Legislation

Indiana mulls increasing marijuana penalties

By William Breathes on March 27, 2013 Legislation, News

While the rest of the country is seemingly progressing forward with marijuana laws, a handful lawmakers in Indiana are moving backwards it seems. A proposal before the legislature currently would revamp the state’s criminal code could increase penalties for low-level marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a felony.
If approved on Thursday, the bill would make possession of about one-third of an ounce up to 10 pounds a low-level felony instead of a high-level misdemeanor. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, has said he wants to be stricter on drug possession and show drug dealers that the state is not a place for them to operate.

University of Texas student government shoots down marijuana arrest policy change

By William Breathes on March 27, 2013 Legislation, News

Wikipedia commons.

The University of Texas.

Update 3/27/13: Sorry cannabis-using students at the University of Texas, your student government still thinks you should be arrested for marijuana possession. The UT Student Government last night voted down a bill 9 to 13 that would have urged police to simply ticket marijuana offenders on campus instead of arresting them.
While the bill wouldn’t have actually changed anything and was merely a symbolic bill that would have only asked police to stop arresting students, it seems that the 13 cowards on UTSG still couldn’t approve of it. If it had passed, it would have been the first of it’s kind in the country.

Nevada lawmakers take marijuana field trip to Arizona

By William Breathes on March 25, 2013 Legislation, Medical, News

Last weekend, Nevada state Sen. Tick Segerblom and five other lawmakers took a trip to Arizona for some medical marijuana. Medical marijuana education t be exact.
According to Segerblom, a Democrat from Las Vegas, if Arizona – arguably one of the most conservative states in the country – can not only pass medical marijuana laws but implement a state-regulated dispensary program, then so can Nevada. The trip is his way of convincing legislators to support Segerblom’s Senate Bill 374 which would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada.

Maryland medical marijuana bill advances to Senate, second MMJ bill dies in committee

By William Breathes on March 25, 2013 Legislation, Medical, News

The Maryland House approved and denied medical marijuana bills today, sending one on to the Senate for approval and shooting another down in committee.
A bill that would have allowed medical marijuana in the state, House Bill 302, was given an unfavorable report and was withdrawn by it’s sponsor, Del. Cheryl Glenn earlier today according to the Maryland legislative site.

New York legislature fails to pass marijuana decriminlization bill

By William Breathes on March 22, 2013 Legislation, News

Despite the fact that New York City has spent more than one million police hours arresting people for marijuana over the last eleven years, New York state lawmakers have dropped any talks of decriminalization in that state.
As we reported earlier this week, there was still hope that a bill that would decriminalize public display of up to 15 grams of marijuana – a technicality that allows police to skirt decriminalization laws in place since the late 1970s – would pass as part of a package deal with state budget negotiations.

West Virginia legislator introduces his second MMJ bill of the session

By William Breathes on March 21, 2013 Legislation, Medical, News

Delegate Mike Maypenny, a democrat from Taylor County, introduced House Bill 2961 on Tuesday, which would allow for a medical marijuana program in West Virginia.
This is the second bill introduced by Maypenny regarding medical marijuana this session. His first bill, HB 2230, submitted in February, did not provide protections for doctors who recommend medical marijuana to patients among other things. Maypenny has said he is putting all of his efforts into his new proposal.

New Hampshire House approves medical marijuana, moves bill to Senate

By William Breathes on March 21, 2013 Legislation, Medical

Congratulations New Hampshire, you’re one step closer to having medical marijuana.
Yesterday the House approved House Bill 573 that would allow patients to grow up to three plants or get it from one of five state-regulated medical marijuana centers. Even better, it passed with more than 80 percent support from both sides of the aisle 286 to 64. The bill now moves on to the senate for approval.

Marijuana would be policed by Calif. alcohol authorities under new proposal

By William Breathes on March 21, 2013 Legislation, Medical, News

Chuck Coker/Flickr

Who regulates medical marijuana in California? Well, basically, nobody. State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano wants to change that. Today he announced legislation, introduced last month, that would bring medical cannabis under the policing of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The proposal is called AB 473 and it would mandate that the ABC police “the entire supply chain” and “work to eliminate criminal involvement in the industry.”The language of the bill also states that pot would be tested and that guidelines for growing would be established. LA Weekly has the rest.

Maryland House stacked with marijuana proposals, but could time be running out?

By William Breathes on March 20, 2013 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical, News

Update – Wednesday, March 20, 2013: The Maryland Senate voted to decriminalize marijuana possession of up to ten grams of marijuana yesterday. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Robert Zirkin, a democrat from Baltimore, told the Washington Post that he was pleased with his colleagues and says the House would be smart to pass the legislation.
“Incarceration does not make sense [for small amounts],” he told the PostWashington Post newsroom.)

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New York City police spend 1 million hours making 440,000 arrests in New York City over last ten years
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By William Breathes on March 19, 2013 Follow that story, Legislation, News

New York City police have spend more than 1 million man hours arresting making about 440,000 marijuana arrests since Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office, according to a study released by the Drug Policy Alliance earlier today.
That number could even be higher. The study, conducted by the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, used a two-and-a-half hour average for each arrest and multiplied that by the 439,056 arrests made in from 2002 through 2012.

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