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​On January 1, 2011, a law passed by the California State Legislature and signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went into effect that removed criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, making the violation a civil citation similar to a parking ticket. Supporters of the law argued that it would remove some of the financial burden associated with arresting people for marijuana possession, while lessening the damage done by having a criminal record.
Advocates now eagerly await the release of arrest data, as well as state expenditures on marijuana enforcement and prosecution, to determine if the state is adequately following the law.
 
“Serious unintended consequences have surfaced as a result of this mischaracterization [marijuana possession being a misdemeanor as opposed to a civil infraction],” said Sen. Mark Leno, the bill’s sponsor, during debate on the bill in 2010.

Graphic: CA NORML

​This Friday, June 3, is the last day for bills to be voted on in the California Legislature for passage to the other legislative house.
Two major marijuana bills are before the Legislature and need action — one each in the Senate and the Assembly. It’s time to contact your state legislators now and tell them you support SB 129 and AB 1017. Below, you can find easy links to do just that.
Legislation that would make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against persons who are authorized under state law to use medical marijuana is pending in the California Senate.
Senate Bill 129 declares it unlawful under state law “for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment or otherwise penalize a person, if the discrimination is based upon the person’s status as a qualified patient or a positive drug test for marijuana,” if the drug test result is indicative of previous, off-the-job marijuana use (e.g., a positive test for marijuana metabolites on a urine screen).

Photo: Steve Rhodes/flickr
State Senator Mark Leno: “When Californians approved the compassionate use of cannabis, they never intended for it to apply only to unemployed people”

​The State Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 on Tuesday, approving a bill that would protect California’s medical marijuana patients from discrimination at the workplace.

Senate Bill 129 was introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) in January as an attempt to clarify the legislative intent of the state’s Medical Marijuana Program Act. While clearly establishing a medical marijuana patient’s right to work, SB 129 continues to prohibit on-the-job impairment.
The bill now moves to the Senate floor for an as-of-yet unscheduled vote.

Graphic: Rose Law Group

​California employers would be prevented from discriminating against medical marijuana patients under a bill introduced to the California Legislature on Thursday.

Senate Bill 129, introduced by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would not change the current law which prohibits employees from using medical marijuana at the workplace. “This bill is not about being under the influence while at work,” Sen. Leno said. “That’s against the law, and will remain so.”
According to Sen. Leno, his bill “simply establishes a medical cannabis patient’s right to work.”

Graphic: Massachusetts Marijuana Movement Journal

​Starting this Saturday, January 1, 2011, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in California will be a less serious offense, similar to a parking ticket. The fine cannot be more than $100, considerably less than most speeding tickets or running a red light.

Despite the failure of legalization initiative Proposition 19, Californians just aren’t that into punishing people for pot. Their relaxed attitudes about weed are reflected in the new state law, which downgrades possession of up to an ounce from a misdemeanor crime punishable with a $100 fine to an infraction, with the fine staying the same, reports Heidi Ross at Internetbits.
The bill, SB 1449, was introduced this year by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Sen. Leno said the state could no longer afford to go after people who had committed a crime that carries the same punishment as a parking ticket.

Photo: Addiction Inbox

​​When Arizona in November became the 15th state in the union to legalize medical marijuana, with voters approving Prop 203 by a thin margin, they got something that perhaps no other state has: employment protection for patients.

It’s much more difficult to get a doctor’s recommendation for cannabis in Arizona, and possession is limited to only 2.5 ounces, nobody can grow more than 12 plants, and if you live within 25 miles of a dispensary, you can’t grow at all. But unless you show up at work noticeably impaired, you won’t be fired simply for being a medical marijuana patient, points out Joe Eskinazi at the SF Weekly.
In California, Oregon, Washington, and most or all other medical marijuana states — even though you aren’t breaking the law if you use marijuana medically with a doctor’s recommendation — you can still get your ass fired in a heartbeat if, say, you have a workplace accident and get the standard urinalysis that follows.

Graphic: California NORML

​In the aftermath of Proposition 19, California NORML will host a statewide conference to discuss the future of marijuana reform efforts in California on January 29 in Berkeley.

The conference, at the David Brower Center, will feature a public discussion with drug reform leaders, legislators, attorneys, physicians, medical marijuana groups and the press.
The first part of the conference will cover lessons from the Prop 19 campaign; where to go from here, and what changes in wording and tactics should be adopted in future legalization efforts.

Photo: Zazzle

​Opponents of Proposition 19 — which would legalize, tax and regulate recreational marijuana for adults in California — are desperately trying to revive their cash-strapped campaign amid signs that public sentiment is turning more and more in favor of the initiative.

“We’re telling folks who are opposed, ‘If we’re going to get our message out, we need additional resources,’ ” said Roger Salazar, spokesman for No On Proposition 19, reports Michael Montgomery at CaliforniaWatch.
The campaign against Prop 19 has so far been financially anemic, raising less than $160,000 in contributions for all of this year, according to required campaign finance disclosures as of September 30.
Meanwhile, supporters of the cannabis legalization initiative have raised more than $860,000 this year, led by Oakland marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee.

Graphic: a site so dumb I ain’t linkin’ it

​In an unusual alliance, Sacramento dispensary CannaCare had been running an advertisement on Cal Expo’s digital billboard along Interstate 80. But Cal Expo, a unit of California government which puts on the state fair, unaccountably got paranoid and decided to nix the ad.

“Although we haven’t had any complaints, we discussed it internally and decided it wasn’t appropriate,” said Cal Expo Assistant General Manager Brian May. So it looks like the state agency won’t be selling any more ad space to the local cannabis shop.
So how did Cal Expo officials go about killing the pot billboard? Documents show that agency bigwigs approved a “morality clause” against marijuana advertising, report Hugh Biggar and Nick Miller at the Sacramento News & Review.
That’s right, folks: Marijuana may be used for medical purposes, but it’s still “immoral,” according to these mental midgets.

Photo: The November Coalition
Near-record numbers arrested for marijuana again in 2009… Hey, California! It’s time to STOP! Kandice Hawes of Orange County NORML protests the madness.

​The next time somebody tells you Prop 19 isn’t needed because “marijuana is already practically legal in California,” call ’em on their bullshit. California reported nearly the same number of marijuana arrests in 2009 as in the previous year, which set a record all-time high for pot busts.

In 2009, there were 17,008 felony and 61,164 misdemeanor marijuana arrests in California, for a total of 78,172.
In 2008, there were 17,126 marijuana felonies and 61,388 misdemeanors, for a total of 78,514. This was the highest number of marijuana arrests since pot was decriminalized in California in 1976, according to Dale Gieringer of California NORML.
“The record is clear that the war on marijuana has failed,” Gieringer told Toke of the Town Wednesday afternoon.