Toke of the Town — Marijuana and Cannibis News

WA Governor Says She Likes New Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 6, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Overoll

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire: “I’ve indicated to the senator I’m a go, but you’ve got to get the other ‘four corners’ to say they’re a go as well”

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire on Thursday gave a thumbs-up to the new medical marijuana proposal being developed in the state Senate. The new measure is the offspring of the legislation the governor gutted last week.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Washington since voters approved it in 1998, but patients still don’t have arrest protection or safe access, which SB 5073 would have fixed.

According to Gregoire, Sen. Jeanne Kohlp-Welles’s latest bill is “absolutely mindful” of the reason for the governor’s “partial veto” of 5073 (which removed almost all useful portions of the original bill): her supposed concern that state employees might be prosecuted for administering a medical marijuana program, reports Jordan Schrader at the Tacoma News Tribune. (Cannabis advocates have pointed out that state employees have never been prosecuted by the federal government for carrying out a state medical marijuana program in the 15 states which have legalized medicinal cannabis.)

Medical Marijuana Fails Again In Illinois House

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 6, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: David Reis

The floor of the Illinois House of Representatives. The House failed to pass a medical marijuana law on Thursday.

For the second time in 2011, the Illinois House on Thursday defeated a bill which would have legalized medical marijuana for seriously ill patients in the state.

The measure failed with 61 “no” votes, 53 “yes” votes and four “present.” House Bill 30 needed 60 “yes” votes to pass, reports Andy Brownfield at The State Journal-Register.

The bill “is not about drugs, it is not about marijuana, it’s about health care,” said sponsor Rep. Lou Lang (D-Chicago). It will “help people who can’t get out of bed because they’re too doped up on morphine or oxycontin,” he said.

All Healing, No High: Dispensary Offers High-CBD Pot Strains

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 6, 2011 Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Elemental Wellness

The high-CBD Harlequin strain, above, tested at 3.83 percent THC and 5.59 percent CBD.

Elemental Wellness, a San Jose medical marijuana collective, has a solution for patients who need the healing power of cannabis but don’t want the psychoactive effects: strains with high cannabidiol (CBD) content.

Medical marijuana is known as an effective treatment for many ailments, but it’s also known as a psychoactive agent. For people who could benefit from the medicinal properties, but need to stay alert and focused, San Jose, California dispensary Elemental Wellness has good news: high CBD strains that deliver the benefits without the buzz.

The most powerful medicinal compound in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), shown to be helpful for a range of diseases including glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and side effects of chemotherapy and AIDS treatment such as nausea and loss of appetite.

Hawaii Marijuana Dispensary Bill Snuffed Out

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 5, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation

Photo: J. Kalani English

Sen. Kalani English: “I took this up because I saw people who were suffering”

The latest attempt to set up a medical marijuana dispensary system in Hawaii — more than a decade after the state legalized cannabis for medicinal use — was snuffed out in committee this week on Oahu.

East Maui Sen. Kalani English had said the bill had a “really good chance of passing,” pointing out that it would generate needed revenue and give patients safe access to medicine, reports Jacob Shafer at Maui Time.

“I took this up because I saw people who were suffering, sometimes in the last months of their life,” English said.

Medical marijuana has been legal since 2000 in Hawaii, with an act removing state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation by patients who have a signed statement from their physician affirming they suffer from a debilitating condition and that the “potential benefits of medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks.”

Senate Bill 1458 would have created a limited, five-year pilot program for medical marijuana dispensaries providing safe access to authorized patients. The proposal would have started the dispensary program in an unspecified county of Hawaii.

U.S. Attorney Issues Vermont Marijuana Dispensary Warning

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 5, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Graphic: Potspot 411

Vermont on Wednesday joined the growing list of medical marijuana states which have received threatening letters from federal prosecutors regarding state licensing of cannabis dispensaries and grow operations.

Disturbingly, the latest letter — from U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin — is yet another overt attempt to influence pending legislation, this time a bill which would legalize and license medical marijuana dispensaries in Vermont.

“I really had every intention of voting for this bill until this morning,” said Rep. Patti Komline (R-Dorset), reports Terri Hallenbeck at the Burlington Free Press. “The letter impressed me.”

American Express To Marijuana Dispensaries: Get Lost

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 5, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: Fiamma

So American Express won’t allow customers to use their cards to purchase medicinal cannabis? Screw them.

According to multiple sources at medical marijuana dispensaries, American Express will no longer process transactions from cannabis businesses.

“Please be advised that American Express will no longer allow transactions to be processed at Medical Marijuana dispensaries,” read one email notice from The Farmacy dispensary in West Hollywood, reports LA Snark. “This is a policy change made by American Express, nationwide.”

According to the email, dispensaries are still able to process transactions with MasterCard, Discover and VISA.

The Farmacy told Ana Kasparian at web news show The Young Turks that, beginning last Saturday, April 30, every time they swiped a patient’s American Express card, the transaction would be declined.

American Express allegedly told personnel at The Farmacy that they have “new guidelines” that came out this year, one of which says they will no longer allow American Express customers to use their cards for medical marijuana purchases.

Marijuana Delivery Service Accredited By Better Business Bureau

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 5, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Luke Thomas/The Green Cross

Kevin Reed, The Green Cross: “We are committed to providing our membership with access to quality medical cannabis products”

The Green Cross, a San Francisco medical cannabis delivery service, announced on Thursday that it has been awarded at A+ rating and full accreditation by the Golden Gate Better Business Bureau. Organizations in the U.S. and Canada must be reviewed and monitored before getting a rating and accreditation by the BBB.

“It’s an honor to receive recognition for the high standards of practice we have built into our organization,” said Kevin Reed, president of The Green Cross. “The BBB has a long history of encouraging ethical business practices and protecting consumers, and The Green Cross is pleased to be affiliated with such an outstanding organization.”

You’re Invited To Help Legalize Marijuana In Washington

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 5, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: Sensible Washington

Last week, Governor Christine Gregoire dealt a huge blow to tens of thousands of Washington’s most vulnerable citizens. By vetoing the most useful parts of a medical marijuana bill, the governor shut down an emerging industry that was providing safe access to medicine for cancer and AIDS patients, multiple sclerosis sufferers, and those with severe pain.

As a result, criminal gangs are now poised to reclaim the marijuana market, bringing more violence to our streets and greater dangers to our children, and making it unnecessarily difficult for the sick and terminally ill to get the medicine that their doctors authorize. The governor’s stated reason for leaving us in this mess was that she feared the federal government’s response.

City Won’t Make Medical Marijuana Grows Apply For Licenses

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 4, 2011 Growing, Legislation

Photo: AnnArbor.com

Medical marijuana dispensary owner Chuck Ream holds a sign calling for the firing of Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema outside city hall last month. Ream has been at odds with Postema over details of the city’s medical marijuana ordinances.

City council members in Ann Arbor, Michigan have decided they no longer want to have licensing regulations for medical marijuana cultivation facilities.

The city could still regulate where the grow facilities — places where medical pot is grown other than private homes — can be located through the city’s zoning ordinance, reports Ryan J. Stanton at AnnArbor.com. But the council voted Monday night at the request of Council Member Sabra Briere (D-1st Ward) to remove any reference to cultivation facilities from a proposed licensing ordinance.

Licensing rules will still apply to dispensaries, the places where cannabis is sold to patients.

Medical Marijuana Patient Gets Grow Equipment Back From Cops

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 4, 2011 Growing, News

Photo: Cannabis Therapy Institute

Attorney Robert J. Corry Jr., left, and patient/caregiver Frank Marzano inside the Fort Collins Police Department requesting the return of Marzano’s marijuana growing equipment

A Colorado medical marijuana patient and caregiver whose 2007 marijuana cultivation conviction in Loveland was overturned got his confiscated property returned to him on Wednesday.

Frank Marzano, whose cultivation conviction was overturned by the Colorado Court of Appeals last August due to an illegal search, was joined by his attorney, Robert J. Corry Jr., who won the appeal.

Marzano received a truck load of growing equipment, including 19 sets of growing lights and ballasts, three 3-foot filters and fans, a CO2 machine, a trimming machine, and grow light bulbs.

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