Think you know cannabis better than the Washington state government? You do? Great. You’re probably right, and because of that they might like to talk to you.
In an effort to begin constructing laws and regulations around Washington’s Initiative 502 that legalized limited amounts of cannabis possession and created a state-regulated recreational marijuana industry, Washington officials are looking for a few knowledgeable cannabis cultivators, tokers and scientists to help guide the policy.
The Czech Republic is one step closer to having medical marijuana laws, though legal medical marijuana itself might be harder to come by.
A bill that allows doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients with certain conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s and MS, was overwhelmingly passed by the Czech upper parliament Wednesday with 67 votes out of a possible 81.
| Vintage post card from Kentucky showing hemp farming. |
A Kentucky state senator says his proposal for regulated industrial hemp production in that state has a pretty good chance of succeeding this year. Senator Paul Hornback, a republican from Shelbyville who currently holds the Senate Agriculture committee chairman seat, has the backing of the Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and high-profile U.S. Senator Rand Paul. Some say the bill would have as many as 22 votes out of the 38 possible needed for the Senate to push the bill forward.
| Tom Tancredo doesn’t want to hit your doobie. |
Recently Colorado Republican firebrand politician (and onetime presidential candidate) Tom Tancredo made headlines for agreeing to smoke marijuana on camera with a Florida-based filmmaker if Colorado’s Amendment 64 was passed. Well, the bill was approved but Tancredo apparently had no intention of following through with his agreement. He says his wife told him that it might be a bad influence on their grandchildren and he has since declined the filmmaker’s offer.
It’s too bad. Not only for Tancredo’s own well-being (the dude clearly needs a joint), but also for his place in history. He could have easily joined the ranks of the top ten politicians who’ve smoked pot, as compiled by our sister paper, the Denver Westword.
| simplecannabis.com |
While it might be a longshot, a Texas lawmaker is trying (for the sixth time) to get medical marijuana on the books in the Lone Star State.
State rep. Elliot Naishtat, a democrat from Austin, is sponsoring the bill which would allow for physicians to recommend medical cannabis (called “marihuana” in the bill) for patients with qualifying conditions. Possession of cannabis would be legal so long as a doctor had signed off on it. The bill would also protect physicians from having their licenses stripped for making the recommendation. Otherwise, that’s really all there is to the page-and-a-half long bill. No mention of plant limits, possession limits, or anything like that.
| Rose Law Group. |
Marijuana paranoia is alive and well in Illinois, where city leaders in the northern Chicago suburb of Libertyville have unanimously voted to ban marijuana businesses in their city.
Knee jerk? You betcha. Keep in mind that medical marijuana isn’t even legal in Illinois. So these people are wasting their time banning businesses that can’t even exist according to their state law.
| A haze lifting above Denver’s Civic Center Park April 20, 2012. |
Yesterday, Colorado cannabis activist Miguel Lopez, the organizer of Denver’s annual 4/20 rally at Civic Center Park, released the schedule for this year’s two-day event, taking place on (duh) April 20 and 21. But in addition to a breakdown of happenings on each day, he also shared with Westword‘s Michael Roberts his often-negative thoughts about Amendment 64’s passage, as well as his views about continuing the fight for full cannabis legalization.
| google. |
| Fabulous Flowers in Mount Vernon, NY. |
Here’s a reminder to those of you living (and growing) in cold temps: wrap your pipes up in the winter time.
Cops in Mount Vernon, New York are searching for cannabis growers who had set up shop in a warehouse attached to an abandoned flower store — a grow they only found after freezing temperatures cracked a water line.
Well Kansas, you almost had it. Earlier this month Dave Haley, a state rep. from Kansas City, introduced Senate Bill 9 which would have legalized medical marijuana in the Sunflower State. Unfortunately, the bill already seems doomed to meet the fate of the three unsuccessful medical marijuana bills from previous years.
The bill would allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for certain qualifying conditions like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Patients could grow up to twelve plants in their home and possess up to six ounces at a time. Commercial medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed, and would be regulated by the state health department. Marijuana paraphernalia would also be allowed.