Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Detroit Voters May Have To Keep Waiting To Legalize Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 14, 2012 Legislation, News

Detroit voters who were hoping to vote on a ballot proposal which would legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana may have to keep waiting.

The City of Detroit plans to file an appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court, likely delaying attempts to place the measure on the August primary ballot, according to Krystal Crittendon, corporation counsel for the city’s law department, reports Jonathan Oosting at MLive.com.

The Michigan Court of Appeals had ruled 2-1 last week that Detroit acted illegally in keeping the proposal off the ballot despite the fact that organizers collected far more signatures than needed to put the question before the city’s voters.

Sweden Approves Liquid Cannabis Prescription Drug Sativex

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 14, 2012 Global, Medical, News

GW Pharmaceuticals

Medicinal cannabis — or at least a liquid pharmaceutical extract made from it — is available as a prescription in Sweden after the Medical Products Agency approved Sativex, a cannabis-based mouth spray, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

“This is great news for those who can’t get any relief from the most common drugs,” Jan Hillert, an MS researcher at Karolinska Institute, told the Dagens Nyheter daily newspaper, reports The Local.

The agency said that it plans to closely monitor prescriptions for Sativex to ensure against abuse.

Whitney Houston’s Death Prompts Call For Drug Policy Reform

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 13, 2012 News

Celebrity Picnic

Whitney Houston, R.I.P.

Over the weekend, as news of the tragic passing of Whitney Houston spread, speculation about the cause of death and the award-winning singer’s history of drug use caused many people to reconsider our nation’s failed war on drugs. Among them was fellow singer Tony Bennett, who called on attendees of a pre-Grammy gala to join him in the fight to end drug prohibition.

“First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston,” he told the audience. “I’d like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs.”

“Let’s legalize drugs like they did in Amsterdam,” Bennett said. “No one’s hiding or sneaking around corners to get it. They go to a doctor to get it.”

While Holland hasn’t actually legalized drugs, its policies are focused on reducing the harms associated with drugs, rather than arresting nonviolent drug users.

Most significantly, the possession and sale of small amounts of marijuana are tolerated by the government, which has separated marijuana from the market for harder drugs. As a result of this policy and more readily available treatment options, drug use and addiction rates in the Netherlands are far lower than in the United States.

Congress OKs Medical Marijuana Everywhere With DC Rules: Attorney

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 13, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

theskunk.org

If one prominent attorney is right about the legal ramifications of the District of Columbia’s marijuana law — specifically, that it was approved by the U.S. Congress — then it could be a game-changer nationwide.

D.C.’s medical marijuana law was the first time that the United States Congress had ever given its explicit assent to any state or local law that permits the medicinal use of marijuana — and, according to a California attorney who specializes in health care compliance, that is enormously significant under the Equal Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In 2009, noting that it was “allowing” the voters of Washington, D.C., to vote on and implement that city’s Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment law, Congress approved medicinal cannabis in the federal District of Columbia, over which it has all governmental power.

Clueless Anti-Drug Agencies Oppose Medical Marijuana In Ohio

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 13, 2012 Legislation, Medical

“Cannabis Addiction“

Surprise, surprise. Members of two local “drug-fighting” agencies in Ohio are going public with their opposition to two possible statewide ballot issues in November, either of which would legalize the use of medical marijuana for certain types of illnesses with a doctor’s authorization. Job security, anyone?

“We wanted to take early action to get our position out there,” said Brian Kress, chairman of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties.

Joining Kress in opposing the use of medicinal cannabis is the Anti-Drug Coalition of Carroll County, reports Jon Baker of the Dover-New Philadelphia Times Reporter.

The Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment, a medical marijuana ballot issue, was approved by the Ohio Ballot Board in October.

In January, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine certified the petition for the proposed Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced In West Virginia

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 13, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

The Weed Blog

Delegate Mike Manypenny, who said he’s convinced the Lord put marijuana in His grand scheme of creation to provide mankind with relief from chronic pain, has introduced a bill in the West Virginia House of Delegates which would allow the medicinal use of cannabis in the state.

According to Manypenny, the Bible itself proves that God intended that man use marijuana for medical reasons, and he thinks his fellow members in the House of Delegates realize this, reports Mannix Porterfield of the Beckley Register-Herald.

HB 4498, new bill Del. Manypenny introduced to the chamber on Friday, would allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons.

When some constituents asked him a few years ago to sponsor the bill, “I thought, ‘They’re crazy,’ ” said Manypenny, a Democrat from Taylor County.

Arizona Legislator Wants To Ban The Term ‘Medical Marijuana’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 13, 2012 Legislation, Medical

Tucson Citizen

Arizona, this is your “leadership”: mental pygmy Rep. Bob Robson (R-Chandler) doesn’t believe in medical marijuana, so he wants to remove the term from all bills which contain it.

Arizona voters approved medical marijuana back in 2010. But there’s no such thing, insists GOP state Rep. Bob Robson, and he not only wants his fellow lawmakers to stop using that term; he wants it struck from all bills which reference it.

“We’re already tacitly committing this body to recognizing something that doesn’t really exist,” said Robson, a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives hailing from Chandler.

He’s urging that the term be struck from all bills that contain the words “medical marijuana.”

Why, exactly, does the term need to be summarily removed from the English language, pray tell?

Robson argues that because he personally has never seen any studies that prove marijuana has medical properties (although one feels safe in guessing Rep. Robson’s intellectual explorations have been, shall we say, rather limited), the term should never be used. (Granny Storm Crow [PDF], call home.)

Video of the Day: Criminal (How Can It Be) by Whitney Glover

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 12, 2012 Culture

Whitney Glover

Whitney Glover of Alabama wrote and sings the medical marijuana anthem “Criminal (How Can It Be).”

Our Toke of the Town Video of the Day comes from Alabama artist Whitney Glover.

Whitney’s a talented singer/songwriter who’s also a multi-instrumentalist. She told Toke of the Town she’s been playing since the age of 4, counting the guitar, banjo, piano, and drums among her many musical talents.

Whitney’s song “Criminal (How Can It Be)” is a thoughtful and poignant look at the insanity of denying safe, natural herbal medication to patients who need it.

If you’d like to see more of Whitney’s performances, you can visit her main channel on YouTube, Singing4Whitney, and her political channel, Singing4Harmony.

Coming Into Los Angeles, Pt. 2: Toke Tags Along To The Cannabis Cup with NORML Women’s Alliance

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 11, 2012 Culture

LOLdrugs

Cheri Sicard started using cannabis medicinally in 2009 after a suggestion from her doctor. She was astonished at how well it worked.

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

Sharing the NORML Women’s Alliance booth this weekend at the High Times Medical Cannabis Cup in Los Angeles will be two notable authors.

First is Cheri Sicard. Cheri spent much of her childhood and early adult life, interestingly enough, traveling the country and the world as a circus performer, magician and mentalist. Along the way she started writing about travel and food which lead her to become an internet entrepreneur back in the days when it was just a series of tubes.

She is the author of The Great American Handbook: What You Can Do For Your Country Today and Everyday (2002 Berkley Books), US Citizenship for Dummies (2003, Wiley, co-author with Steven Heller, Esq.), Everyday American (2008, Bookspan, ISBN: 1582882975), and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Easy Freezer Meals (2011, Alpha Books, ISBN: 1615640649).

Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced In Maryland

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 10, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Cannabis Fantastic

Two bills were introduced Friday in the Maryland House and Senate that would allow patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with doctors’ recommendations.

The bills, HB 1024 and HB 1148, are based on the recommendations of a study panel created by the Legislature in 2011 and were introduced in the state House by Del. Dan Morhaim. Senator Jamie Raskin is expected to sponsor similar legislation in the state Senate.

One version of the legislation, championed by state lawmakers on the work group, allows doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients who could then purchase it from licensed dispensaries, all of which would be overseen by an independent commission.

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