Political

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Two major law enforcement organizations in Illinois claim that DUI rules in a pending medical marijuana bill are not strict enough.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Sheriffs' Association on Wednesday sent a letter to Governor Pat Quinn and other state officials asking for tougher marijuana DUI safeguards, reportes The Associated Press.

The letter didn't mention the rather pertinent fact that according to one major study, states that have legalized medical marijuana see fewer fatal car accidents.

Medical marijuana laws were not significantly linked with changes in daytime crash rates, or those that didn't involve alcohol, according to the study.

Illinois' medical marijuana bill is scheduled for a Senate hearing on Wednesday. The idea has won approval in the Senate in past years, but police opposition could be a hurdle for this year's bill.

(Graphic: THCFinder.com)

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

History was made on Wednesday as the Colorado Legislature gave final approval to a bill asking voters to tax recreational marijuana, moving the Mile High State closer to becoming the first in the the U.S. to pass laws regulating legal cannabis.

The Colorado Senate on Wednesday morning approved the tax measure and another bill spelling out rules for marijuana stores and sent both the the House, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. The House then quickly passed House Bill 1318, the bill on cannabis taxes, and sent it to Governor John Hickenlooper's desk.

House members will now take up the second measure, covering rules for the pot stores.

The Senate's Wednesday morning marijuana votes came with little discussion. Only Mark Scheffel (R-Parker) stood to speak about the bills on Wednesday, in contrast with Tuesday's lengthy debates on both bills.

Sen. Scheffel said he has reservations about allowing more open and legal access to marijuana (apparently disregarding the fact that the voters of the state obviously have no such reservations). Scheffel claimed he worried about the impact of marijuana legalization "on the kids," but decided to support the tax bill anyway.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Public health officials in Massachusetts on Wednesday approved final regulations for the state's medical marijuana program, preparing for the voter-approved law to take effect. However, it will likely be a few more months before the first medical marijuana dispensaries open in the state.

Massachusetts in November became the 18th state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, allowing patients with cancer, Parkinson's disease and HIV to use cannabis with their doctor's authorization, reports Bob Salsberg at WBUR. The regulations also allow doctors to authorize marijuana for other debilitating conditions not specifically listed in the rules.

The Public Health Council unanimously approved the 45 pages of regulations, which will allow authorized patients to buy and possess up to 10 ounces as a 60-day supply, though some patients could be authorized for greater amounts with permission from their doctors.

Up to 35 dispensaries will be licensed to operate around the state.

Religious leader, former narcotics officer, and physician scheduled to testify in support of House-approved measure that would allow people with serious illnesses to access and use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

The Illinois Senate Executive Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday at 3 p.m. on a bill that would allow residents with serious illnesses, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, to access and use medical marijuana if their physicians recommend it. If approved, the measure will be considered by the full Senate. It received approval from the full House of Representatives on April 17.

Rev. Alexander Sharp, executive director emeritus of Protestants for the Common Good; former narcotics police officer Karen Stone of Glenarm; Dr. David Walters of Mt. Vernon; and a Somonauk-based military veteran with advanced multiple sclerosis are scheduled to testify in support of House Bill 1, which is sponsored in the Senate by former state’s attorney Sen. William Haine (D-Alton).

The measure has been endorsed by the Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois State Bar Association, and since last month, more than 265 doctors from across the state have signed on to a statement in support of safe access to medical marijuana for patients with serious illnesses.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

A Kent County, Michigan judge on Monday ruled that the voter-approved decriminalization of marijuana in Grand Rapids is valid.

Judge Paul Sullivan dismissed Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth's attempt to nullify the charter amendment, approved by voters last November, reports John Tunison at Mlive.com.

Judge Sullivan ruled that possession of less than 2.5 ounces of cannabis in Grand Rapids can, indeed, be handled as a civil infraction, just as voters had already decided.

Prosecutor Forsyth unsuccessfully argued that the amendment conflicts with Michigan laws classifying marijuana possession as a misdemeanor. He also claimed that decriminalizing weed would "interfere with his responsibilities" as Kent County Prosecutor. (Man, does this cat enjoy busting potheads, or what?)

Even before Judge Sullivan's Monday ruling, Grand Rapids Police had begun following the amendment on May 1, and started writing civil infractions for marijuana possession.

"The voters of Grand Rapids had the power to amend the city charter and plaintiff has failed to show that any section of the charter amendment necessarily conflicts with state law," Judge Sullivan wrote in his ruling.

Gov. Maggie Hassan is insisting legislators remove a provision from HB 573 that would allow patients with serious illnesses to grow their own supply of medical marijuana, leaving patients with no legal source of marijuana for two or more years while alternative treatment centers are being developed

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

New Hampshire State Reps. Donna Schlachman (D-Exeter) and Donald "Ted" Wright (R-Tuftonboro) and other legislators will join medical marijuana advocates – including a retired police sergeant and drug task force member – at a news conference Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET in the lobby of the Legislative Office Building, where they will call on Gov. Maggie Hassan and members of the Legislature to recognize patients' immediate need for legal access to medical marijuana.

Gov. Hassan is insisting legislators remove a provision from HB 573 that would allow patients with serious illnesses to grow their own supply of medical marijuana, which would leave patients with no legal source of marijuana for two or more years while alternative treatment centers are being developed.

The news conference is scheduled to follow a Senate Health and Human Services Committee meeting regarding the bill. The Senate meeting will begin at 9 a.m. ET in Room 103 of the Legislative Office Building.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

The California Supreme Court on Monday held that localities may entirely ban medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within their jurisdictions in a closely watched case, City of Riverside vs. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center.

The result of the Court’s ruling is that tens of thousands of legitimate medical marijuana patients in California will be without safe and legal access to medical marijuana. To date, more than 200 localities have banned dispensaries outright; many more are expected to do so after Monday's ruling.

While there are more than 50 localities in California that have adopted ordinances that comprehensively and successfully regulate medical marijuana and provide meaningful patient access, many others have enacted bans over frustration and hostility at the burden of medical marijuana regulation falling at the local level.

It is likely that the Court’s decision Monday, absent action by the Legislature, will lead to more localities enacting bans.

Eleven other medical marijuana states regulate the production and distribution of medical marijuana at the state level. California is unique in placing the responsibility to regulate entirely at the local level and in its complete absence of statewide oversight.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

The Massachusetts Public Health Committee on Monday will hear proposals to change the state's medical marijuana law as it prepares to implement the voter-approved measure. Among the changes is one that would reduce the maximum number of medical marijuana dispensaries allowed in the state from 35 to only 10.

Another proposal would prohibit the dispensaries from being located within 1,000 feet of schools, houses of worship or civic centers, reports The Associated Press.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is scheduled to publish final regulations for medical marijuana later this month.

Massachusetts voters last November approved a ballot question legalizing medical marijuana for patients with certain conditions, including cancer, AIDS and Parkinson's disease.

Under the new medical marijuana law, patients are allowed to buy and possess up to a 60-day supply of cannabis.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Cincinnati mayoral candidate Jim Berns, a Libertarian, has announced his support for the re-legalization of marijuana.

"The vast majority of Americans do not realize that the USA became a great country before marijuana was criminalized in the 1930s as a way to discriminate against Mexican-Americans and blacks moving from the south to the north," Berns said, reports WCPO.

Bern said he supports Ohio Rep. Robert Hagan's proposal to legalize marijuana for medical use, and also a second proposal which would allow people 21 and older to buy and use cannabis. He said he agrees with Hagan's idea that too much money is spent on the War On Drugs with little progress to show for it.

"Over and over I heard stories how loved ones got into trouble with the law for using marijuana, a substance of little danger compared to alcohol," Berns said. "These stories illustrate how we are making a serious health problem into a tragedy for families and the community.

"Over 300 Ohioans are killed in alcohol related traffic accidents each year," Berns said. "According to DrugFacts.org, of the over two million people who died in 2009 in the U.S., none were from the use of marijuana."

Come out and support what has become a staple of local Portland culture, the Global Cannabis March.

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 Hemp (CRRH) and Oregon NORML are sponsors of this event.

Musicians Justin James Bridges, Tim Pate and John Cornett have joined the roster for the rally, which runs from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Speakers for the rally include Leland Berger, Portland Attorney and advocate for the group Compassionate Oregon, Russ Belville of 420 Radio, Madeline Martinez of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and more.

“Cannabis proponents agree; the war on the cannabis plant is a farce, the drug war is taking a last gasp. No political movement in America has made it this far without eventually winning, it's just a matter of time.” according to Michael Bachara, Executive Director of Oregon National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Mayor Vincent Gray and the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday launched D.C.'s first campaign against "synthetic marijuana" use among District youth. The zombie-themed campaign will highlight the negative side effects and dangers of the illegal drug, which really shouldn't be called "marijuana" at all, since -- unlike cannabis -- it can be dangerous.

Synthetic smoking mixes go by a variety of different names such as Spice, Spice Gold, K2, Zombie World, Scooby Snax, and Potpourri. They are often packaged in bright, colorful three-ounce plastic pouches decorated with designs, graphic imagery, quotes from cartoon characters and popular movies, and other recognizable mainstream logos.

Public health and law enforcement officials have traced the sale of the drug to many D.C. tobacco shops and smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores and over the Internet.

"One of my top priorities is to ensure that District youth have an opportunity to learn, live, and grow in a city that takes a proactive approach to ensure their right to a healthy, safe and drug-free life," Mayor Gray said. "The new campaign designed to create awareness of the extreme dangers and negative effects of synthetic marijuana is remarkable and very necessary.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

A Dutch mayor has warned his city's 13 cannabis cafes ("coffee shops") that he will take legal action if they continue with plans to sell marijuana to non-residents this Sunday.

The local cannabis cafe association announced its intentions earlier that all outlets will sell to people who don't live in the Netherlands on Sunday, when the Dutch celebrate the end of World War II, reports Dutch News.

Under recently adopted rules, the cafes, known as coffee shops, are now only allowed to sell marijuana to people who officially live in the Netherlands.

But a court ruling last week in favor of one coffee shop -- closed by Mayor Hoes because it sold to foreigners -- has given rise to hopes that the ban on sales to foreigners would be lifted.

"That ass should f off... really... Since this stupid rule there's an increase of shady dealers running around the city in the evening," commented Roy Kwarten. "And they sell a lot more than just cannabis. People who just enjoyed a smoke on the 'weed'-boat or coffee shop seldom bother anyone... These dealers are something else altogether, though. And they attract too many junkies, as well."

The bigger northern cities in the Netherlands, Amsterdam in particular, have said they will "use their discretion" about imposing the ban on foreigners, which means, in effect, they are ignoring it.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

An Ohio lawmaker has introduced two proposals, one of which would allow patients with certain conditions to use marijuana medicinally, and another which would provide Ohioans the chance to legalize recreational marijuana at the ballot box.

Rep. Robert Hagan (D-Youngstown) introduced the proposals at the statehouse on Thursday, reports 10tv.com.

House Bill 153 would allow patients to use marijuana to treat medical ailments with their doctor's authorization.

The other measure, House Joint Resolution 5, would provide state residents with the opportunity for a statewide vote to legalize and tax cannabis. The measure is based on Colorado's successful legalization measure from last year, Amendment 64, according to Rep. Hagan's office.

"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," Rep. Hagan said. "This issue deserves a Yes or No vote by the people."

(Graphic: The Weed Blog)

Group of legislators will join local advocates to discuss the measure at a pre-hearing news conference in the State House Welcome Center Friday

Bipartisan group of 35 legislators co-sponsoring bill to establish a legal market for businesses to sell marijuana to adults 21 and older

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

The Maine Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety will hold a hearing Friday at 10 a.m. ET Friday, May 3, on a bill that would make possession of limited amounts of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older and establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.

"A majority of Americans are ready to move beyond marijuana prohibition, and this bill presents our legislature with a golden opportunity to take the initiative to develop a sensible new approach," said David Boyer, Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). "I hope members of the legislature will keep in mind our state motto, 'Dirigio' or 'I lead,' when hearing testimony and casting their votes on this bill.

"Marijuana is objectively far less harmful than alcohol for the consumer and for society," Boyer said. "People are fed up with laws that punish adults for making the safer choice."

Bill with maximum number of House and Senate sponsors would allow Minnesotans with serious illnesses to access and use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

A bipartisan group of Minnesota state lawmakers joined patients and advocates for a news conference at the state capitol on Thursday 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) is introducing the bill in the House of Representatives (HF 1818), and Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) is introducing the companion bill in the Senate (SF 1641). Both bills have the maximum number of sponsors allowed -– 35 in the House, including 12 committee chairs, and five in the Senate, including two committee chairs.

"Medical marijuana made life bearable for my daughter in her final few months," said Joni Whiting of Jordan, who attended the news conference. Her daughter, Stephanie, used medical marijuana to relieve the extreme pain and nausea associated with cancer and chemotherapy.

"She would have tried using medical marijuana immediately after her doctor recommended it, but we feared the legal consequences and she suffered for months before we decided it was worth the risk," Whiting said. "This legislation will prevent patients and families from being put in such a terrible situation."