Yearly Archives: 2011

N.H. Senate Puts The Brakes On Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2011 Legislation, Medical

The New Hampshire Senate has postponed action on a bill that would have legalized the medicinal use and possession of marijuana for people with debilitating or terminal illnesses.

The Senate voted on Wednesday to delay action on the bill, which would have legalized less than two ounces of cannabis for medical purposes, reports the Associated Press.

Sen. Ray White (R-Bedford) said the Senate does not plan to vote on the bill this year, leaving seriously ill patients in the state with no alternative except either suffering or breaking the law.

Maine Committee Votes To Expand Medical Pot Access, Privacy

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2011 Legislation, Medical, News

Graphic: Maine Medical Marijuana

Maine lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday unanimously endorsed a proposal to expand access to cannabis under the state’s medical marijuana program. A second bill that would have legalized and taxed pot was voted down 7-3 in committee, but observers say the issue promises to resurface in the future.

The first measure, LD 1296, would make registration with the state voluntary rather than mandatory for patients who wish to use marijuana with the support of their physician, reports Meg Haskell at Bangor Daily News. This measure is intended to protect the privacy of patients, according to Rep. Deborah Sanderson (R-Chelsea), who sponsored the bill.

According to Sanderson, some people will prefer to register in order to make sure they don’t run afoul of law enforcement agencies. But patients should not be forced to be listed in a state registry to seek lawful therapeutic medical treatment, she said.

Cops Hold Vigil In D.C.: Legalize Drugs To Stop Police Deaths

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2011 News

Photo: LEAP

The late Corporal Ed Toatley, left, with former narcotics officer Neill Franklin, now of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Peace Officers Memorial Day is this week, and some cops are saying we need to legalize drugs to stop police from dying in the failed “Drug War.”

Too many law enforcers are killed in the line of duty enforcing a senseless and unwinnable War On Drugs, according to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), which is calling for the legalization and regulation of all drugs.

They’re telling stories about their fallen friends and colleagues to back up their case.

“When one of my best friends was killed doing an undercover drug purchase, it opened my eyes to the fact that not only are these drug laws ineffective, but they lead to brave and dedicated law enforcers losing their lives,” said Neill Franklin, a 34-year veteran of the Maryland State Police and the Baltimore Police Department, now LEAP’s executive director.

ACLU To Feds: Don’t Prosecute Medical Marijuana Patients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 10, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Liberty Herbal Incense

The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to make clear that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not prioritize prosecution of people who comply with state medical marijuana laws, in keeping with previously stated DOJ policy.

In a letter sent late Monday, the ACLU expressed deep concern about recent letters from several U.S. Attorneys across the country, threatening federal prosecution of people who comply with state medical marijuana laws, even including state employees and state licensed providers of medical marijuana.

“Patients, providers and legislatures need clear guidance from DOJ so they can proceed in confidence that state law will be respected,” said Jay Rorty, director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project and one of the authors of the ACLU’s letter. “Patients who suffer from serious medical conditions need safe and reliable access to their medicine without the fear of federal prosecution.”

Lawmaker To AG: Why Isn’t Medical Pot A States’ Rights Issue?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 10, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: KOMO News

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna thinks fighting health care reform is a states’ rights issue — but he seems completely unwilling to defend the state’s medical marijuana law against the feds

When 15 Democratic lawmakers in the Washington Legislature on Monday asked state Attorney General Rob McKenna for his opinion on several cannabis-related issues, his non-response only proved that the long-winded AG is capable of blathering on meaninglessly for six pages without ever actually saying anything.

McKenna’s office released an informal opinion which, Chris Grygiel of the Seattle P.I. reports, “largely declined to answer the questions the legislators previous posed to him. Those centered around how the federal government, which does not recognize state medical cannabis laws, might react to changes in Washington’s rules.”

Effective, Smokeless Medical Cannabis Extracts Available

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 10, 2011 Medical, Products

Photo: CBD Science

The new Alta California line of tinctures includes high CBD (Healing), balanced CBD/THC (Tranquility), and high THC (Euphoria).

A California-based company has introduced three cannabis based medicinal extracts (CBMEs), also known as tinctures, derived from organic plant material. They offer patients a choice of low, medium or high euphoric component THC, balanced with the healing cannabinoid CBD.

According to CBD Science LLC, based in San Francisco, “These are the first CBME products on the market with certified potency and purity, scientifically calibrated and documented.”

Steep Hill Lab certifies the propylene glycol (“double alcohol”) CBMEs as Safe Cannabis™, free of pesticides and mold. The lab also documents potency through THC and CBD levels.

The CMBE products, branded Alta California, are so far available to patients with valid recommendations at the following nonprofit dispensaries: Medithrive in San Francisco; Crème De Canna in Santa Cruz; and Magnolia Wellness in Orangevale, California.

Maryland Removes Penalties For Medical Use Of Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 10, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Medical Marijuana Blog

Maryland on Tuesday removed criminal penalties for the medical use of marijuana when Gov. Martin O’Malley signed SB 308 as promised. The bill allows seriously ill patients to avoid prosecution when charged with marijuana possession, and also creates a commission to study medical marijuana laws and make recommendations on how Maryland can institute such a program.

This is the first time since 2003 that additional protections were considered, and it’s an important step toward protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest and ensuring they have safe access to their medicine, according to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Marijuana DUI Bill Dead In Colorado Legislature

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 9, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: Denver Westword

Westword pot critic William Breathes tested nearly three times over the proposed legal limit — while completely sober

The Colorado Senate voted on Monday night to kill HB 1261, the marijuana DUI bill, in its entirety, scoring a huge victory for the medical cannabis community.

In a crucial vote, lawmakers rejected a limit on the amount of THC — the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — that drivers are allowed to have in their systems above which they would be considered too high to drive, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post.

The Senate sided with medical marijuana advocates, who urged more study of the proposal, since THC lingers in the system and many patients would, in effect, be banned from legally driving.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Claire Levy, would have established a driving-under-the-influence level of five nanograms per milliliter of blood, reports Michael Roberts at Denver Westword. During House debate, Levy tried to change that number to eight nanograms, but her amendment failed.

Emblematic of the problem with a 5-ng (or an 8-ng) limit is the blood test of Westword cannabis critic William Breathes, who was tested while completely sober. Breathes’s reading while sober was approximately 13.5 nanograms.

Guns, Sex And Gambling, But No Marijuana?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 9, 2011 Culture

Photo: Pattaya Talk

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

Americans love guns, sex and gambling.

Can you imagine anything getting in our way when it comes to the pursuit of the Big Three?

If it is our desire to have, hold or own any of the Holy Trio, God help the man or woman who tries to stop us. Because if you do…if you do…Try to stop us…We’re just going to have to look the other way. That’s just the way it is.

That is the way it is with everything in Life in America. Everything.

Except marijuana.

Starting with guns: Full disclosure, I like guns. I shot my first handgun a couple of months ago and really enjoyed myself. I was in the country and where I was staying, there were bear sightings.

While the .38 wouldn’t have done much to the bear except piss it off, my host felt that because how deep we were in the woods everyone in attendance needed to be familiar with guns, in case anything happened. It seemed perfectly acceptable to be prepared at that moment.

Notorious Drug Cop Federally Indicted For Illegal Gun Sales

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 9, 2011 News

Photo: Josh Farley/Kitsap Sun

Drug cop Roy Alloway terrorized Washington medical marijuana patients for years. Now he’s been federally indicted for illegal gun sales.

Narc Is So Despised, A Local Strain Of Marijuana Was Named In His ‘Honor’

A former Washington drug cop so notorious for his misdeeds and aggressive tactics that a strain of medical marijuana was named after him in retaliation has been federally indicted for unlawfully selling guns.

Roy Alloway spent 32 years in law enforcement, the last 10 of which he was involved in the WestNET regional drug task force. Alloway took something of an unhealthy personal interest in giving additional pain to medical marijuana patients, according to many activists in the area, who “see him as a cop determined to lock up even legal users of pot,” wrote Nina Shapiro at the Seattle Weekly.

Alloway made a career of trashing houses and intimidating their occupants, apparently not giving a damn if the people he harassed were legitimately sick or not.

And that’s exactly why a potent marijuana strain was named “Alloway” in his “honor.” Created by a well-known Everett breeder associated with advocate Steve Sarich of CannaCare, the Alloway strain includes the genetics of popular Seattle strain PermaFrost, with a little White Widow reputedly in the mix as well.

“Where do you begin?” said Sarich, who was raided by Alloway and WestNET in 2007.

“This guy is a real piece of shit, and has been for years,” Sarich told Toke of the Town Monday afternoon. “I can’t wait to see how many of the cases Alloway was involved with are overturned, if he gets locked away on these charges.”

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