News

Browsing: News

Seattle City Council Votes 8-0 To Allow Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 18, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Photo: Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Cass Stewart mans the counter at Apothecary Seattle on Capitol Hill. The Seattle City Council on Monday voted to license the city’s dispensaries.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are alive in Seattle, at least for now. The Seattle City Council, on a unanimous 8-0 vote Monday, approved an ordinance which licenses and taxes dispensaries in the city.

The ordinance now heads for the desk of Mayor Mike McGinn for his signature, reports Philip Dawdy at 4Evergreen Group. The mayor is expected to sign the ordinance.

The ordinance requires that medical cannabis dispensaries have city business licenses, pay business and occupation (B&O) taxes and be at least 1,000 feet away from schools.

Video: ‘Largest Ever’ Marijuana Field Torched In Mexico

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 18, 2011 Global, Growing, News

One of Mexico’s largest-ever seizures of marijuana was torched by the army in El Rosario, Baja California on Friday.

The massive haul went up in smoke three days after Mexican soldiers found a pot plantation covering almost 300 acres, according to the Defense Department, reports Russia Today.

Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition Takes It To The People

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 18, 2011 Legislation, Medical, News

Photo: AMMJC

Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition Co-President Ron Crumpton, right, is interviewed by newspaper reporter Jason Bacaj of The Anniston Star.

State Lawmaker: ‘Good Possibility’ He Will Sponsor A Medical Marijuana Bill In Alabama Legislature

Did you know that the Heart of Dixie stands an excellent chance to become the first medical marijuana state in the Deep South?

The newest Alabama group working to allow marijuana as medicine is taking its message to the people with a series of picnic-style meetings across the state. The Alabama Medical Marijuana Coalition (AMMJC) group’s second event, was held Saturday in Jacksonville at Germania Springs Park.

A crowd that grew to close to 70 people was on hand for the picnic, including a state lawmaker who said there is a “good possibility” that he will sponsor a medical marijuana bill in the Alabama Legislature next year.

Ex-Mayor Gets 3 Months In Jail For Dealing Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2011 News

Photo: Everett Herald

Floyd “Butch” DeRosia, pictured not long before he resigned as mayor in 2003

The former mayor of Granite Falls, Washington was sentenced on Thursday to three months in jail for dealing marijuana.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Halley Hupp recommended a four-month sentence, but Superior Court Judge Richard Okrent knocked a month off that, plus agreed to let former Mayor Floyd “Butch” DeRosia serve his time on work release.

A jury last month convicted DeRosia of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance after a two-day trial. He had faced up to six months in jail.

Seattle Committee Passes Bill To License Cannabis Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Photo: Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

A Seattle City Council panel on Wednesday unanimously passed a measure licensing and regulating medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

The ordinance now moves to the full City Council for consideration on Monday, July 18, reports Chris Grygiel at the Seattle P.I. But prior to the vote by the Housing, Human Services, Health and Culture Committee, one attorney told the council members that the ordinance won’t stand up in court.

“I want to applaud the City Council for taking a look at this matter … unfortunately I must urge you to reconsider your proposal,” said activist/attorney Douglas Hiatt, who said he represents medical marijuana patients. “Go back to the drawing board. I do not believe there is any way you can pass your ordinance will stand under the law. The state’s controlled substances act pre-empts the field … Marijuana is still illegal … It’s illegal for all purposes, you cannot regulate an illegal business without a specific authority.”

Is It Really A Surprise For The Feds To Say No To Marijuana?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2011 Culture, Medical, News

Graphic: Salem News

The Anatomy of a Memo

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

In a incredibly chicken-shit way, the Department of Justice did a news dump last Friday night after all the big news services had gone to bed, releasing a memo meant to “clarify” its position whether marijuana should remained classified as a Schedule I drug, which means that it has no medicinal benefit.

Big surprise! The DOJ said the scheduling remains the same. “Not so fast, partner, nothing changing as far as we’re concerned.” Marijuana is to remain classified as a Schedule I drug because of its “lack of medicinal benefits.”

My first question is could there be a conflict of interest with a agency like the Department of Justice that is home to the DEA, Bureau of Prisons, National Drug Intelligence Center, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol, FBI, and the ATF?

Are these really the guys we want deciding whether marijuana’s good for you or not?

Is it really a surprise then when they said, “No?”

Man Grew Marijuana For Wife With Cancer; Could Get 8 Years

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2011 Growing, Medical, News

Photo: Real Missions, Real Life

A legal, card-carrying medical marijuana caregiver who was growing cannabis in his backyard to treat his wife’s Stage 3 breast cancer will be sentenced on Thursday for “manufacturing marijuana.”

Gary Alan Katz, 59, pleaded guilty last month to the charge after officers with the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team (LAWNET) raided his home on August 10, 2010, reports Lisa Roose-Church at the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

Both the defendant and his wife, Jeanne Katz — who wasn’t charged in the case — declined to comment.

“The fact you’re doing a good thing on the side doesn’t justify” illegal behavior, Prosecutor David Morse said when asked why Gary Katz was charged.

“We cut the guy some slack,” Morse claimed. “There were guns recovered. He could have been charged as a felon in possession of a firearm … I recognize he may have been doing some good things here, but there are other ways to help.” Yeah, like throwing the caregiver in prison?

San Diego’s Marijuana Dispensary Ban Blocked; Signatures OK’d

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Graphic: San Diego ASA

Good news! San Diego’s land use ordinance that activists say amounted to a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries has been effectively blocked, according to the group Citizens for Patients’ Rights (CPR).

The city of San Diego has verified the 31,029 signatures on the petition referendum from the CPR. The City Council now has 10 days to either rescind the ordinance or schedule an election.

In order to avoid the prohibitive costs of an election, the CPR, along with the Patient Care Association (PCA) of California and the California Cannabis Coalition, are urging the City Council to rescind the March 2011 land use ordinance.

If rescinded, the City Council has a second chance to not only create a new land use ordinance that respects the rights of patients to safe access, but also to work with the city’s medical cannabis collectives to provide clear guidance, 15 years after voters passed the Compassionate Use Act.

Marijuana Decrim Headed To The Ballot In Miami Beach

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: CSMP

Miami Beach, Florida voters may get a chance to vote on decriminalizing marijuana this fall, making it the first city in South Florida to reduce the penalty for pot to a $100 fine instead of criminal charges.

Sensible Florida (Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy), a group which works to legalize cannabis, said it has collected more than double the number of signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot, reports Tim Elfrink at Miami New Times; normally, doubling the required number all-but-ensures that enough valid names are present to qualify.

The group said it will present 9,000 signatures at Miami Beach City Hall on Wednesday, July 13.

Indiana State Senator Gets Support For Marijuana Legalization

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: IN.gov

Cannabis grows beautifully in Indiana — witness the above, from Greens Fork last August (unfortunately busted after a tipster called it in).

When Indiana state Senator Karen Tallian first floated the idea of introducing a bill to legalize marijuana, her Statehouse colleagues warned her it could kill her chances of being reelected. After all, conventional wisdom holds that pot legalization is a political third rail.

But Tallian (D-Portage), 60, a mother of three, thought there might be some public support for taking the crime out of cannabis, so she sent out an informal email survey to her constituents in northeast Indiana, reports Maureen Hayden at the CNHI Statehouse Bureau.

Within 72 hours of sending the email, she got more than 2,000 responses. Almost all of them were supportive, and most of those said Indiana should treat marijuana like alcohol: Control its sale and tax it as a revenue source.

“I was floored by the response,” Tallian said. Encouraged by the support, she filed a bill last January to begin a serious conversation about the issue.

Previous 1 … 355 356 357 358 359 … 490 Next