Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

County Counsel Busted With Pot, Gun; Mendo County: Yawn

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2012 Culture, News

Mendocino County Counsel Doug Losak: Busted for marijuana possession and a concealed pistol

Smoking marijuana and carrying firearms are such widely accepted behaviors in Mendocino County, California, it seems to have barely raised any eyebrows when the county’s top legal adviser was cited on Tuesday for possessing a small amount of cannabis and a concealed pistol in his Volvo.

Mendocino County Counsel Doug Losak faces a closed-door performance evaluation by the Board of Supervisors following his citation, reports Glenda Anderson at the Press Democrat, but meanwhile, he remains on the job.

Possessing three grams of marijuana is no big deal in Mendocino County, said Supervisor John Pinches. “It’d be like you stopped a woman and found a tube of lipstick in her purse,” he said.

Pinches said the allegations do not change his opinion that Losak is a fine interim county counsel who remains eligible to take on the job full time. Pinches discounted the allegation that Losak possessed a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor.

Credit Cards No Longer Accepted In Cali Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2012 Dispensaries, News, Products

Hail Mary Jane

There’s no longer any need to carry your plastic into medicinal cannabis dispensaries in California, because they don’t want it. Credit cards are no longer being accepted at the collectives, whose accounts with credit card processors have been canceled, thanks to heavy pressure from the federal government.

The intermediaries between retailers and credit card companies — the merchant services providers who process customer payments — have told dispensaries that credit card transactions for cannabis will no longer be processed after July 1, according to Stephen DeAngelo, executive director of Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, reports Chris Roberts at SF Weekly.

So which government agency forced medical marijuana to become a cash-only business? None has stepped forward so far to claim the “credit.”

Weed Not Greed Tour Will Be At Democratic Convention

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2012 Culture, News, Products

Weed Not Greed Marijuana Legalization Tour

“This will be the biggest tour to make cannabis legal and will have a memorable effect on the people of the USA.”

~ David Kowalsky, Cannabis Information Network

More and more Americans are letting their voices be heard on the subject of marijuana legalization. The Weed Not Greed Tour will be making its way across the country and will visit 21 cities in 33 days.

The tour plans to be departing from Seattle Hempfest, the biggest cannabis protestival in the world, which will be held August 17 through 19, and will be present at the Democratic National Convention with its final destination being Washington, D.C., on September 11.

The aim is to spread the word about cannabis and to let the people’s voices be heard, so that people will understand about marijuana and not view it as just another illegal drug.

Hey, Israel: You Didn’t Invent THC-Free Weed, Nature Did

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2012 Medical, News

MSNBC

A flower of the Israeli THC-free, high-CBD cannabis strain “Avidekel” on display

From time to time, we hear about this group or that claiming to have “invented” a “new strain” of cannabis, one that offers the health benefits of marijuana without the high, seen by many researchers and some patients as an undesirable “side effect.” Whenever you hear such claims, try to remember that THC-free weed wasn’t invented or developed by any scientific team or cannabis breeder — it developed in nature itself.

While that contention itself is controversial — with many patients maintaining that the cannabis high itself is part of its therapeutic effects — recent research showing that cannabidiol (CBD) is responsible for some of marijuana’s healthy effects have led to speculation about the medicinal use of THC-free strains, those which don’t include tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of grass.

The dichotomy between the mainstream press and its, shall we say, somewhat uninformed views of marijuana, and the marijuana community’s own sources of information sometimes leads to amusing juxtapositions, revealing a bifurcation between “official reality” and scientific fact.

Exclusive: Assemblyman Ammiano Speaks On Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

SF Weekly

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano: “The voters spoke clearly in 1996”

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

When California Assembly Bill 2312 was pulled out of committee last week, local cannabis organizations and activists began a heated debate, theorizing why the bill was removed before having a chance to be voted on by the legislature. Toke of the Town was able to interview Assemblyman Tom Ammiano late Thursday afternoon.

We appreciate that Assemblyman Ammiano was able to talk to us during a very busy day. Some of the interview questions have been edited for clarity. All of Mr. Ammiano’s statements are verbatim.

Toke: Is there any truth to the rumor that Americans for Safe Access and other groups were strongly opposed to the clause in AB 2312 allowing Board of Supervisors or town council members of any California town to ban dispensaries in their towns if they felt compelled to instead of allowing the voters to decide? Is there any truth to the rumor that ASA convinced you to remove the bill or was it the other way around?

Ammiano: There has always been a clause in AB 2312 that permits local jurisdictions to opt-out of the state standard proposed in AB 2312, what changed coming out of the Assembly Appropriations committee is the threshold which was lowered from a vote of the people in that local jurisdiction, to an ordinance enacted by the local government. I understand that there are concerns regarding bans by local governments, and wish there would have been more opposition to AB 1300 which passed last year with me as the only “NO” vote on the floor. I support a vote threshold to enact bans, but AB 1300 allows local jurisdiction to enact ordinances without going to the voters, which is why I opposed it.

Lawmaker: Kentucky Could Legalize Medical Marijuana In 2013

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

Western Middle School

Kentucky State Senator Perry Clark: “The chances are that if the people get behind it and there’s a groundswell of support, it could happen”

A Kentucky state senator reintroduced legislation on Thursday that would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in the Bluegrass State, and said that the bill has a chance of passage next year if the people will get behind it.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Perry Clark (D-Louisville), would make marijuana a Schedule II drug in Kentucky, recognizing it as having legitimate medical uses, while still being tightly restricted, reports Kevin Willis at WKU.

Medical marijuana patient advocates point out that cannabis can help alleviate pain, stimulate appetite, and reduce nausea.

“It’s time to start the conversation,” Clark said when WKU Public Radio asked if he thought the bill stood a chance of passing next year.

Oregon Cannabis Legalization Drive To Submit Final Signatures

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2012 Legislation, News

OCTA 2012

Initiative 9 Signature-Drive Completion Press Conference Set For Friday, July 6

Friday, July 6 marks the deadline for Oregonians to submit signatures in order to qualify an initiative for the November ballot. The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act campaign will be submitting its final group of signatures to the Secretary of State and discussing next steps for allowing Oregonians to vote to support common-sense cannabis and hemp policy.

Initiative 9 will regulate cannabis for adult use, license cannabis for commercial sale, and re-allow Oregon farmers to grow hemp for biofuel, food, sustainable fiber and medicine.

Detroit Voters To Decide On Marijuana Legalization In November

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2012 Legislation, News

THC Finder

When the residents of Detroit vote in the presidential election in November, they’ll also get a chance to vote for the legalization of marijuana.

Two years after organizers gathered enough signatures to force the referendum, the cannabis question will go before city voters, reports Dustin Block at mlive.com.

A legal battle kept the question off ballots until now, but a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for a vote, and a city attorney signed a court order last month finalizing a November vote.

Montana Medical Marijuana Patients Struggle For Safe Access

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 3, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

THC Finder

The Big Sky State’s Current Medical Marijuana Law Riddled With Barriers For Montana Patients

By Bob Brigham

Special to Toke of the Town

Thousands of medical marijuana patients in Montana are left without medical marijuana providers who can serve them. The state’s new restrictive medical marijuana law, SB 423, has been in effect for less than one year, and during that time, the number of providers has dropped from over 4,438 in June of last year to less than 414 today, a drop of more than 90 percent.

“The vast majority of providers (formerly caregivers) have simply dropped out of the system,” says Chris Lindsey, president of the Montana Cannabis Industry Association. “Most left the program out of fear of federal prosecution, but those who are left are finding it is very risky due to aggressive law enforcement efforts around the state, who often work directly with the DEA.

Signatures For Medical Marijuana Submitted in Solana Beach

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 3, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Citizens For Patient Rights

Citizens for Patients Rights has announced the successful conclusion of its signature gathering campaign in Solana Beach. On Monday at 11:30 a.m., the group submitted more than 1,600 signatures to the Solana Beach City Clerk’s office for verification, along with a formal request for a special election, if the initiative is not fully qualified in time for the November ballot.

In total, 807 valid signatures are needed to qualify for the initiative for the November ballot, and 1,211 valid signatures are needed to qualify for a special election. The Solana Beach City Clerk must now certify the signatures, with the support of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, who will be tallying the valid signatures.

The City Council will then vote on whether to enact the initiative proposal directly or put it to a vote of the people. The City Council needs to act by August 10 in order to qualify for the November ballot.

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