Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Jury Acquits NJWeedman In Marijuana Distribution Case

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 18, 2012 Legislation, News

Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion was found not guilty of marijuana distribution by a jury of his peers on Thursday

Here’s some great news: It’s getting harder and harder for hapless, overwhelmed prosecutors to get a marijuana conviction in the United States — even when the amount in question is a pound, and the charges are distribution, not simple possession.

Such became obvious Thursday afternoon in a Mount Holly, New Jersey, courtroom, when a jury found Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion not guilty in the cannabis activist’s marijuana distribution case, reports Danielle Camilli of PhillyBurbs.com.

The decision came after Forchion was almost held in contempt of court Thursday morning as he delivered his closing argument. NJWeedman tried to introduce his jury nullification argument into the closing, but Superior Court Judge Charles Delehey, who had already barred any discussion of it, quickly stopped him.

Maine Police Return Stolen Marijuana To Caregiver

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 17, 2012 Growing, News

Mario Moretto/Bangor Daily News

Thomas Davis, a licensed medical marijuana grower and caregiver, inspects his only remaining plant after his crop was burglarized Wednesday night. Police eventually recovered the stolen marijuana, and three days later returned it to Davis, who estimates about 85 percent of the crop was ruined by mold after it was stolen

The police brought an estimated $12,800 worth of marijuana to Thomas Davis of Ellsworth, Maine, last week.

While very few of us have had the opportunity to avail ourselves of such an exclusive delivery service, licensed medical marijuana patient and caregiver Davis got the plants back because he had reported them stolen, reports Ron Recinto at The Sideshow. The plants were stolen from a greenhouse near Davis’s home.

Ellsworth Police arrested Aaron Pert, 32, of Trenton, Maine, and charged him with burglary, theft, firearms possession, and marijuana possession after he admitted to the crime. Pert was caught when a car he was in got pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign. He was released from jail Friday morning on a $500 unsecured bail.

Marijuana Inmate With Allergy Dies After Being Given Oatmeal

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 17, 2012 News

KATU.com

Michael Safiotti — in jail for marijuana — died after jail workers served him oatmeal containing dairy products, then refused to help him when he had an allergic reaction

Although marijuana has never killed anyone in history, the marijuana laws have claimed another tragic victim.

Michael Saffioti, 22, who, upon his mother’s advice, had turned himself in to the Lynnwood Police Department after missing a court date, was dead after just one night in the Snohomish County Jail in Washington state, reports Molly Shen of KATU.com. The county could face a lawsuit for ignoring Saffioti’s food allergy.

The young man knew dairy products could kill him; he read labels and carried medication, and suffered severe reactions from just being near dairy protein. His anxiety over the allergy was so severe, in fact, it left him needing medication.

Measure 80 Brings Legalize It Documentary, Filmmaker To OR

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 16, 2012 Legislation, News

Pot.tv

As voters begin receiving their voter pamphlets and as voter registration closes, the Yes on 80 campaign is bringing the soon-to-be-released social documentary, Legalize It, and its filmmaker, Dan Katzir, to Oregon for a series of screenings and private events.

Legalize It is an inspiring journey demonstrating that even those without wealth and political connection can bend the arc toward greater social justice.

The public screenings give Oregonians a special opportunity to preview the documentary, which follows the Proposition 19 campaign in California that, in 2010, transformed a fringe social issue into a mainstream political topic and set the stage for marijuana-policy reform efforts in 2012 in Oregon, Colorado and Washington.

Marijuana Experts Call For Proper Training At Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 16, 2012 Dispensaries, Products

MedMen

As questions and uncertainty continue to engulf the medical marijuana industry in America, one Los Angeles group is encouraging dispensary operators to take their lead in creating an efficient, methodological approach to dispensary management and employee training that will help bridge the gap between dispensary operators, patients and government officials.

Los Angeles-based MedMen, a full service consulting and marketing group specific to the medical marijuana industry, believes that many of the problems that currently plague the industry are the result of a lack of predetermined guidelines for dispensary and employee regulation and management.

College Student Opts To Let Jury Decide Marijuana Case

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 16, 2012 News

Law Offices of David Sloane

Zachariah Walker is facing a Texas jail term for possessing two grams of marijuana

‘Zac is willing to go down if he must, but it is going to be after a fight.’

~ Attorney David Sloane

A Texas college student has elected to take his chances with a jury following his arrest for possession of marijuana. Possession of under two ounces of marijuana in Texas is a Class B-misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.

On July 13, Zachariah Walker, 23, of Denton, was stopped for an alleged traffic violation by the University of North Texas Police Department. During a subsequent search of his vehicle, officers claimed they found about two grams of marijuana. Walker was immediately arrested and booked into the Denton County Jail. He was later released after posting a $1,000.00 bond.

Walker elected to reject the state’s October 10 plea bargain offer of 180 days in jail probated for 18 months, and a $600.00 fine; or 70 days in jail without a probationary term or fine.

Walker is a member of The University of North Texas student chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (UNT-NORML.) He has rejected any offers of probation and says “if anybody is going to send him to jail for possession of two grams of marijuana, it is going to be a jury of his peers.”

Landmark Federal Medical Marijuana Hearing Begins In D.C.

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 16, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Americans for Safe Access

Advocates challenge marijuana’s classification, present scientific evidence for first time in nearly 20 years

For the first time in nearly 20 years, advocates will use scientific evidence of marijuana’s medical efficacy to try to force a change in the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical value.

Medical marijuana advocates will participate in oral arguments Tuesday before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in the landmark case Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration. Advocates contend that the government has arbitrarily and capriciously kept marijuana classified as a Schedule I substance and out of reach for millions of Americans by ignoring overwhelming research on the therapeutic value of marijuana

LA NORML Women’s Alliance Cancels Voter Ed Project: Lack of Candidate Interest

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 15, 2012 News

Steve Baker

Cheri Sicard, Cynthia Johnson and Jessica Lux (all of NORML Women’s Alliance of Los Angeles) with the one candidate who responded, David Hernandez

Marijuana Advocacy Group Shifts Focus to Upcoming City Election

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Women’s Alliance of Los Angeles announced on Monday it has scrapped its voter education project for California Congressional Candidates in Los Angeles County districts, as the group could only get four of the 34 Senatorial and Congressional candidates to even answer their requests for more information.

“I know politicians see cannabis as a third rail issue,” said Cheri Sicard, the group’s leader, “but the fact is 50 percent of all Americans favor outright legalization of marijuana, and 70 percent favor making it legal for doctors to prescribe to reduce pain and suffering (Gallup Poll, 10-17-11). We at the NORML Women’s Alliance think the time is long past due for our so-called representatives and candidates for public office to have a conversation about this.”

Sicard says even candidates who are known to agree with the group’s stances on issues such as marijuana legalization, medical marijuana, and prison reform didn’t respond, preferring to keep the issue in the background.

Marijuana Policy Project Responds to Former DEA Officials

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 15, 2012 Legislation, News

Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

“Federal Government Should Respect State Reforms, Not Waste Money on Failed Policies”

In a response to a teleconference this afternoon featuring former drug czars and Drug Enforcement Administration officials calling on the federal government to vigorously oppose attempts to reform marijuana laws, the Marijuana Policy Project said that marijuana prohibition is a failed policy and urged the Department of Justice to allow states to experiment with alternatives to arresting adult marijuana users.

In November, voters in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon will decide on ballot initiatives that would remove criminal penalties for adult marijuana use. Two of these initiatives, in Colorado and Washington, would replace current marijuana laws with tightly regulated systems similar to those used to control alcohol. (Unfortunately, Washington’s “legalization” measure, I-502, would also institute a DUI-cannabis level unsupported by science.)

Advocates: Protect Medical Marijuana Access For PTSD Patients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 15, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Soldiers For The Cause

Continued access to medicine threatened by a request to withdraw PTSD as a qualifying condition for the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program

Military veterans and other patients to petition the Governor and the Secretary of Health: Don’t Take Away Our Medicine

More than 3,000 New Mexican residents with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are actively enrolled in the state’s Medical Cannabis Program. Many of them are military veterans, patients living with disabilities, and victims of serious trauma and violent crime. Unfortunately, their continued access to medicine is being threatened by a request to withdraw PTSD as a qualifying condition for the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program.

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