses and sometimes actually delivering the weed. Which can take hours away from investigating actual criminals.

Mail companies are refusing to deliver packages that are found to contain marijuana because of federal laws stating that position of marijuana is a crime, even though medical marijuana was made legal by voters in Montana back in 2004.

The police have to call the medical providers and make sure that they are following state regulations. Once it has been decided that the weed is from a legal source and going to registered patients or caregivers the recipients are notified. If they don’t come to pick up the packages, that is when police have to step in as a delivery service.

The police department cannot destroy the marijuana because it creates a legal liability since it has a rightful owner. This is often times frustrating for everyone involved. But until federal laws are changed or another solution can be found, the police are making the deliveries.

This is sometimes an issue itself because there has been at least one case when an officer has been caught on tape by feds returning weed to a home under their surveillance.