Medical

L.A. City Council Tries Again To Adopt Medical Marijuana Dispensary Rules

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 13, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: Robyn Twomey

California patients wait for assistance at a marijuana dispensary. Los Angeles currently has more pot stores than either Starbucks or McDonald’s.

After nearly a month, the Los Angeles City Council returns Wednesday to the contentious issue of how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. City leaders hope they will finally be able to vote on the long-delayed ordinance, in the planning stages for nearly two years.

The council stalled in December over possible zoning restrictions on where dispensaries can be located. Debate was postponed until planners completed an analysis of several proposals.

Maps drawn by city planners show that placing strict limits on the dispensaries’ proximity to residences would eliminate almost all locations, reports John Hoeffel of the Los Angeles Times.

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced In Alabama Legislature

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 13, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Alabamians for Compassionate Care

A bill which would legalize marijuana for medical purposes in Alabama is coming back before the Legislature in 2010.

State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) in mid-February is introducing an as-yet unnumbered 13-page bill that outlines ways cannabis could be used for medical purposes in the state, according to spokesperson Loretta Nall of Alabamians for Compassionate Care.

The bill distinguishes between medical and non-medical uses of marijuana, according to Todd.

It lists debilitating medical conditions under which marijuana could be used. These include cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic arthritis, cachexia, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraine, AIDS, anorexia, seizures, severe nausea and other symptoms that substantially limit the ability of a person to conduct major life activities.

Attorney: Denver’s Medical Marijuana Regs Will ‘Cause Human Suffering’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 12, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: Westword

Rob Corry: “The overall impact is going to be to harm people and cause human suffering”

On Monday, the Denver City Council passed rules intended to regulate the city’s blossoming medical marijuana industry — and most members of the overflowing crowd weren’t happy with the results, reports Michael Roberts at Westword.

You should definitely count activist/attorney Rob Corry among those unhappy. Corry, who’d already threatened to file a lawsuit against Denver if the ordinance passed without significant change. Flash forward to Tuesday morning, when the council did exactly that — and Corry was quick to reemphasize his statement.

“If we can assemble an appropriate coalition of patients, caregivers, property owners and business owners, we will evaluate our legal options,” Corry said. “We’re obviously very disappointed by this unanimous smackdown of patients and our constitutional rights.”

Victory In New Jersey! Garden State Becoming 14th To Legalize Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 11, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

CMMNJ.org

Good going, Garden State!

It’s finally happening: Medical marijuana is coming to New Jersey.

Both the state General Assembly and the Senate approved a medical marijuana bill Monday, reports pressofatlanticcity.com.

The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Jon Corzine, who has already said he’d sign it.

Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) said the bill is meant to benefit seriously ill people.

“For some New Jerseyans suffering from chronic and terminal diseases, medical marijuana represents a small glimmer of hope for relief from their symptoms,” Whelen said.

The bill disallows anyone under the influence of medical marijuana from operating a motor vehicle.

Monday afternoon, a group of patients suffering from various debilitating diseases convened at the statehouse and urged legislators to make legal medical marijuana a reality in New Jersey. Nearly a dozen medical cannabis supporters sang songs and told stories at a pro-legalization news conference.

N.J. Assembly Overwhelmingly Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 11, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger

Sandy Faiola, of Asbury Park, and members of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey at a protest in August

The New Jersey State Assembly has just approved a bill which legalizes medical marijuana in the Garden State.

The bill now goes to the State Senate for its approval later today, before the end of this lame duck session, and Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to sign it into law, reports Brian Thompson of NBC New York.

Medical Marijuana Rally Slated For Thursday In Denver

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 10, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

Mile High NORML

The Mile High NORML Cannabis Rally will take place Thursday, Jan. 14 in Denver.

The event, time to follow Gov. Bill Ritter’s state of the state address, will run from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., according to Mile High NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

The rally will take place at Lincoln Park in Denver across the street from the west steps of the Capitol building.

Judge Orders Highway Patrol To Return 60 Pounds Of Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 9, 2010 Culture, Legislation, Medical

Photo: redding.com

“Just put it all right back in the trunk, there, officer.”

A judge Friday ordered the the return of 60 pounds of pot to a man after his attorney successfully argued that California’s medical marijuana law gives him the right to transport it.

Saguro Doven, 33, had been charged with possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana, reports Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times.

Doven could have faced up to four years in state prison if found guilty.

Colorado Dispensary Regulation: Where Is Middle Ground On Medical Marijuana?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 8, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: Aaron Thackeray, Westword

Dispensaries like Herbal Connections in Denver could be legislated out of existence if law enforcement has its way.

Colorado lawmakers writing a major medical marijuana regulation bill plan to meet Friday with officials from the state attorney general’s office to work on what they’re calling a “compromise” to include “more law-and-order language” in the bill. But advocates of safe and legal access for patients are blasting the current version of the bill, saying it is already too restrictive, reports John Ingold of The Denver Post.

The bill “cannot be supported by any serious patient or caregiver in Colorado’s medical marijuana community,” attorney/activist Rob Corry wrote in a letter Thursday to state Sen. Chris Romer, the Denver Democrat who is drafting the legislation.

San Diego Dispensary Manager Gets Probation

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 6, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical, News

10News.com

Dispensary manager Jovan Jackson got probation today for possession of ecstasy and Xanax.

The manager of a medical marijuana dispensary, convicted of illegal possession of Xanax and ecstasy but acquitted of marijuana charges, was sentenced Wednesday to probation.

Jovan Jackson, 31, was also fined $839 and ordered not to possess any controlled substances without a valid prescription or doctor’s recommendation, reports 10news.com.

Before sentencing, Jackson’s felony conviction for possession of ecstasy was reduced to a misdemeanor by Judge Cynthia Bashant, who said it would have been charged as such if not for the underlying medical marijuana case.

The judge also said Jackson’s lack of prior criminal record was a factor in his sentencing. Judge Bashant said there was no evidence that Jackson had the pills so he could sell them to others.

Down To The Wire: N.J. Legislature To Decide On Medical Marijuana Monday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 6, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

CMMNJ.org

On the last day possible, New Jersey’s legislature will debate whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the Garden State.

Monday, Jan. 11 is the final day for the current lame duck session of the Legislature before it reorganizes itself the next day, reports Brian Thompson of NBC New York. And it is on that day that Speaker Joe Roberts will post the medical marijuana bill that has been slowly making its way through the labyrinthine halls of the Legislature for months.

The New Jersey State Senate has already passed one version of the bill, but when it reached the Assembly committee, several changes were made. That’s the version the full Assembly will vote on next Monday, and then that same afternoon or evening, the Senate could approve the changes.

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