News

Voters Should Hold Out For Real Marijuana Reform

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 11, 2012 Legislation, News

Washington’s I-502 ‘Legalization’: Don’t Fall For This Narrow Proposal

By Douglas Hiatt

Sensible Washington

Washington voters are being told a big lie. New Approach Washington, the campaign behind Initiative 502, is advertising that it will “legalize” marijuana. It would not.

It creates a very narrow exception that defines the possession of one ounce by adults over 21, and the state’s rules for production, as “not a violation” of the law.

Montel Schedules Arkansas Medical Marijuana Press Conference

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 11, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Arkansans for Compassionate Care

Montel Williams is scheduled to appear at an October 18 press conference backing medical marijuana in Arkansas

Daytime Emmy Award-winner Montel Williams, a legend among TV talk show hosts, will speak in Little Rock on behalf of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act on Thursday, October 18.

Williams will back the efforts of Arkansans for Compassionate Care, a coalition of concerned physicians, patients and allies who agree that sick and dying patients should have access to medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

ACC is sponsoring the ballot initiative that would allow seriously ill Arkansans to use marijuana to treat certain conditions with the recommendation of their doctors. The initiative will appear on the November state general election ballot as Issue 5.

Report: 240,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests In Washington In Last 25 Years

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 11, 2012 Legislation, News

Andy Bronson/The Bellingham Herald

Renee Devan, right, takes down a phone number for Martin O. Nickerson of Northern Cross medical marijuana collective, as he sits in the back of a Bellingham Police Department vehicle, under arrest, in the alley behind the store, March 15, 2012

Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans Disproportionately Arrested; 25 Years of Arrests in WA Cost $300 Million or More

With just three weeks remaining before Washington voters decide whether to make possession of up to an ounce of marijuana legal in their state, a new report — “240,000 Marijuana Arrests: Costs, Consequences, and Racial Disparities of Possession Arrests in Washington” — reveals that nearly a quarter of a million people have been arrested in Washington for marijuana possession since 1986. Police made more than half of those marijuana arrests in just the last 10 years.

Oakland Fights Back Against Federal Medical Marijuana Asset Forfeiture

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 11, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

House of 420

Oakland Lawsuit in U.S. District Court to Stop Seizure of Property of Oakland Dispensary

Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker and San Francisco law firm Morrison & Foerster have announced that the City of Oakland filed a complaint Wednesday in United States District Court to stop the federal government from seizing an Oakland building used by a medical marijuana dispensary.

“This is a great day for medical marijuana patients and for the residents of Oakland,” said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana patients’ advocacy organization. “City Attorney Parker is ray of sunshine for all patients who have been watching the federal government jeopardize their access to medical marijuana.”

New Approach Washington Launches Fall TV Ad Campaign

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

New Approach Washington

Former U.S. Attorney John McKay is among the sponsors of a drive to legalize marijuana for adults in Washington state.

Marijuana ‘Legalization’ Effort Features Former U.S. Attorneys and F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge

New Approach Washington, the committee backing Washington state’s “legalization” ballot measure Initiative 502, will launch its fall media campaign on Thursday, October 11. The campaign will feature two 30-second ads that will air on broadcast and cable television throughout western Washington and Spokane.

“An overwhelming majority of Washington citizens agree that treating marijuana use as a crime has failed,” said Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington. “Initiative 502, endorsed by law enforcement, public health doctors, and prevention and treatment experts, is a carefully considered, responsible approach to changing course. We can do better, and our communities deserve it.”

Court To Hear Landmark Medical Marijuana Case In San Diego

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

K.C. Alfred/Sign On San Diego

Jovan Jackson, manager of a now-defunct medical marijuana dispensary in Kearny Mesa, is accused of illegally selling cannabis

Advocates fight to overturn a wrongful conviction and preserve the right to a medical marijuana defense

Appellate court oral arguments are set to occur Thursday in a widely watched medical marijuana dispensary case that raises the question of what defines a legitimate dispensary. Nearly a year ago, medical marijuana patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) appealed the September 2010 conviction of San Diego dispensary operator Jovan Jackson.

Women’s Rally: Save Our Children, End Marijuana Prohibition

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

Weedist

On, Monday, October 15, Women for Measure 80 will hold a rally on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem to call for an end to 75 years of failed marijuana prohibition.

Mothers, women, seniors and supportive men will come together in support of passing Measure 80, which will regulate marijuana like liquor — for adults 21 and over, sold through state-licensed stores only, and with 90 percent of tax revenues going to the state’s general fund to pay for schools and social services.

Measure 80 will also finally re-allow Oregon farmers to grow hemp for biofuel, food, sustainable fiber and medicine.

The Oregon Women for Measure 80 rally is being held in solidarity with the national Moms For Marijuana rally on the steps of our nation’s capitol that same day.

Montana’s IR-124 Medical Marijuana Repeal Under Attack

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 10, 2012 Legislation, News

Montana Department of Justice

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock on Tuesday said he’d vote against IR-124

Attorney General Bullock Says He’ll Vote Against IR-124

No poll shows IR-124 with majority support, and the new law — which repeals a voter initiative which legalized medical marijuana in the state back in 2004, with the support of 62 percent of state voters — now faces two new hurdles to approval by the voters this year.

Patients for Reform, Not Repeal has begun its second radio advertising campaign with a new spot, entitled “Running Away,” which points to the measure’s weak voter support and even opposition from the Montana Republican Party. The spot notes that Sen. Jeff Essman, sponsor of SB 423 – the subject of the referendum – has conceded that his work will be changed next year.

Federal Trial Against Medical Marijuana Provider Set To Begin In L.A.

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 8, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/San Bernardino Sun

Aaron Sandusky, president, G3 Holistic: “I had four patients in there and they were all handcuffed and interviewed”

Justice Department denies defendant ability to show evidence of state law compliance at trial; Sandusky could face life in prison

The operator of three state-compliant medical marijuana dispensaries will be tried in federal court this week in Los Angeles. Aaron Sandusky, 42, who operated facilities in Upland, Colton and Moreno Valley, was raided by federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents last November and was charged with six felonies, including manufacturing marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, and conspiracy.

Five others were similarly charged in the raid, but they have since accepted plea deals and may be called to testify against Sandusky. If convicted on all counts, Sandusky could face life in prison. Jury selection begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday in a trial that is expected to last all week.

“This trial is nothing more than a cynical attempt by the federal government to intimidate dispensary operators in Los Angeles and undermine the implementation of California’s medical marijuana law,” said Kris Hermes, spokesperson for the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA). “The Justice Department holds all the cards in federal court and uses that leverage to terrorize the medical marijuana community.”

Sensible Washington: Here’s Why We Oppose I-502 ‘Legalization’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 7, 2012 Legislation, News

The Daily Chronic

By Anthony Martinelli

Communications Director

Sensible Washington

Our opposition to Initiative 502 was not a decision made in haste. We examined this measure from multiple angles, looking at the political ramifications, the legal implications, and the social benefits and consequences. We came to a clear conclusion: Initiative 502 is not a positive step forward for our state, and we can do better.

The initiative proposes dangerous and arbitrary policies, and sets up a legal distribution system that will fall to federal preemption. Here are the key reasons why, after deep consideration, our organization voted unanimously to oppose this measure (you can read our full analysis here):

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