Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Shrinks Shocked! Primary Care Physicians “Prescribing” Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 12, 2012 Medical

By Bob Starrett

In a year where it would be hard to deny that medical marijuana is a big issue in many states, there is bound to be press coverage and there are bound to be legislators who are influenced by it — whatever it says.

This from the The Baltimore Sun on March 7, 2012:

In Colorado, it is estimated that only 2 percent of registered medical marijuana users suffer from cancer or AIDS. Medicinal marijuana is often prescribed for psychiatric conditions such as insomnia, anxiety and mood disorders — and often by prescribers who have no specialized training in psychiatric disorders.

What’s wrong with this paragraph, other than that fact that Colorado does not accept insomnia, anxiety and mood disorders as listed conditions for medical marijuana? In fact, petitions to add severe anxiety and clinical depression have been denied by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

DEA, Police Raid Upland, California Marijuana Dispensary

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 12, 2012 Dispensaries, News

Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/San Bernardino Sun

A federal DEA agent enters G3 Holistic on Monday morning, March 12, 2012, in Upland, California. Federal agents served a search warrant at the medical marijuana dispensary, which has been at odds with the city for a couple of years.

The Drug Enforcement Administration at 9:30 on Monday morning served a search warrant at G3 Holistic, Inc., a medical marijuana dispensary that has been at odds with the city of Upland, California for a couple of years.

Seized in the raid were at least 25 pounds of marijuana and 89 pounds of medicated edible products containing cannabis, according to the DEA, report Canan Tasci and Melissa Pinion-Whitt of the San Bernardino Sun.

No arrests have been made.

DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen confirmed that a search warrant had been served at G3 and that the federal agency has been “working with” California Attorney General Kamala Harris’s office.

Zero Tolerance Marijuana DUI Bill Introduced In California

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 12, 2012 Legislation, News

THC Finder

A bill that would establish a zero-tolerance driving under the influence (DUI) standard for marijuana has been introduced in the California Legislature.

The bill, AB 2552, sponsored by Norma Torres (D-Pomona), would make any driver found with above-zero levels of cannabinoids in blood or urine presumptively guilty of DUI.

“Since cannabinoids remain in the system for days or weeks after last use, the bill would effectively outlaw driving by every marijuana user in the state,” said Dale Gieringer of California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

Debate On Ending The War On Drugs Gains Momentum

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 12, 2012 Global, News

Osocio

Latin America Leads The Way; UN Remains Closed To Change

The 55th annual session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) started on Monday in Vienna, Austria, with a focus on strengthening the drug program of the United Nations. Government representatives from more than 100 countries will discuss international cooperation in combating drugs, and the enforcement of the current prohibition model. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime will invite delegates to celebrate 100 years of “successful” drug control. Are these people disconnected from reality?

“No changes to the UN conventions or even constructive discussions on alternative policies on drugs are to be expected at this meeting,” said Ruth Dreifuss, former president of Switzerland and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP), a group of international leaders that has called for an end of the global War On Drugs.

Lowest Police Priority: 6 WA Cities May Have Cannabis Initiatives

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

Sensible Washington

Washington state legalization group Sensible Washington announced earlier this year that they would be running local, city-wide initiatives in 2012. Last month the group declared Spokane its first city. Now, just days away from filing, the group has announced the next five cities where they’ll be running initiatives:

• Everett

• Olympia

• Bremerton

• Kent

• Bellingham

According to Sensible Washington, these initiatives will combine making adult cannabis offenses the lowest law-enforcement priority, and prohibiting cooperation of local law enforcement with federal authorities in marijuana enforcement.

Safe Access: If A Cannabis Patient Is Cut Down Mid-Disease, Does Anyone Hear It?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 10, 2012 Culture, Dispensaries, Medical

death + taxes

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

Resonate

res·o·nate/ˈrezəˌnāt/

Verb: 1. Produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound.

2. Evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions.

Picture the State of California in your mind. Now imagine the Attorney General taking a pair of Federal scissors and cutting along the dotted line below and above California’s largest city, leaving Los Angeles as an island. Not content to stop there, Cali’s Top Law Dog is now on a serrated blood trail with Federal Fiskars in hand.

She continues undercutting the will of the People by lopping off areas of California like a mad child decapitating paper dolls. Soon, if she has her way, all of California’s dispensaries will be gone.

Worth Repeating: Suicide Rates Fall In Medical Marijuana States

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 9, 2012 Culture, Medical

Global Ganja Report

Worth Repeating

By Ron Marczyk, R.N.

Health Education Teacher (Retired)

“We conclude that the legalization of medical marijuana leads to an improvement in the psychological well being of young adult males, an improvement that is reflected in fewer suicides.”

This story didn’t make it past the network news filters, was ignored by the mainstream media, and numerous mental health/suicide prevention organizations would not even comment about it!

Toke of the Town – Medical Marijuana Reduces Suicides: Study

Then, 17 days later:

American Independent – Study: Suicide Rates Fall When States Legalize Medical Marijuana

Why would a “good news” marijuana story, like where suicides markedly declined, be ignored by the media?

Outdated Tax Code Calls Marijuana Dispensaries Drug Traffickers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 9, 2012 Dispensaries, News

Veterans Today

Seattle Seminar Saturday March 10th to Educate Attorneys, Accountants and Cannabis Business Owners How to Prepare Their Businesses for Possible IRS Audits under the Current 280E IRS Tax Code

The Internal Revenue Service is using tax audits to rule that state-sanctioned cannabis businesses are deemed “drug trafficking organizations” under Section 280E of the IRS code which was created decades ago. Through this definition of the tax code, the IRS is denying legitimate businesses from making normal deductions such as rent payments, payroll, insurance, and other usual business expenses incurred, and demanding large taxes and fines on the industry.

Marijuana Advocates Urge Senate Committee to Support New Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 9, 2012 Legislation, Medical

FreakingNews.com

SB 409 Would Protect Seriously Ill New Hampshire Patients From Arrest If Their Doctors Recommend Medical Marijuana

A hearing on New Hampshire’s medical marijuana bill, SB 409, ran past 5 p.m. on Thursday evening. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Sen. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), listened to two and a half hours of testimony, nearly all of which was offered in support of the bill.

The bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Jim Forsythe (R-Strafford), introduced the measure and made a strong case that support for the bill transcends partisan boundaries.

Colorado DEA Chief Dismisses Medical Value Of Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 9, 2012 Dispensaries, Medical, News

The Denver Post

Special Agent Barbra Roach, DEA: “By federal law, marijuana is illegal. There is no medical proof it has any benefit.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s new regional chief in Denver, Barbra Roach, wasted no time in offending Colorado. Claiming that marijuana has “no known medical value,” she also said that she will find a place to live that does not allow medical marijuana businesses.

“It is not surprising that in Colorado, where voters have approved medical marijuana, some find her comments more than a little offensive,” reports Scot Kersgaard at The Colorado Independent.

“By federal law, marijuana is illegal,” Roach — who is replacing Jeff Sweetin, who was promoted to run the DEA’s training center in Virginia — told The Denver Post. “There is no medical proof it has any benefit,” she said, ignoring literally hundreds or thousands of medical studies.

Roach told the Post that marijuana is illegal despite Colorado’s constitutional amendment which allows it for medicinal use. She didn’t return subsequent calls seeking further comment.

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