Marijuana DUI Bill Advances In Colorado

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 23, 2011 Legislation, News

A bill increasing restrictions on people in Colorado who drive after using marijuana took another step forward in the legislative process on Tuesday.

But the approval of House Bill 1261 by the state House of Representatives had some attendant drama, including a skirmish among the bill’s two sponsors, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post.

HB 1261 [PDF] would create a limit on the blood-THC levels of drivers. Anybody who tests above an arbitrary amount, five nanograms per milliliter, would be considered too high to drive, much as someone with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 percent is considered too drunk to drive.

Three Days, Man! Seattle Hempfest Gets Permit For Aug. 19-21

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 22, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: NORML Blog

Rick Steves addresses 100,000 people at Hempfest 2008. The world-famous pot protestival will be better than ever in 2011, for the first time ever extending to three days.

Those of us who care about Seattle Hempfest, the world’s largest cannabis “protestival,” have been a little worried the past few months. Organizers of marijuana’s biggest annual event, which is slated to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, have for months been embroiled in a permit squabble with the City of Seattle. Some folks were even speculating openly that Hempfest might not happen.

Well, it’s gonna happen. And not only is it gonna happen, but it’s gonna be bigger and better than ever before. After trying unsuccessfully to get a third day added to the event last year — thus adding Friday to the traditional Hempfest days of Saturday and Sunday — organizer Vivian McPeak said today he had gotten the go-ahead for a three-day festival this year.

Montana Bill Would Let Voters Repeal Or Keep Medical Pot Law

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 22, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: KTVQ

Letting the voters decide? What a concept.

If you’re a resident of Montana, you may believe you already sent a pretty clear signal to the state’s politicians in 2004, when voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of medical marijuana in a 62 percent to 38 percent rout. Let’s just assume some politicians are slow learners.

As legislators talk over repealing or amending the state’s medical marijuana law — effectively thwarting the will of the voters — one lawmaker from Kalispell wants to give Montanans another chance to vote on the issue, reports Charles S. Johnson at the Billings Gazette.

Raided Marijuana Dispensary Reopens In Montana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 22, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: Big Sky Patient Care

Big Sky Patient Care only stayed closed a week after being raided by gun-wielding DEA agents.

Valerie Sigler said her business did nothing illegal, so the co-owner of Big Sky Patient Care, a medical marijuana dispensary in Four Corners, Montana, was back open for business on Monday.

Sigler and her husband decided to continue providing medical marijuana to patients after speaking with their lawyer on Sunday, reports Daniel Person at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Big Sky Patient Care was one of around 10 dispensaries raided by federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents last week.

Spokane, WA Marijuana Dispensaries Concerned About Future

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 22, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Young Kwak/The Pacific Northwest Inlander

Ryan Seeley and Surisa Arispe outside their medical marijuana dispensary, Indicare, in Spokane, December 2010

Medical marijuana dispensary owners swarmed Spokane City Hall on Monday night, asking local political leaders to push for a clarification of Washington’s medicinal cannabis law.

The owners have good reason to be concerned. Last week, a Spokane jury convicted Scott Shupe, who co-owned one of the city’s first medical marijuana dispensaries, reports Tania Dall at KXLY4.

Shupe had argued that a broad interpretation of the law allows dispensaries to supply authorized patients, provided they serve only one patient at a time. But jurors decided that Washington’s medical marijuana law should not be interpreted as allowing dispensaries.

Video of the Day: Doobie Or Not Doobie

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 22, 2011 Culture

Photo: gothamist

Poet/activist Rick Burnley, 71, wowed ’em at a New Mexico Department of Health hearing on medical cannabis.

When the New Mexico Department of Health’s Cannabis Advisory Board held a hearing last month, they may not have expected to hear poetry.

But hear a poem they did, and a good one at that, from cannabis activist Rick Burnley, 71, who attributes his good health to smoking marijuana for 50 years.

“Greetings from the Land of Enchantment,” Burnley tells Toke of the Town. “I’m a marijuana activist, and a well known anti-war poet with about 50 videos posted on YouTube.

“Several months ago I performed ‘Doobie Or Not Doobie’ at the NMDOH hearings for patients and providers. It was videotaped and posted on YouTube a couple of weeks ago,” he told us.

“It got a standing ovation, so it’s worth checking out.”

N.J. Announces 6 Licensed Medical Marijuana Growers, Sellers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 21, 2011 Dispensaries, Medical, News

Graphic: Medical Marijuana Blog

The six state-licensed growers and sellers for New Jersey medical marijuana patients have just been announced by the state health department.

The list of dispensaries, known as “alternative treatment centers,” or ATCs, in New Jersey, as reported by Susan K. Livio at NJ.com, is as follows:

• Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center Corp., Manalapan, Monmouth County

• Compassionate Care Centers of America Foundation Inc., New Brunswick, Middlesex County

• Compassionate Care Foundation Inc., Bellmawr, Camden County

• Compassionate Sciences, INc., either Burlington or Camden County

• Foundation Harmony, Secaucus, Hudson County

• Greenleaf Compassion Center, Montclair, Essex County

The state health department released the list of winning applicants on Monday, despite the Legislature’s intent to repeal the medical marijuana program rules draft by the Christie Administration.

California Medical Marijuana Dispensary Taking IRS To Court

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 21, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Frankie Frost/Marin Independent Journal

Lynette Shaw of Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana dispenses medical cannabis to a patient

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is thought to have begun audits on at least 12 medical marijuana dispensaries in California, under the decision that past business deductions are invalid because of a clause in the federal tax code prohibiting businesses that traffic in Schedule I or II drugs from making such deductions on their tax returns.

The move, which could bankrupt every dispensary it targets, is being fought by the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, the first dispensary to receive a final audit decision from the IRS, reports Kyle Daly at The American Independent. (The IRS claims MAMM owes millions of dollars in back taxes.)

Lynette Shaw, founder and owner of MAMM, hopes to strike back before the IRS can deliver more “final determinations” to other dispensaries currently being audited.

MT: Crackdown On Medical Marijuana Is Coming In ‘Next 30 Days’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 21, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Erik Peterson/Bozeman Daily Chronicle

A federal agent looks over marijuana plants and equipment following a raid in Montana on March 14.

Expect the Montana Legislature to crack down on medical marijuana, State Rep. Jon Sesso (D-Butte) told the Montana Bar Association on Friday.

Sesso, the House minority leader, said he expects “significant reform,” but not outright repeal of the 2004 Medical Marijuana Act, approved by an overwhelming 62 percent of Montana voters. He spoke to the lawyers’ group in Butte, reports Tim Trainor at the Montana Standard.

“The abusers will be on notice, probably in the next 30 days,” Sesso said. “If you aren’t legitimately sick, you are not going to be able to use.”

“Other” Compound In Marijuana Shows Promise Fighting Cancer

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 21, 2011 Medical

Photo: Medical Marijuana Oil

Dr. Sean McAllister’s research has shown that CBD, a compound from cannabis, shows great promise in fighting cancer

Two of the major compounds in marijuana — THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) have cancer-fighting properties, according to scientists researching them. But while the biological mechanisms THC uses are well documented, there are still mysteries surrounding the lesser-known CBD.

Clinical trials prove that CBD eases pain and inflammation, reports Dana M. Nichols at the Stockton Record. Sean McAllister, a scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, has, along with his research associates, used CBD to shrink cancerous tumors.

Yearly Archives: 2011