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All US Patients Now Eligible For Oregon Medical Marijuana Cards

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

Any eligible patient in the United States may now obtain a medical marijuana card in Oregon.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) may no longer require Oregon residency as a part of the medical marijuana permit application process, reports Rachel Cheeseman at The Oregon Politico.

Applicants formerly needed to supply proof of residency as well as Oregon identification as part of their application. However, OMMP was informed by the Department of Justice that such a requirement was inconsistent with the language of the bill.

Tawana Nichols, OMMP manager, said while the program was created with the intent of specifically benefiting Oregonians, there was no requirement of Oregon residency written into the bill, so they could not lawfully require it.

CA Sen. Feinstein Opposes Marijuana Legalization

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Transylvania Phoenix

Dianne Feinstein must be tired of being a senator. She does some really dumb stuff sometimes — like opposing pot legalization.

Ol’ Di-Fei once again looks a lot like a LINO — Liberal In Name Only.

California’s senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, has lent her voice and support to the effort to defeat Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure on the state’s November ballot, reports John Hoeffel at the Los Angeles Times.

Feinstein, a prominent Democrat who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, has signed the ballot argument against Prop 19. On Monday, she made a statement through the opposition campaign calling the measure “a jumbled legal nightmare that will make our highways, our workplaces and our communities less safe.”

L.A. Police Find 3,000 Pounds Of Pot In Railroad Tanker

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2010 News

Photo: KTLA-TV

Marijuana — 1.5 tons of it — was found inside this tanker car in L.A. suburb Commerce, California.

A late-night police chase ended with a big pot bust and the discovery Monday of 3,000 pounds of marijuana concealed in a railroad tank car that came into the United States from Mexico this month, reports Nardine Saad of The Associated Press.

Numerous bundles of cannabis weighing up to 50 pounds each were removed from the gooey inside of the petroleum rail tanker by late morning Monday, and many more packages were still inside, according to police Detective Gus Villanueva.

North Carolina Linebacker Sturdivant Faces Marijuana Charge

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: NationalChamps.net

North Carolina’s Quan Sturdivant, a likely first-round draft choice in next year’s NFL draft, was arrested Saturday morning on marijuana charges.

North Carolina star linebacker Quan Sturdivant, who was a first team All-ACC selection in 2009, was charged with possession of marijuana following his Saturday morning arrest.

Sturdivant, 21, of Oakboro, N.C., was arrested by Albermarle police and charged with possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana, misdemeanor, reports the Raleigh News & Observer.

The senior linebacker was pulled over at Bojangles’ at 11:15 a.m., according to police, reports Jonathan Jones at The Daily Tar Heel.

“We are disappointed in Quan’s actions over the weekend,” said North Carolina football coach Butch Davis.

“This is not the type of behavior we expect from our student-athletes,” Davis said. “In addition to the outcome of the legal process, he will also face disciplinary action from within the football program beginning immediately.”

Montana Group Halts Traveling Medical Marijuana Clinics

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 12, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: KFBB

A Montana group is ending its traveling medical marijuana clinics, after facing criticism for their patient screening methods.

The Montana Caregivers Network has been hosting clinics for more than a year, reports KFBB.

The cost of clinic visits was $150, and for that fee, the network brought together patients who wanted to receive a medical marijuana recommendation with doctors who were willing to authorize them.

Even though Montana Caregivers Network said it will no longer be hosting the traveling clinics, the group isn’t stopping its work completely.

Kentucky: 70-Year-Old Man Charged With Growing Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 9, 2010 Growing, News

Graphic: Senior Zen

A 70-year-old eastern Kentucky man has been indicted on federal charges of growing marijuana with intent to distribute and illegally possessing firearms.

Federal prosecutors claim that Charles Edward Polly was growing at least 100 marijuana plants. They said he also had eight firearms, including four shotguns, reports Carl Keith Greene of the Corbin Times-Tribune.

Polly was also charged with intending to distribute “a mixture containing a detectable amount of marijuana,” whatever the hell that means.

The 70-year-old wasn’t supposed to have guns, and he had previously “been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.” Polly had weapons including two 12-gauge shotguns, one 20-gauge shotgun, one .410-gauge shotgun, two .22-caliber rifles, a .22-caliber revolver, and a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Polly, along with Ann Marie Smith, 40, of London, Ky., were also charged Wednesday with misrepresenting qualifications for Supplemental Social Security income.

Maine Awards 6 Of 8 Marijuana Dispensary Licenses

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 9, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

Maine’s medical marijuana program took a big step towards safe access for patients Friday, with the announcement of three licensed, non-profit corporations to grow and sell marijuana.

Northeast Patients Group, a recently formed corporation with roots in California, was selected to establish four of the eight approved dispensaries. The nonprofit organization will establish facilities in Portland, Thomaston, the Augusta area and the Bangor area, reports Meg Haskell at Bangor Daily News.

Aroostook County will be served by Safe Alternatives for Fort Kent, and western Maine will be served by the Remedy Compassion Center.

With 27 separate applications to start one dispensary in each of Maine’s eight public health districts, the state approved only six. According to state officials, the criteria for approval included applicants’ experience and proposed plans for record keeping, inventory control, security and patient education.

No applicant was approved for the districts that serve York County and Washington and Hancock counties., said applications for these regions failed to meet the state’s dispensary standards.

California Voters Narrowly Oppose Pot Legalization Initiative

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 9, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: CBS/AP

The latest Field Poll (PDF) finds likely California voters oppose Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization initiative, by a narrow 48 percent to 44 percent margin.

The survey’s results suggest a grim outlook for the measure, according to poll director Mark DiCamillo, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

“Historically, for measures that don’t start out with a lead, the chances of passage are much lower than those that start out with a lead,” DiCamillo said. “If they start out behind, history suggests a 10 to 15 percent chance of passing. Some do, but it’s very rare.”

Emerald Empire HempFest Set For July 16-18 In Eugene, OR

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 9, 2010 Culture, News

Graphic: Emerald Empire HempFest

The famed Emerald Empire HempFest is happening again this year, July 16-18, in Eugene, Oregon.

The annual event (third weekend in July), held in Maurie Jacobs Park in Eugene, is a free event.

“Education is the primary goal of this all-volunteer effort,” said Dan Koozer, executive director of Emerald Empire HempFest. “Please join us in the fight to roll back prohibition and increase production and usage of one of the world’s most beneficial plants!”

According to Koozer, there will be two stages with musical entertainment, a food court featuring nutritious foods, as well as art booths, vendors featuring many hemp products, and nonprofit booths.

“Guest speakers will discuss the environmental benefits of hemp, medical uses of marijuana and the futility and negative consequences of prohibition,” Koozer said.

Experienced Potheads Show No Change In Task Performance

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 9, 2010 Medical, News

Graphic: The Fresh Scent

If you are an experienced pot smoker, marijuana doesn’t affect your task performance, according to a new study.

If you’re going to smoke pot, for goodness’ sakes, smoke it every day, man.

Experienced marijuana consumers show virtually no changes in cognitive performance after using cannabis, according to clinical trial data published online this week in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.

Investigators at Columbia University in New York and San Francisco Brain Research Institute assessed acute marijuana-related effects on cognitive functioning in 24 volunteers who reported consuming cannabis at least 24 times per week, reports NORML.

Scientists found that participants’ overall performance accuracy on episodic memory and working memory tasks “was not significantly altered by marijuana.”

“The present findings show that smoked marijuana produced minimal effects on episodic and spatial working memory of near-daily smokers,” the researchers concluded.

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