By allowing Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Washington D.C. voters to legalize limited amounts of cannabis for personal use, the United States has violated United Nations conventions. That’s the gripe from the head of the U.N. director of the Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, who says he plans to take official actions.
“I don’t see how (the new laws) can be compatible with existing conventions,” Fedotov told reporters this week.
Supporters of a measure that would legalize limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and up in Nevada have collected nearly twice the required amounts of signatures needed to get their measure on the ballot in 2016.
They’ll submit the signatures later today, joined by Democratic state Sen. Richard Segerblom, who has tried several times to get legalization measures passed by the state legislature.
| Silly screenshot from cannabis driving sim shows Heisenberg behind the wheel when you fail (Spoiler Alert: everyone fails) |
The amazing landscapes of New Zealand can take you from skiing down pristine slopes in the morning, to relaxing on a white sand beach in the afternoon – just don’t get caught smoking a joint while you’re at it.
In New Zealand, the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1975 made it officially illegal to import, grow, sell, distribute, possess and/or use cannabis in any way, shape, or form. But with more than 4 million residents, and 13.4% of them smoking weed despite the law, the government there is realizing that their decades of patronizing anti-weed fear mongering may be somewhat ineffective.
So their latest idea is…more patronizing anti-weed fear mongering.
| From KJCT coverage. |
Last week, Manitou Springs, Colorado voters approved recreational marijuana sales in their town, while residents of other communities turned thumbs-down. The folks in Palisade, on Colorado’s Western Slope, are somewhere in-between on the issue, at least for now. A recreational-pot measure appeared to narrowly lose, but that result could be reversed depending on what happens with eighteen disputed ballots. Photos, video and details below.
| Bill Frazetto |
| “42nd Street Subway Arrest NYC 1975” |
Stop and frisk.
If you’ve ever smoked weed in New York City, you know that those three little words can do more than kill your buzz, in many cases they have ruined people’s lives. The city’s newly elected Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a change to the discriminatory and highly controversial policy, and more specifically how it will impact those busted with some buds in the Big Apple.
Missouri has taken the first step toward putting legal marijuana on the 2016 ballot.
As we reported Monday, Show-Me Cannabis planned to file the paperwork this week to put an initiative on the November 2016 ballot. On Thursday, the Secretary of State’s office announced that the group submitted an initiative petition to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow for the sale and use of marijuana.
Dan Viets, chairman of Show-Me Cannabis and a criminal defense lawyer in Columbia, filed the official petition to Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office just two days after the end of a midterm election cycle — when two more states and Washington, D.C., voted to legalize recreational marijuana use.
It might not have been a fruitful election for President Obama and his fellow Democrats, but one faction of lefties and libertarians had a banner day: We’re talking about drug-decriminalization supporters. Voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. approved the legalization of limited amounts of recreational marijuana for the 21-and-older set. Californians approved categorizing minor drug possession as a misdemeanor, via Proposition 47. And New Jersey reformed its bail system in a way that will keep many low-level drug offenders out of prison.
But when it comes to marijuana, California is looking like the never-the-bride bridesmaid again this year. Despite our groundbreaking, 1996 initiative that made us the first state in the union to legalize medical marijuana, the Golden State has been slow to join the recreational craze. Activists say that’s about to change.
| Manitou Springs Facebook page |
Just over three months after Maggie’s Farm opened its doors as the first recreational pot shop in Manitou Springs and began dumping money into town coffers, voters gave the business a thumbs-up, overwhelmingly defeating a proposal to ban recreational pot sales in the town.
Florida voters overwhelmingly approved of medical marijuana (58% to about 42%) but lost because they needed to get 60%. And yet the Anti-Amedment 2 people claim a victory when they clearly don’t have the majority opinion on their side.
Amendment 2 may have missed narrowly missed the 60 percent voter threshold needed to pass a constitutional amendment, but main sponsor John Morgan has already announced he’ll place another medical marijuana amendment on the ballot in 2016. This time, there’s an even better chance it will pass.
Alaska voters approved legalizing small amounts of cannabis for adults 21 an up on Tuesday, but it might be months before they can legally light up. According to Cynthia Franklin, head of Alaska’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, the bill won’t technically become law until 90 days after the election counting has been officially completed and certified, and that isn’t expected until November 28.