Legislation

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Three New Marijuana Bills Intro’d In California Legislature

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 27, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Three new marijuana-related bills were introduced on Friday in the California Legislature, according to Dale Gieringer of California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

AB 2465 (Campos, D-San Jose) would require all medical marijuana patients to get a state ID card and also register the address where they grow cannabis.

“This bill is a blatantly unconstitutional amendment to Prop 215, as it abridges the fundamental right of patients not to be arrested upon the ‘written or oral’ recommendation of their physicians,” Gieringer said.

AB 2365 (Nestande, R-Palm Desert) would amend the Family Code to require that family courts consider parents’ documented use of prescribed controlled substances — including medical marijuana and “narcotic maintenance medications” — in child custody proceedings.

NORML Releases Official Reply To Patients Against I-502

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2012 Legislation, News

NORML Foundation/Russ Belville

Alan St. Pierre, NORML: “We fully recognize that the per se DUI provisions in I-502 are arbitrary, unnecessary, and unscientific, and we argued strongly with the sponsors for provisions that would require proof of actual impairment”

Executive Director Allen St. Pierre of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has released NORML’s official reply to the group Patients Against I-502, which opposes a Washington state cannabis legalization initiative because of arbitrary DUI limits and other concerns.

“NORML supports (and publicly endorses when requested by the principal organizers) marijuana legalization, regulation, and medical use initiatives that qualify for the state ballot, so long as they move us closer to full legalization, even if they contain provisions we do not believe should be included in a perfect proposal,” St. Pierre said.

“We fully recognize the per se DUI marijuana provisions in I-502 are arbitrary, unnecessary, and unscientific, and we argued strongly with the sponsors for provisions that would require proof of actual impairment to be shown before one could be charged with a traffic safety offense,” St. Pierre said, echoing the concerns of Patients Against I-502.

Pain Boogeyman Scares Lawmakers, Leaves Cannabis Patients In The Cold

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2012 Legislation, Medical

The Dangerous Servant

By Bob Starrett

Of all the baloney that has come out of the various battles in medical marijuana states, the notion that “anyone” can get a medical marijuana recommendation from a doctor is the scariest to legislators who are considering medical marijuana bills in their states this year.

In 2012, 17 states have pending medical marijuana legislation. And you can be sure that this argument — that chronic pain is used as a catchall for doctors to hand out medical marijuana recommendations to “anyone” — will come into play as it has in Montana and New Jersey.

In an apparent attempt to prevent wholesale stoned-ness among the citizenry, New Jersey specifically excluded chronic pain as an eligible condition in their legislation.

Last year, the Montana Legislature, having failed in their attempts to repeal the state’s medical marijuana law entirely, made significant changes that included specific doctor rules for a chronic pain diagnosis. A recommending physician must have either x-rays or an MRI to back up the diagnosis. If they do not, a second physician must sign the “Physician Statement for a Chronic Pain Diagnosis.” It is a separate form.

Arkansas Group Gains Support To Legalize Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Arkansans for Compassionate Care

A petition is circulating in Arkansas to allow the sick and dying access to medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

Arkansans for Compassionate Care (ACC) are encouraging others to support the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act, which would legalize the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, reports Will DuPree at KAIT.

“It’s common sense,” said ACC campaign director Ryan Denhem. “It’s time to have a policy like this in Arkansas.”

WA Medical Marijuana Group Files Initiative To Clarify State Law

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Washington Medical Marijuana Society

A week after a medical marijuana reform bill died in the Washington state Legislature, a group is filing an initiative to the people with the Secretary of State’s office on Thursday. According to the Washington Alternative Medicine Alliance, the initiative would ensure safe access to medicinal cannabis statewide, and would finally give real arrest and prosecution protection to patients in the state.

“The Legislature failed to act this year, so now it’s up to the people of the state,” said Philip Dawdy, director of WAMA. “We’ve been left with an unclear state medical cannabis law that is hurting patients as much as it’s helping them.

“Much of our state is a black hole when it comes to medical cannabis access,” Dawdy said. “That’s an unacceptable situation and it must be addressed. Taking this issue directly to the voters is our best option.”

The initiative would also create a state-licensed system of medical marijuana patient cooperatives and growers, similar to systems already operating in Colorado and Arizona.

The main backers of the initiative, besides Dawdy, are Seattle-based defense attorney Kurt Boehl and Ezra Eickmeyer, a political activist and lobbyist in the state capitol, OIympia.

Cannabis Contradictions: People vs. Politicians [Infographic]

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2012 Culture, Legislation, Medical

Via: TakePart.com

Marijuana has traditionally been regarded as such a third-rail issue that mainstream politicians have lacked the courage to address it.

As far as the U.S. federal government is concerned, legalizing cannabis even for very sick people is off the table, and not a valid subject for discussion.

But the public sees it differently.

U.S. Cops Call On Canadian Prime Minister To Legalize Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Simple Cannabis

Canada Risks Repeating ‘U.S. Mistakes’ With Mandatory Minimum Sentences In
Bill C-10

A high-profile group of current and former law enforcement officials from the United States is calling on the Canadian government to reconsider the mandatory minimum sentences for minor marijuana offenses proposed in Bill C-10, arguing that the taxation and regulation of cannabis is a more effective policy approach in reducing crime.

The law enforcers on Wednesday released a letter outlining their concerns, addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canadian senators. It is signed by more than two dozen current and former judges, police officers, special agents, narcotics investigators and other criminal justice professionals, all of whom are members of the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).

Dutch Weed Pass: Ban On Foreigners Takes A Big Hit

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 21, 2012 Global, Legislation, News

Kush And Orange Juice

Yeah, it’s nice being able to buy connoisseur-grade cannabis and smoke it on the premises in Dutch coffee shops. But the conservative government is trying to ban foreigners from the shops with the unpopular Weed Pass.

Cities Allowed To Decide For Themselves On Enforcement

The Dutch “Weed Pass,” which in effect would have banned foreigners from the famed “coffee shops” which sell cannabis in the Netherlands, took a big hit Tuesday as the Ministry of Security and Justice announced that cities may decide what action — if any — they take against shops which defy the ban.

“Municipalities may decide themselves what sort of action they take against coffeeshops which choose not to comply with the weedpass,” the Ministry announced.

Kentucky Marijuana Bill Named In Honor Of Gatewood Galbraith

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 21, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Goliath’s GAW News Bureau

Kentucky’s new medical marijuana bill bears the name of the great Gatewood Galbraith

By Michael Bachara

Hemp News

Legislation that would make cannabis a Schedule II drug — and thus legal for doctors to prescribe — was introduced on January 31 in the Kentucky State Senate. Senate Bill 129, sponsored by Senator Perry B. Clark (D-Louisville), is being titled the “Gatewood Galbraith Memorial Medical Marijuana Act.”

Galbraith was a prominent lawyer from Kentucky and an avid supporter of cannabis legalization. He dedicated more than 40 years to the restoration of the cannabis plant. He died last month from complications of pneumonia.

“Marijuana has positive medical benefits for patients dealing with illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS, to name a few,” Sen. Clark said. “I want to allow this as another treatment option for those individuals.”

Oregon Issues Medical Marijuana Cards To Out-Of-Staters

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 20, 2012 Legislation, Medical

Joe Koshollek/Oregon Live

Gary Storck of Madison, Wisconsin, has twice come to Oregon to get a medical marijuana card. He’s one of about 600 out-of-states who have gotten the Oregon card.

You don’t have to be a resident of Oregon to get an Oregon medical marijuana card.

Hundreds of out-of-staters make an annual trip to the Beaver State to fill out an application, see a doctor and get a state-issued medicinal cannabis ID. Oregon is the only remaining state in the U.S. to issue medical marijuana cards to non-residents, according to Noelle Crombie of The Oregonian.

“It’s not a bad place to visit,” said Gary Storck, 56, who takes a 40-hour, $1,000 Amtrak ride out west from Wisconsin every year to renew his medical marijuana card. “It lifts my spirits to be in a place where medical cannabis is legal and life goes on.”

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