Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Medical Marijuana Bill Passes California Senate
Regulation & Legislation David Downs — Tue, May 21, 2013 at 11:18 AM
A bill to better protect medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives passed the California Senate yesterday, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's office reports.
According to the bill's analysis, SB 439 clarifies that a cooperative, collective or other business entity that operates within the Attorney General's "Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Marijuana Grown for Medical Use" will not be subject to prosecution for marijuana possession or commerce, as specified.
The bill stems from the fact that law enforcement in medical marijuana-unfriendly counties have been arresting medical pot growers, and raiding collectives and dispensaries, arguing that all collective sales are illegal. SB 439 makes it abundantly clear that collective sales as well as storefronts are legal.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Meet Legalization Nation at INTCHE in Burlingame This Saturday
Health & Medicine David Downs — Thu, May 16, 2013 at 11:10 AM
You know who could use some medical marijuana education? The San Francisco peninsula, where it's seemingly nothing but dispensary bans from the San Francisco border to San Jose. That's just cruel.
To that end, your humble, ever-faithful Legalization Nation editor is scheduled to speak Saturday, May 18 at 4:40 p.m. in Burlingame, CA. at the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Your Teen's Marijuana Counselor Might Be A Convicted Pedophile or Thief — Nobody Checks
Law Enforcement & Crime David Downs — Wed, May 15, 2013 at 11:42 AM
California forces thousands of teens convicted of minor marijuana offenses into "drug rehabilitation", but who are the drug counselors?
Sometimes pedophiles and thieves, according to a California State Senate investigation showing a deplorable lack of oversight of the drug rehab industry.
"California does not require a criminal background check for drug and alcohol counselors, nor does it ask applicants to report their criminal histories, according to the report, which found that at least 23 sex offenders have been permitted to work as counselors since 2005," the L.A. Times reports.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Illustration: If Pot Was Like Wine
Cannabis Culture David Downs — Tue, May 14, 2013 at 10:17 AM
"What happens when we take the polarizing issue of cannabis consumptions and frame it as if it was a classy winetasting session? Become a pot afficionado," writes @kyleykim, Global Post's Deputy Social Media and News Desk Editor. Click to enlarge the image below. (via Reddit)
Monday, May 13, 2013
New Michigan Law Would Keep Kids Out of Drug Stings
Law Enforcement & Crime David Downs — Mon, May 13, 2013 at 9:37 AM
A Michigan lawmaker wants to pass a bill to limit police use of children in drug stings to children ages 13 and up, after Michigan narcs used a 14 year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy to set up a 36-year-old parolee. The father of the 14-year-old has filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. “To me, it was absolutely ridiculous to think that this was OK,” the father told the Detroit Free Press. “If this guy ever gets out of prison, the repercussions could be huge.”
Friday, May 10, 2013
Congrats, Colorado, on Your New Legal Marijuana Rules
Regulation & Legislation David Downs — Fri, May 10, 2013 at 8:53 AM
Colorado became the first U.S. state to regulate and tax sales of recreational marijuana yesterday, the Denver Post reports. Legislators levied a 15 percent excise tax, and a 10 percent sales tax on cannabis in order to pay for enforcing regulations like capping marijuana sales to Colorado visitors at a quarter of an ounce, a six-plant limit on pot gardens, mandatory child-resistant packaging, potency information and serving-size limits for edible marijuana. How grown-up!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Critics Blast U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for Berkeley Patients Group Harassment
Law Enforcement & Crime David Downs — Thu, May 9, 2013 at 9:14 AM
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates took local U.S. Attorney (and rumored Berkeley resident) Melinda Haag to task Wednesday for harassing Berkeley Patients Group. The popular, permitted medical cannabis dispensary in Berkeley faces federal forfeiture efforts from Haag yet again, leading to a press conference yesterday where town leaders defended the Better Business Bureau member and ripped on the U.S. Attorney.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Berkeley Patients Group Targeted by Feds Again
Law Enforcement & Crime David Downs — Wed, May 8, 2013 at 9:16 AM
Popular Berkeley medical cannabis dispensary Berkeley Patients Group is being targeted again by the federal government, reports state. The US Attorney is attempting to seize BPG's new location at 2366 San Pablo Avenue. BPG had re-opened in the location after the feds forced the club from its home at 2477 San Pablo in 2012 on the grounds that it was too close to a school. This time, however, the landlord and the dispensary seem ready to fight federal action, arguing that the new location is nowhere near any school.
Monday, May 6, 2013
California Supreme Court: Cities Can Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Regulation & Legislation David Downs — Mon, May 6, 2013 at 10:23 AM
The California Supreme Court upheld the right of cities and counties to ban medical cannabis dispensaries today in a unanimous decision with major ramifications for the state.
"We granted review. We now conclude the Court of Appeal‘s judgment must be affirmed," Justice Marvin Baxter wrote for the Court.
Cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and West Hollywood that have regulated medical marijuana collectives operating in storefronts — i.e., dispensaries — won't be affected, but the decision buttresses the bans of dozens of cities and counties like Riverside and Walnut Creek. And the decision will become a huge factor in cities and counties still on the fence about dispensary bans, as well as in the legislature, where efforts are afoot to regulate the state's estimated $1.3 billion medical cannabis industry.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
US Judges Can End Drug War, Researchers Say; 'Institutional Racism' Creates Unequal Protection for Whites
Regulation & Legislation David Downs — Thu, May 2, 2013 at 9:00 AM
US judges should and could immediately end the War on Drugs, because institutional racism creates unequal protections for whites compared to minorities, researchers say. “We think that it is not possible for the State of California to justify the scheme of total marijuana prohibition, because the racism behind marijuana prohibition in the early 1900s is patent, beyond the pale, and totally indefensible, and also because the data analysis presented here on arrests for marijuana offenses shows a disparate impact with regard to the arrests of Blacks and Hispanics,” wrote Florida Atlantic University assistant professor Mirya Holman and Kennesaw State University professor Kenneth Michael White in their paper 'Marijuana Prohibition in California: Racial Prejudice and Selective Arrests' (subscription), published in the academic journal Race, Gender and Class.
