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OR Supreme Court: No Warrant Needed For School Drug Searches

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

High school students can be searched for illegal drugs without a warrant, if school officials have a “reasonable suspicion” based on specific facts, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

According to the court, schools are not held to the higher standards of requiring probably cause for a search if officials think there is an “immediate risk of harm” from possession of illegal drugs on school property, reports William McCall at the Statesman Journal.

Pot Dealer Driving Car Registered To NBA Star Zach Randolph

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 28, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: soulhonky.com

NBA Grizzlies star Zach Randolph now has four fewer vehicles than he had a few days ago.

NBA player Zach Randolph has been linked to a man accused of selling marijuana in Indianapolis, police claimed Wednesday. A lawyer for Randolph said the star player for the Memphis Grizzlies had “no knowledge” of his friend’s alleged role in dealing pot.

“Zach Randolph is not a party to any drug conspiracy of any type,” said attorney John Tompkins on Thursday. “If somebody says he is, they are either lying or they don’t know what they heck they are talking about,” reports Vic Ryckaert at IndyStar.com.

But Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives claim Randolph provided cars and a house to Arthur Boyd, who is charged with selling marijuana. Randolph himself has not been arrested or charged, and IMPD officials claim he is “not the target” of a drug investigation.

Despite that statement, police Detective Ryan Graber described Randolph as a “financier” for drug dealers in Indianapolis, according to court documents filed in Boyd’s case.

The Grizzlies released a statement on Thursday supporting Randolph.

Will Medical Marijuana Be Legalized In Nebraska?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 11, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Diana Sunshine Wulf

Diana Wulf, spokeswoman, Nebraska HEMP: “It is one of the safest plants on Earth to use”

The discussion has begun about legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in Nebraska.

Three members of the State Board of Pharmacy will quiz their colleagues on the topic at the annual meeting May 22-25 of the National Boards of Pharmacy in Anaheim, Calif., reports Paul Hammel of World-Herald News Service.

The Nebraskans hope to learn more about the pros and cons of legalization and any problems that have arisen in the 14 states that now allow cannabis to be used medicinally.

“It’s probably an issue we’re going to have to address in the future” said Board Chairman Rick Zarek, a Gothernburg, Neb., pharmacist, who said he had no personal opinion on the subject.

Nebraska legislators declared the issue dead in March, even after the state pharmacy board in neighboring Iowa voted unanimously to recommend that medical marijuana be permitted there.

Origins Of 420: What Matters, And What Doesn’t

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 20, 2010 Culture, News

Graphic: Radioactive24two/Deviant Art

As a veteran of stoner culture who can remember the years before mass media latched onto the 420 phenomenon in general, and specifically the celebration of April 20 (4/20) as America’s fastest-growing holiday and high celebration of all things cannabis, I have to admit I find the entire scenario a little strange.

On the one hand, I’m thrilled that marijuana gets a holiday of its own, and even more so that it then gets the coverage, as an issue, that it really deserves all 365 days a year. The consumption of cannabis in public places by large crowds of people carries some powerful symbolism and is a meaningful show of solidarity.

At the same time, I’m well aware that those who are inclined to dismiss the seriousness and validity of the marijuana movement are simply going to use April 20 to do exactly that — and then ignore it again for 364 more days.

Film Review: ‘How Weed Won The West’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 19, 2010 Culture, Products

Graphic: How Weed Won The West

Is How Weed Won The West an entertaining film? Yes, absolutely. You won’t get bored watching it.

The film takes a compelling look at California’s Emerald Triangle, one of the major marijuana production areas in the world, and looks at the scene in dispensary-heavy Los Angeles, where things are in flux just before what looks to be a major crackdown on the horizon.

Additionally, the jack-booted tactics of San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis are rightly called to task.

Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, certainly one of the most intelligent and articulate spokesman for drug reform policy in the United States, thankfully gets plenty of screen time, along with Don Duncan of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and cultivation legend and multiple Cannabis Cup winner Bret Bogue.

And yeah, to be honest it was a thrill to see one of my SF Weekly “Chronic City” articles during the film, sharing the screen with Alex Jones.

But is it, on balance, a valuable film for the movement? That depends.

MPP Urges Release Of Marijuana Prisoners Before Violent Convicts

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 14, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Progressive Puppy

Free the pot prisoners

Non-violent pot prisoners should be released before violent offenders when convicts are furloughed early due to state budget crunches, Aaron Houston of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) said in Congressional testimony Wednesday.

“Prioritizing the release of people whose only crime is marijuana-related just makes sense,” Houston said.

In his testimony, Houston asked that Congress urge the Department of Justice to encourage states “to certify that no inmates convicted of crimes of violence, including sexual abuse and assault, will be released before non-violent offenders whose sole offense relates to the possession, sale, or manufacture of marijuana.”

Houston, director of government relations for MPP, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

On March 31, The Associated Press reported a disturbing trend: “Inmates convicted of violent crimes are among those being freed early from California jails to save money, despite lawmakers’ promises that they would exclude most dangerous prisoners and sex offenders.”

Cannabis Video Of The Day: “Grassfire” ~ John Trudell

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 29, 2010 Culture

This video slideshow is a compilation of photos taken at The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation’s Medicinal Gardens in Oregon.

The slideshow is accompanied by the song “Grassfire” by John Trudell and his band Bad Dog.

Rhode Island Senate Panel Recommends Decriminalizing Pot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 17, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

A Rhode Island state Senate commission has recommended that an ounce or less of marijuana be decriminalized in the state.

The panel, chaired by state Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston), voted Tuesday to approve a 24-page final report concluding that marijuana law reform would save Rhode Island money by avoiding “costly arrests [and]incarcerations due to simple possession of marijuana,” reports Katherine Gregg of The Providence Journal.

The report says that Rhode Island could take its lead from Massachusetts, where adults 18 or older caught with an ounce or less of pot are required only to pay a $100 civil fine “that goes directly to the municipality in which the penalty was issued.”

Stossel To Look At Drug Prohibition Thursday Night

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 4, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: OregonLive.com

John Stossel: “It’s not the intoxicant that causes crime — it’s prohibition.”

Host John Stossel will take a look at the effects of prohibition during part of his Fox Business Network show, Stossel, Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

“In part of my show tonight, I’ll talk about how laws against prostitution, organ selling, and drug use hurt more people than prostitution, organ selling, and drug use do,” Stossel wrote Thursday.

Stossel notes that the first argument against legalizing drugs is usually “Then more kids will abuse drugs!”

“But there’s little evidence for that,” Stossel points out. “The Netherlands has officially ‘tolerated’ marijuana for 30 years. So is there violent marijuana crime? No. Fewer young people in Holland smoke marijuana than do Americans. Legalization took the mystique away. A Dutch minister of health said, ‘We’ve succeeded in making pot… boring.’ “

Rhode Island Panel Expected To Recommend Decriminalizing Pot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 1, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

A Rhode Island Senate panel is expected to recommend decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana when it wraps up its 3 1/2-month investigation later this week.

The commission, chaired by state Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston), has been studying the costs of current marijuana policy since November. Rhode Island, facing a budget crisis, tasked the panel to build a dossier on how much it costs to arrest, prosecute, and sometimes jail people for pot, reports Katherine Gregg at The Providence Journal.

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