First U.S. marijuana cafe opens in Portland

[Turborama]

Source: Reuters

The United States' first marijuana cafe opened on Friday, posing an early test of the Obama administration's move to relax policing of medical use of the drug.

The Cannabis Cafe in Portland, Oregon, is the first to give certified medical marijuana users a place to get hold of the drug and smoke it -- as long as they are out of public view -- despite a federal ban.

"This club represents personal freedom, finally, for our members," said Madeline Martinez, Oregon's executive director of NORML, a group pushing for marijuana legalization. "Our plans go beyond serving food and marijuana," said Martinez. "We hope to have classes, seminars, even a Cannabis Community College, based here to help people learn about growing and other uses for cannabis."

The cafe -- in a two-story building which formerly housed a speak-easy and adult erotic club Rumpspankers -- is technically a private club, but is open to any Oregon residents who are NORML members and hold an official medical marijuana card. Members pay $25 per month to use the 100-person capacity cafe. They don't buy marijuana, but get it free over the counter from "budtenders". Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it serves food but has no liquor license.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091114/ts_nm/us_oregon_potcafe

[Uben]

1. I wanna be a bud tender!

This bud's for you!

[Mithreal]

35. Is this one of those new economy jobs?

[Turborama]

59. Well, there are certainly some "Green" Jobs that have been created by this business

[blackbart99]

64. No...its one of the new Commy jobs.....

:smoke: :crazy: :hippie:

[Socal31]

73. Please....

Please please PLEASE make sure everyone in that place has a medical need for it. The biggest setback to MMJ is going to be if the federalis can prove that it is all a big front for everyone to get high.

Edit: Sorry, meant to reply to the article, not you directly.

[krabigirl]

79. Yes, but next on the plate WILL be legalization for all. State by state...

[BR_Parkway]

2. $25/month for free bud? There have got to be some limits on this

or they're going to go broke. Unless the munchie food they're selling has a huge markup!

[Drifter]

4. The weed is free ...

the doritos are $50 for an eighth.

Cheers
Drifter

[Incitatus]

37. SInce they can legally grow it, their cost is well below street price.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. That's my town!

http://images-1.redbubble.net/img/art/border:blackwithdetail/product:laminated-print/size:small/view:preview/4106450-1-gazpacho-in-a-night-on-the-town.jpg

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[marmar]

6. Portlandsterdam !!!!!!

:smoke:

[beltanefauve]

46. Just as Oakland

has Oaksterdam. We even have an Oaksterdam University, all about growing medicinally, and maintaining a marijuana business.

[bitchkitty]

55. There is a Portlanderstam University here now. n/t

[beltanefauve]

61. Cool! n/t

[pattmarty]

7. I was in Portland back in '93 and it was a pretty cool town then............

.............You get high, er I mean take your "medicine" and go on their streetcars and you can have a pretty good time for next to nothing. Better than fucking Disneyland.

[pleah]

8. K&R

[shadowknows69]

9. Well at least if the wife ever kicks me out I know where I'm moving to

Progressive NY my ass. I am soooo jealous Oregon.

[Orrex]

10. Road trip!

[BanzaiBonnie]

11. Keep Portland weird

Some of "What the Bleep do We Know" was filmed in the ballroom upstairs. The place also still has the little peepholes in the doors from when it was a speakeasy and they checked on who was a knockin' on their doors.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Good old Oregon!

State motto: She flies with her own wings.

[Gromozeka]

13. It's a good start

[Harry Monroe]

14. While I've got nothing against this, I hope they don't put the brewpubs out of business

I first learned what beer really was in Portland Ore!! The whole of the Pacific Northwest is brewski heaven!!

[CoffinEd]

15. Cannabis Community College

When does registration begin?

[piratefish08]

25. Can I get a dorm room on campus?

:hippie:

[PJPhreak]

31. How does one apply for a Scholarship, I Need to advance my Higher education! nt

[Kingofalldems]

16. I picture beatniks, bongo drums and poetry being read aloud

[classof56]

21. And the sound of fingers "clapping". Ah, the good old days!

Thanks for the mem'ries!

[berni_mccoy]

17. That's IT! I'm moving!

:evilgrin:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. As an ex-Portland resident, I'd like to ask exactly where this is located

It sounds like it's in Old Town.

[stevedeshazer]

20. Nope, it's on NE Dekum a few blocks east of NE MLK Jr. Blvd.

:hi:

[junior college]

19. This is against federal rules. We must follow all rules that are put before us

just kidding

[pepperbear]

22. I just can't get past "Rumpspankers."

:rofl:

[boppers]

51. Best American Pho ever.

I'm sad to see them go... oh, and they weren't an erotic anything, it was a noodles place.

[FirstLight]

23. So it didn;t get raided in the first 24hours?

Isn't that a BIG win for us?

wow, coolness...I thought CA would be ahead of the curve in this but GO Oregon! I have a few friends who are planning to open a cafe when the measure here in CA for leaalization & txation passes in Nov 2010...maybe i can get a job there too! yea, cool idea...I can run the poetry readings!

[Le Taz Hot]

24. CA is struggling with cities/counties

(San Diego, San Bernardino, Fresno & Madera) shutting down dispensaries. We're actually going BACKWARDS here. Onward fucking Christian soldiers! Grrrrrrrr!

[krabigirl]

80. Yep. But not for long IMO.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

26. Oregon decriminalized marijuana ages ago

so it's not as big a deal as it might be in say, Texas.

[acsmith]

36. the problem is not the state government here...

...but the federales. it is a test of whether Obama is going to come good.

[Le Taz Hot]

56. California decriminalized it in 1978.

But like Prop. H8, we seem to be going backwards.

[beltanefauve]

47. Here's the link

for the organization trying to put legal cannibis on ther ballot in Cali. They're more than halfway there on the signature drive, too. www.taxcannabis.org

[Posteritatis]

57. It'll get raided sooner or later. (nt)

[Ferret Annica]

27. Hee hee, I go there every time I go to PDX from Eugene

Though as far as general cafes on Portland goes, I prefer the Red and Black.

http://www.redandblackcafe.com/

(I am a cannabis card holder.)

[Gman2]

28. In San Diego, it aint just the dispensaries that are getting shut down.

Clones, seeds are being scouted, by officers that are dedicated to Craigslist. Idiots.

[unaffiliated liberal]

29. Wow. Every time I see a story like this

I think to myself, I HAVE TO GET THE HELL OUT OF NEW JERSEY.

We pay the highest taxes in the nation to enjoy the oppressive rules of a bunch of backwards authoritarians. And it's likely to only get worse now that Christie is in charge.

[tekisui]

30. knr~~

[loudsue]

32. I wonder if they have "doggie bags" so you can take some home

with you..

I need one of those. :evilgrin:

[unaffiliated liberal]

33. Those would be "Doobie Bags" :)

[Still Blue in PDX]

34. My Daizie Dawg would love that.

We spent a night at Dove Lewis animal hospital when she found a laced brownie in my son's room. My family was amused that I had no clue that my Staffie was stoned.

I don't know what upset me more, the carelessness with the chocolate or the pot.

[Ezlivin]

38. Remember: Rapes, murders and assaults will skyrocket now

Because as soon as someone inhales the first toke they will go off into an insane, unstoppable rage.

Watch this highly accurate documentary to learn more: Reefer Madness

Now excuse me while I kiss the sky....

[Luciferous]

39. K&R

[unaffiliated liberal]

40. Everybody needs to just chill

And a little pot might help you do just that. :) :smoke:

Pot Might Ease PTSD: Study

Synthetic marijuana reduced post-traumatic stress disorder in rats.
-- Robert Preidt

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Marijuana may help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study.

PTSD affects 10 to 30 percent of people who experience a traumatic event, such as a car accident or terror attack. These people continue to suffer stress symptoms for months and even years after the incident.

Israeli researchers conducted a series of experiments in which rats were subjected to stressful experiences, such as receiving electric shocks. The study found that the rats' stress levels could be reduced by giving them a synthetic form of marijuana that has properties similar to that of the natural plant.

Further investigation revealed that the synthetic marijuana prevents increased release of a stress hormone the body releases in response to traumatic situations.

"The results of our research should encourage psychiatric investigation into the use of cannabinoids in post-traumatic stress patients," wrote study author Dr. Irit Akirav of the department of psychology at the University of Haifa.

The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/addiction/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100249166>1=

[mstinamotorcity]

41. Theres Gold in Oregon

Acapulco Gold :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Phlem]

42. True dat

I've had PTSD since a child (raised by fucked up parents and yadda, yadda) and was just diagnosed at 41. I took my first toke in junior high. Best thing I ever did. Kept me sane in an insane situation. I can't wait till people with PTSD can be allowed medical marijuana. I work (except for right now)and pay my bills and taxes, and am in a totally loving relationship raising a beautiful little girl.

...but I feel like a criminal for having PTSD.

I wish Washington state was more like Oregon, it'd be nice to not add to my hyper-vigilance by worrying if I'm going to jail.

-phlem

[Better Believe It]

43. K & R

[Greyhound]

44. Dammit!

I moved away 6 months ago.
:kick: & R

[Tab]

45. Question about driving

I know the possession/usage laws have been seized, but at what point are you not allowed to operate a car?

Theoretical, since if I go there, I'm taking taxis. Just wondering in case it ever becomes legal on the east coast and it's near enough to drive to.

[boppers]

50. Most state's vehicle laws are about ability.

You can get a DUI for driving while taking antibiotics (I've seen it) in most locations, if your motor and thinking skills are impaired.

[Vidar]

48. Good for Portland.

[lib2DaBone]

49. There are 75,000 Alcohol Related Deaths a year....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6089353/

There are Zero Marijuana related deaths a year.

Alcohol is legal.

Simple possession of Marijuana, on the other hand, will put you in jail for 3-5 years.

HUH?

[boppers]

52. Zero Marijuana related deaths ?

Where did that "zero" number come from?

No people drunk, and stoned, in a DUI, all year?
No cancer deaths from pot smokers who never smoked tobacco?

[Zhade]

58. There have been no cancer deaths caused by pot, because it doesn't cause cancer. IT KILLS TUMORS.

That's a medically-proven fact.

[boppers]

60. Smoking pot is carcinogenic.

No scientific study has indicated otherwise. Ever.

Do you have a URL that says otherwise?

Or do you only have the URL's that say a single compound extracted from pot slows or inhibits tumors in a petri dish?

[Heidi]

65. American Thoracic Society: Study Finds No Link Between Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer

SAN DIEGO—People who smoke marijuana—even heavy, long-term marijuana users—do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23rd.

Marijuana smoking also did not appear to increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat, or esophagus, the study found.

The findings were a surprise to the researchers. “We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use—more than 500-1,000 uses—would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana,” said the senior researcher, Donald Tashkin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles.

The study looked at 611 people in Los Angeles County who developed lung cancer, 601 who developed cancer of the head or neck regions, and 1,040 people without cancer who were matched on age, gender and neighborhood. The researchers used the University of Southern California Tumor Registry, which is notified as soon as a patient in Los Angeles County receives a diagnosis of cancer.

They limited the study to people under age 60. “If you were born prior to 1940, you were unlikely to be exposed to marijuana use during your teens and 20s—the time of peak marijuana use,” Dr. Tashkin said. People who were exposed to marijuana use in their youth are just now getting to the age when cancer typically starts to develop, he added.

Subjects were asked about lifetime use of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, as well as other drugs, their diet, occupation, family history of cancer and socioeconomic status. The subjects’ reported use of marijuana was similar to that found in other surveys, Dr. Tashkin noted.

Read more

Note: The American Thoracic Society (ATS), established in 1905, is an independently incorporated, international, educational and scientific society, serving its 18,000 members worldwide who are dedicated in respiratory and critical care medicine. The Society aims to help to prevent and fight respiratory disease by promoting research, education, patient care, and advocacy, ultimately to decrease morbidity and mortality from respiratory diseases.

[Zhade]

67. Thank you for posting the truth to refute the lies.

I am sick and tired of the propaganda about this proven beneficial herb.

Simply put: without it, I'd be blind. That's from my doctors' analysis.

[Heidi]

69. Zhade, I'm glad you're getting the medical treatment you need

to save your eyesight, and I believe it's absolutely tragic that people refuse to acknowledge the medical literature. The ATA article took me about three Google seconds to find; anyone truly interested in backing up their statements about marijuana causing cancer could have at least tried to Google their claims.

Good mornin'/evenin'! :hi:

[boppers]

70. "half of patients with both types of cancer smoked marijuana"

Yeahbutno.

They smoked, they got cancer.

[Heidi]

71. So, you discount out of hand any genetic component to cancer?

Yes? Or no?

[boppers]

72. No. Why ask me that?

Do you discount out of hand any environmental component to cancer?

[dysfunctional press]

77. do you have a scientific study that says that it is?

or is it your own conjecture?

[Flaneur]

75. It's more accurate to say zero marijuana overdose deaths.

No doubt, somebody somewhere got high and did something stupid and died.

I don't know how you would demonstrate cancer deaths linked to marijuana use. Do you? And do you assume that all lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco smoke?

[AlbertCat]

53. Zero Marijuana related deaths a year.

Many would disagree with you. But I'm not one of them. The deaths they say are "marijuana related" are actually money related....people shooting each other up over $500 oz's of weed. What could make a weed cost so much? Hmmmmmmm?

Anyway. I don't know any mean pot heads, but mean alcoholics....that's another story. Does anyone get stoned and then beat the kids? Who starts a fight when baked?

[boppers]

74. "Who starts a fight when baked?"

The people ramped on meth.
The people who are drunk.
The people already coked up.

In this sense, stoners are not the problem, but cross-addicted people are.

[Flaneur]

76. You're reaching here. This thread is about marijuana.

[dysfunctional press]

78. are you saying that nobody has ever gotten stoned and caused a fatal car crash...?

because that would qualify as a 'marijuana-related death'.

[existentialist]

54. self delete: Duplication

[MrMickeysMom]

62. Well now, this will be interesting to follow...

It appears that free or not, this will be watched closely by many (certainly anyone who wants to claim it's not medicinal).

You must have medical clearance for marijuana, right? I wonder what the paper trail on that looks like. My hope is that they keep good records. I'm hoping that they will monitor all outcome.

Cannabis Community College should be good, too.

[Phlem]

63. Vaporize

or eat it = no smoke and no carcinogens.

peace

-phlem

[Le Taz Hot]

66. There are no carcinogens in pot.

[bamacrat]

68. Awesome, maybe it will spread to the rest of the country.

I hope they dont get shut down. Weed is so good and harmless.