Toke of the Town

Heartless Decision Stops Old Folks From Growing Needed Medical Pot

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By on Growing, Medical

Photo: Todd Bigelow/Aurora for NPR
Laguna Woods resident Margo Bauer, 73, tokes up on the porch with her plant.

​A heartless corporate board has voted unanimously in a closed meeting to ban elderly residents of Laguna Woods Village, a California retirement community also known as “Leisure World,” from growing much-needed medical marijuana in community garden centers.

The despicable action was taken despite the assurance of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that it would do nothing if the retirement community residents were growing marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.
“I don’t have an opinion on it,” said Wendy Bucknum, governmental and public affairs manager at Laguna Woods Village, when Toke of the Town asked what she had to say about the ban. “The decision is the elected Board’s decision.”
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Hawaii Marijuana Patients Want Dispensaries, More Plants

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: www.hawaiimedicalmarijuana.org

​Medical marijuana advocates in Hawaii say it’s time to make it easier for patients in the state to have safe access to medicinal cannabis.

Ten years ago, Hawaii became the first state to legalize medical marijuana through the legislative process (California [1996], Oregon and Washington [1998] had already passed voter initiatives), but advocates say the the state program has failed to adapt to evolving patient needs, reports B.J. Reyes of the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
“We haven’t made any changes to our legislation since day one,” said Pam Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and co-chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Working Group, convened last year to study the state’s law and make recommendations to the Legislature.
The report from the working group, due this week, plans to make four recommendations:
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Lesson No. 1: Never, Ever Invite The DEA Over

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By on Medical, News

Photo: howstuffworks.com
It’s important to remember that the possession of marijuana — for any purpose, even lab testing — is still illegal under federal law, without a DEA license. And if you ask for a license, they will come search you.

​As Colorado’s fledgling medical marijuana industry goes through some growth pains related to its profitable proliferation, a few lessons are being learned (relearned?) here and there.

And one of the most important of these is:
Never invite the federal Drug Enforcement Administration over to your place when there’s pot everywhere.

Employees of Denver marijuana testing facility Full Spectrum Laboratories learned that recently, after formally applying for an analytical lab license through the DEA, reports Joel Warner at Westword.
Turns out, applying for a DEA license means that you’re inviting them over for a visit.
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Group Urges Nevada Governor To Regulate And Tax Marijuana

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By on Legislation, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

​With Nevada’s state budget $900 million in the red and a fiscal crisis facing the state, a pro-marijuana group is urging Gov. Jim Gibbons to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana to help close the budget gap.

Gov. Gibbons will deliver his State of the State address Monday night, in which he will discuss Nevada’s financial crisis. According to some reports, the governor is seeking new ways to close the budget gap and is willing to put all options on the table.
“In order to get the state back on sound financial footing, the governor must consider not only cuts in spending, but also new sources of tax revenue,” said Dave Schwartz, campaign manager for Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws.
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‘Father Of Medical Marijuana’ Speaks Tuesday Night In Oregon

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By on Legislation, Medical, News

Photo: The Wow Report
Dennis Peron is co-author of Prop 215, which legalized medical marijuana in California.

​The man who opened the very first “pot club” in the United States for medical marijuana users is coming to Ashland, Oregon Tuesday night to speak in favor of legalizing cannabis.

Dennis Peron, known as the “father of medical marijuana,” is lending his support to full legalization in Oregon, reports John Darling of the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune.
Peron, 64, of San Francisco, was co-author and a major backer of California’s successful 1996 medical marijuana ballot measure, the first in the United States.
Peron is famed for his statement, “All use of marijuana is medical use.”
The passage of medical marijuana laws changed the image of cannabis from something used by “long-hair, hippie crazy” people to a drug of middle class people, Peron said.
“It helped make [marijuana use]more benevolent,” he said. “We turned the tide.”
Peron said the thrust of his work now is ballot measures to normalize marijuana distribution, so “you can get it at Walgreen’s” at affordable prices.
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Denver Accepting Applications For Marijuana Dispensary Licenses

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, News

Graphic: Out Front Colorado

​Dozens of medical marijuana dispensary owners lined up before daylight in Denver Monday to apply for their licenses. It was the first day the owners could apply for the required licenses under the city’s new regulatory scheme.

The new process includes several steps, including $5,000 in application and licensing fees, a background check with excludes felons, a required security plan, and fire and zoning inspections, reports KUSA-TV.
“At $5,000 a pop for the application/licensing, all we need is another 100,000 pot shops to open up in Denver and our budget crisis is solved,” wisecracked “PugMartin1,” one commenter on KUSA’s site.
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Florida M.S. Patient Wants To Be Allowed Medical Marijuana

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By on Medical, News

Graphic: PUFMM

​A Florida man is asking a judge to allow him to use marijuana to treat his multiple sclerosis after a traffic stop resulted in his arrest for pot possession.

Angel Luis Hernandez, 32, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was arrested last year on the Florida Turnpike after a traffic stop. A search of Hernandez’s car turned up six grams of marijuana in his possession., reports David Gould of WPTV.com.
He was given a notice to appear in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court on the marijuana charges.
According to Hernandez, he’s had MS for the past 10 years, and medical marijuana is the only medication that has helped him.
Hernandez is asking to have his marijuana use declared a medical necessity.
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Pot Smoker Accused Of Trying To Bribe Urine Tester

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By on Culture, News

Graphic: toonpool.com

​A pot-smoking parolee in Colorado is facing criminal charges after allegedly offering a cash bribe to try to pass a drug test.

Chad M. Thomas, 34, of Palisade, Colorado, tried January 2 to bribe a state worker to allow him to use a device called a “Whizzinator” to pass a drug test he had to take as a condition of his parole, police said, reports Paul Shockley at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
Thomas said he had a medical marijuana card and did not want to go back to prison, but officials claimed they couldn’t confirm whether he was a legal patient.
Convicted felons are allowed to get medical marijuana cards under Colorado law, but those on parole must still pass tests for “illegal drugs.”
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