Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Right Wing Groups Sue To Keep Marijuana Off Arkansas Ballot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 31, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Jerry Cox, “Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values,” claims the people have no power: “Marijuana is illegal… only the federal government can change that”

Arkansans For Compassionate Care Will Fight For Arkansans’ Right To Vote And Decide For Themselves

How much more un-American does it get than trying to stop the people from deciding for themselves about medical marijuana and compassion for sick people? Once again, the right-wing “family values” fakes have outed themselves for what they are.

“The Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values,” composed of right-wing groups led by one Jerry Cox, is trying to deny the rights of Arkansas citizens to put the question of medical marijuana to a vote. The Coalition filed a lawsuit with the Arkansas Supreme Court on Friday, asking the court to remove the measure, which has already qualified for the ballot.

“This ballot proposal is one hundred percent illegal under federal law,” Cox, who runs a right-wing hate group called the Family Council Action Committee, claimed. “Marijuana is illegal because of federal statute passed by Congress. Only the federal government can change that.”

German Cannabis DUI Law Excludes Medical Marijuana Patients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 31, 2012 Global, Medical

UsualRedAnt

A 5 ng/ml cutoff point is simply wrong, according to Michael Knodt of Germany’s Hanf Journal, the largest German cannabis magazine

Stringent Cutoff Point Still Ensnares Many Unimpaired Cannabis Users

The debate over restrictive Washington state marijuana “legalization” ballot Initiative 502 has reached epic proportions, with much of the controversy centering around the measure’s stringent “driving under the influence” limits for cannabis.

According to most scientists and medical marijuana patient advocates, the limit of five nanograms per milliliter (5 ng/ml) is arbitrary and unsupported scientifically, and could result in DUI convictions for many patients and others, even when they’re unimpaired. The reason for this is that even though the 5 ng/ml limit would apply to active THC, many patients and others who use cannabis daily, especially heavy users, wake up in the morning, unimpaired, over the 5 ng limit.

Toke of the Town recently had a revealing talk on this subject with Michael Knodt, editor in chief of Hanf Journal, Germany’s biggest hemp magazine.

It turns out the Germans had the good sense to exclude patients from their marijuana DUI limits. Even so, lots of recreational cannabis users are being caught up by the law, even though they don’t drive impaired.

L.A. Marijuana Dispensaries Dodge The Bullet, Get Reprieve

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 30, 2012 Dispensaries, News

The Republic

Marijuana advocates turned in signatures Thursday morning in Los Angeles to get the city’s medical marijuana dispensary ban on November’s ballot so the voters can have their say. The ban, scheduled to take effect Wednesday, has been halted immediately, according to the City Clerk’s office.

While the signatures have yet to be verified, reports Dennis Romero at LA Weekly, the dispensary ban will be on hold unless either the signatures or the associated paperwork turn out to be deficient. Organizers needed 27,425 signatures of registered Los Angeles voters to get the issue on the general election ballot.

68-Year-Old Dies On The Way To Prison For Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 30, 2012 Medical, News

Billings Gazette

Richard Flor, 68 died Wednesday night after having two heart attacks while being transported to federal prison to serve a five-year sentence for medical marijuana

A former medical marijuana provider in Montana died in federal custody while being transported to federal prison Wednesday night. Richard Flor, 68, was being sent from a private prison to a federal prison when he had two heart attacks and passed away, Toke of the Town has learned.

Flor, of Miles City, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison on April 19. He had asked for leniency because he suffered from numerous physical and mental ailments.

Flor, his wife, Sherry, 55, and their son Justin, 35, all pleaded guilty to drug charges related to a medical marijuana operation run out of their home.

MPP Releases ‘Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 30, 2012 Culture

Opposing Views

#1 Marijuana Smoker Barack Obama with #10 George Clooney

To recognize the rising visibility and importance of marijuana policy reform, the Marijuana Policy Project on Thursday released its first annual “Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users” list. This collection, MPP says, spans multiple public spheres and illustrates the pervasiveness of marijuana use across all socio-economic groups (although from where we sit it seems to heavily favor pre-fab pop icons).

The people on this list have become successful and influential while also being marijuana users, with the greatest threat to that achievement being the possibility of arrest, according to MPP.

“In order to have qualified for the list, each individual must (1) have tried marijuana at least once, (2) be alive, and (3) be living in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen,” said Morgan Fox, MPP communications manager. “We also asked our supporters to adhere to the definition for the ‘Power 50’ list that’s used by Out magazine, which employs the following criteria: ‘the power to influence cultural and social attitudes, political clout, individual wealth, and a person’s media profile.’ “

Facebook Suspends Canada’s Largest Cannabis-Related Page

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 29, 2012 Culture, News

Kingston Compassion Club Society

The admin team of the Kingston Compassion Club Society’s (K.C.C.S) Facebook Page, “It’s Cannabis, Not Marijuana,” on August 27 received notification from Facebook that the page is being suspended. They are unable to create posts, access the page analytics, also called Insights, and have lost administrative rights, such as posting as the page in other sections of Facebook.

The admins attracted the attention of Facebook by attempting to add the physical address of the K.C.C.S in Ontario via the admin panel. They are currently working with Facebook to have the name changed to Kingston Compassion Club Society or to keep the current name, in an attempt to prevent Facebook from outright deleting the page.

Free Weed! Maine Group To Give Away Marijuana Saturday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 29, 2012 Dispensaries, Medical, News

Seattle Weekly

If you’re a low income medical marijuana patient in the state of Maine, you definitely want to be in Portland on Saturday.

According to the Maine Patients Coalition, based in Portland, Maine, low income patients have been priced right out of using the state-run medical marijuana program in the Pine Tree State. “And these are the sick Maine patients who need this program the most!” said Chris Kenoyer, director of the MPC.

Kenoyer said that Maine’s low income patients have been “completely abandoned” by Maine’s state-run program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and by the legal Maine dispensaries. “There has to be ‘compassionate caregiving’ here in Maine for ALL sick patients!” he said.

The Patients Coalition invites legal medical marijuana patients in Maine to come watch history being made at noon this Saturday, September 1, at the Atlantic CannaFest in Deering Oaks Park, Portland. “Maine law allows us to donate excess medical marijuana to other sick legal Maine patients,” Kenoyer said.

Signatures Filed To Overturn L.A. Marijuana Dispensary Ban

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 29, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Arno van Dulmen/Shutterstock

If referendum qualifies, city council will be forced to either rescind its ordinance or call a special election

The medical marijuana dispensary ban in Los Angeles may be short-lived.

With plenty of time to spare, medical marijuana advocates on Wednesday filed more than 50,000 signatures in an effort to overturn a recently passed ban on dispensaries throughout the city. Despite a loud outcry from patient advocates, the Los Angeles City Council adopted an outright ban last month on medical marijuana distribution within the city limits.

The ban came after the city failed for more than four years to develop regulations suitable for providing medical marijuana to the tens of thousands of area patients.

Drug War Survivors March Across Bridge In Selma, Alabama

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 29, 2012 Culture, News

Survivors of the Drug War, community leaders from United States and Mexico to walk across historic Edmund Pettus Bridge to call for an end to Drug War that has devastated black & latino communities and killed more than 60,000 in Mexico

In act of solidarity, U.S.-Mexico Caravan for Peace joins local leaders to condemn rampant violence and mass incarceration caused by failed War on Drugs.

The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity — made up of Mexican survivors of the Drug War and activists from both Mexico and the United States — on Wednesday will join local civil rights leaders to travel over the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in order to draw attention to the more than 60,000 people killed in drug-war-related violence in Mexico since 2006, as well as the devastating and systemic racism caused by the failed war on drugs in the U.S.

I-502 Author Claims Feds Don’t Mess With State Marijuana Laws

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 28, 2012 Legislation, News

The Seattle Times

“The federal government’s policy, where states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, has been to respect voters’ decisions”

~ Alison Holcomb, New Approach Washington

After last week’s federal letters threatening Seattle medical marijuana dispensaries — access points which have made a point of following state and municipal laws governing such shops — the backers of Washington state marijuana “legalization” initiative I-502 had a chance to say something intelligent about federal interference in voter-approved marijuana laws.

After all, I-502 itself — should it pass, as appears likely, in November — will be in direct conflict with the federal Uniform Controlled Substances Act, under which cannabis is considered a Schedule I “narcotic” with no accepted uses and a high probability of abuse.

So what did I-502’s main author, Alison Holcomb of ACLU-WA and campaign manager for 502 sponsors New Approach Washington, have to say in a Tuesday news story from the Seattle P.I.?

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