Legislation

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Proposed Medical Marijuana Database Worries Some Patients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 9, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

It looks as if Colorado’s medical marijuana grow rooms and dispensaries will soon have live cameras with state employees watching on the other end. But that’s not the worst of it, according to some patient advocates.

One item among the 90-something pages of regulations and procedures for Colorado’s medical cannabis industry unveiled this week by the Department of Revenue is making some patients particularly nervous — the plan for a massive new database of patients who enroll in the Medical Marijuana Registry. The list will be available around the clock to law enforcement agencies.

Currently, the registry is maintained by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, reports Greg Campbell at Face The State, and it can only be accessed by police officers when they need to confirm the enrollment status of a person in custody.

Pursuing Small Marijuana Cases Costs Vermont $700K Annually

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 9, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Zazzle

New data revealed on Thursday shows that Vermont state government spends more than $700,000 annually to pursue Vermonters for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Based on the new findings, state Rep. Jason Lorber (D-Burlington) announced plans Thursday to introduce a bill that would decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of cannabis.

“We should stop wasting $700,000 a year on a failed policy,” Rep. Lorber said. “It’s time for a smarter approach. That means decriminalization for an ounce or less of marijuana.”

“In a time of great fiscal strain, it is critical that we focus law enforcement resources on offenses that pose the greatest threats to public safety,” said Windsor County State’s Attorney Robert Sand.

Congressman Calls For New Marijuana Strategy

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 8, 2010 Growing, Legislation, News

Photo: Queerty

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO): The only way to accomplish objectives would be to eliminate “the failed policy of prohibition with regard to marijuana and replace it with regulation”

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass a resolution Wednesday declaring illegal marijuana cultivation on federal lands to be an “unacceptable threat to the safety of law enforcement and the public,” and calling upon the nation’s drug czar “to work in conjunction with federal and state agencies to develop a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to permanently dismantle Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating on Federal lands.”

Speaking on the House floor on Tuesday, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) agreed with the goals of H. Res. 1540, but said the only way to accomplish such objectives would be to eliminate “the failed policy of prohibition with regard to marijuana and replac[e]it with regulation.”

House Passes Bill On Cartels Growing Marijuana In National Parks

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 7, 2010 Growing, Legislation

Photo: Finding Dulcinea

A park ranger chops down marijuana plants inside Sequoia National Park

Cops and Border Patrol Agents Say the Only Real Solution is Marijuana Legalization

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday directing the White House drug czar’s office to develop a plan for stopping Mexican drug cartels from growing marijuana in national parks.

But a group of police officers and judges who fought on the front lines of the “War On Drugs” is pointing out that the only way to actually end the violence and environmental destruction associated with these illicit grows is to legalize and regulate the marijuana trade.

“No matter how many grow operations are eradicated or cartel leaders are arrested, there will always be more people willing to take the risk to earn huge profits in the black market for marijuana,” said Terry Nelson, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who is now a speaker for the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).

Colorado Considers Setting Limits On Driving While High

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 6, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Fleet Alert

Advocates worry that Colorado’s proposed “driving while stoned” limit will unfairly affect medical marijuana patients

Colorado could soon establish tough new measures to crack down on those who smoke marijuana and drive — and advocates are worried that the proposed limits will unfairly affect medical marijuana patients.

Under a proposal expected to be introduced early next year, the state would create a threshold for the amount of THC — the main psychoactive component in marijuana — that drivers are allowed to have in their blood, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. Anyone who is stopped and tests above that limit would be considered to be driving while high.

Drivers suspected of being under the influence of marijuana or other drugs already have to submit to a blood test or face license suspension. But the proposed law would set a limit beyond which drivers would be presumed to be impaired by marijuana.

Democratic Senator Threatens To Block DEA Nominee Leonhart

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 1, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Politics of Pot

Michelle Leonhart’s nomination has hit a snag, and it’s not about marijuana, it’s about access to painkillers for nursing home patients

A Democratic Senator is threatening to block the Obama Administration’s pick to head the Drug Enforcement Administration due to a dispute over restrictions on how nursing homes dispense prescription drugs to patients.

The DEA has stepped up a crackdown on facilities allowing nurses or other nursing home staff to dispense powerful prescription drugs without a doctor’s authorization, reports Evan Perez at The Wall Street Journal.

The nursing home crackdown is supposedly part of a wider DEA effort to “prevent abuse” of prescription painkillers, which are often diverted to the black market for large profits.

Nursing home facilities aren’t staffed with enough doctors to be on hand to prescribe drugs every time they’re needed, according to industry groups. And nursing homes don’t seem inclined to change their “business models,” since keeping more doctors on staff would reduce profits.

Workplace Battles Coming For Arizona Medical Marijuana Law

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 1, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Arizona Capitol Times

Perhaps inspired by the plight of employees such as Joseph Casias, a Michigan Wal-Mart worker who was fired for legally using pot for medicinal purposes, Arizona’s new medical marijuana law prohibits employers from discriminating against medical marijuana cardholders.

But zero tolerance of “drug use” is the workplace norm in the state, and some say the new law clouds what had been a clear-cut issue for workers and employers.

Employment attorneys say the new Arizona law does allow employers to fire or discipline workers who use medical marijuana on t he job, or whose work is impaired by pot, reports Jahna Berry at The Arizona Republic.

But important questions remain. If a supervisor suspects that a medical marijuana patient’s pot use affects the quality of his or her work, how should they respond? If employees who are medical marijuana patients get injured on the job are they eligible for worker’s compensation? And what happens if a legal medical marijuana patient fails a company’s drug test when applying for a position?

Illinois House Defeats Medical Marijuana Legalization

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 30, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: The Fresh Scent

The Illinois House on Tuesday defeated a measure that would have made Illinois the 16th state to allow patients to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s approval.

The medical marijuana bill got 53 votes, but needed 60 to pass, report Ray Long and Monique Garcia at the Chicago Tribune. Voting against the bill were 59 lawmakers, and one voted “Present.”

The measure was aimed at helping people with cancer, AIDS and other illnesses have a better quality of life, particularly after doctors have tried multiple medications that have not helped, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie).

Montel To Illinois Lawmakers: Legalize Medical Marijuana Now

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 29, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Marijuana Policy Project

Montel Williams: “Illinois lawmakers should act without delay to make marijuana legally available for medical use”

Former talk show host Montel Williams will meet with members of the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday to urge them to vote in favor of SB 1381, a bill that would make Illinois the 16th state to allow chronically ill patients to use marijuana legally with the recommendation of their doctor.

The Illinois Senate passed the bill — which would create one of the most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs in the country — last year.

Williams, a former U.S. Navy officer, uses medical marijuana to help ease the effects of multiple sclerosis.

“Illinois lawmakers should act without delay to make marijuana legally available for medical use,” Williams said, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. “Every day that they delay is another one of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state.”

“Fifteen other states have already passed medical marijuana laws, and Illinois’s lawmakers now have an opportunity to ensure that those suffering in their state will be treated with the same compassionate care,” Williams said.

Ex-N.M. Gov Supports Pot Legalization; Eyes 2012 Presidential Bid

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on November 29, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Steve Elliott/Reality Catcher

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson at Portland Hempstalk 2010 in September

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson could bring the issue of marijuana legalization into the 2012 Republican presidential primary if he decides to run.

“The issue of marijuana legalization is already an attention-getter,” Johnson told Marc Caputo of the St. Petersburg Times after a visit to Florida last week to test the political waters. “And you can’t shy away from it. I have to defend it. I have to defend the position.”

According to Johnson, marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and arresting and locking up pot smokers costs too much, both in terms of civil liberties and for the taxpayers.

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