News

Pot Possession’s Like A Parking Ticket Starting Jan. 1 In Cali

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 30, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Massachusetts Marijuana Movement Journal

Starting this Saturday, January 1, 2011, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in California will be a less serious offense, similar to a parking ticket. The fine cannot be more than $100, considerably less than most speeding tickets or running a red light.

Despite the failure of legalization initiative Proposition 19, Californians just aren’t that into punishing people for pot. Their relaxed attitudes about weed are reflected in the new state law, which downgrades possession of up to an ounce from a misdemeanor crime punishable with a $100 fine to an infraction, with the fine staying the same, reports Heidi Ross at Internetbits.

The bill, SB 1449, was introduced this year by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Sen. Leno said the state could no longer afford to go after people who had committed a crime that carries the same punishment as a parking ticket.

Mexico: Gunmen Kidnap Last Police Officer In Guadalupe

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 30, 2010 Global, News

Photo: AFP

Erika Gandara, the last police officer in Guadalupe, Mexico, has been kidnapped and her house set afire.

Gunmen have kidnapped a 28-year-old woman who was the last police officer in the town of Guadalupe, Mexico, close to the violent northern border city Ciudad Juarez, according to Mexican officials.

About 10 unidentified gunmen last Thursday set fire to the home of Erika Gandara and torched both cars parked outside for good measure before abducting her, witnesses told the state of Chihuahua prosecutor’s office, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

All of Gandara’s colleagues on the Guadalupe police force had already either resigned and fled, or were killed by drug cartels.

Guadalupe, population 9,000, is located about 60 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Juarez, in an area frequently used by smugglers to transport drugs into the United States.

Woman Trying To Return Stolen Marijuana Is Beaten With Belts

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 29, 2010 News

Photo: Molly’s Daily Kiss

A woman was beaten by a group of people on Christmas Day after stealing, then returning a bag of marijuana to a drug dealer, according to a Flint, Michigan police report.

The victim went to a location in Genesee Township with a friend to buy marijuana, according to police, reports Kahlil AlHajal of The Flint Journal. She bought some weed, but also stole a bag at about 10 p.m., police said.

When she had a change of heart — or perhaps realized what a dumb thing she’d done — she tried to return the stolen bag to the dealer about 20 minutes later. But when she showed back up, several men and women began punching and kicking the at first sticky-fingered but now repentant woman, even beating her with belts, according to police.

Medical Marijuana Patient Records Found Near Dumpster

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 29, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical, News

Photo: 9News.com

Patient privacy is compromised as a Denver resident finds medical marijuana patient information in an alley

Medical marijuana patient records allegedly from the Apothecary of Colorado, a dispensary, were found in an alley in Denver on Tuesday.

The records were found in a binder and include medical marijuana patient applications, medical condition information, Social Security numbers, and copies of drivers licenses and birth certificates.

The records were discovered by Denver resident Harold Morton in a box next to his dumpster, reports Dave DeLozier at 9News.com.

Canada: Marijuana Activist Kicks Off B.C. NDP Leadership Race

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 29, 2010 Global, News

Photo: The Vancouver Sun

Dana Larsen holds marijuana at The Medical Cannabis Dispensary, which he operates in Vancouver, in this 2008 photo.

Longtime Canadian marijuana activist Dana Larsen has become the first candidate to enter the British Columbia NDP leadership race, announcing that he plans to make cannabis legalization an election issue.

Larsen, 39, officially kicked off his campaign Wednesday morning, reports CBC News.

“I support B.C. NDP policies which call for cannabis to be legally taxed and regulated,” Larsen said. “Cannabis is British Columbia’s biggest industry and it should be brought above ground.”

Food Drive, Dispensary Style: Free Joints For Canned Food

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 29, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Granny Purps

Granny Purps medical marijuana dispensary in Soquel, California, found a very effective way to motivate customers to donate to a food drive — give away free joints.

A medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Cruz County, California has found a very effective way to inspire canned food donations for the holidays — giving away joints.

The Granny Purps dispensary in Soquel, about 60 miles southeast of San Francisco, handed out one free cannabis cigarette for every four cans of food donated by its patients, reports Tovin Lapan at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Each patient was limited to three free joints a day.

The dispensary took in donations of more than 11,000 pounds of food and handed out 2,000 free joints between November and Christmas Eve, when the promotion ended. (Aw, man!)

The food was donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.

‘I’m Part Cherokee And We Don’t Consider Marijuana A Drug’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 28, 2010 Culture, News

Graphic: KMVT

A Florida woman whose husband allowed officers to search their home was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after they found cannabis in a grinder on the kitchen table.

“I’m part Cherokee Indian and we don’t consider marijuana a drug,” the 30-year-old Crestview woman told officers, reports Wendy Victora at Northwest Florida Daily News.

The woman “smelled of alcohol,” according to the arrest report from Crestview Police Department, which does consider marijuana a drug.

Three young children were in the house at the time, according to police.

Attendant Reports Customer For Rolling Blunt At Drive-Through

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 28, 2010 Culture, News

Graphic: Etsy.com

I’m not lovin’ it. Staff at a Crestview, Florida McDonalds called police on December 14 after the drive-through window attendant noticed a customer was “rolling a blunt” at the window, according to the arrest report.

The customer, a 21-year-old Pensacola woman, showed police the notebook on which she rolled the blunt, according to the Crestview Police Department, reports Wendy Victora at the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Officers found marijuana residue on the notebook, and when the suspect got out of her car, they saw more cannabis on the seat and center console, according to the arrest report.

80-Year-Old Republican Leads Fight To Decrim Pot In Virginia

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 28, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Hampden-Sydney College

Delegate Harvey Morgan: “Making simple possession a civil rather than a criminal offense makes sense”

Virginia lawmakers will have a chance to end criminal penalties for simple marijuana possession when the Assembly convenes in January — and the fight to decriminalize pot is being led by an 80-year-old Republican.

GOP Delegate Harvey Morgan, an assistant clinical professor of pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, is sponsoring House Bill 1443, which would replace the criminal fine for pot possession with a civil penalty and eliminate the 30-day jail sentence and criminal record following conviction.

HB 1443 would not change penalties for the “manufacture” or distribution of marijuana, reports Eric W. Dolan at The Raw Story. It would also continue to require drug screening and education for minors convicted of pot possession.

Iowa Football Star Adam Robinson Arrested For Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 28, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: Black Heart Gold Pants

Star running back Adam Robinson of the Iowa Hawkeyes — shown here in an unguarded moment from July — was arrested and charged with marijuana possession Monday night

Iowa running back Adam Robinson has been charged with possession of marijuana, endangering his career with the Hawkeyes.

Robinson was arrested at 10:45 p.m. on Monday night, said the Iowa State Patrol, reports KCCI in Des Moines. He was a passenger in a car that was stopped by troopers, according to spokeswoman Courtney Greene, who said Robinson was cited and released.

A trooper stopped the vehicle in Des Moines because it didn’t have a front license plate, according to officials. As he approached the vehicle, the trooper reported noticing “a strong odor of marijuana” coming from the vehicle, which constituted probable cause to search, officials said.

The driver, Ermin Zornic, 20, was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and OWI, pending toxicology tests. He was driven to Polk County Jail.

Robinson, a running back and the team’s leading rusher for the past two seasons, had already been suspended from the Hawkeyes due to failure to follow team policies. He did not travel with the team to Arizona to play in the Insight Bowl. He is originally from Des Moines.

Earlier this month, head coach Kirk Ferentz commented on Robinson’s suspension, saying, “While Adam has been cleared medically, he will not be participating in the upcoming Insight Bowl game as a result of failing to comply with team expectations and policies. Adam will have the option to rejoin the team when classes resume in January.”

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