News

Former Pot Smuggler Leads “Silver Tour” For Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 28, 2012 Medical, News

In the late 1970s, Robert “The Tuna” Platshorn was a marijuana smuggler and leader of South Florida’s notorious “Black Tuna” gang.

Now, after spending 30 years in prison, Platshorn, 70, is a book author (Black Tuna Diaries), subject of a documentary film (Square Grouper) — and an activist working to make medical marijuana legal in the Sunshine State.

The goal of The Silver Tour, according to Platshorn, is to educate and inform seniors on the benefits and exciting discoveries in the medical cannabis field, and to encourage activism for legalization and create demand for safe access to medical marijuana.

Marijuana Legalization Qualifies For Washington Ballot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 27, 2012 Legislation, News

KCTS 9

The secretary of state’s office has certified an initiative to legalize marijuana in Washington state, and unless the Legislature acts, the measure will appear on the general election ballot in November.

Secretary of State Sam Reed’s office announced Friday that New Approach Washington, sponsors of Initiative 502 submitted nearly 278,000 valid signatures, more than the 241,153 needed to qualify, reports the Associated Press.

Former Michigan Atty. Gen.: I Smoked Pot, But Let’s Not Legalize

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 27, 2012 Dispensaries, News

Norman Yatooma & Associates

Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox: “I am not for it mostly because I don’t know how you regulate common, everyday things such as driving while impaired … That being said, philosophically I am not against it.” Political much?

Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox admitted on Friday that he smoked marijuana in high school during the 1970s. (Hey, what a coincidence, so did I!) But during a symposium on marijuana reform, Cox said there are problems with legalizing cannabis, and he wouldn’t support moves to do that in the state.

“I am not for it mostly because I don’t know how you regulate common, everyday things such as driving while impaired,” the Republican former attorney general said, reports Kim Kozlowski at The Detroit News. “If it becomes legal, I don’t think I’ll ever use it again. That being said, philosophically I am not against it. They haven’t come up with a good way to regulate in the workplace or driving to measure it and deal with it.”

42 Members of WA Legislature Ask DEA To Reschedule Marijuana

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

Mike Purdy’s Public Contracting Blog

The Washington State Capitol building in Olympia

History was made on Wednesday as 42 members of the Washington Legislature petitioned the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule marijuana from its current Schedule I status to a less restrictive classification to allow for its medical use.

“I don’t think a state legislature has done this before,” Seattle-based activist Philip Dawdy told Toke of the Town Thursday evening.

Among the lawmakers signing the letter to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart was Rep. Timm Ormsby, brother of federal prosecutor Michael Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington. Ormsby, along with Western Washington U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, last year oversaw a federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in the state.

S.F. Indefinitely Suspends Marijuana Dispensary Licensing

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2012 Dispensaries, News

Robin Wilkey/The Huffington Post

In the latest iteration of their on-again, off-again approach to the issue, San Francisco city officials decided on Wednesday afternoon to indefinitely suspend the city’s medical marijuana dispensary licensing program, according to the Department of Public Health.

Permits had been on hold since last fall, after a state appeals court case halted similar permitting programs across California, reports Chris Roberts at SF Weekly. That case was appealed to the state Supreme Court, and during the appeal, permits could resume being processed, a spokesman for the City Attorney told SF Weekly last week.

4-Year-Old Boy Pulls Out 9 Bags Of Marijuana At School

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2012 News

Stangzine

A four-year-old boy in Connecticut announced to his teacher at school snack time that he “wanted to share,” and proceeded to pull nine bags of marijuana out of his jacket pocket, police said on Wednesday.

Meriden police were called to Hanover Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon after the young special needs student displayed the weed, reports Lauren Keiper at Reuters.

The nine individually wrapped bags of cannabis appeared to be ready for sale, the cops claimed.

Hanover Elementary School principal Miguel Cardona called the incident “extremely unfortunate,” adding that it was “isolated” and was not witnessed by any other students.

“What’s so disheartening is this is really an adult issue and problem and adult behavior put a student at risk,” Meriden schools Superintendent Mark Benigni told Reuters.

Appeal Challenges DEA Denial To Reschedule Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 26, 2012 Legislation, Medical, News

Prohibition’s End

Medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) on Thursday filed an appeal brief in the D.C. Circuit to compel the federal government to reclassify marijuana for medical use.

In July 2011, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) denied a petition filed in 2002 by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), which was denied only after the coalition sued the government for unreasonable delay. The ASA brief filed on January 26 is an appeal of the CRC rescheduling denial.

“By ignoring the wealth of scientific evidence that clearly shows the therapeutic value of marijuana, the Obama Administration is playing politics at the expensive of sick and dying Americans,” said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who filed the appeal Thursday.

U.S. Using Unmanned Drones Against Marijuana Smugglers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2012 Global, News

FOIA Geek

Six Predator B drones like this one are authorized to operate against marijuana smugglers

Program Costs Taxpayers

$2,608 Per Seized Pound of Marijuana

U.S. border patrol agents are using drones — the same type used to fight the Afghanistan war — to locate illegal shipments of marijuana being smuggled across the Mexican/American border.

But based on the federal government’s own statistics, it remains to be seen if use of the expensive, unmanned aircraft to supposedly halt the flow of weed into the United States can be financially justified, reports Noel Brinkerhoff at AllGov.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) currently operates six Predator B aircraft from two locations. Four of them are based in Sierra Vista, Arizona, according to the agency, and two in Corpus Christi, Texas.

25 Denver Homes Raided In Marijuana Cultivation Sweep

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2012 Growing, News

9News.com

Twenty-five homes were raided across the Denver metropolitan area as part of a big marijuana sweep.

The North Metro Drug Task Force is leading the investigation into what Jace Larson of 9News described as “the large-scale grow operation.” The cops are claiming all the raided homes were somehow connected.

SWAT teams began knocking down doors Wednesday morning at about 6 a.m.

At least 12 and possibly 16 people were arrested in what law enforcement officials are calling “Operation Sweet Leaf.” (Since when did the narcs start naming raids after 1971 Black Sabbath songs?)

German Parliament To Discuss Cannabis Legalization

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 25, 2012 Dispensaries, Global, Legislation, News

Alaskan Activism

Germany’s socialist Left party is calling an expert hearing on “legalizing cannabis through the introduction of cannabis clubs” in the German Parliament on Wednesday, January 25, but the idea has reportedly been met with “widespread rejection” from mainstream politicians.

The Left party is proposing that Germans be allowed to open cannabis clubs where members can grow marijuana, reports PanArmenian.net. They also recommend that consumers be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of pot for personal use, double the current limit in Germany.

The proposal was written by Frank Tempel, former director of an anti-drug group that worked with police in the eastern German state of Thuringia, reports The Local. Tempel, who is now the Left party’s advisor on drug policy, said there needs to be a sea change in Germany’s attitude to marijuana.

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