Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

New Approach Washington Launches Fall TV Ad Campaign

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

Former U.S. Attorney John McKay is among the sponsors of a drive to legalize marijuana for adults in Washington state.

Marijuana ‘Legalization’ Effort Features Former U.S. Attorneys and F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge

New Approach Washington, the committee backing Washington state’s “legalization” ballot measure Initiative 502, will launch its fall media campaign on Thursday, October 11. The campaign will feature two 30-second ads that will air on broadcast and cable television throughout western Washington and Spokane.

“An overwhelming majority of Washington citizens agree that treating marijuana use as a crime has failed,” said Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington. “Initiative 502, endorsed by law enforcement, public health doctors, and prevention and treatment experts, is a carefully considered, responsible approach to changing course. We can do better, and our communities deserve it.”

Court To Hear Landmark Medical Marijuana Case In San Diego

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

K.C. Alfred/Sign On San Diego

Jovan Jackson, manager of a now-defunct medical marijuana dispensary in Kearny Mesa, is accused of illegally selling cannabis

Advocates fight to overturn a wrongful conviction and preserve the right to a medical marijuana defense

Appellate court oral arguments are set to occur Thursday in a widely watched medical marijuana dispensary case that raises the question of what defines a legitimate dispensary. Nearly a year ago, medical marijuana patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) appealed the September 2010 conviction of San Diego dispensary operator Jovan Jackson.

Women’s Rally: Save Our Children, End Marijuana Prohibition

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

Weedist

On, Monday, October 15, Women for Measure 80 will hold a rally on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem to call for an end to 75 years of failed marijuana prohibition.

Mothers, women, seniors and supportive men will come together in support of passing Measure 80, which will regulate marijuana like liquor — for adults 21 and over, sold through state-licensed stores only, and with 90 percent of tax revenues going to the state’s general fund to pay for schools and social services.

Measure 80 will also finally re-allow Oregon farmers to grow hemp for biofuel, food, sustainable fiber and medicine.

The Oregon Women for Measure 80 rally is being held in solidarity with the national Moms For Marijuana rally on the steps of our nation’s capitol that same day.

Montana’s IR-124 Medical Marijuana Repeal Under Attack

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

Montana Department of Justice

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock on Tuesday said he’d vote against IR-124

Attorney General Bullock Says He’ll Vote Against IR-124

No poll shows IR-124 with majority support, and the new law — which repeals a voter initiative which legalized medical marijuana in the state back in 2004, with the support of 62 percent of state voters — now faces two new hurdles to approval by the voters this year.

Patients for Reform, Not Repeal has begun its second radio advertising campaign with a new spot, entitled “Running Away,” which points to the measure’s weak voter support and even opposition from the Montana Republican Party. The spot notes that Sen. Jeff Essman, sponsor of SB 423 – the subject of the referendum – has conceded that his work will be changed next year.

Cannabis Cards Honor Marijuana Culture’s Remarkable People

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 9, 2012 Culture, Products

Cannabis Cards

Marijuana culture has thousands of unique artifacts which can be found nowhere else. The flowering of cannabis creativity which exploded with the hippie movement in the late 1960s shows no signs of abating.

Cannabis Cards, based in Mendocino, California, are very collectable examples of this culture. The purpose of the cards is to honor remarkable people associated with marijuana who have influenced the cultural development of society as a whole in some important way, be it as medicine, religious sacrament, social glue, cultural engine or creative spark.

Among those included are revolutionaries, artists, musicians, activists, athletes, comedians, presidents and queens; using colorful original portraits and biographical information, Cannabis Cards inspire as they inform. Each trading card paints a picture and tells a story of the person, the historical period and their legacy.

Celebrity Stoners: Famous High Flyers Influence Pop Culture

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 9, 2012 Culture

Celebitchy

Rihanna has never sought to hide the fact that she’s an avid pot smoker

By Cannabliss

Cannabis has long had a resounding influence in the celebrity culture. Whether it be through its influence in music or merely as the recreational herb of choice for a variety of celebrities. That said, whether or not it’s just their personal choice of self-medication or something they actively fight for the rights of they are clearly having an influence on society through their profile and status and influence on their fans.

Here we look at some modern celebrities and some from the past that have had an influence on people’s views of pot for better or worse…

Rihanna and the ‘Virtues’ of Pot

One from the modern here, Rihanna has never sought to hide the fact that she is a keen pot smoker. On several occasions she has been photographed partaking in a joint and on a couple of occasions being forcibly removed from hotels for smoking pot in her room.

However, while people will say that she is negatively influencing the young generation with her open drug use, it hardly extends beyond the occasional pot t shirt or tweet about “Kush” that gets blown up in the media.

What she has done recently is promote a book she is reading (via Twitter) called Sex Pot: The Marijuana Lover’s Guide To Gettin’ It On, a book all about mastery of marijuana stimulated sex. Such viewpoints on the use of marijuana and sex have been swept under the prudish rug in the past but it seems now that more open views of marijuana and female sexuality walk hand in hand.

A sex-mad Rihanna who tokes!? There is a god.

Federal Trial Against Medical Marijuana Provider Set To Begin In L.A.

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 8, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/San Bernardino Sun

Aaron Sandusky, president, G3 Holistic: “I had four patients in there and they were all handcuffed and interviewed”

Justice Department denies defendant ability to show evidence of state law compliance at trial; Sandusky could face life in prison

The operator of three state-compliant medical marijuana dispensaries will be tried in federal court this week in Los Angeles. Aaron Sandusky, 42, who operated facilities in Upland, Colton and Moreno Valley, was raided by federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents last November and was charged with six felonies, including manufacturing marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, and conspiracy.

Five others were similarly charged in the raid, but they have since accepted plea deals and may be called to testify against Sandusky. If convicted on all counts, Sandusky could face life in prison. Jury selection begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday in a trial that is expected to last all week.

“This trial is nothing more than a cynical attempt by the federal government to intimidate dispensary operators in Los Angeles and undermine the implementation of California’s medical marijuana law,” said Kris Hermes, spokesperson for the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA). “The Justice Department holds all the cards in federal court and uses that leverage to terrorize the medical marijuana community.”

Sensible Washington: Here’s Why We Oppose I-502 ‘Legalization’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 7, 2012 Legislation, News

The Daily Chronic

By Anthony Martinelli

Communications Director

Sensible Washington

Our opposition to Initiative 502 was not a decision made in haste. We examined this measure from multiple angles, looking at the political ramifications, the legal implications, and the social benefits and consequences. We came to a clear conclusion: Initiative 502 is not a positive step forward for our state, and we can do better.

The initiative proposes dangerous and arbitrary policies, and sets up a legal distribution system that will fall to federal preemption. Here are the key reasons why, after deep consideration, our organization voted unanimously to oppose this measure (you can read our full analysis here):

Police Shut Down First Cannabis Coffeeshop In Denmark

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 5, 2012 Dispensaries, Global

Smokenhagen Coffeeshop/Facebook

Scandinavia may never be the same. Police in Copenhagen on Friday shut down Denmark’s first cannabis “coffeeshop” cafe. At Smokenhagen, customers could buy marijuana over the counter, get a receipt, and smoke it openly right there in the cafe.

During the raid, the police confiscated all the cannabis, but the shop is expected to reopen again soon, reports Danish website jv.dk.

Smokenhagen Coffeeshop openly sells cannabis following the Dutch model.

Medical Marijuana Suit Reaches Federal Court: 1st Time In 20 Years

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 5, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

The Daily Chronic

Audiotape of October 4 teleconference briefing with researchers, legal counsel and lawsuit plaintiff now available

For the first time in nearly 20 years, a United States Court of Appeals is set to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medicinal value: Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration.

This historic case will force a federal court to finally review the scientific evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of marijuana.

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