Cannabis Legalization Initiative Filed In Washington Jan. 26

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, News

Voters in at least one state may get the chance to legalize marijuana this year. Washington State’s 2011 initiative to legalize cannabis for adults will be filed Wednesday, January 26, Sensible Washington state coordinator Don Skakie told Toke of the Town Tuesday afternoon.

The initiative, which would remove marijuana penalties for adults, will be filed in the Secretary of State’s office in the Legislative Building, Olympia, Washington, at about 2 p.m.

“Anyone wanting to be part of this historic event is welcome to participate,” Skakie said. “Please be mainstream in your dress and appearance.”

Illinois Looks At Making Marijuana Possession Like Traffic Ticket

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: TheBongPlace

A new bill introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives would lower the penalty for an ounce or less of marijuana to a petty offense similar to a traffic violation.

House Bill 100, introduced January 12, would change the consequences of possession of under 28.35 grams of cannabis from a Class A Misdemeanor — punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine — down to a petty offense rather than a criminal offense, reports Brendan Denison at the Daily Illini.

If passed, the bill would set a $500 fine for first-time marijuana possession offenders, $750 for second-time offenders, and a $1,000 fine for each offense thereafter.

State Rep. LaShawn Ford, the Democrat who introduced the bill, said he expects it to free up the court systems and reduce the number of people who receive criminal background histories for possessing small amounts of cannabis.

Marijuana Holds Top 50 Spots In Questions For Obama

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: 8000 Credit

Change.org is once again asking the American public for questions for President Obama, based on their top concerns. This time it’s in the form of “Your Interview with the President, hosted on YouTube. And once again, marijuana legalization questions are dominating the polling, by one account nailing down the top 50 spots based on popular vote.

But unsurprisingly, the subject of marijuana doesn’t show up anywhere on the YouTube site — unless you do some sorting.

Rather than being allowed to actually see the obvious popularity of marijuana law reform, visitors have to click “All Questions” and then click “Sort By Popularity” to see that all the questions with the most votes relate to cannabis prohibition in some form.

Pro-Drug Test Lt. Gov.: Helping Poor Like Feeding Stray Animals

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 News

Photo: Playahata

Fox News is gonna love this guy.

South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, as part of an argument that people should lose government benefits if they fail drug tests, drew a comparison between government help for poor people and “feeding stray animals” — who, he added, “breed.”

“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals,” Bauer said during a town hall meeting, reports Brian Montopoli at CBS News. “You know why? Because they breed. You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply.”

“They will reproduce, especially ones that don’e think much further than that,” Lt. Gov. Bauer continued. “And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.”

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced In Delaware; Montel Supports

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Pocketburgers.com

Delaware, ”The First State,” could become the 16th to legalize medical marijuana.

State Senator Margaret Rose Henry and three Senate co-sponsors on Tuesday introduced SB 17 in the Delaware State Senate, calling for a common sense approach to providing compassionate care for seriously ill patients seeking relief with medical marijuana. Rep. Helene Keeley is the prime sponsor in the House, with eight co-sponsoring House members on the bill.

Montel Williams, a popular former talk show host and multiple sclerosis patient, attended Tuesday’s legislative session to meet with lawmakers and the Governor to urge them to support SB 17. Neuropathic pain associated with MS is one of the ailments for which marijuana has been shown to provide relief.

Passage of the bill would allow Delaware patients suffering from several devastating illnesses to receive medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

Former Bank Could Become Marijuana Dispensary

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: GUS314159

Dude, this could turn into some serious overdraft action.

Talk about “high” interest! A building formerly occupied by a bank could become a medical marijuana dispensary in Rhode Island.

One of the 18 applications for medical marijuana dispensaries in the state names a former bank building at 6851 Post Road in North Kingstown as its location, reports Chris Church at the North Kingstown Independent.

Marijuana would not be grown at the bank building. It would be cultivated at a windowless building in Cranston, R.I., according to the application sent to the state Department of Health by applicants Chronic Pain Management Centers of Rhode Island.

Law Enforcement Says Hunters At Risk From Marijuana Growers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Growing, News

Photo: Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee

A special agent with the Bureau of Land Management looks at marijuana plants illegally growing on BLM land in El Dorado County, California.

California’s public lands are overrun with medical marijuana growing operations, guarded by armed crews toting powerful weaponry — and hunters are at risk, according to a law enforcement panel including game wardens and a Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement task force commander.

The message came Sunday during the 24th International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Cal Expo in Sacramento, reports Loretta Kalb of The Sacramento Bee.

The Mexican drug cartels have turned to California for their operations that now supply much of the United States with weed, according to the panelists.

San Diego County Eyes $11,000 Yearly Fee For Pot Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation

Graphic: San Diego Organic Wellness Association

In what smacks of a shakedown, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss an ordinance that would require medical marijuana dispensaries to pay the county $11,017 a year, the sheriff’s alleged “cost to regulate” the facilities.

The annual fee, according to county staff, would cover the cost of issuing operational permits, investigating applicants, and for “inspections” after shops have opened, reports Dorian Hargrove of the San Diego Reader.

Confidential Patient Registry Out; Law Enforcement Database In

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: CTI

The Colorado Department of Revenue has released 99 pages of new regulations governing medical marijuana in the state. The most concerning aspect of these new rules, according to the Boulder-based Cannabis Therapy Institute (CTI), is the invasion of patient privacy they allow.

In order to buy cannabis at a Medical Marijuana Center (the legal name for dispensaries in Colorado), patients will be forced to give up their constitutional right to confidentiality and become participants in the Colorado Medical Marijuana Patient and Medicine Tracking Database and Surveillance System, according to CTI.

Wyoming Supreme Court Rejects Man’s Medical Pot Defense

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Medical, News

Graphic: KJCT8

People who legally obtain medical marijuana in other states are not exempt from criminal prosecution for possessing it in Wyoming, the state Supreme Court has ruled.

The court unanimously ruled last week in the case of Daniel J. Burns of Boulder, Colorado, who was arrested in March 2009 in Laramie County, Wyoming on a felony drug possession charge after he was caught with more than a pound of marijuana in his vehicle, reports Bob Moen of The Associated Press.

Burns, who has a Colorado medical marijuana card and doctor’s certification to use cannabis for medicinal purposes, argued that Wyoming drug laws exempt people who are prescribed drugs by a doctor.

Yearly Archives: 2011