Legislation

Bill To Legalize Adult Marijuana Use Reintroduced In Washington

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 27, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: AP/CBS

A coalition of House lawmakers has reintroduced legislation that would legalize and regulate the “production, distribution and sale” of marijuana to adults in Washington state.

House Bill 1550 allows for the state-authorized cultivation and distribution of cannabis and marijuana-related products. It is similar to HB 2401, which in 2010 didn’t make it past the Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness.

A state fiscal analysis of the measure estimates that regulating and taxing marijuana sales could yield some $300 million in new revenue per biennium, while also reallocating an estimated $25 million annually in law enforcement costs.

State Senator Asks: Should Indiana Legalize Marijuana?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: ReLegalize Indiana

An Indiana state senator is asking a question she hopes could spur debate over sentencing laws, and possibly save the state millions of dollars in the process: Should marijuana be legalized?

Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage) is sponsoring a bill that would direct the criminal law and sentencing study committee to examine Indiana’s marijuana laws next summer and come up with recommendations, reports Deanna Martin of the Associated Press.

“We need to think about this,” Tallian said. “We’re cutting essential services out of the budget now, and it may not make sense to spend millions of dollars prosecuting marijuana cases.”

Senate Corrections Committee Chairman Brent Steele (R-Bedford) said he would give Tallian’s proposal a legislative hearing, despite the fact that Democrats are badly outnumbered in the Senate. He said the study could help lawmakers decide if they should explore the issue, but noted that “even in California,” a proposal to legalize marijuana failed. (Yes, it’s coming true, as we predicted: The failure of Prop 19 is now being used as a talking point by prohibitionists.)

DUI For Drugs Fails In Montana Legislative Committee

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: KPAX.com

A Montana plan to issue DUI tickets for those under the influence of “dangerous drugs” while driving was rejected Tuesday in a legislative committee amid concerns there is no valid test for determining impairment.

The measure was one piece of the drunken driving reform working its way through the Montana Legislature, reports Matt Gouras of The Associated Press.

Another, larger reform initiative that would require repeat drunk driving offenders to undergo twice-daily breath tests at their own expense was unanimously endorsed Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee and will go to the full House.

Washington Could Legalize Marijuana, Sell It In Liquor Stores

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: Cafe Press

A bill has once again been introduced to the Washington Legislature which would legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold in state liquor stores.

State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson of Seattle, who compared current cannabis laws to alcohol Prohibition, introduced the bill, reports The Associated Press. According to Dickerson, it’s time to take marijuana out of the hands of criminals, regulate it, and tax it like alcohol.

Dickerson introduced a similar bill last year, but never made it out of committee when the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee, after holding the first-ever legislative hearing on marijuana legalization in Washington, voted it down.

The bill also calls for the state to license marijuana growers.

Critics, of course, claim the bill would “increase marijuana use among teens,” as if they don’t already smoke it, and “could lead to harder drug use,” which is, of course, the already-discredited Gateway Theory.

Predictably, Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office, notorious for fighting marijuana reform, lost no time in saying it will oppose the bill.

Cannabis Legalization Initiative Filed In Washington Jan. 26

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: Sensible Washington

Voters in at least one state may get the chance to legalize marijuana this year. Washington State’s 2011 initiative to legalize cannabis for adults will be filed Wednesday, January 26, Sensible Washington state coordinator Don Skakie told Toke of the Town Tuesday afternoon.

The initiative, which would remove marijuana penalties for adults, will be filed in the Secretary of State’s office in the Legislative Building, Olympia, Washington, at about 2 p.m.

“Anyone wanting to be part of this historic event is welcome to participate,” Skakie said. “Please be mainstream in your dress and appearance.”

Illinois Looks At Making Marijuana Possession Like Traffic Ticket

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: TheBongPlace

A new bill introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives would lower the penalty for an ounce or less of marijuana to a petty offense similar to a traffic violation.

House Bill 100, introduced January 12, would change the consequences of possession of under 28.35 grams of cannabis from a Class A Misdemeanor — punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine — down to a petty offense rather than a criminal offense, reports Brendan Denison at the Daily Illini.

If passed, the bill would set a $500 fine for first-time marijuana possession offenders, $750 for second-time offenders, and a $1,000 fine for each offense thereafter.

State Rep. LaShawn Ford, the Democrat who introduced the bill, said he expects it to free up the court systems and reduce the number of people who receive criminal background histories for possessing small amounts of cannabis.

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced In Delaware; Montel Supports

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Pocketburgers.com

Delaware, ”The First State,” could become the 16th to legalize medical marijuana.

State Senator Margaret Rose Henry and three Senate co-sponsors on Tuesday introduced SB 17 in the Delaware State Senate, calling for a common sense approach to providing compassionate care for seriously ill patients seeking relief with medical marijuana. Rep. Helene Keeley is the prime sponsor in the House, with eight co-sponsoring House members on the bill.

Montel Williams, a popular former talk show host and multiple sclerosis patient, attended Tuesday’s legislative session to meet with lawmakers and the Governor to urge them to support SB 17. Neuropathic pain associated with MS is one of the ailments for which marijuana has been shown to provide relief.

Passage of the bill would allow Delaware patients suffering from several devastating illnesses to receive medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

San Diego County Eyes $11,000 Yearly Fee For Pot Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation

Graphic: San Diego Organic Wellness Association

In what smacks of a shakedown, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss an ordinance that would require medical marijuana dispensaries to pay the county $11,017 a year, the sheriff’s alleged “cost to regulate” the facilities.

The annual fee, according to county staff, would cover the cost of issuing operational permits, investigating applicants, and for “inspections” after shops have opened, reports Dorian Hargrove of the San Diego Reader.

Confidential Patient Registry Out; Law Enforcement Database In

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 24, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: CTI

The Colorado Department of Revenue has released 99 pages of new regulations governing medical marijuana in the state. The most concerning aspect of these new rules, according to the Boulder-based Cannabis Therapy Institute (CTI), is the invasion of patient privacy they allow.

In order to buy cannabis at a Medical Marijuana Center (the legal name for dispensaries in Colorado), patients will be forced to give up their constitutional right to confidentiality and become participants in the Colorado Medical Marijuana Patient and Medicine Tracking Database and Surveillance System, according to CTI.

Idaho Lawmaker Introduces Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 21, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Idaho Moms 4 Marijuana

Idaho patients have already fought long and hard to legally use the medicine which works best for them.

A northern Idaho lawmaker has once again introduced a bill which would legalize medical marijuana in the state.

Rep. Tom Trail (R-Moscow) earlier this week sponsored the Idaho Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act to establish a system for patients to legally obtain and use marijuana with a doctor’s approval, reports The Associated Press.

The bill would allow patients with illnesses like cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis to have access to legal marijuana grown and distributed through state-monitored dispensaries.

It’s time for legislators to help reduce the suffering of seriously ill citizens, according to Trail.

If the bill passes, patients would need authorization from a doctor to get medical marijuana. Patients or their caregivers would also have to register with the state.

Browsing: Legislation