In a move that somehow attracted very little media attention last week, a Washington state appeals court upheld a previous decision allowing the County of Kent to ban all medical marijuana-related collective cannabis gardens and growing operations.
In doing so, they may very well have driven the final nail into the coffin of true, legal medical marijuana in the same state that joined Colorado in 2012 as becoming the first two in the country to legalize recreational weed smoking.
| Ben Droz. |
| Hemp growing in Colorado. |
Thirteen producers have registered to legally grow hemp in Colorado in the month since registration began, according to the state Department of Agriculture. However, those thirteen producers hold a total of twenty registrations, as several of them are registered to grow in more than one location or for more than one purpose. Ten of the registrations are for commercial purposes, while the other ten are for research and development. The Denver Westword spoke with three producers, who told the paper about their plans for planting marijuana’s sober stepsister.
| Tim Norris/LA Weekly. |
A proposal in the state legislature could mean DUIs for drivers who aren’t stoned but who toked a few days ago.It would also hit motorists with even a trace of such prescription drugs as Ambien, Vicodin and even phentermine, a diet drug, with DUI cases if they’re stopped by cops who think they’re impaired.
Medical marijuana supporters are aghast. And they might have good reason to be.
| L. Avacado/Flicker. |
Good news medical marijuana patients of Connecticut: medical marijuana dispensaries will be opening in Branford, Bridgeport, Bristol, Hartford, Montville and South Windsor in the near future.
The state gave out the six licenses yesterday afternoon – the first issued in the state so far. The shops expect to open by the summer when licensed producers can get their first harvest out.
Multiple medical marijuana bills are bouncing around the statehouse, and more and more Florida Lawmakers are beginning to voice their support of the approval of medical marijuana in the state.
Democratic Rep. Katie Edwards, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Senator Jeff Clemens took turns Monday voicing their opinions on the subject.
| Greg Skidmore/Flickr. |
| Chris Christie doesn’t want you to get high. |
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has made it really clear that he won’t relax the state medical marijuana laws or even consider recreational cannabis legalization. But in case you missed the point, ol’ Tollbooth Christie reiterated his point yesterday at a town hall meeting.
“They want tax revenue from legalization,” Christie told the crowd in Sayreville, New Jersey last night. “It’s the motivation for the bill and I am not going to turn our state into a place where people fly in to get high for tax revenue. I’ve made it very clear since 2009 that I oppose this … it’s not going to happen under this [governor]under any circumstances.”
Support it or not, Americans find the legalization of marijuana to be an inevitable thing according to a Pew Research Poll released this week. Seventy-five percent of the nearly 2,000 adults polled said that marijuana will be legally sold and taxed in this country eventually.
Notably, 54 percent said that marijuana should be legalized for adults and 76 percent said marijuana possession of small amounts isn’t worth going to jail over.
| Show me medical marijuana legalization. |
Despite some setbacks earlier this year, marijuana-reform advocates say that a medical-marijuana bill is off to a good start in the legislative process and might have a chance of getting on the November ballot.
SB 951, which was introduced by Senator Jason Holsman, would legalize marijuana solely for medicinal purposes. People suffering from certain conditions would be allowed up to four ounces of their medicine and sales on it would be taxed at a rate of 8 percent.
In a highly unusual move, the Denver coroner’s says that marijuana intoxication was the major contributing factor in Levy Thamba’s death by jumping from a hotel balcony last month because the college student had eaten a marijuana edible before the incident.
The coroner’s office says the facts of the case explain why the decision to include information about marijuana was made, though the facts leave a lot of unanswered questions.
A federal judge has green-lighted a lawsuit brought by Occupy protesters against law enforcement agencies that allegedly gave them pot as part of officers’ Drug Recognition Expert training.
The ruling means the case is headed toward a trial which could reveal where officers got the pot they allegedly doled out to protesters in exchange for their participation in the controversial program, which was the subject of a five part report from the Minneapolis City Pages.