Weed Pass U Blift (News items on Dutch miss-courage of Justice))

.....what I call the real DEA - the Dutch English American alliance between the  Royal families and the bankers; they're all inter-related to one another, when you start getting into it you find that George Bush for instance, is related to the Queen of England who's related to Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands who's related to most of the major bankers - it's all one big happy family when you get up there at the top.--Robert Anton Wilson, w/ Steven Pratt.

Video of 420 Cafe, in connection with new 'Weed Pass' Proposal.

 http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc.com/47209277/

"THE Dail’s most prominent dope-loving deputy has told how a Dutch ban on tourists getting high is just POTTY.

Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan yesterday dismissed the law as “unenforceable” after it won judicial backing in the Netherlands.
The controversial measure, if approved by Dutch MPs next week, will effectively bar Amsterdam’s famous coffee houses from serving cannabis to foreigners — by making them members-only clubs.
Lawyers for 600 cannabis cafes last night vowed to continue fighting their government’s “discriminatory” drive to rid Holland of its druggie paradise image.
And the GRASS-roots revolt won early support from weed campaigner Flanagan.
The Roscommon TD, who has given up the habit to avoid breaking the law, insisted the Dutch economy would feel a massive comedown if Irish tourists were denied a toke.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/irishsun/irishsunnews/4284906/Dutch-capital-set-for-tourist-toke-ban.html

The government’s decision to restrict the use of cannabis cafes to local residents by excluding tourists is not discriminatory, a court in The Hague said on Friday.
A group of 19 café owners and other interest groups had gone to court in a last-ditch attempt to have the membership system overruled. All cannabis cafes in the south of the country are due to become members’ only clubs on May 1.
The café owners say not only is the measure discriminatory but infringes peoples’ privacy.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/04/rt_rules_against_cannabis_cafe.php

So, not that we condone going to the Netherlands just for the pot (The Hague is really cool guys, we promise), but if that's your plan, get your hands on a "weed pass." We're not sure what this pass will look like, but apparently it's one way, according to the AP and the BBC, to tell foreigners and Dutch residents apart. The AP writes that once the Dutch government's rules banning tourist from its legal cannabis go into effect, "It will turn coffee shops into private clubs with membership open only to Dutch residents and limited to 2,000 per shop." The BBC notes the idea of a pass is still up for debate.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/04/dutch-lawmakers-make-it-harder-tourists-smoke-pot/51648/

"Thirty-six years and many millions of joints after the Netherlands' laws on marijuana were relaxed, drug tourists from Britain and other countries are set to be weeded out when a nationwide ban on foreign dope-smokers takes effect.

Yesterday, a court in The Hague upheld a Dutch government plan to restrict sales of soft drugs to local residents in possession of an identity card, nicknamed a "wietpas", or "weedpass".

Since 1976, Dutch authorities have tolerated the sale and consumption of small quantities of soft drugs. The policy was introduced to keep users away from the hard drugs trade, controlled by organised criminals. One consequence was to attract visitors from less-tolerant countries to a land where joints could be rolled, bongs inhaled and "space-cakes" nibbled, without fear of prosecution.
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/want-to-visit-a-dutch-coffee-shop-well-youll-only-get-coffee-from-now-on-7685311.html

A controversial law that will make it harder for foreign tourists to buy cannabis at the Netherlands' famous coffee shops has been upheld by a Dutch court.
The law, which reverses 40 years of liberal drugs policy in the Netherlands, is targeted at the many foreigners who have come to see the country as a soft drugs paradise and to tackle a rise in crime related to the drug trade.
The law, which goes into force in three southern provinces on May 1st before going nationwide next year, means coffee shops can only sell cannabis to registered members.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0427/breaking41.html

#OpCannabis: Anonymous Hackers Take Up Marijuana Activism

From the crew that never sleeps over at alternet.

w/ extra video added by Fly.

#OpCannabis: Anonymous Hackers Take Up Marijuana Activism

Hacktivist Anonymous began the "OpCannabis" to throw the collective's weight behind drug reform.

April 21, 2012  |  

Guy Fawkes mask, from V for Vendetta.

Photo Credit: Ben Fredericson at Flickr

 

Heroes to some and villians to others, the “Anonymous” movement has come to symbolize much more than just a group of rogue hackers. But far from breaking into computer networks run by rogue governments or multinational corporations, as they’ve come to be known for, the online hacktivists now have their sights set on a different human rights issue entirely: marijuana prohibition.

Members of the hacking collective, who were at the epicenter of planning and promoting “Occupy Wall Street” last year, announced earlier this month that April 20, 2012 would mark the beginning of an official “Anonymous” push-back against America’s drug laws.

Speaking to Raw Story this week, a person claiming to be a member of “Anonymous,” who watched an attack on Sony’s website from behind the scenes but did not participate, claimed responsibility for the group’s new “OpCannabis” campaign, explaining that the operation is determined to throw the collective’s weight behind drug reform.

After launching a pitch for “OpCannabis” over one year ago, the hacker said that their “PR text evolved into a video,” which was “translated into German by parties unknown,” but then it fizzled.

“[S]omething was missing,” the source explained. “For some reason my inbox wasn’t blowing up and only a few hundred people seemed to show interest. This may or may not have had something to do with AnonNews deciding not to carry our press release. Thankfully this has since been resolved.”

Now that the leading “Anonymous” news account has tuned into the marijuana campaign and began circulating the latest “OpCannabis” updates, it has gone global.

Members of “Anonymous” plan to get outside and be vocal on Friday during nationwide protests against America’s drug policies. Some may even be following up with more computer hacking and website defacement. And just earlier this month, “OpCannabis” got its own website and Twitter account, connecting hundreds of “Anonymous” activists who are now sharing ideas to foster the push-back against prohibition.

But “OpCannabis” isn’t designed to be a hacking spree, Raw Story’s nameless source explained. “Anyone I’ve found that is involved with marijuana activism, I’ve told that they can e-mail any and all materials to the opcannabis@gmail.com and I’ll sort through it and get it on the site.”

“We ask you to please educate yourself on its many benefits and share these benefits with your sick or injured friends,” an “OpCannabis” press release implores. “We all know somebody that has cancer or diabetes and cannabis has helped or cured both and many other disorders!

Anonymous will begin its support for the legalization of cannabis on 4/20/12. So please show your support by educating yourselves and making your profile pic or timeline banner on your social services accts green or 420 friendly.”

They’ve also asked that each chapter of the remaining “Occupy” groups around the country participate in marijuana-related events, pointing out the billions already spent just this year to incarcerate tens of thousands of marijuana prisoners around the country.

Raw Story’s source specifically pointed at the government’s hypocrisy in declaring that the plant has no medical value when pharmaceutical companies are practically begging for permits to research new marijuana-based drugs that address a whole host of ailments, including possible cures for several types of cancer.