Submit news stories from your part of the world! Please include the web site address of the original story in you email. Submit news HERE.
Why Marijuana Is Not A Drug
On 40th anniversary of one of the most bizarre prohibitions in US history, California voters will have the opportunity to decriminalize pot.
Forty years ago this fall, marijuana was classified a Schedule I Controlled Substance, along with ecstasy, LSD, and heroin. The qualifications required for a drug to reach such an esteemed distinction are threefold: 1. High potential for abuse, 2. No currently accepted medical use, and 3. Lack of accepted safety for use. Additionally, Schedule I drugs are broken down into four categories; and yes, THC - the primary active chemical in marijuana - is listed under "psychedelic substances".
More...
Effort to make pot legal in Washington state begins
Initiative 1068 would remove all criminal penalties for adults for growing, possessing and using marijuana.
Backers of an initiative to legalize marijuana launched their signature gathering drive Thursday. Initiative 1068 would remove all criminal penalties for adults for growing, possessing and using marijuana. A bill that would have accomplished the same goal failed this year in the state Legislature. Philip Dawdy, campaign director and a co-author of the measure, said the seeds of the effort got planted before lawmakers acted. "On Jan. 1, I was sitting down with Doug Hiatt watching the Rose Bowl and we realized that there was no way the governor was going to sign it," he said of the legalization bill. "It was time to take this to the people."
More...
Washington State Supreme Court Overrules Medical Pot
Court says a doctor's permission to use medical marijuana doesn't preclude police from arresting a patient or searching his home.
In a decision today, the high court upheld the conviction of a Stevens County man busted in 2004. The justices said Washington's law only allows patients to present a medical marijuana defense at trial, and does not protect them from arrest or searches. Justice Richard Sanders dissented on that point, arguing that Washington voters intended to protect qualifying patients from being denied "any right or privilege" for their use of marijuana when they passed Initiative 692. Five justices also ruled that generally, judges must allow a jury to decide whether someone is a qualifying patient under the law. In this case, a Stevens County judge ruled on his own that defendant Jason Fry was not a qualifying patient.
More...
Marijuana Legalized in Seattle - Sort Of...
"We're not going to prosecute marijuana-possession cases anymore,"
Seattle's new city attorney is dismissing all marijuana-possession cases, starting with those that were already under way under the old city attorney. In addition, new criminal division chief, Craig Sims, said he is reviewing about 50 more cases. Unless there are "out of the ordinary circumstances," Sims said, the office doesn't intend to file charges for marijuana possession. "We're not going to prosecute marijuana-possession cases anymore," new City Attorney Pete Holmes said Thursday during a public interview as part of Town Hall's Nightcap series. "I meant it when I said it" during the campaign.
More...
States Weigh Marijuana Reform
Legalization bills were introduced in California and Massachusetts earlier this year, and this month, New Hampshire and Washington state prefiled bills in advance of their legislative sessions.
Washington is one of four states where measures to legalize and regulate marijuana have been introduced, and about two dozen other states are considering bills ranging from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the herb. "In terms of state legislatures, this is far and away the most active year that we've ever seen," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supports reforming marijuana laws.
More...
Ganja Goes Gourmet
Gourmet chefs are taking the art of cooking with marijuana to a higher level.
In Denver, a new medical-marijuana shop called Ganja Gourmet serves cannabis-infused specialties such as pizza, hummus and lasagna. Across town in the Mile-High City, a Caribbean restaurant plans to offer classes on how to make multi-course meals with pot in every dish. And in Southern California, a low-budget TV show called "Cannabis Planet" has won fans with a cooking segment showing viewers how to use weed in teriyaki chicken, shrimp capellini and steak sandwiches.
More...
Obama plans go-easy policy on medical marijuana
administration will not seek arrests of medical marijuana users, suppliers as long as they conform to state laws
The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws. The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes. Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. California is unique among those for the presence of dispensaries - businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services.
More...
Mexico decriminalizes small-scale drug possession
When will the United States get the clue?
Mexico enacted a controversial law Thursday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum "personal use" amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution when the law goes into effect Friday. Mexican authorities said the change just recognized the long-standing practice here of not prosecuting people caught with small amounts of drugs that they could reasonably claim were for personal use, while setting rules and limits.
More...
Marijuana eyed during budget crunch
Although fiscal year 2009 was grim for states, observers predict that 2010 will be even worse.
With their budgets teetering on bankruptcy, states are digging deep to find creative ways to ease their financial woes. "The numbers that states are looking at in terms of their shortfalls is truly staggering. And all of this is happening in an environment where raising taxes is still pretty toxic, and it's pretty explosive," said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst for the Council of State Governments. One of the more controversial ideas is to legalize the sale of marijuana, as proposed in a bill introduced in California's state legislature by Democratic State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano this year. The bill proposed taxing pot by $50 per ounce. If legalized, marijuana could become California's No. 1 cash crop, bringing in an estimated $1 billion a year in state taxes.
More...
California finds pot is a huge cash cow
California's pot dispensaries now have more in common with a corner grocery than a speak-easy.
Since the state became the first to legalize the drug for medicinal use, the weed the federal government puts in the same category as heroin and cocaine has become a major economic force. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, wants the state to tax and regulate all pot as it does alcohol. State Board of Equalization Chairwoman Betty Yee, a supporter, projects the law would generate $990 million annually through a $50-per-ounce fee for retailers and $392 million in sales taxes. The state now collects $18 million each year in taxes on medical marijuana.
More...
