News

Denver mayor’s office says they are not undermining recreational pot sales launch

By William Breathes on December 16, 2013 Legalize It, News

Big photos below.

With the January 1 kickoff for recreational marijuana sales in Colorado drawing ever nearer, we’re hearing more and more people within the cannabis community complaining about the city’s approach. A common perception is that Denver mayor Michael Hancock’s personal opposition to pot legalization is filtering down to city agencies and negatively coloring messaging, as epitomized by the unenthusiastic tone of the city’s official marijuana website. But a Hancock rep says nothing could be further from the truth and stresses the city’s efforts to make the launch go smoothly.
Denver Westword has the full story.

The deadly consequences of marijuana prohibition

By Jack Daniel on December 13, 2013 News, Opinion

Flickr.com/Simon Strandgaard.td>

It was a Tuesday morning in San Diego, just over a month ago on November 7th, when SDPD received reports of broken glass at a local business, with a possible burglary having had occurred overnight. Police investigators arriving on the scene quickly determined that the business in question was a medical marijuana dispensary, and the focus of their investigation quickly shifted from aiding possible burglary victims, to persecuting law abiding citizens and shuttering a legitimate business.
You see, San Diego was home to nearly 300 storefront medical marijuana dispensaries as recently as two years ago, but an intense crackdown by joint task forces, combining the might of local and federal authorities, led to nearly every single brick and mortar storefront being closed by the end of 2011.

Florida medical marijuana group moving forward while state Supreme Court debates ballot initiative

By William Breathes on December 13, 2013 Follow that story, Medical, News

According to campaign-finance reports for the month of November, lawyer and pro-medical marijuana advocate, John Morgan, has put in over $500 grand into the People United for Medical Marijuana campaign. All told, he’s put in about $972,125, almost bringing this thing to a cool million.
Meanwhile, United For Care is launching its “day of action” this weekend, looking to collect more signatures from Floridians, all while the Florida Supreme Court ponders the language in the ballot and whether or not to allow the state to choose if medical marijuana should be legalized. Broward-Palm Beach New Times has the full, local angle.

Michigan House approves pot brownies and medical marijuana dispensary bills

By William Breathes on December 13, 2013 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical, News

Michigan medical marijuana patients are closer to having legal pot dispensaries again after the state House approved a measure expressly allowing the retail centers to operate. Dispensaries were flourishing in Michigan up until February of this year when a state Supreme Court decided that they were public nuisances.
The House also approve measures legalizing edible forms of cannabis in response to another ruling that said medical marijuana was only legal if it was smoked.

New Jersey medical marijuana reciprocity bill moves forward in the State Assembly

By William Breathes on December 13, 2013 Legislation, Medical, News

A proposed New Jersey bill that would “allow” other patients to purchase medical cannabis out of state and then bring it back to New Jersey passed through a state Assembly committee yesterday.
The bill has a number of setbacks, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who has said he is done expanding the state’s medical marijuana program. The other setback is that a marijuana laws passed in New Jersey have no bearing in other states.

St. Louis: 20 years for $40 worth of crack, 10 years for two ounces of pot?

By William Breathes on December 13, 2013 News

Flickr.com/Mr.Thomas

When it comes to sentencing nonviolent drug felons, St. Louis County prosecutors are not afraid to use the “Prior and Persistent Drug Offender” statute, Missouri’s three-strike drug law that allows — and sometimes forces — judges to hand out decades in prison for very small amounts of drugs.
A review of 100 Prior and Persistent Drug Offender cases that were brought to the appeal level mostly within the past fifteen years found that 47 were in the St. Louis area, including the county and city. Get more over at the Riverfront Times.

New York state Sen. introduces cannabis legalization measure

By William Breathes on December 12, 2013 Legalize It, News

New York state Sen. Liz Kreuger has introduced a bill that would legalize the possession, use and sales of limited amounts of cannabis for New York adults.
The bill would legalize the sales of up to two ounces of cannabis to adults 21 and up, but it would also legalize the possession and use of cannabis for all adults 18 and up – including a group of 18- to 20-year-old adults that have managed to be ignored so far in other state legalization measures.

Marijuana patients to protest introduction of new tracking system

By William Breathes on December 12, 2013 Medical, News, Say what?

Yesterday, Colorado officials unveiled the Marijuana Inventory Tracking Solution, or MITS, a system intended to keep tabs pot for sale in Colorado. But while the press was invited to the event, a number of medical marijuana patients coordinated by the Cannabis Therapy Institute invited themselves — to protest what they believe will be regular breaches of confidentiality.
Get details about the event and the history of allegations regarding alleged info sharing over at Westword.com

Are attorneys who deal with state legal cannabis violating professional ethics?

By William Breathes on December 11, 2013 News

Attorneys in Washington and Colorado advising clients on how to best follow state marijuana laws are still violating state ethics codes and could be sanctioned or lose their license to practice law because marijuana remains federally illegal.
That’s the tentative ruling from both the Colorado and Washington bar associations, though both admit they are hesitant to pursue any sanctions and have asked their respective Supreme Courts to fix the matter.

Missouri marijuana legalization measures submitted, open for public comment

By William Breathes on December 11, 2013 Legalize It, Legislation, News

The effort to legalize marijuana in Missouri continues as ten different legalization proposals have been sent to the Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office and are open for public comment.
But these aren’t just changes to laws. They’re changes to the Missouri State Constitution, similar to what Colorado has and done so in a way so no buzz-kill state legislator can try to repeal it. The Riverfront Times has the full story.

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