​A January 25-26 Public Policy Polling survey found strong support for marijuana policy reform, including more than two-to-one support for reducing the penalty for possession of marijuana to a $150 civil fine. Marijuana possession is now punishable in Rhode Island by a $500 fine and up to a year in jail.

 

Of those polled, an overwhelming 65 percent supported decreasing the penalties for simple possession of less than an ounce of marijuana by removing the possibility of jail time and making the offense a civil citation. Such a change received support from across the political spectrum, with 73 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of Republicans, and 60 percent of independents in favor of the measure.

Two bills, H 7092 and S 2253, have been introduced in the Rhode Island House and Senate to remove the threat of arrest and jail for personal possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Hey, that weed smells like... a publicity stunt! Veteran comedian Joan Rivers freaked out some American TV viewers on Tuesday by smoking marijuana on her reality show.

An entire five-story building in New York City was raided by the police this week, and authorities claimed the entire structure was being used as a multi-floor marijuana farm.

​Despite hundreds of letters urging California lawmakers to support legislation to improve California's marijuana policies, two bills that would have done just that failed to advance out of their respective chambers by Tuesday's deadline.

Although both proposals enjoy strong public support, both were pulled prior to a vote by their sponsors due to a lack of majority support in their respective chambers.

The first bill was AB 1017, introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano. This bill proposed changing the penalty for marijuana cultivation from an automatic felony to a "wobbler" that could be charged as a misdemeanor. AB 1017 received a vote last spring, when it lost 24-36, but it did not garner enough support to pass if it was voted on again.

 

 

 

According to data just released by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the New York City Police Department continued their quixotic marijuana arrest crusade in 2011, surpassing 2010's near-record amount of low-level marijuana arrests.

In 2011, the NYPD made more than 50,680 arrests for the lowest-level marijuana possession offense, making 2011 the second-highest period for marijuana arrests in New York City history.

Legislation written by Rep. Amanda Reeve (R-Phoenix) would make it illegal to use and even to possess marijuana on the campus of any public or private post-secondary institution of learning, reports Howard Fischer at Capitol Media Services.

Included under the overbearing law would be not only the state university system and network of community colleges but even various private schools that offer degrees or certificates.

That doesn't just mean keeping marijuana out of classrooms and open areas.

HB 2349, set for debate in the House Committee on Higher Education, also would prohibit students from using cannabis in their dorm rooms -- even if the patient is drinking a cannabis infused drink or eating a cannabis edible.

San Francisco's roughly two dozen licensed collectives must pay the city's 8.5 percent sales tax rate, coming from California's 7.25 percent sales tax with a local one percent sales tax going to S.F.'s general fund, and a .25 percent sales tax that goes to other areas like transportation, reports David Downs at the East Bay Express.

Counting the most recent reporting period -- which ended with the third quarter of 2011 -- a year's worth of general fund revenue from sales tax on medical marijuana totals "just over 410,000," said Curt Fuchs, senior economist in the controller's office, East Bay Express reports.

Since that figure is one percent of sales, that means S.F. dispensaries sold about $41 million worth of marijuana in a year, "which equals a $50 (or about an eighth of an ounce) dispensary purchase for every person in the city," Downs reports.

Sen. David Haley (D-Kansas City) introduced Senate Bill 354, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, during Monday's session. It was referred to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, where it will likely sit without a hearing, reports Chris Hong at LJWorld.

"I have no interest on hearing the bill," the arrogant and uncaring Sen. Vicki Schmidt (R-Topeka) said haughtily. Schmidt chairs the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

The ove came after the agency said last week that the application process was "suspended indefinitely," and that announcement had come after the city had announced it would continue licensing the shops. And that announcement had come after the initial suspension of licensing in December following a court ruling.

"They did find time, however, to pick the President's brain on pressing national issues like late night snacks, singing and dancing, celebrating wedding anniversaries and playing tennis," said Tom Angell of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).

"It's worse than silly that YouTube and Google would waste the time of the president and the American people discussing things like midnight snacks and playing tennis when there is a much more pressing question on the minds of the people who took the time to participate in voting on submissions," said Stephen Downing, the retired Los Angeles police officer and a board member of LEAP.

"A majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana to defund cartels and gangs, lower incarceration and arrest rates and save scarce public resources, all while generating much-needed new tax revenue," Downing said. "The time to discuss this issue is now. We're tired of this serious public policy crisis being pushed aside or laughed off."