News

Washington State Panel To Discuss Marijuana Laws Tuesday Night

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 11, 2010 Legislation, News

www.marijuanaconversation.org

Replacing criminal sanctions for marijuana with a $100 civil fine is among the ideas up for discussion as the Washington Legislature begins its 60-day session Monday.

Travel show host Rick Steves and Washington lawmakers including Democratic State Rep. Brendan Williams of Olympia will take part in a panel discussion on the need to change state marijuana laws at 6:30 Tuesday evening in Olympia, reports Brad Shannon of The Olympian.

State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and State Rep. Mary Helen Roberts are also on the panel, which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) organized at the Capitol Theater.

The 30-minute informational video, “Marijuana: It’s Time For A Conversation,” hosted by Steves, will also be shown, according to the ACLU.

Legalize, Tax and Regulate: California Assembly Committee To Vote On Historic Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 11, 2010 Legislation, News

Image by Cooljuno 411

On Tuesday, the California Assembly’s Public Safety Committee will conduct a hearing and vote on A.B. 390, legislation that would tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

This will be the first time California’s legislature has ever considered repealing marijuana prohibition, which has been in place in the state since 1913, and the first time in United States history that any state legislative committee will vote on a proposal to make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated.

A.B. 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, was authored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the chair of the committee.

A press conference led by Assemblyman Ammiano will follow the vote at about 10 a.m., outside the committee room.

Medical Marijuana Rally Slated For Thursday In Denver

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 10, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

Mile High NORML

The Mile High NORML Cannabis Rally will take place Thursday, Jan. 14 in Denver.

The event, time to follow Gov. Bill Ritter’s state of the state address, will run from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., according to Mile High NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

The rally will take place at Lincoln Park in Denver across the street from the west steps of the Capitol building.

‘Cannabis Planet’ TV Show To Debut In San Diego Tonight

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 8, 2010 Culture, News

Cannabis Planet

A television show themed around medical marijuana, including growing tips and recipes, will debut in San Diego tonight.

Tonight’s episode of “Cannabis Planet” will include a segment critical of the heavy-handed raids carried out against local dispensaries last fall, reports Eleanor Yang Su of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“We’re fighting for safe and legal access for the medical cannabis community,” said Brad Lane, creator and executive producer of the new show. “In San Diego, there’s been some draconian measures by law enforcement officials against the cannabis community.”

Washington: Hearing Set On Bill To Legalize Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 8, 2010 Legislation, News

seethru.co.uk

Available at your local liquor store? Yes, in Washington, if HB 2401 passes.

If you want to be able to grow, sell, or smoke marijuana legally in the state of Washington, next Wednesday you may want to be in OIympia, the state capitol, reports Jerry Cornfield at the Everett HeraldNet.

At 1:30 p.m. on January 13, the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee will consider House Bill 2401, which would have Washington treat marijuana much like it does alcohol.

The bill is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson.

If the bill is passed, those 21 or older won’t face criminal penalties for possessing, transporting, or using cannabis, the HeraldNet reports.

However, growing and selling marijuana would still be unlawful, as only state-licensed growers would be allowed to cultivate pot, and only state-licensed stores would be allowed to sell it.

Like with booze, smoking and driving are a no-no, as is providing pot to minors.

Under HB 2401, marijuana could be bought at state liquor stores. A hefty tax would be added to the herb, with proceeds going to drug education and rehabilitation programs.

Judge Who Orders Random Court Spectator Drug Tests Is Sued

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 7, 2010 Culture, Legislation, News

Photo: www.medicalmarijuanablog.com

“Guards! Seize that one! He looks too happy!”

A rural Tennesee judge who “routinely” orders random spectators in his courtroom to be grabbed up and piss-tested for drugs, if he doesn’t like their looks, is finally being sued by an unhappy citizen.

The distinctly yokel-like judge, who ordered a court spectator to submit to a drug test based “on a hunch” is being sued for violating the spectator’s constitutional rights, reports Daniel Tercer at Raw Story.

Benjamin Marchant’s lawsuit against Dickson County Judge Durwood Moore says Marchant was a spectator in the court in January 2009, waiting to give a friend a ride home. Marchant was undoubtedly surprised when the judge ordered sheriff’s deputies to seize him and administer a urinalysis.

Officers grabbed Marchant, allegedly without any evidence of illegal behavior, and took him to a different place in the courthouse where he was forced to submit to a drug screen urinalysis. The man was released from custody when the drug test came back negative.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Launches NORML Women’s Alliance

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 7, 2010 Culture, Legislation, News

NORML.org

Professional women across America and the world are coming out of the cannabis closet.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the nation’s oldest cannabis advocacy organization, today announced the launch of the NORML Women’s Alliance.

The NORML Women’s Alliance is a nonpartisan coalition of educated, successful, high-profile professional women who believe that cannabis prohibition is a self-destructive and hypocritical policy that undermines the American family, sends mixed and false messages to young people, and destroys the principles of personal liberty and local self-government, according to the organization.

San Diego Dispensary Manager Gets Probation

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 6, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical, News

10News.com

Dispensary manager Jovan Jackson got probation today for possession of ecstasy and Xanax.

The manager of a medical marijuana dispensary, convicted of illegal possession of Xanax and ecstasy but acquitted of marijuana charges, was sentenced Wednesday to probation.

Jovan Jackson, 31, was also fined $839 and ordered not to possess any controlled substances without a valid prescription or doctor’s recommendation, reports 10news.com.

Before sentencing, Jackson’s felony conviction for possession of ecstasy was reduced to a misdemeanor by Judge Cynthia Bashant, who said it would have been charged as such if not for the underlying medical marijuana case.

The judge also said Jackson’s lack of prior criminal record was a factor in his sentencing. Judge Bashant said there was no evidence that Jackson had the pills so he could sell them to others.

Down To The Wire: N.J. Legislature To Decide On Medical Marijuana Monday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 6, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

CMMNJ.org

On the last day possible, New Jersey’s legislature will debate whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the Garden State.

Monday, Jan. 11 is the final day for the current lame duck session of the Legislature before it reorganizes itself the next day, reports Brian Thompson of NBC New York. And it is on that day that Speaker Joe Roberts will post the medical marijuana bill that has been slowly making its way through the labyrinthine halls of the Legislature for months.

The New Jersey State Senate has already passed one version of the bill, but when it reached the Assembly committee, several changes were made. That’s the version the full Assembly will vote on next Monday, and then that same afternoon or evening, the Senate could approve the changes.

Cops Leave Ransom Note For Seized Pot Plants; Suspect Tries To Get Them Back

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 5, 2010 Culture, Growing, News

Monroe Co., FL Sheriff’s Dept

The cops didn’t know who grew the pot, so they left this note. The suspect called them back.

If someone ever steals your plants and leaves a ransom note for them, you might want to think about who left the note before responding.

A Marathon, Florida couple were a little too willing to pay $200 to get their six marijuana plants back, calling only 10 minutes after reading a ransom note for the missing crop. Trouble is, it was the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that got the plants and left the note, reports KeysNet.com.

The ransom note read “Thanks for the grow! You want them back? Call for the price. Let’s talk.” The note then contained a police phone number.

Deputies say they found the plants in a wooded lot after receiving a tip. Since they didn’t know who grew the stuff, the ransom note was bait for the grower, if he was dumb enough.

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