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Browsing: Legislation

California Medical Marijuana Workers Form Union

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation

Graphic: Budhoe

​Organized labor and California’s burgeoning marijuana industry are coming together for what is believed to be the very first time, after 100 employees at Oaksterdam University turned in their union cards and joined the 26,000-member Local 5 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, school and union officials confirmed Wednesday, reports Chris Roberts at the SF Appeal.

Oaksterdam, which includes a cannabis dispensary and plant nursery, as well as cultivation classes, is also the force behind California’s legalization initiative, Tax Cannabis 2010, through the deep pockets of founder and owner Richard Lee, who has given nearly $1.3 million to the ballot measure.
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L.A. Judge Denies Order To Halt Closure Of Four Pot Dispensaries

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: Brand X Daily

​Four Los Angeles pot dispensaries lost their bid Wednesday for a temporary court order to stop the city from shutting them down when its medical marijuana ordinance takes effect on June 7. The judge’s decision could discourage other pot shops from seeking similar orders, reports John Hoeffel at The Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles officials were bracing themselves for scores of such orders, putting a crimp in their plans to close hundreds of pot shops, if the dispensaries had won in court Wednesday.
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New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana Law May Be Delayed

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: ImageShack

​The administration of Governor Chris Christie is trying to delay the July implementation of New Jersey’s new law legalizing the use of marijuana for severely ill patients.

The measure, already called the most restrictive in the nation, was passed by the New Jersey Legislature in January and scheduled to take effect six months later, reports Mary Jo Patterson of the NJ Spotlight. Regulations were to be in place by October, when six state-licensed dispensaries would start selling cannabis to qualified patients.
But on May 21, senior staff in the Governor’s office suggested that seriously ill patients just be, well, “patient,” according to the bill’s chief sponsor, Sen. Nicolas Scutari, and wait for six more months before they can legally use the medicine that helps them the most.
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Maine: New Medical Marijuana Cards Aim To Protect Patients

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: WABI

​Maine’s new dispensary law augments the medical marijuana law already in place for more than a decade, finally giving patients a legal way to obtain cannabis. But patients and caregivers who want legal access to medical marijuana will have to register for an ID card.

Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it is accepting applications from nonprofit corporations to become dispensaries under Maine’s Medical Use of Marijuana Act, responding to a dispensary law passed by voters.
In July, eight dispensaries will be selected by DHHS, reports Adrienne Bennett of WABI-TV.
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Montana Could Overturn Medical Marijuana Law Next Year

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By on Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Miami Beach 411

​Never mind that an overwhelming 63 percent of residents voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2004. A prominent Montana Republican lawmaker wants to overturn the voter-passed law that legalized medicinal cannabis.

Senator Jim Shockley (R-Victor) on Monday requested a bill to be drafted for the 2011 Legislature to repeal the medical marijuana law, reports Jennifer McKee at the Helena Independent Record. Shockley claimed he believes marijuana has medical benefits and should remain legal, only in a “much more controlled way.”
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Congress Tries To Stop Denial Of Banking To Marijuana Providers

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By on Legislation, Medical

Graphic: North Coast Journal

​In yet another example of America’s weird double standard when it comes to medical marijuana — which is now legal in 14 states — legitimate medical cannabis providers have been denied banking services or even had their existing accounts terminated, just for being involved in the medical marijuana business.

Fifteen members of Congress sent a letter Friday to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to issue “written guidance for financial institutions,” which would commit the Department to not targeting institutions whose account holders are in compliance with state medical marijuana laws.

The patient advocate group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) said it has received “dozens of reports” over the past couple of years from medical marijuana providers in California, Colorado and other states who have either been denied financial services or even had their existing bank accounts terminated with little or no justification.
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Pennsylvania Legislators Say Medical Marijuana ‘Not A Priority’

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: Lara Brenckle/The Patriot-News
Supporters of the movement to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania rallied on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg in July 2009.

​The debate over legalizing medical marijuana in Pennsylvania has heated up in recent weeks, but the issue is still not a priority in the Legislature, according to a spokesman for House Majority Leader Todd Eachus.

“He believes it’s an issue that deserves greater discussion, but now is not the time for that,” spokesman Bill Thomas said, reports Bob Kalinowski at Citizens Voice.
“This is an issue that deserves further discussion, but it is not a priority,” Thomas said.
A group supporting legalization of cannabis for medical use held a rally on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre on May 8. Then, on Wednesday of last week, area police and anti-drug activists held a press conference at Luzerne County Courthouse to urge lawmakers to reject any proposals to legalize medical marijuana.
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CO: Pot Dispensaries May Sue Cities That Extend Moratoriums

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation

Photo: KRDO

​Medical marijuana is legal under the Colorado Constitution, but newly passed regulations allow cities to ban the dispensaries that sell it. Now cannabis advocates are planning lawsuits if cities choose to ban the shops, reports Mireya Garcia of KRDO.

“They are missing the most important part of this — the patients,” said Michael Stetler, a dispensary owner in Pueblo.
The Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council works with local communities in Southern Colorado that have moratoriums in place. CSMCC officials said the longer communities take to figure out how to regulate dispensaries, the worse patients will suffer.
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Oregon Petitioners Submit Signatures For Marijuana Dispensaries

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation

Graphic: Mercy Center

​Medical marijuana advocates on Thursday submitted 110,000 signatures, more than the amount required, for a ballot initiative allowing state-licensed cannabis dispensaries in Oregon.

The proposed measure, Initiative 28, would not change the qualifying medical conditions under which medicinal marijuana may be legally used, report Stacey Barchenger and Peter Wong of the Statesman Journal.
Backers of the initiative say it would fix serious flaws in Oregon’s 12-year-old medical marijuana program.
Oregon residents with doctor-approved medical marijuana cards can legally possess and use marijuana, but they cannot legally buy it. They must either grow their own or designate a grower/caregiver, who still cannot be paid for the cannabis, reports Peter Korn at The Portland Tribune.
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