Marijuana fared a lot better than Democrats did at the polls yesterday. Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. passed recreational marijuana measures closely modeled on Colorado’s, and while a medical marijuana amendment failed in Florida, it still managed to collect 58 percent support. (Under Florida law, 60 percent was required for approval). But even as marijuana reformers across the country celebrate, could Colorado be facing a pot crackdown? That’s a very real possibility.
| Rene Petro and fellow CannaMoms in California. |
The last we’d heard from Renee Petro, the Florida pot advocate whose story was highlighted in the Dallas Observer recent feature on medical marijuana refugees, the pint-sized parent was still fighting to obtain cannabis for her son, Branden, a FIRES sufferer. Branden’s debilitating seizures were spiraling out of control, and like the other parents in our story, Renee found herself caught between conflicting state laws and ideologies on medical marijuana. Traditional treatments weren’t working for Branden, and in Florida — much like Texas — when it came to matters of medical marijuana, her hands were tied.
Well, not anymore. After about three weeks on a cannabis protocol, Branden is now quite likely to test positive for THC — legally. More from Angelic Leicht at the Dallas Observer.
Iowa lawmakers seem rather slow to respond to outside stimulus. In 2010, the state Board of Pharmacy said lawmakers should consider allowing Iowans to access legal medical marijuana. The suggestion was completely ignored at the time, but the Board says they need to consider it now.
So once again, the Board of Pharmacy is going to take up the issue and will hold a hearing November 17 to get public input.
| A graphic shared by the Denver Police Department on Halloween. More photos and two videos below. |
On Halloween, the Denver Police Department’s warnings about trick-or-treaters possibly being slipped marijuana edibles reached its peak with the graphic seen here — one that essentially suggests, against all available evidence, that pot candy could kill children. But if DPD reps hoped the #CheatTheReaper hashtag would become a thing, they must have been sorely disappointed. A Twitter search this morning showed it wasn’t used a single time that day — a total that matches the number of marijuana dosings reported in the city in the wake of the Halloween festivities.
| Kevin Hartnell/Wikimedia Commons. |
A city law that went into effect last week in Cincinnati means that anyone caught with 100 grams of ganja or less will only face a $150 fine and court fees as opposed to 30 day sin jail and $250 in fines.
That’s good news for people getting caught in the future, but it’s also good news if you’ve been busted in the past. The law change means anyone previously busted under the old ordinance with what is now decriminalized amounts of pot can have the charges removed from their record.
We’ve told you already today about the close race in Florida to legalize medical marijuana, but there’s at least three other major marijuana votes today to keep an eye on.
| Robert Platshorn, legendary smuggler and marijuana legalization proponent. |
Florida voters today will decide whether or not to legalize limited amounts of marijuana for medical use. While the measure initially polled well, it’s approval has fallen in recent weeks and supporters say they need every last vote they can muster — notably that of the state’s large senior population.
With such a possible historical swing in the offing, we decided to touch base with one of Florida’s biggest proponents of marijuana reform, a guy who’s truly given his life to the cause: Robert Platshorn. But even Bobby Tuna himself is iffy on the amendment’s chances.
“At this point, I think it’s 51 percent we will, and 49 percent we won’t pass amendment two,” Platshorn told New Times Monday afternoon. “I’m concerned because of the way the polls have yo-yoed up and down. And the fact that the no campaign was able to run what was virtually a Reefer Madness campaign.”
While the War on Drugs has become the largest political sideshow the United States has even produced, there is simply no denying the heaping helping of humor that has manifested from the nation’s lust for the dust and Uncle Sam’s madcap approach to keeping their nose clean, so to speak. Yet, that has not stopped thousands of people every year from pushing bags of brown, white and green dope into nearly every orifice of their bodies, in hopes of bamboozling drug-sniffing authorities all over the country.
Unfortunately, while squeezing a fat sack of crack between your butt cheeks can sometimes be an effective method for avoiding a shakedown, the moment some large meathead cop whispers something in your ear like, “What’s your sign, sailor,” there is a damn good chance you are about to fisted in the back room by a group of sexually confused law enforcement cronies.
| William Breathes. |
| ISS x Lemon Skunk. |
Show-Me Cannabis plans to file paperwork this week for a ballot initiative that would ask Missouri voters to legalize the use and sale of marijuana. The filing with the Secretary of State’s Office is just the beginning of what’s expected to be a costly and arduous two-year campaign to get the issue on the November 2016 ballot.
This past February Show-Me Cannabis abandoned a similar ballot initiative scheduled for tomorrow’s mid-term elections after polling indicated that 51 percent of Missouri voters still opposed legalization compared to 45 percent in favor.
Arizona’s “top” prosecutors on Thursday urged the public to oppose cannabis legalization, warning that diverted medical marijuana is an increasing source of the drug for teens.
Problem is, these modern-day prohibitionists are cherry-picking their data from the newly released 2014 Arizona Youth Survey by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. And that report reveals something that’s arguably more interesting:
Marijuana use among teens, in general, appears to be continuing a remarkable decline.