| H-Town. |
It’s not decriminalization, but starting October 6 and ending in mid-April if you’re caught with up to two ounces of herb in Houston (or all of Harris County), you’re a non-violent offender and it’s your first time being busted, you won’t face any criminal charges so long as you complete eight hours of community service or an eight-hour drug course.
Oh, but you’ll still have to go through the humiliation of being arrested.
Two-time Miami Beach mayoral candidate Steve Berke had himself a pro-medical marijuana parody hit on YouTube with “You’re the Law that I Want (Yes on 2).” Set to the song “You’re the One That I Want” from the musical Grease, Berke and his crew dance and sing while urging Florida voters to yes on Amendment 2, which would legalize medical marijuana.
The four-minute parody racked up 300,000 views and was featured on Comedy Central, Buzzfeed, and the Huffington Post, according to its producers. But it’s been pulled by the site, after the Warner/Chappell music company claimed it violated its copyright. Apparently nobody told Warner/Chappell that satire and parody are fair use in the United States.
Do you think Richard Stulz, Lac Qui Parle County attorney, is doing a good job spending taxpayer dollars by going after Angela Brown, the mother who gave her son medical cannabis to treat a brain injury? (Editor’s note: No, you probably don’t).Apparently, other attorneys in Lac Qui Parle County are apathetic about that question, as according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website, Stulz is running for reelection without opposition this year. Stulz was present in Montevideo yesterday for Brown’s hearing, but he didn’t actually enter the courtroom. That’s because he’s delegated Brown’s prosecution to one of his assistants, Brown says.
“He threw her to the wolves, and he’s out in the hallway,” Brown adds, referring to Stulz’s assistant. “That was awfully spineless of him.”
| Inside a marijuana shop. |
Legal marijuana isn’t hard to get in L.A. Just go to a doctor who advertises in certain weekly publications (ahem), tell her you have back pain, get a piece of paper, show it to the dispensary nearby, and buy some bud. Or, simply ask the hippie on the beach for a nugget.
But pro-marijuana activists in California have been envious of the full, recreational legalization seen in states like Colorado and Washington. While there are more pot shops in L.A. than in those two states combined, Washington and Colorado have been getting all the attention this year. And California pioneered the legalization of medical weed way back in 1996. Enter the Marijuana Policy Project.
LA Weekly has more.
Once upon a time, most gubernatorial candidates shied away from the mention of marijuana unless they were pledging to crack down on it. But now, Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon and medical marijuana advocate Anne Armstrong are putting pot front and center in their campaigns for the top office in Colorado and Rhode Island, respectively. As was recently noted in Backbeat, Dunafon co-stars alongside hip-hop star Wyclef Jean in a music video that stresses marijuana rights. Meanwhile, Armstrong, a write-in hopeful for the Compassionate Party, proves her devotion to MMJ by firing up on camera.
These aren’t your grandparents’ campaign commercials.
If you’re caught with ten grams of pot or less in Maryland today, you won’t be going to jail. Pretty cool, right? We think so too, though there’s clearly a lot more progress to be made. Starting today, the penalty for 10 grams or less of pot is a $100 fine on par with a parking ticket. Second offenses will be fined $250 and any subsequent offenses will be fined $500.
Prior to today, possession of ten grams or less is a misdemeanor charge with up to 90 days in jail and $500 in fines. More than ten grams is a misdemeanor charge with up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
A bill that would decriminalize the possession of two ounce of ganja or less in Jamaica has been drafted, and officials say it should become law by the end of the year. Mark Golding, Jamaican Justice Minister, said that cannabis use will also be decriminalized for religious purposes – meaning the island’s thousands of Rastafari can puff on Jah herb without fear of being arrested.
The move comes as Jamaica starts to embrace their longstanding cannabis culture due to the United States lightening their stance on the drug.
| Brandon Coats and his attorney Michael Evans. |
The Colorado Supreme Court yesterday heard oral arguments on why medical marijuana patients should have the right to use their medicine off work.
As we wrote on Monday, the case stems from the firing of Brandon Coats, a paraplegic former DISH Network call-center operator who tested positive for marijuana in a drug test but contends that he was never high on the job. He says he was open about his medical cannabis use to his bosses, and that they simply targeted him for firing knowing a hot test would mean the end of his job.
“Marijuana may be bad for your heart” – so says the headline on the website who broke the story, LiveScience.com.
In less than four hours, NewsMaxHealth.com picked up the feed and copy/pasted the LiveScience.com story, but gave the headline a bit of a twist so that theirs reads “Marijuana Causes Heart Problems”.
Well now, that sure escalated quickly.
Mississippi for Cannabis has filed a petition with the state to begin collecting signatures to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis in The Magnolia State.
If approved, The group will collect signatures through 2015 with hopes of getting the measure on the November 2016 ballot.