Political

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

From all over the Puget Sound area and throughout the state the medicinal cannabis patients came, and together, at the Washington state Capitol on Wednesday, they spoke with one voice: "Keep The Liquor Control Board Out Of My Medical Marijuana."

Dozens of cannabis advocates gathered in Olympia to protest efforts by the Legislature to include the medical marijuana industry under the state's new recreational cannabis law, Initiative 502, approved by voters last November.

Lawmakers are considering bills that would put the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) in charge of a study to see how "integration" of the two spheres -- medical and recreational cannabis -- would work. Investors in the state's newly legal recreational marijuana industry fear that medical cannabis could draw customers away from the highly regulated, stiffly taxed pot that will theoretically be available in state stores early next year.

"We have said that the medical marijuana market is a challenge to the success of the recreational market, the reason being that a certain percentage of people are buying it through the medical marijuana market for recreational purposes," claimed Brian E. Smith, speaking for the the Liquor Control Board, reports Melissa Santos of the Tacoma News Tribune. "They would be competing with the recreational market, which is heavily taxed and highly regulated."

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Legislation is being prepared which would legalize marijuana in Mexico City.

The left wing Party of the Democratic Revolution is working on the legislation, which lawmakers plan to introduce in September, reports The Huffington Post. It would allow people to grow cannabis at home, smoke it in designated clubs and possess up to 25 grams.

"Most marijuana consumers aren't addicts," said Mexico City Deputy Vidal Llerenas Morales. "They aren't criminals. They are functional people."

Earlier this month, ex-President Vicente Fox said marijuana should be legalized, saying that he'd grow it himself if it were legal.

But President Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) doesn't see it that way.

"I'm not in favor because it's not just about legalizing marijuana," Peña Nieto told CNN in December. "It seems to me this would open up the possibility that some sectors of the population could wind up consuming much more harmful things." (Someone really should tell President Peña Nieto that the Gateway Theory was scientifically disproven years ago. So Twentieth Century!)

More than 70,000 people have died in the violence since Peña Nieto's predecessor, President Felipe Calderon, declared war on the drug cartels in 2006.

Sen. Murray, Sen. Cantwell, and five U.S. Reps. emphasize the need to address the serious banking issue plaguing legitimate businesses

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

In a June 17 letter, seven members of the Washington Congressional delegation urged U.S. Attorney Eric Holder and the Department of Justice to “respect the will of the voters” and honor Colorado and Washington’s right to tax and regulate marijuana sales to adults.

Seven months after the historic passage of Initiative 502 in Washington and Amendment 64 in Colorado, the Department of Justice has yet to indicate its intentions regarding the laws; the letter cites the expense already incurred by both states in implementation and the lost potential for economic advancement as two compelling reasons the delegation desires a statement be made without further delay.

Recreational marijuana sales in Washington are expected to begin in early 2014 unless DOJ does something to stop that from happening.

"We urge DOJ to expeditiously announce a course of action that will respect the will of these voters, and to work cooperatively with our states during the implementation of these laws," the lawmakers wrote.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

New Hampshire House and Senate lawmakers on Tuesday reached a deal on a medical marijuana bill, positioning the state to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Both chambers of the Legislature had already passed the bill, but the Senate version removed the House-approved option for patients to grow marijuana at home, as well as obtain it from a dispensary, reports Holly Ramer at the Associated Press. Gov. Maggie Hassan, unfortunately, had said she wouldn't sign the bill if the home-growing provision remained.

House legislators in a Tuesday negotiation session agreed to drop home growing and go along with other Senate changes in exchange for an agreement that the commission which will be put in charge of implementing the medical marijuana program be appointed as soon as the bill is passed.

Gov. Hassan announced on Tuesday that she intends to sign the bill as passed.

Opponents of the home cultivation option claimed they were concerned about the state's ability to "regulate" it; cynics said they were likely more concerned about the state's inability to get any tax money from it. Supporters argued that home growing is critical for terminally ill patients, given that it would take the state close to a year to write dispensary regulations, and could take another year for the dispensaries to actually open for patients.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, suggesting his own past drug use gives him the moral authority to speak out against marijuana, railed against pot on the June 14 episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher."

Kennedy, a former eight-term U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, leads Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), an organization which opposes cannabis legalization. He is an admitted former OxyContin addict, alcoholic, and cocaine abuser.

On Maher's show, Kennedy claimed studies show a link between marijuana and schizophrenia. He also suggested "heavy use" of pot by teenagers can lead to an IQ drop.

"Your reasoning is, 'You shouldn't do things because kids might,' " Maher pointed out. "Adults shouldn't have fires or drive cars. Kids might do all kinds of bad things."

"This is like global warming denying," Maher said. "This is the kind of stuff we heard years and years ago... It just seems so un-Kennedy-like to bge against what I said a couple of weeks ago was the new gay marriage. The next civil rights movement is to get equality under the law for people."

Kennedy has admitted he was treated for cocaine use during his teenager years. He also acknowledged he abused drugs and alcohol while he was a student at Providence College.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Most Americans continue to support the legalization of medical marijuana, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. A majority think the federal government should stop prosecuting patients and providers in states which have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.

According to the poll, 60 percent of Americans say they favor allowing doctors to authorize medical marijuana for their patients, while only 26 percent are opposed, reports Emily Swanson at The Huffington Post.

Democrats were most likely to support medical marijuana, followed by independents. Democrats favored medicinal cannabis by a 69 percent to 21 percent margin; independents favored it by a 61 percent to 24 percent margin.

But even among traditionally conservative Republicans, more respondents supported than opposed medical marijuana, at 46 percent to 38 percent.

Majorities of every age group in the poll supported the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Most respondents (57 percent vs. 25 percent) said the federal government should not arrest patients and dispensary operators in states that allow medical marijuana.

Majorities of Democrats (61 percent to 22 percent) and independents (60 percent to 20 percent) agreed, but Republicans were more evenly divided, with 43 percent saying the federal government should back off, and 37 percent saying it should continue arresting medical marijuana patients and providers.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

On June 14, 2000, the world lost one of its bravest activists for medical marijuana and personal freedom. Peter McWilliams, author of Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do and many other books, passed away after a battle with cancer and HIV when the government took away the cannabis he used to control his nausea. More than a decade after his death, it's important to remember just who and what this man was.

McWilliams [1949-2000] lived a rich life. He was many things: author, publisher, photographer, poet and activist, among others. But one of the most important things Peter was, was an inspiration. His courage and charisma were and continue to be a source of strength to many who are struggling with illness and with the injustice of our marijuana laws.

He had a remarkable career starting in the 1970s, writing more than 40 books, including works on depression, losing a loved one, computers, and poetry (yes, he was a real Renaissance Man). Several of McWilliams' books made The New York Times Top 10 nonfiction bestseller list.

Peter's 1993 libertarian manifesto Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do remains one of the greatest affirmations of the right of citizens to act and live in any peaceful, honest lifestyle, including their inalienable right to drugs and especially cannabis. It emphasizes personal freedom and the responsibility that goes along with it.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was criticized on Thursday by black and Hispanic Democrats who said he wasn't doing enough to stop the tidal wave of "stop and frisk" arrests of minority youth.

Cuomo recently proposed making the "public display" of 25 grams or less of marijuana a violation for which police officers issue a summons instead of an arrest. New York lawmakers decriminalized pot back in the 1970s, but New York City Police Department officers got around that by asking suspects to remove the marijuana from their pockets, then busting them for "public display" of pot, an arrestable offense.

The decrim bill was seen as an attempt to address the fallout over the NYPD's controversial tactics, which critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have pointed out leads to disproportionate rates of minorities being busted for pot.

Gov. Cuomo failed last year to reach a deal with Senate Republicans on the public display decrim bill; they opposed the measure, reports Mara Gay at The Wall Street Journal. He again pushed for a slightly different bill, this time decriminalizing public possession of less than 15 grams, in March but again lost.

The issue appears dead again for this year, according to lawmakers.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

An Arizona man has launched an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in the state.

Dennis Bohlke, 59, a north Phoenix computer programmer, is leading the Safer Arizona initiative, reports Yvonne Wingett Sanchez at The Republic. Bohlke said the measure is modeled after Colorado's newly enacted constitutional amendment, which taxes and regulates cannabis.

"The intent of the initiative is to legalize marijuana in Arizona and to treat it as we treat alcohol," Bohlke said.

The measure would amend Arizona's Constitution to allow people 18 and over (not 21 and over, as in Washington and Colorado) "to consume and possess limited amounts" of marijuana. The state would license grow facilities, retail marijuana stores and other related businesses.

The initiative needs 259,213 valid voter signatures by July 3, 2014, to qualify for the November 2014 ballot.

There is no major financial backing to fund signature gathering, according to Bohlke; that has been the death knell for efforts in other states including, most recently, Oregon's Measure 80. He acknowledged it will be "challenging" to gather the necessary signatures to qualiy for the ballot without major funding.

Bolhlke said he had spoken with Republican, "Tea Party" and Democratic lawmakers about the measure, and while they won't openly support him, they seemed "very receptive" to his initiative.

Legislation backed by local law enforcement organizations will establish a state-regulated system of dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to licensed patients

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Nevada's medical marijuana patients have been waiting 13 years for this. Gov. Brian Sandoval on Wednesday signed a bill into law that will establish a state-regulated system of dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to licensed patients. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office supported the measure.

“We applaud Gov. Sandoval and the Legislature for their leadership and commend those law enforcement organizations that expressed support for this much-needed legislation,” said Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), who testified in support of the bill, SB 374. “It will make Nevada a safer and healthier place not only for medical marijuana patients, but for the entire community.

“This new law will provide patients with the safe and reliable access to medical marijuana that they deserve,” O'Keefe said. “Regulating medical marijuana sales will also generate revenue and take a bite out of the state's underground marijuana market.”

SB 374 was introduced by Senators Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) and Mark Hutchison (R-Las Vegas), and it establishes rules and regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, infused product manufacturers, cultivation facilities, and testing facilities.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

The outlawing of natural substances such as cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms and other psychoactives amounts to scandalous censorship of science and hampers research into potentially important medicinal uses, leading scientists said on Wednesday.

"Drug laws" and international treaties have set back key research in areas such as consciousness by decades, the scientists argued in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, reports Reuters.

"The decision to outlaw these drugs was based on their perceived dangers, but in many cases the harms have been overstated," pointed out David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London who is a former British government drugs advisor.

Nutt said the laws amounted "to the worse case of scientific censorship since the Catholic Church banned the works of Copernicus and Galileo," in a statement accompanying the paper.

"The laws have never been updated despite scientific advances and growing evidence that many of these drugs are relatively safe," Nutt said. "And there appears to be no way for the international community to make such changes."

New Poll: At Least 82% of All New York Voters Support Medical Marijuana for Seriously Ill New Yorkers

Patients Continue to Needlessly Suffer in Face of Senate Inaction

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Dozens of patients and healthcare providers will gather in Albany on Wednesday, June 12, to demand the New York State Senate pass the Compassionate Care Act, a bill that would make a small amount of medical marijuana available to seriously ill patients under the supervision of their healthcare practitioner.

The proposal, which would create one of the country’s most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs, has passed the Assembly four times but has never been brought to a vote in the Senate. New Yorkers living with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and other serious and debilitating conditions will join healthcare providers in demanding the Senate bring the Compassionate Care Act to the floor for a vote.

What: Press conference with patients and healthcare providers calling for passage of the Compassionate Care Act

When: Wednesday, June 12, 2 p.m.

Where: LCA Room, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY

Who: Scheduled to attend are New York Physicians for Compassionate Care; dozens of New Yorkers living with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and other serious medical conditions; and doctors and nurses from around the state.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Canada's medical marijuana program will ban the legal cultivation of cannabis by patients next year, and will also shut down its own production, leaving supplies solely to licensed growers in the private sector.

More than 30,000 patients are legally authorized by Health Canada to use marijuana, reports Rod Nickel of Reuters. Canada back in 2001 became the first country to institute a national medical marijuana program, allowing seriously ill patients to grow and use their own medicinal cannabis.

Canada's medical marijuana program also included a government-run cultivation center in an old zinc mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba, although patients compalined the quality of that cannabis was subpar.

"There's far too much potential and actual abuse within the current scheme," claimed Staff Inspector Randy Franks of the Toronto Police Service drug squad. Franks said that police don't have access to the addresses of approved grow sites in private homes.

"These home-grown operations are able to produce far more than they need and they have to do something with it, so they sell it mainstream," Franks claimed, thoughtlessly painting all medical marijuana patients as outlaws.

The new rules became effective on Monday -- but the old rules will run concurrently until March 31, 2014, to allow the Canadian government time to license new growers, according to Jeannine Ritchot, Health Canada's director of medical marijuana regulatory reform.

Solid Majority Also Now Supports Legalizing, Taxing and Regulating Marijuana for Personal Use

Overwhelming Public Support Adds Momentum to Pending Senate Bill that Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

An overwhelming majority of New Jersey voters support reducing the penalty for simple marijuana possession from a criminal offense to a small fine similar to a traffic ticket, according to a new poll of likely voters by Lake Research Partners. The poll was commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance.

The poll found that 61 percent of those asked support a proposal to make possession of two ounces or less of marijuana a civil violation. Currently, possession of this amount is a criminal offense that carries a penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. A conviction also results in a criminal record that cannot be expunged for at least five years.

The poll also found that support for decriminalization is broad-based, traversing North, Central and South Jersey, and that it bridges gender, race and partisan divides. An overwhelming 82 percent of those polled said that they would either be more likely to vote for an elected official who supported reducing penalties for marijuana possession or that it would make no difference in their vote.