It was just last August when Mexico decriminalized up to 5 grams of marijuana for personal use. Now, a movement towards full legalization is gaining popularity in the largest Spanish speaking country in the world. Once taboo, smoking marijuana is being discussed openly among many Mexicans, especially youth. Many have seen the destruction that the War on Drugs has had on their country and realize it’s time for a change.

Mexican president Filipe Calderon said he would support a national debate on the issue of legalization, reversing the stance he held earlier. However, he noted there are factors which would make it difficult for Mexico to legalize marijuana, namely, the US. “It would be very difficult for Mexico to legalize when its northern neighbor, the most powerful country in the world, is against legalization,” he said. “Mexico could not do that unilaterally without provoking a very strong political reaction from the United States.”

According to a national survey, 5 million Mexicans, or 5% of the population, use marijuana, and it’s popularity has been growing in recent years. There are mixed feeling as to whether or not legalizing marijuana would reduce drug violence in Mexico. While it would make smuggling the herb much less profitable for criminal organizations, cocaine is currently much more lucrative and is the focus of many drug smuggling operations.

Well the results are in, and they are no surprise! In a recent poll, 21% of Canadians said they want soft drugs, like marijuana, decriminalized, and 34% want them fully legalized and taxed like tobacco. 20% of Canadians want tougher penalties for people caught with cannabis.

More men than women believe marijuana should be legalized, and, as expected, younger Canadians (aged 18-34) are more open to legalization or decriminalization than those aged 65 and over. British Columbians are the most open to slacker laws with about half of those surveyed saying they want marijuana legalized and taxed the same way tobacco and alcohol are. While Quebec and British Columbia, the second and third largest provinces in Canada, have traditionally lead the marijuana-reform movement, there’s a growing demand for reform in Ontario, Canada’s largest province.

However, the Conservative government has no plans to soften marijuana laws says Pamela Stephens, a spokeswoman for justice minister Rob Nicholson.

The survey was conducted from July 26 to July 28, 2010 and surveyed 1531 Canadians.

There’s still a few months to go before Californians vote on Proposition 19, the initiative that would legalize and tax marijuana in the state, however there is growing public support for the legalization of cannabis within California.

A new poll shows that 52% of voters support Proposition 19, 36% are against it and 12% are not sure. 38% of Californian voters admitted they’ve tried marijuana, and most said it was for recreational purposes. It is interesting to note that African Americans showed the most supportfor legalization with 68% in favor. As would be expected, Democratic supporters outweighed Republican supporters.

An Angus Reid poll from July 22 showed that 52% of Americans supported legalizing marijuana, while 65% believe the War on Drugs has failed.

What will happen with Proposition 19 remains to be seen, but it appears that public support for the legalization of marijuana is growing. This groundbreaking initiative may pave the way for the legalization of marijuana in other US states and even other countries.

Pitt Meadows, a suburb of Vancouver, is considering changing zoning bylaws that would prevent the production of medical marijuana in the municipality. Even people with permits from Health Canada allowing them to grow marijuana for medical purposes would not be allowed to do so in the district of Pitt Meadows. So far, no penalties for those who don’t follow the proposed regulation have been discussed.

Pitt Meadows officials claim the ban would help prevent fires and drug trafficking. Mayor Don McLean even called legal marijuana production sites “fires waiting to happen.” McLean pointed out that a permitted production facility in nearby Maple Ridge exceeded their permitted number of plants by more than 1500.

What do you think? Are city officials just making excuses to ban legal medical marijuana production facilities and prevent people from getting their medicine, or do they have legitimate concerns?

We received this letter from Nicholas in Hilo, Hawaii. Please read it, and if you can offer help or advice please contact Nicholas at nickstennet@gmail.com. Also, help spread his story to prevent something similar from happening to others:

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Organizing a marijuana-related event? Know of one? Let us know! Send us a short email with the details of the event (time, place, what’s happening, etc.) and we’ll put it in our blog!

Send emails to drblaze@vansterdamclothing.com or use the Contact Us link on Vansterdam Clothing’s site.

Just for fun…..so, how old were you the first time you blazed?

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If you’re in the Pacific northwest, or will be at the end of August, then you’ve got to attend the Seattle Hempfest on August 21-22.

The Hempfest is the WORLD’S largest gathering advocating the decriminalization of marijuana, and has been attended by upwards of 300,000 people in recent years. It’s hosted at Myrtle Edwards Park just north of downtown Seattle. There are three main stages, live music, food, and tons of stuff to buy, see and do!

Vansterdam Clothing will be there both days selling our famous weed t-shirts, so if you make it down don’t forget to stop by and say hi! We’ll give more details closer to the event. If you’d like more information about the Hempfest you can visit their official website.

Vancouver, a.k.a. Vansterdam, is known as the “Amsterdam of the Americas” for it’s  liberal attitude towards marijuana use. Although marijuana is still technically illegal in Vancouver, and all of Canada for that matter, police in Vancouver generally turn a blind eye towards marijuana use, even in public.

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Vansterdam may be liberal, but many who aren’t from around here don’t realize how liberal it really is. During Cannabis Day on July 1, weed was being sold left, right and center, by the joint, by the bag and in cookies, brownies and even lemonade. All this took place while police stood by and watched and even walked through the crowd at times. Activists and marijuana smokers have had a relatively good relationship with the Vancouver police for years, as police realize they have more important things to do then bust people for smoking pot. You can read more about Cannabis Day on Cannabis Culture’s website.

PS: The tent you see with the O Cannabis flag is ours!