William Breathes

Philadelphia City Council votes to decriminalize up to 30 grams of pot

By William Breathes on June 20, 2014 News

On a vote of 13 to 3, the Philadelphia City Council yesterday approved decriminalizing up to 30 grams of herb within city limits, making the penalty a $25 fine.
Mayor Michael Nutter has been vocally opposed to loosening marijuana laws in the city, but a coalition of council members are now calling on him to approve the bill due to the overwhelming support. As it stands, the mayor can either veto or sign the bill, or he can do nothing and let the law go into effect without his endorsement. He could also apparently wait until September when council returns for the fall session to do anything.

Long Beach, California doctor on probation for writing bogus pot reccomendations

By William Breathes on June 19, 2014 News, Say what?

Here’s a tip to all of you doctors out there: If you’re going to be indiscriminately writing scrips for medical marijuana, at least put some leg work into it, or you’re going to end up like Long Beach doctor Dennis Larry Clark. Clark was put on one year probation earlier this month, as well as being barred from making any medical marijuana recommendations.
Why? Well, he got caught indiscriminately giving recommendations, and he didn’t even try to make it look not shady. The OC Weekly has more.

Pot shop on Colorado-Nebraska border freaking out Nebraska cops

By William Breathes on June 19, 2014 News

A Nebraska highway checkpoint.

There’s not much going on in the tiny northeast Colorado town of Sedgwick, which has a full-time population of about 150 people, a game preserve nearby and the South Platte River to play in from time to time — when the water’s up. Most people see the town in their rear-view mirror on their way to or from Nebraska if they ever see it at all. But that could change soon, as Sedgwick now has a major draw: It’s the only town within a several-hours’ drive to offer legal, recreational marijuana for sale.
But while the shop is fully legal under Colorado state law, Nebraska officials say it is a blatant attempt to profit from residents of their state looking to smuggle herb back home — and yet another example of how Colorado’s pot experiment is failing.

York, Maine activists submit signatures for citywide pot legalization

By William Breathes on June 19, 2014 Legalize It, News

Following in the footsteps of Portland, Maine last year, activists in York, Maine say they have collected enough signatures to get a pot legalization measure on the November city ballot.
If approved by voters, the measure would make the possession in the city of up to one ounce of pot legal for adults 21 and up. The penalty is currently a $600 fine.

Eight marijuana edibles perfect for the Florida palate

By William Breathes on June 19, 2014 Culture, News

Forget the pot brownie.

With poll numbers showing that Floridians will likely pass a medical marijuana amendment in November, its time to start thinking long and hard about what it will look like in Florida.
For many people with illnesses, smoking medical marijuana may not be the best route.
Marijuana edibles are already a booming business in states that have legalized the treatment, but often those products may not be best suited for the delicate Florida palate. Riptide cares deeply about people getting the best medical care possible, and wants to ensure that every Floridian gets the best treatment possible. As such, we’ve researched some ways to inject some medicinal herb into Florida’s favorite foods.

Florida anti-medical marijuana financier owns research firm that proves marijuana helps MS patients

By William Breathes on June 18, 2014 News, Say what?

Just say no to Sheldon Adelson.

Sheldon Adelson, the mega-rich casino magnate who last week donated $2.5 million to the anti-Amendment 2 group Drug Free Florida, also happens to have his own medical research group. And according to that group’s own studies, medical marijuana has been shown to aid those who suffer from multiple sclerosis.
June Cutright, a progressive-MS patient who lives in Florida, called Sheldon’s decision to back anti-medical marijuana, despite his own research group’s findings, “unconscionable.”

Colorado ski industry has record year, denies legal pot had anything to do with it

By William Breathes on June 18, 2014 News

Dustin Schaefer/Loveland Ski Area

At the start of the 2013-2014 ski season, marijuana seemed like it might be a bigger story than moguls, what with some snowbirds threatening to stay away from Colorado if they were subjected to legal pot, a ski-area executive pledging to yank lift tickets from public tokers, a Forest Service rep saying pot enforcement at resorts on federal land was a priority and the destruction of a venerable smoke shack after it was featured on Inside Edition.
In the end, though, Colorado experienced a record ski season — and one industry rep doubts that weed had anything to do with it.

Arizona group offers medical marijuana hospice help

By William Breathes on June 18, 2014 Medical, News

chphospice.com

Legally obtaining and using marijuana just got easier for patients of one Phoenix-area home-hospice service. Starting this month, Comprehensive Hospice and Palliative Care offers an in-house doctor who will recommend cannabis for patients who qualify under state law.
To avoid trouble with Medicare, which often pays the hospice’s bills for patients, the hospice requires the patient or someone else to send the recommendation to the state Department of Health Services for final approval, and to pay the fees.

Should Colorado and Washington cops be able to use cannabis off-duty?

By William Breathes on June 17, 2014 Opinion

Denver police officers have gotten into trouble lately — and a number of the incidents, including a brawl apparently spurred by wife swapping, featured alcohol. And that’s not to mention assorted busts involving law enforcers and drunk driving.
Could some of these episodes have been prevented if Denver cops were allowed to smoke pot while off-duty as an alternative to liquor? One marijuana advocate thinks it’s worth giving a try. More over at the Denver Westword.

Cops find cartel lookouts in Arizona mountains

By William Breathes on June 17, 2014 News

A traffic stop in February on the southern edge of Eloy, Arizona led to law enforcement discovering that marijuana smugglers had lookouts hiding in the mountains, making sure authorities didn’t come into contact with the people carrying the product. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has just announced that sheriff’s deputies and Border Patrol agents have found eight such lookouts hiding in the hilltops over the last few months.
This all started with that traffic stop south of Eloy, in which a 22-year-old Mexican citizen was pulled over while driving a Ford van the morning of February 20. When the deputy approached the van, the driver was on a cellphone, and explained to the deputy that “spotters” in the area were watching, and told him to run. The Phoenix New Times has more.

Author William Breathes