Close encounter goes viral

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Close encounter goes viral

Will pro-pot Alaska reporter"s viral exit boost legal marijuana vote?

It was the “f— it” heard ‘round the web.

Alaska reporter Charlo Greene achieved viral video fame this week by announcing on-air she was quitting to work on passing the state’s Ballot Measure 2, which would legalize marijuana. 

“And as for this job … f— it, I quit,” said Greene, who until that moment worked for KTVA in Anchorage. 

But will all the attention surrounding her spectacular exit boost the ballot initiative itself? 

Perhaps not surprisingly, Greene seems to think so. She told FoxNews.com she believes her actions “1,000 percent” benefit the pro-legalization movement.

“If I had just given my two weeks, the viewers would have never known,” she said. 

Others in Alaska aren’t so sure what the impact will be. 

The marijuana ballot measure, polls show, has voters about evenly divided, and even a small shift could make the difference. At the same time, the ballot measure has been a hot topic in Alaska for months and both supporters and opponents downplayed the impact Greene’s move may have on voters. 

Taylor Bickford, a spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana in Alaska, told FoxNews.com while it’s “entirely possible” Greene’s outspoken outreach could drive some Alaskans to the polls, it doesn’t compare to the months of work the campaign has put in to gain support.

“Charlo Greene has transitioned from someone who reported on the ballot measure to a supporter,” Bickford said. “[But] she’s just one supporter amongst many.” 

Charles Fedullo, a spokesman for the “Big Marijuana, Big Mistake: Vote No on 2″ campaign, told FoxNews.com he believes there will be a high voter turnout for the fall election regardless of Greene’s actions, as there are many important issues on the ballot.

“When it comes to Charlo Greene, people will make up their own minds whether she is a valuable spokesperson for the pro-marijuana organization,” he said. 

The attention surrounding Greene (whose real name is Charlene Egbe) has raised some concerns from the pro-pot movement that the stunt could end up hurting the cause by casting it in a bad light. 

A former neighbor of Greene’s also reportedly filed a restraining order against her after claiming his daughter got sick due to the marijuana smoke from her room. Greene, who runs the Alaska Cannabis Club, allegedly threatened the father, though she denies it. 

Alaska has a long and muddled history with legalized marijuana.

University of Alaska-Anchorage Professor Jason Brandeis notes that the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in 1975 that Alaskans could possess small amounts of recreational marijuana in the privacy of their homes for personal use. The permissible amount commonly is understood to be less than four ounces. Alaska also legalized medical marijuana in 1998. 

However, Alaska has several laws on the books that punish any non-medical marijuana use. This has created what Brandeis called a legal “gray area” — technically you can smoke marijuana in your home, but you can also be prosecuted if you’re caught.

“It makes it a little bit tricky,” Brandeis told FoxNews.com. 

Ballot Measure 2 would do away with that gray area by legalizing recreational marijuana use for people over the age of 21, and regulating its production, sale and use in the state.

Bickford said the changes are long overdue to reconcile the “confusing” and “damaging” laws in a “state that already has a multi-million dollar marijuana industry.” Bickford added that many Alaskans believe it’s better to have Alaska’s marijuana industry regulated than in the hands of criminal enterprises.

However, Fedullo strongly disagreed. He said the anti-legalization campaign is largely made up of volunteers, everyday Alaskans worried that national pro-marijuana organizations are trying to push their agenda in the fiercely independent state.

“People are very concerned,” he said. “And Alaskans in general, the hair on the back of our neck stands up when we feel there is outside influence coming here.” 

Fedullo said a “lot of people” he has spoken with in the state are worried about the effects legal marijuana has had in Colorado and Washington, and what impacts a legal marijuana industry could have on Alaska’s communities.

Greene described the ballot initiative as vital for the movement. As for her sign-off splash, Greene said after watching months of coverage on her TV station, she finally got the opportunity to voice her opinion.

“The fact that I’m sitting here with you on FoxNews.com talking about Ballot Measure 2 and what it means for Alaskans right here today just shows that whatever I did worked to spark a conversation about marijuana reform in Alaska, across the nation and across the world,” she said Thursday.

Recent surveys of voters by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling indicate support for Ballot Measure 2 may be on the decline. In a May poll, 48 percent of voters said they would vote yes on the measure, while 45 percent said they would vote no and 7 percent said they were undecided.

However, in an August poll, 44 percent of voters said they would vote yes on the measure, while 49 percent said they would vote no and 8 percent said they were undecided.

View the original article here

Will pro-pot Alaska reporter"s viral exit boost legal marijuana vote?

Online petition calling for dismissal of Trinidad sports minister goes viral

Trinidad & Tobago Sports Minister, Anil Roberts (Credit: news.gov.tt)

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Monday July 28, 2014, CMC – A petition calling for the dismissal of embattled Sports Minister Anil Roberts in the wake of a damning audit of the controversial multi-million dollar Lifesport programme has apparede on social networks.

The petition on the website change.org is calling on Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to “immediately revoke the ministerial portfolio of Anil Roberts” and follows calls even from Robert’s Congress of the People (COP) party for him to step down.

Last weekend, Prime Minister Persad Bissessar told Parliament that she had asked her Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to hand over copies of the audit to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police “to investigate, detain and prosecute those guilty to the fullest extent of the law”.

Persad Bissessar said that the audit had revealed a number of discrepancies including procurement breaches; the involvement of some persons in criminal activities; fraud by suppliers; theft of equipment; breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act and a deviation from the mandates of Cabinet.

Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, who announced the immediate end to the programme, said that in May, a newspaper publication brought to light allegations of wrong-doing and misuse of resources in the LifeSport programme.

“Based on the very real possibility of there being irregularities I immediately instructed that the programme be transferred to the Ministry of National Security, and that the Ministry of Finance and the Economy, through its Central Audit Committee, conduct a full audit.”

The petition, which has so far been signed by more than 400 people, noted that the audit “has unearthed massive corruption, millions of (dollars of) taxpayers’ money lost and laws of Trinidad and Tobago breached.

The petition also noted that the approval given by Cabinet was not strictly adhered to and there may have been breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“The citizens of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago hereby demand that the Hon. Prime Minister immediately advise His Excellency the President Anthony Carmona to revoke the ministerial portfolio of Anil Roberts,” the petition stated.

Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar, who is also the COP leader, said the issues highlighted in the audit are a “very grave cause for concern regarding serious breaches of the law….”

“The contents of this report have been referred to several institutions for further investigation to determine whether criminal acts or other breaches of the Integrity in Public Life act and or acts of serious misconduct meriting criminal or disciplinary charges being laid, have been committed,” Ramadhar said in a statement.

He said in light of the findings and further investigations, the COP, which is the second biggest partner in the four-party coalition government here, is calling on Roberts “to recuse himself from his ministerial responsibilities until these investigations are concluded and decisions taken in respect of their findings”.

The main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) has also called on Roberts to resign.

But Roberts has maintained his innocence, saying that the report has not linked him to any corrupt activities and therefore he had no reason to resign.

View the original article here

Online petition calling for dismissal of Trinidad sports minister goes viral