Cannabis News

During the General Assembly’s aborted rush to adjournment Friday, the Senate approved a resolution — introduced earlier the same day — to create a nine-member special commission to study a swath of issues surrounding marijuana. Read More... Lynch At Center of Medical Marijuana Fight Posted by on July 01, 2009 at 05:02:13 PT By Tim Fahey, State House Bureau Chief Source: Union Leader Concord, N.H. -- With the battle over a state budget now over, activists are fighting over whether Gov. John Lynch should sign a medical marijuana bill into law. Conservatives are urging Lynch to veto HB 648, while those who favor more liberal marijuana policies are urging him to pass it.

The bill calls for three-nonprofit "compassion centers" that would be licensed to grow and distribute marijuana to critically and terminally ill patients, who must be certified by the state and their own doctor. Read More... The Last Drug Czar Posted by on June 30, 2009 at 11:20:21 PT By Eli Sanders Source: American Prospect USA -- In late May the new leader of America's fight against illegal drugs, Gil Kerlikowske, returned to Seattle, the dope-tolerating city where he'd previously served as police chief. As part of the visit, he stopped by a local morning radio talk show, where right off the bat he declared, "I'm ending the phrase, 'the war on drugs.'"

As far as statements from high government officials go, it was a radical declaration. Kerlikowske, and by extension Barack Obama, was rejecting four decades of federal government marching orders -- a bold departure that would have been unthinkable in previous administrations. But even more striking than his announcement was the reaction: crickets. Read More... This Is Your War on Drugs Posted by CN Staff on June 30, 2009 at 05:55:24 PT By Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery Source: Mother Jones USA -- Among our leaders in Washington, who's been the biggest liar? There are all too many contenders, yet one is so floridly surreal that he deserves special attention. Nope, it's not Dick Cheney or Alberto Gonzales or John Yoo. It's a trusted authority figure who's lied for 11 years now, no matter which party held sway. (Nope, it's not Alan Greenspan.) This liar didn't end-run Congress, or bully it, or have its surreptitious blessing at the time only to face its indignation later. No, this liar was ordered by Congress to lie—as a prerequisite for holding the job. Read More... Group Wants Lynch To Veto Medical Pot Bill Posted by on June 30, 2009 at 04:48:22 PT By Kevin Landrigan, Staff Writer Source: Nashua Telegraph Concord, NH -- A conservative watchdog group called upon Gov. John Lynch on Monday to veto a bill legalizing medical use of marijuana on financial grounds. Cornerstone Policy Research said a 20-page compromise (HB 648) approved by lawmakers would require an "overly cumbersome and expensive bureaucratic response.''

The bill calls for an estimated $250,000 for the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee the dispensing of the drug exclusively to patients who have a debilitating illness. Read More... House Subcommittee OKs Pot on D.C. Ballot Posted by on June 29, 2009 at 07:10:48 PT By Michael Neibauer, Examiner Staff Writer Source: Washington Examiner Washington, D.C. -- House appropriations subcommittee has lifted a long-standing budget rider banning the District government from spending any money to decriminalize marijuana.

The Financial Services panel, which has oversight of D.C., has removed from the 2010 budget 11-year-old language outlawing the District’s use of federal or local funds to legalize marijuana or reduce penalties for its possession or distribution. Read More... L.A. is Trying To Weed Out Pot Sellers Posted by on June 28, 2009 at 03:50:03 PT By John Hoeffel Source: Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, CA -- A city inspector dropped by the Bulldog Cafe Collective on Melrose Avenue last week to see if it was still in business. It was. Inside the spare, modern interior, dusky green marijuana buds were still displayed in plastic jars. An owner who is often at the store tweezed whimsically named strains into small vials for customers.

The store near Hancock Park is among the first 14 medical marijuana dispensaries targeted for extinction by a City Council chagrined that it allowed hundreds to open in Los Angeles despite a 21-month-old moratorium. Read More... Marijuana Bill Sent To Lynch Posted by on June 25, 2009 at 06:19:31 PT By Karen Langley, Monitor Staff Source: Concord Monitor New Hampshire -- Legislators voted yesterday to legalize marijuana for some seriously ill patients, sending Gov. John Lynch a bill he said he has yet to study.

If passed into law, New Hampshire would become the 14th state to allow medicinal marijuana use for severely sick patients. In a move geared to winning the governor's approval, senators and representatives passed a bill that - unlike versions passed in March and April - would not allow patients to grow marijuana at home. Read More... Marijuana Backers Out in Force At Statehouse Posted by on June 25, 2009 at 05:27:33 PT By Dana Smith, Staff Writer Source: Nashua Telegraph Concord, NH -- For the last five years, Matt Simon has held rallies, tried to inform people about the medicinal uses of marijuana, and argued with lawmakers over one goal – making marijuana legal for patients with debilitating medical diseases.

On Wednesday morning, long before the outcome of the medical marijuana bill was known, he was back in front of the Statehouse with some 50 medical marijuana supporters with "Patients, not Criminals," signs and stickers. Read More... After Lawmakers' OK, Marijuana Bill Goes To Lynch Posted by on June 25, 2009 at 05:03:00 PT By Kevin Landrigan, Staff Writer Source: Nashua Telegraph Concord, NH -- With little controversy, the New Hampshire Legislature sought to make this the 14th state to give the chronically ill access to marijuana to relieve their suffering.

The House of Representatives approved the latest compromise late Wednesday, 232-108. The state Senate endorsed it, 14-10. Read More... UN Backs Drug Decriminalization In Drug Report Posted by on June 24, 2009 at 11:38:59 PT By Ryan Grim Source: Huffington Post World -- In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy. In previous years, the UN drug czar had expressed skepticism about Portugal's decriminalization, which removed criminal penalties in 2001 for personal drug possession and emphasized treatment over incarceration. The UN had suggested the policy was in violation of international drug treaties and would encourage "drug tourism." Read More... Panel's Changes in MMJ Bill Face Concord Test Posted by on June 24, 2009 at 04:34:29 PT By Dana Smith, Staff Writer Source: Nashua Telegraph Concord, NH -- People with debilitating conditions who use pot as medicine may finally see the threat of criminal charges go up in smoke, as the state's altered medical marijuana bill is expected to receive a final review in the Legislature today.

The changes a conference committee made to the bill will be put to the test, as a vote to approve the new language of the bill is scheduled in the New Hampshire House and Senate, before being sent for final endorsement from Gov. John Lynch. Read More... Barney Frank Introduces Marijuana Legislation Posted by on June 22, 2009 at 16:05:11 PT By Chris Weigant Source: Huffington Post Washington, D.C. -- Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts has introduced two pieces of legislation on marijuana -- one medical, and one recreational -- that deserve a lot more attention (and support by fellow House members) than they have been getting. The first would change federal law to allow states to experiment with medical marijuana without interference from Washington. And the second would drastically reduce federal penalties for "personal possession" of marijuana. Read More... Michigan's Vague Marijuana Law Creates Confusion Posted by on June 22, 2009 at 07:13:14 PT By Laura Berman Source: Detroit News Michigan -- The way some describe it, state's medical marijuana law -- passed by voter referendum last fall -- might as well have been written by Harold & Kumar at a hookah bar.

Ostensibly written to enable people suffering from serious medical conditions to gain relief by using marijuana, the law was also enthusiastically supported by the kind of voters who might envy Michael Phelps' designer bong. Read More... Rhode Island Will License Medical Marijuana Shops Posted by on June 22, 2009 at 06:28:11 PT By Ryan Grim, Huffington Post Source: AlterNet USA -- The Rhode Island legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto of a medical marijuana law Tuesday afternoon by an overwhelming margin, paving the way for state-licensed medical marijuana shops to begin operating. The House voted 68-0 for the pot measure and the senate moved it minutes later by a 35-3 count.

Once the law takes effect, the state will be the first in the nation to have one officially licensed nonprofit center selling marijuana. Over time, the state will license further nonprofit dispensaries. Read More... Medical Pot Bill is a Sign of Times Posted by CN Staff on June 22, 2009 at 06:15:14 PT By James Merriweather, The News Journal Source: Delaware Online Delaware -- In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush claimed 59 percent of the vote in beating John Kerry in Montana -- no surprise in one of the most conservative states in the nation.

During the same election, 62 percent of Montana voters gave thumbs up to a proposal that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The lesson? Delaware legislators don't necessarily have to stick out their necks politically to legalize medical marijuana use here. Read More... Mexico Moves To Decriminalize Minor Drug Use Posted by on June 21, 2009 at 05:31:57 PT By Tracy Wilkinson Source: Los Angeles Times Reporting from Mexico City — Could Mexican cities become Latin Amsterdams, flooded by drug users seeking penalty-free tokes and toots?

That is the fear, if somewhat overstated, of some Mexican officials, especially in northern border states that serve as a mecca for underage drinkers from the United States. Read More... The War Against The 'War on Drugs' Posted by CN Staff on June 20, 2009 at 05:01:38 PT By Sasha Abramsky Source: The Nation Calif. -- As California goes, so goes the nation.

If that old adage still holds true, then the nation may soon see a gradual backpedaling from the criminal justice policies that have led to wholesale incarceration in recent decades. For the most populous state in the union is on the verge of insolvency--partly because it didn't set aside a rainy-day fund during the boom years; partly because its voters recently rejected a series of initiatives that would have allowed a combination of tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing to help stabilize the state's finances during the downturn; partly because it has spent the past quarter-century funneling tens of billions of dollars into an out-of-control correctional system. Now, as California's politicians contemplate emergency cuts to deal with a $24 billion hole in the state budget, old certainties are crumbling. Read More... A Law Everyone in The State Can Feel Good About Posted by on June 18, 2009 at 19:51:35 PT By Bob Kerr Source: Providence Journal Providence, R.I. -- Now that it has overcome Governor Carcieri’s ongoing attempt to impose a statewide ban on compassion, the Rhode Island General Assembly has some questions to answer about these pot shops.

Will they be mom-and-pop operations, where a customer can carry a half-gallon of milk and a bag of chips to the counter, then order an ounce of primo weed along with scratch tickets? Read More... Time To Subsitute Hemp for Oil Posted by on June 18, 2009 at 12:49:03 PT By Dara Colwell, AlterNet Source: AlterNet USA -- As the recession renews interest in the growing hemp marketplace as a potential boon for the green economy -- even Fox Business News has touted it -- hemp is becoming impossible to ignore.

But the plant's potential extends far beyond consumer-generated greenbacks. A low-input, low-impact crop, industrial hemp can play a significant role in our desperate shuffle to avoid catastrophic climate change. Read More... Everybody Must Get Stoned? Posted by on June 18, 2009 at 06:44:41 PT By R.V. Scheide Source: Sacramento News & Review California -- Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I find mainstream newspapers, cash-strapped politicians and libertarian think tanks all on the same page, I tend to get suspicious. Almost nothing good can come from this axis of weasels.

Such is the case with the recent calls for legalizing marijuana, which is being billed as some sort of great awakening but in fact is nothing more than another attempt to pick the people’s pocket. Read More... On Marijuana, Let The States Decide Posted by on June 17, 2009 at 16:51:33 PT Editorial Source: Seattle Times Seattle, WA -- In 2003, Seattle voters approved a ballot measure to make marijuana possession the lowest police priority. Seattle has lived with this rule for more than five years. It is not perfect, but it is a more tolerable rule than the city had before.

We offer the rule to the nation. If "lowest police priority" seems like a muddled concept, it may be that in this case clarity is not a virtue. Read More... Doctor's Note Enough To Grow Pot, Judge Rules Posted by on June 17, 2009 at 10:15:42 PT By Megha Satyanarayana, Free Press Staff Writer Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- After testimony from a Southfield clinic doctor who recommends medical marijuana, a judge in the 43rd District Court in Madison Heights has dismissed felony manufacturing charges against a Madison Heights couple, who were growing plants they thought were legal under the state’s medical marijuana law.

At issue was whether Robert Redden, 59, and Torey Clark, 47, could use a letter from their doctor as authorization to grow a legal number of plants in the absence of the state-sponsored ID program. Read More... Medical Community Split on Marijuana Bill Posted by on June 17, 2009 at 08:16:29 PT By Heather Clark, GateHouse News Service Source: Sussex Countian Delaware -- If a bill before the state Senate is passed, Delaware soon could join 13 other states that have legalized the possession of marijuana for medical use, but while there appears to be significant popular support for the measure, some legislators and physicians aren’t quite ready to jump on the bandwagon.

When Senate Bill 94, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington, was heard in the Senate Health and Social Services Committee earlier this month, not one person testified in opposition to the legislation. Read More... RI Assembly Overrides Veto on Marijuana Centers Posted by on June 16, 2009 at 20:05:03 PT By Donita Naylor & Cynthia Needham, Staff Writers Source: Providence Journal Providence, R.I. -- Rhode Island became the third state in the country Tuesday to allow the sale of marijuana for medical purposes.

The House and Senate easily overrode Governor Carcieri’s veto of bills that would permit up to three dispensaries that advocates have dubbed “compassion centers.” In 2006, the General Assembly permanently legalized the use of medical marijuana. Read More... Another Victory For Marijuana Reformers Posted by on June 16, 2009 at 15:21:41 PT By Chris Good Source: Atlantic Monthly Rhode Island -- In the latest advancement for marijuana law reformers, the Rhode Island state legislature today legalized medical marijuana stores in the state, overriding Gov. Don Carcieri's (R) veto.

The new law will take effect immediately. Legislators voted in favor of the measure by wide margins on several votes today (vetoes of both House and Senate bills had to be overcome in each chamber): 67-0 and 64-0 in two votes in the House, and 35-3 in both House votes. Read More... Is Now The Time To Legalize Pot? Posted by on June 16, 2009 at 09:43:08 PT By Mike Milliard Source: Fairfield Weekly USA -- The Obama administration, already overtaxed with two foreign campaigns, made headlines when it waved a white flag in a fight much closer to home. Gil Kerlikowske, the White House's newly-minted director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy — the so-called drug czar — called for an end to the "War on Drugs."

Granted, Kerlikowske wasn't signaling an intention to lay down arms and pick up a pack of E-Z Widers. His was a semantic shift — a pledge to abandon gung-ho fighting words and imprisonment in favor of treatment. Read More... Mark Kirk To Push Tougher Sentences for Potent Pot Posted by on June 15, 2009 at 12:35:37 PT By Lisa Black, Tribune Reporter Source: Chicago Tribune Illinois -- U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk will call for legislation Monday that would toughen drug-trafficking laws regarding a highly potent form of marijuana, with penalties of up to 25 years in prison for a first-time offense.

The law would target offenders who sell or distribute marijuana that has a THC content exceeding 15 percent, which is between 5 and 10 percentage points higher than average marijuana, according to Kirk's office. Read More... Momentum Builds for Broad Debate on Legalizing Pot Posted by CN Staff on June 15, 2009 at 12:11:29 PT By David Crary, AP National Writer Source: Associated Press New York -- The savage drug war in Mexico. Crumbling state budgets. Weariness with current drug policy. The election of a president who said, "Yes _ I inhaled." These developments and others are kindling unprecedented optimism among the many Americans who want to see marijuana legalized.

Doing so, they contend to an ever-more-receptive audience, could weaken the Mexican cartels now profiting from U.S. pot sales, save billions in law enforcement costs, and generate billions more in tax revenue from one of the nation’s biggest cash crops. Read More... Legal Pot in California in 2010? Posted by on June 15, 2009 at 07:27:01 PT By Don Hazen, AlterNet Source: AlterNet California -- There is a buzz moving through the culture, as the public attitudes around cannabis use are rapidly shifting, that the legalization of marijuana in some states, particularly California, is a growing possibility.

Recent polling by Zogby in May demonstrated that a majority of Americans, say it "makes sense to tax and regulate" marijuana. The Zogby poll, commissioned by the conservative-oriented O'Leary Report, found 52 percent in favor of legalization, only 37 percent opposed. As Ryan Grim reports on the Huffington Post , a previous ABC News/Washington Post poll found 46 percent in support. Read More...

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Highlights
MMJ News & More MMM News CommonSense for Drug Policy Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin WarOnSomeDrugs Drug Policy Alliance Drug Reform Coordination Network Maximizing Harm Cures Not Wars Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine Patients Out of Time

Older News
Pot Panacea? Center Goes Green as Grass Pot Foes, Proponents Eye Michigan's Marijuana Law Carcieri Vetoes Bill Allowing MMJ Dispensaries Smarter Punishment Needed Webbs Bent on Correcting Broken Corrections System A Drug War Truce? A Toke and a Tax Assembly, In Veto-Proof Votes, OKs Dispensaries RI Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill Clarification on Medical Marijuana Policy Find The Right Prescription for Legal Access N.J. Wrestles with Medical Marijuana Legislation Decriminalize Marijuana US Drug Czar Calls for End To 'War on Drugs' Iowa Pharmacy Board Rejects Medical Marijuana Tighter Medical-Marijuana Bill Clears Panel Supporters of Legalized MMJ Gear Up For Fight N.J. Assembly Committee Passes Bill To Allow MMJ Better Rules Needed for Medical Marijuana Marijuana Bill Clears Del. Senate Committee Marijuana Bill Clears Delaware Senate Panel Cannabis Producers Spread Out Across New Mexico L.A.'s Med Pot Dispensary Moratorium Led To a Boom Pot Bill Advocates Remain Hopeful Kristof Asks Readers: Should US Legalize Drugs? MMJ Bill To Appear Before NJ Assembly Committee Doctors Divided on Medical Pot Time is Right To Legalize Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana is a Necessary Compassion Medical Marijuana a Longshot for Ohio Sides Split Over Medical Marijuana Bill Drug Czar's Pot-Potency Claims Go Up In Smoke Northeast States High on Medical Marijuana There's No Such Thing as a 'Gateway Drug' Pot Fight on Ballot? That's Their Plan Medical Marijuana Pilot Gets OK From State Senate MMJ Legislation Narrowly Passes Illinois Senate State Senator Proposes Medical Marijuana Bill Del. Senate Bill Would Legalize Medical Marijuana Drug Czar Says War on Drugs National Health Issue 3 Myths About Marijuana Legalize Marijuana? Not So Fast Marijuana Advocates To Push Initiative New Direction in War on Drugs is Welcome House Passes Plan To Create Marijuana Dispensaries Reasonable Plan To Regulate MMJ Sellers Ohioans Support Medical Marijuana Sick, Dying Need Sensible Marijuana Law Pot and The Pitfalls of Prohibition Supreme Court Hands MMJ Major Victory Difficulty Lingers with Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana is OK'd, But a Veto Looms Supreme Court Action Upholds CA's Medical Pot Law Should Marijuana Be Prescribed in New York? Legislation Seeks To Legalize MMJ in Pennsylvania It's Time To Have Good Debate on Legal Marijuana Legalize It? Medical Evidence Blows Both Ways Staten Island Senator is Behind Push for MMJ Marijuana Proponents Urge Colleges To Mellow Out Legalization? Now for The Hard Question The 'War on Drugs' is Over The New Drug Czar is Right, End The 'War on Drugs' Ending The War on Drugs: The Moment is Now Q&A With The New Drug Czar Marijuana Debate Sharpens White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' HB2160: Jehlen Cosponsors Medical Marijuana Bill A Growing Remedy Committee Adjourns Without Taking Up Pot Bill Confusion Abounds Over Medical Marijuana Make Marijuana Legal Poll Boosts Push for Medical Marijuana in Ohio Pot Proposal's Impact Depends on Federal Law Paralyzed Kountze Man Pushes for MMJ Bill Legalizing Marijuana The Federalist Way A Marijuana Tax as The Next New Revenue Stream? Portland Catches Buzz, Proclaims Pot Awareness Let Iowans Ease Their Pain with Medical Marijuana House Creates Team To Work Out Pot Bill Arizona Could Make Medical Marijuana Reality Kerlikowske Confirmed as U.S. Drug Czar Medical Marijuana Shops Considered Legalize Marijuana? Schwarzenegger Let’s Debate Schwarzenegger Urges a Study on Legalizing MJ Use Marijuana Bill A Long Shot Despite Momentum Schwarzenegger Welcomes Debate Over Legalizing Pot Schwarzenegger: Calif. Should Study Pot Laws Medical Marijuana Debate Goes Local Support Bill Making Medical Marijuana Legal

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Resources
NIDA - Common Drugs of Abuse lists commonly abused psychotropics. U.S. National Library of Medicine is an execellent resource for medical information. For recreational use of psychotropics one will find Hyperreal informative. Drug Sense, Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Reform Coordination Network, and NORML are among the many organizations seeking to reform cannabis laws.

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