Support for legalizing marijuana is at it’s highest with U.S. voters across the political spectrum—whether Democrats, Republicans or independents, according to a new poll by the General Social Survey. Although a higher percentage of Democratic voters agreed marijuana should be legal in the U.S. compared to Republican voters, overall, nearly 60 percent of Americans thought “the use of marijuana should be legal.” in 2017…
Featured Image: Pepe Mujica President of Uruguay, CREDIT: Roosewelt Pinheiro/ABr SOURCE: Wikipedia Commons (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Brazil license.)
. . . ““This is a change so obviously sensible, squeezing out the crooks and allowing the authorities to concentrate on graver crimes, that no other country has made it,” The Economist quipped. “If others followed suit, and other narcotics were included, the damage such drugs wreak on the world would be drastically reduced.” . . . Read Complete Report
Featured Image: Euthanasia machine created by Dr Philip Nitschke (Australia). Four terminally-ill people chose to end their lives using this machine. It gave them a lethal dose of drugs after they answered “yes” to a series of questions on the lap-top screen. This procedure was legal in Australia’s Northern Territory between 1995 and 1997. SOURCE Wikipedia (Public Domain).
Photographed in the Science Museum, London, on 02-Jan-06
Two recreational cannabis bills before Vermont legislature
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 2:45 pm
Vermonters have two chances to legalize certain amounts of marijuana possession and cultivation, with two bills headed to state legislators this session.
The first bill, Senate Bill 48, was introduced last month. If passed, it would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce by adults 21 and up. People caught with under two ounces would face a civil fine of no more than $100. People found with more than an ounce would face up to six months in jail and up to $500 in fines. Paraphernalia would also be decriminalized. People possessing under an ounce can not be denied any rights or privileges at the state level, including student financial aid, unemployment or occupational licenses. . . . Read Complete Report~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Canadian “marijuana millionaire” donating up to $620,000 to decrim efforts
Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 9:24 am
A Canadian marijuana activist and winner of a $25 million national lottery last November is putting his money where his mouth is. The Province reported last week that Bob Erb, 60, has vowed to meet any donations to Sensible British Columbia campaign for marijuana decriminalization and legalization. Erb has already donated $120,000, and says he’ll donate up to $500,000 more to match donations.Currently Sensible B.C. is trying to get a voter referendum on the 2014 ballot that would order all police in British Columbia to no longer subject people searches, seizures and arrests for possession of cannabis. It would also require the BC government to petition the prime minister to allow for regulated and taxed cannabis production and sales. . . . Read Complete Report
The Berlin Wall of pot prohibition seems to be crumbling before our eyes.
By fully legalizing marijuana through direct democracy, Colorado and Washington have fundamentally changed the national conversation about cannabis. As many as 58 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal. And our political establishment is catching on. Former president Jimmy Carter came out this month and endorsed taxed-and-regulated weed. “I’m in favor of it,” Carter said. “I think it’s OK.” In a December 5th letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) suggested it might be possible “to amend the Federal Controlled Substances Act to allow possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, at least in jurisdictions where it is legal under state law.” . . . Read Complete Report
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Published: Dec 19, 2012 at 10:58 AM PST Last Updated: Dec 19, 2012 at 11:27 AM PST
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Will the Marlboro Man light up a joint soon?
The states of Washington and Colorado legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in the November elections, but it is unclear if any cigarette makers plan to supply either market.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. President Barack Obama indicated last week that going after individual users won’t be a priority, but there’s no firm indication yet what action the Justice Department might take against states or businesses that participate in the nascent pot market, which has the potential to be large. For example analysts have estimated that a legal pot market could bring Washington state hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue for schools, health care and basic government functions.
Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA, maker of Marlboro, based in Richmond, Va., was vague when asked about the future intentions of the nation’s largest tobacco company. . . . Read Complete Report
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:23 PM Updated Friday, Dec 7 at 4:38 PM
DENVER — Pot may be legal, but workers may want to check with their boss first before they grab the pipe or joint during off hours.
Businesses in Washington state, where the drug is legal, and Colorado, where it will be by January, are trying to figure out how to deal with employees who use it on their own time and then fail a drug test. . . . Read Complete Report
In the late-1980s heyday of the anti-drug “Just Say No” campaign, a man calling himself “Jerry” appeared on a Seattle talk radio show to criticize U.S. marijuana laws.
An esteemed businessman, he hid his identity because he didn’t want to offend customers who — like so many in those days — viewed marijuana as a villain in the ever-raging “war on drugs.”
Now, a quarter century later, “Jerry” is one of the main forces behind Washington state’s successful initiative to legalize pot for adults over 21. And he no longer fears putting his name to the cause: He’s Rick Steves, the travel guru known for his popular guidebooks. . . .Read Complete Report
Chris Williams operated a completely legal medical marijuana dispensary in Montana, where he has complied with all of the local and state regulations, as crazy and ridiculous as they are.
In the past law enforcement representatives have even been through the dispensary; during their encounters they been nothing but friendly and openly approved of what was going on.
Despite the local legalization measures, in March 2011 federal agents raided a whole list of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state of Montana, including the one owned by Williams. . . . Read Complete Report
DEA Promises to Continue Drug War and Ignore Voter Decisions in Colorado and Washington
Voters in Colorado and Washington have decided to legalize cannabis for recreational use, however the feds have promised to ignore states rights and lock people up anyway, regardless of local laws.
“Both Colorado and Washington have passed referendums legalizing cannabis use. The plant is still made illegal according to federal law.
“Colorado’s Proposition 64 makes it legal for anyone over the age of 21 to possess marijuana and for businesses to sell it. It will be interesting to see how the feds treat this.
“Barry Soetoro claimed he would not go after legal medical facilities and respect state laws. Fail!”” . . .Read Complete Report
Colorado and Washington Legalized Marijuana Tuesday, What Happens Now?
by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director
November 8, 2012
Tuesday night, the states of Colorado and Washington sent a loud and clear message to the federal government that they no longer wish to enforce the futile prohibition on cannabis. The symbolic impact of these victories are immediate, but what are the practical effects on the ground now that these two initiatives have been approved?
In Washington State, regulations for the marijuana retail outlets are going to start being drafted by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. This process is expected to last about a year. The immediate impact of passing I-502 is on the state laws regarding possession. Starting on December 6th, Section 20 of the initiative will take effect. This section effectively states that any person over the age of 21 is legally allowed to possess up to 1oz of dried marijuana, 16oz of marijuana solids (edibles), and 72oz of cannabis infused liquids (think oils and lotions). It is also no longer a crime to possess marijuana paraphernalia. . . . Read Complete Report
A group of Latin American leaders declared Monday that votes by two U.S. states to legalize marijuana have important implications for efforts to quash drug smuggling, offering the first government reaction from a region increasingly frustrated with the U.S.-backed war on drugs.
The group of Latin American leaders declared Monday that votes by two U.S. states to legalize marijuana have important implications for efforts to quash drug smuggling, offering the first government reaction from a region increasingly frustrated with the U.S.-backed war on drugs. declaration by the leaders of Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica did not explicitly say they were considering weakening their governments’ efforts against marijuana smuggling, but it strongly implied the votes last week in Colorado and Washington would make enforcement of marijuana bans more difficult. . . . Read Complete Report
