The state Senate approved the measure, 42-4. The action sends the bill to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who indicated he is likely to sign it. . . . Read Complete Report
What do P-Diddy, Cameron Diaz, Nicki Minaj, Ron Howard and Mark Wahlberg all have in common? Aside from being ridiculously famous and wealthy, they all support the reformation of drug laws in this country. More than 175 actors, artists, athletes and elected officials signed on to an open letter to President Obama today, asking him to change our drug policy laws from punitive, harsh jail times to one that favors evidence- based prevention and rehabilitation. . . . Read Complete Report
For 21 years, Palos Park attorney James Gierach has been trying to convince elected officials and the public that the war on drugs is a failure. . . . From discription published with video.
Kentucky Industrial Hemp Legislation Becomes Law Without Governor’s Signature
by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director
April 5, 2013
On Friday, April 5th, Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky stated that he will let Kentucky’s industrial hemp measure become law without his signature. Gov. Beshear had expressed concerns that marijuana growers could hide their illegal growing operations with hemp plants. Despite his concerns, he allowed the measure to become law without his signature and did not veto the legislation. . . . Read Complete Report
Bill to Legalize and Regulate Marijuana Introduced in Alabama
by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director
April 5, 2013
Many traditionally write off the Southern United States as an area dead to cannabis law reform, but one Representative is behind a new effort that can change all of that. . . . Read Complete Report
SEATTLE (AP) — Estimates of how much money marijuana legalization can bring to the state’s coffers have been way off, Washington’s new marijuana consultant said. . . . Read Complete Report
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From CBS St Louis Indoor KC Gardeners Claim Pot Search Was Illegal
March 29, 2013 11:01 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Two former CIA employees whose suburban Kansas City home was unsuccessfully searched for marijuana claim they were illegally targeted, possibly because they had purchased indoor growing supplies to raise vegetables.
Adelyn and Robert Harte sued Thursday to obtain records and are considering a federal civil rights lawsuit. . . . Read Complete Report
Innovation is inevitable in any industry, and the field of medical marijuana is no different. With laws already in the books in 18 states and more on the way, investors who might not know their Blue Chips from their Blue Dream are flocking to these regions to stake their claim in what they see as the next big commodity.
White-collar Wall Street-types can certainly see the budding upside to sinking money into dispensaries, growing operations, and other cannabis related retail outlets. But those potential gains are often outweighed by the prospects of inventory control, employee management, product naiveté. And of course, the grey area that exists in all current state-level medical marijuana laws that fly in the face of Federal statute. Cue MedBox. . . . Read Complete Report
The United States must not turn a blind eye to the recreational use of cannabis in states that liberalize drug laws, an international monitoring group said, urging the country to live up to its treaty commitments. . . . Read Complete Report
Richard Van Wickler was active duty in the U.S. Army and now heads corrections in rural New Hampshire. He’s seen the injustice of imprisoning drug offenders as if they’re dangerous. Now he’s speaking out against the disastrous War on Drugs.
This is part of the SafeKeepers video series produced by the Beyond Bars campaign and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
10) MARIJUANA USE HAS NO EFFECT ON MORTALITY: A massive study of California HMO members funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found marijuana use caused no significant increase in mortality. Tobacco use was associated with increased risk of death. Sidney, S et al. Marijuana Use and Mortality. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 87 No. 4, April 1997. p. 585-590. Sept. 2002. . . . Complete List
Photo: Blackberry medical cannabis SOURCE: Wikimedia/Mjpression.jpg
TUESDAY, JAN 8, 2013 11:12 AM EST
Aaron Sandusky’s case shows what can happen when federal law opposes state marijuana legislation
A federal court Monday sentenced a California man to 10 years in prison for doing something that’s legal in his state. Aaron Sandusky was convicted in October on federal charges of distributing marijuana — he is one of four defendants in the United States who have faced federal prosecutors over medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Sandusky, 42, ran three dispensaries in Southern California’s Inland Empire area. Medical marijuana dispensaries have been legal according to California state law since 1996.
According to reports, Sandusky told the courtroom Monday, “I want to apologize to those with me and their families who have been victimized by the federal government who has not recognized the voters of this state.” . . . Read Complete Report
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Are we on the verge of an American hemp renaissance?
Advocates for hemp legalization are gaining momentum, with Kentucky lawmakers making the biggest push
Kentucky was America’s leading hemp producer in the early 19th century. Now, 200 years later, after a historic election for drug policy has led to a shift for marijuana policy reform in America, Kentucky lawmakers are taking steps to revive the crop.
While advocates for hemp legalization say the plant could bring a wealth of green jobs to Kentucky, deep-rooted drug stigma and conflict with federal law have made passing the legislation unlikely. Nonetheless, two state bills are in the works, while a federal proposal aims to clear the way for state legalization. Lawmakers suggest the bills could at least open up the conversation about hemp, and clear up misconceptions about its use. . . . Read Complete Report
In “The War on Weed,” Christof Putzel travels coast to coast to investigate the bizarre range of marijuana laws and enforcement in America. In California, legalized medical marijuana has led to something of a free for all and the Feds are cracking down. In Colorado, medical marijuana is protected by the state constitution and millionaire entrepreneurs have set up shop. In New York City, African-American men are arrested by the tens of thousands for low-level pot possession.
One thing that’s easily noticed when working in the cannabis reform movement is that there’s an embedded fear in many individuals when it comes to standing up for supporting legalization, and working publicly to get it done. On one hand, it’s hard to blame these people: Cannabis prohibition is a very real, very dangerous beast. The government has spent a lot of time, and resources, to put this fear into the public.
On the other hand, free speech is a constitutional right, and standing up for what we believe in should be a core principle of being an active citizen of our great, yet ever-progressing country. It’s easy to forget that in relative terms, we’re a young nation, and we have a lot to improve upon — we can’t let complacency be an enemy. . . . Read Complete Report
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DC’s First Marijuana Dispensaries 3 Miles From FBI Headquarters
The District of Columbia’s long-awaited medical marijuana program took a big step forward this week when officials issued occupancy permits for DC’s first marijuana cultivation center and dispensary. Both locations are less than three miles from the J. Edgar Hoover Building, headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The step was widely viewed as one of the last hurdles to a working medical marijuana program that almost 70 percent of DC voters approved in a referendum 14 years ago, reports In The Capital. Congress spent years blocking funding for the program before finally getting out of the way after President Obama was elected. Then a tortuous three-year regulatory process began, which has only recently been completed. . . . Read Complete Report
Child’s father said seizures were a daily nightmare before the medical marijuana treatment. But medical experts question risks of treating children with the drug.
A six-year-old California boy who suffers severe seizures that leave him shaking on the ground and crying for help has finally found some relief, his family says.
SAN FRANCISCO — President Barack Obama says he won’t go after pot users in Colorado and Washington, two states that just legalized the drug for recreational use. But advocates argue the president said the same thing about medical marijuana — and yet U.S. attorneys continue to force the closure of dispensaries across the U.S.
Welcome to the confusing and often conflicting policy on pot in the U.S., where medical marijuana is legal in many states, but it is increasingly difficult to grow, distribute or sell it. And at the federal level, at least officially, it is still an illegal drug everywhere. . . . Read Complete Report
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and County Counsel hold closed-door meeting Tuesday after 9 a.m. public comment period.
The Mendocino Board of Supervisors and County Counsel Thomas Parker met in a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss a pending federal subpoena for records held by the Sheriff’s now-defunct medical marijuana cultivation program, County Code 9.31, in which registrants were allowed to grow collectively up to 99 plants and were sold zip ties for $25 per plant to show they were being cultivated in compliance with state law. . . . Read Complete Report
We at Toke of the Town certainly couldn’t think of anyplace more appropriate to visit than the Mile High City — and Denver, here we come, for the Medicated Chef Contest in February. It’s for sure that authoring aSeattle Weekly “Voracious” food blog column, “Incredible Medibles,” has certainly nourished our keen interest in and enjoyment of cannabis-infused cooking. . . . 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.
“It’s amazing where we’ve come,” says Steves of the legalization measures Washington and Colorado voters approved last month. “It’s almost counterculture to oppose us.” . . . Read Complete Report
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s medical marijuana law is constitutional and federal drug laws don’t stand in the way of public officials implementing it, a judge said Tuesday in a ruling that sets the stage for the opening of the state’s first pot dispensary.
“This court will not rule that Arizona, having sided with the ever-growing minority of states and having limited it to medical use, has violated public policy,” wrote Judge Michael Gordon of Maricopa County Superior Court.
The case started over a dispute over whether Maricopa County had to approve zoning for a dispensary in Sun City. It grew to include the larger legal question of whether federal drug laws pre-empt Arizona’s medical marijuana law. Read Complete Report
This has been around for several years, but I decided it was worth posting again. If this guy isn’t the Cop Poster Child for keeping the “Killer Weed” off the streets then there ain’t one. . . . Editor
So this story comes out of the “Ignorance Undenied” folder. A cop takes marijuana from evidence and makes brownies with his wife. Then in his paranoia that he is dying, he calls 911. Hilarity ensues. As far as I can find he was not charged, and stepped down from the force as a result of this incident.
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
President’s pot comments prompt call for policy
From MercuryNews.com
By Paul Elias
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — President Barack Obama says he won’t go after pot users in Colorado and Washington, two states that just legalized the drug for recreational use. But advocates argue the president said the same thing about medical marijuana — and yet U.S. attorneys continue to force the closure of dispensaries across the U.S.
Welcome to the confusing and often conflicting policy on pot in the U.S., where medical marijuana is legal in many states, but it is increasingly difficult to grow, distribute or sell it. And at the federal level, at least officially, it is still an illegal drug everywhere. . . . Read Complete Report