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Richmond Times-Dispatch, 04 May 2013 - Sometimes the government just doesn't get it and the people do. When everyone is violating the law, it's time to change the law. Consider three areas where the government has it wrong and needs to change: Internet sales taxation, marijuana use and outdated laws regarding consensual sex between adults. Internet sales tax Sales taxes on online purchases have been a contentious issue for years, but mostly at the federal level. States like Virginia and 10 others have passed measures that treat online retailers, like Amazon, the same as brick and-mortar stores: everyone collects state and local sales taxes on behalf of state and local governments. Right now, Internet sales are already taxed. Consumers are supposed to pay taxes on their annual tax returns, but most don't. In fact, a recent National Public Radio story noted most consumers didn't even know about this, and only about 1.6 percent of taxpayers actually do pay these taxes. This means states could come down arbitrarily on non-compliant citizens who fail to pay the tax.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 04 May 2013 - Woodbridge site could join one in Egg Harbor as a dispensary of medical marijuana in New Jersey. Two more medical marijuana dispensaries may open soon in New Jersey, bringing the total to three, state Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd said Thursday in response to a legislator's questions about the progress of the three-year-old program.

This month people all over the world will take to the streets with a common goal – ending marijuana prohibition. This annual showing of global support – known as the Global Marijuana March – helps bring attention to the subject, as well as discredits the idea that marijuana is taboo, proving that people everywhere agree – marijuana prohibition has failed.

As hundreds of cities march together in unison (you can find a full list of all the cities marching by clicking here), activists and supportive citizens alike are given hope that the laws can change, wherever they may be, if they work together towards reform.

To exemplify how diverse these marches are, here’s a look at some of the more interesting and inspired posters from around the world encouraging people to stand up for their rights. We hope you consider taking part in a marijuana liberation march near you.

Enjoy! (Click the posters to see them full-sized).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Global Marijuana March: Working for Change Around the World appeared first on The Joint Blog.

We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our fellow man. This is a real war with real casualties and collateral damage. We have lost innumerable good people to the war on weed and on a larger scale, drugs. This war rages on, even as we see the walls of prohibition crumbling [...]

Since curing my own breast cancer and writing about it, I’ve been contacted by people around the world suffering from real illness, seeking help with the plant. Finding medicine makers and connecting them with patients can be a frustrating process from a distance, albeit helped with social networking. I live in a part of the [...]

Maine lawmakers just finished a public hearing on a measure which would make Maine the 3rd state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for adults. Maine’s Joint Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety held the hearing on LD 1229 - the Marijuana Regulation Act – and the hearing contained dozens of testimonies.

“We have seen over the past several years a real culture shift in the attitudes towards marijuana”, stated the bill’s sponsor, Diane Russell, at the start of the hearing, “whether you like legalization or don’t, this issue is coming to our state. We have a responsibility as lawmakers to get ahead of the issue and deal with it responsibly.”

LD 1229 is supported by a bipartisan coalition of over 30 State Senators and Representatives, several of which testified in favor of the measure.

Other supporters included numerous Maine residents, representatives from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and the Marijuana Policy Project, and others including a city council member from Portland, Maine. Advocates argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce the dangerous black-market and increase revenue to the state.

Opponents, which consisted of the usual – substance abuse and prevention “experts” and law enforcement, mostly – made predictably stale arguments, such as it increasing “stoned driving” (advocates hit back with a recent study showing a decrease in traffic fatalities in medical marijuana states), and maintaining the myth that it’s a gateway drug (one speaker pointed out that the only thing making marijuana a gateway drug is the black-market which marijuana is placed in).

The committee scheduled a workshop for next Friday, where they will discuss the measure, including any possible amendments. The committee, although anything can happen, is expected to approve the measure.

Recent polling shows 57% of Americans to be in support of legalization.

- TheJointBlog

The post Maine Lawmakers Hold 6 Hour Public Hearing On Marijuana Legalization Measure appeared first on The Joint Blog.

At a recent Seattle event held by the marijuana investor group the ArcView Investment Network, over $1 million was committed to 5 marijuana-related businesses, and 2 marijuana legalization groups. The investments were announced at a press conference in Seattle – total commitments are expected to surpass $2 million within a week.

The Marijuana Policy Project, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy obtained over $100,000 in commitments for future legalization efforts. The remaining investments went to the marijuana industry. Here’s a list of the companies that investors are investing in.

• Uptoke: A company which sells portable vaporizers.
• Rodawg: A marijuana packaging company.
• WeCanna: A marijuana-related crowdfunding company.
• Canna Security America: A security-solutions company for the legal marijuana industry.
• Apeks: A company which sells machines to make marijuana concentrates

This Seattle event was the first of many being planned around the nation by the Arcview Investor Network – which motto is “A New Dawn for the Legal Cannabis Industry” – a marijuana investment company founded by Steve DeAngelo, founder of California’s Harborside Health Center and star of Discovery Channel’s Weed Wars, and Troy Dayton, co-founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

The next event takes place on June 14th in New York City.

- TheJointBlog

The post Investors Commit Over $1 Million to Marijuana Industry and Movement at Seattle Event appeared first on The Joint Blog.

Earlier this week Texas lawmakers held a public hearing on House Bill 594, a medical marijuana measure which would protect qualified patients in the state by adding an “affirmative defense”. This law, which is similar to affirmative defense laws in places like Washington State, gives individuals who receive an authorization from a physician a legal defense from prosecution. `

Although in this instance patients can still be technically prosecuted, it has to be done by a jury which explicitly ignores the state’s law. Given how high support is in the public for medical marijuana, the rate of prosecution in these instances are so low that in states like Washington, it’s effectively legalized medical marijuana, eventually leading to dozens of safe access points operating throughout the state. The proposal also adds firm arrest protection to physicians who recommend that their patients use medical marijuana.

The measure isn’t perfect, but is a huge step forward for Texas.

The measure currently sits in the Public Health Committee, where it remains pending. This means that, although time is running out, the bill is not dead, and may still receive a committee vote. If its approved, it’ll head towards a full House vote.

Those in Texas should urgently contact the members of this committee (which you can find by clicking here), asking them to support this measure.

- TheJointBlog

The post Texas Lawmakers Consider Medical Marijuana Legislation appeared first on The Joint Blog.

Representative Robert F. Hagan (D-Youngstown) has introduced a measure that would put marijuana legalization on the ballot before state voters. House Joint Resolution 6 would place a question on the Ohio ballot asking voters to approve allowing people 21 or older to purchase and use marijuana. Under this proposal marijuana would be sold only by state-licensed establishments and would be subject to a 15 percent excise tax.

“With billions upon billions spent on the war on drugs with little progress to show for it, it is time for more-sensible drug policy in this country,” stated Representative Hagan.

To be placed on the ballot, HJR 6 would need to receive a three-fifths vote from the legislature. The full text of the measure is available online here.

If you live in Ohio, please take a moment to contact your Representative and urge him/her to support this historic legislation! It is time to let the people of Ohio decide for themselves whether or not it is time to legalize marijuana.

OHIO: CLICK HERE TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!

This week Vermont’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 in favor of decriminalizing the possessing of up to an ounce of marijuana for those 21 and older, making it a civil infraction – like a traffic ticket – rather than an arrestable misdemeanor that carries with it the possibility of jail time. The measure now heads to the full Senate.

For those under 21, penalties for marijuana possession would be made analogous to penalties for a minor in possession of alcohol. The proposal, House Bill 200, has obtained a coalition of 38 cosponsors. The full House voted earlier this month, 98-44, to approve the measure. If it passes the Senate, it will head to the governor for final approval.

Recent polling shows that 61% of Vermont residents support decriminalizing marijuana. The state’s attorney general is also in full support, and has lobbied for its passage.

- TheJointBlog

The post Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana appeared first on The Joint Blog.

By Michael Bachara, Oregon NORML/CRRH Portland, Oregon – Nearly three hundred cities worldwide, including Portland, will participate in the fourteenth annual Global Cannabis March on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Portland participants will gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square to march at high noon through downtown Portland, accompanied by a police escort. Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of [Continue Reading]

By John Payne As you likely know, we have been running radio advertisements on The Point 105.7 FM in Saint Louis for the past couple weeks. The station’s alternative format reaches a young adult demographic with whom our message is very popular, and they have responded strongly to our ads. Since the media campaign began, over [Continue Reading]

A new study published in The Journal of Leukocyte Biology has found exciting, albeit preliminary research which indicates that THC, one of the main compounds in marijuana, may have HIV fighting capabilities. Although more research is clearly needed, this study validates past research which also found marijuana’s compounds to be helpful in treating those with HIV and [Continue Reading]

Maryland becomes the nineteenth state in the US to allow for its residents to legally obtain medicinal cannabis with a doctors recommendation. “Maryland will become the 19th state to approve a medical marijuana program, but it’s unclear when one will be up and running. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s spokeswoman, Raquel Guillory, confirmed Wednesday that the governor will sign [Continue Reading]

A bipartisan group of Minnesota state lawmakers joined patients and advocates from Minnesotans for Compassionate Care for a news conference at the state capitol to announce the introduction of a bill that would allow people with serious illnesses to access and use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. Rep. Carly Melin (DFL-Hibbing) introduced HF 1818 in the House, [Continue Reading]

Washington, DC: Half of young Christians favor legalizing marijuana consumption for adults, according to polling data released last week by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Among self-identified Christians age 18 to 29, 45 percent said that they had used cannabis and 32 percent said that they “strongly favored” its legalization. Eighteen percent said that they “favored” the [Continue Reading]

In a 4-1 vote, Vermont’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve a bill that would reduce penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Under H. 200, which has already passed the House, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana would become a civil offense punishable by a fine rather than a criminal misdemeanor. H. 200, [Continue Reading]

The unjust persecution of the Idaho Three has galvanized the cannabis community across the country and had illustrated just how far we still have to go for true equality for the cannabis community.  The plight of the Idaho Three also demonstrates the true courage of cannabis law reform activists literally putting their lives on the line fighting [Continue Reading]

Last week, the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee approved Rep. Harold Dutton’s bill to keep marijuana users from being sent to jail for first-time simple possession of marijuana. Unfortunately, the bill – HB 184 – was amended first to apply only to people under the age of 21. The bill is now with the House Committee on Calendars. We [Continue Reading]

Columbus Dispatch, 03 May 2013 - As poll numbers show Ohioans are growing increasingly comfortable with the idea of marijuana use, a Youngstown Democrat wants to give people the chance to make the drug fully legal in Ohio. Rep. Robert F. Hagan has made a few attempts over the years to persuade his colleagues to allow for the use of medical marijuana in Ohio, and each effort has died a quiet death.