Cannabis News

“What we've effectively got now is de facto decriminalization of marijuana,” White stated in a press release. “That is not what the people of this state voted for.” Read More... Panel of 14 To Design Medical Marijuana System Posted by on November 07, 2009 at 06:26:38 PT By Susan M. Cover, Staff Writer Source: Kennebec Journal Augusta, Maine -- Gov. John Baldacci on Friday signed an executive order to create a 14-member task force that will help apply an expansion of the state's medical-marijuana law.

"Creating a new pharmaceutical distribution system is a complicated undertaking," he said in a statement. "Our goal is to follow the spirit and intent of the law while avoiding unintended consequences that could create serious problems in the future." Read More... Medical Marijuana Users Can Breathe Easy Posted by on November 06, 2009 at 11:51:46 PT By Meaghan Daniels, Vanguard Staff Source: Daily Vanguard Oregon -- Welcome back to the good days, where state laws mean something and people who abide by them don’t get hassled by the federal government. The Justice Department announced that in states allowing medical marijuana, users and suppliers will not fall victim to federal prosecutors, so long as they’re in line with state rules.

This new policy does not mean a free-for-all, because prosecutors will continue to target those who are actually breaking the state law, which is why they are there…right? Read More... Legalizing Marijuana for Dummies Posted by on November 06, 2009 at 05:05:10 PT By Roger Marolt, The Aspen Times Source: Aspen Times Colorado -- Marijuana is safer to use than alcohol. Yes, and driving 80 mph through a school zone at three in the afternoon is safer than doing it with the speedometer buried. Neither of these arguments has been proven absolutely true, but convincing evidence can be compiled to make each case.

So, it is no wonder that the former is one of the common arguments put forth in the quest to legalize pot. It is safer to be stoned than drunk. Read More... Save The Pot Dealers! Posted by on November 05, 2009 at 16:12:13 PT By Joel Stein Source: Time Magazine California -- Some dude outside my supermarket just asked me to sign a petition to legalize marijuana. Apparently he was so high that he forgot he's in California, where pot is already more legal than budget-balancing. Last year I was granted a medical-marijuana license, even though I'm healthy and I don't smoke weed. I went to a doctor's office that consisted of a desk, a TV, two cans of air freshener and a man wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt. I told Dr. Magnum P.I. about my constant anxiety, insomnia and headaches--two more conditions than any previous patient had bothered to mention. Read More... Medical Marijuana Shops Abound in California Posted by CN Staff on November 05, 2009 at 14:31:15 PT By Marcus Wohlsen and Greg Risling, AP Writers Source: Associated Press California -- The medical marijuana dispensary in this California wine country town is in a former auto dealership, and has more registered patients than the town has residents. Los Angeles has more pot shops than Starbucks or schools. The surge in medical marijuana in California has left many communities scrambling to regulate the free-for-all, while others are trying to ban the drug altogether. The issue took on greater urgency after the Obama administration announced looser federal marijuana guidelines last month. Read More... The Futility of Pot Prohibition Posted by on November 05, 2009 at 08:44:24 PT Editorial Source: Ventura County Reporter USA -- Seventy-two years ago, the federal government took marijuana off the market through the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, based on various reports and hearings about the effects of the substance, which included testimonies that cannabis caused “murder, insanity and death.” Although the act did not criminalize the usage or possession of the herb, it levied a tax of about one dollar for anyone who dealt it and included penalty provisions and complex rules of enforcement that, if they weren’t followed, would lead to heavy fines and even prison time. The act made it extremely difficult to sell pot and increased the risk in doing so. Read More... More Ski Towns May Vote To Change Pot Laws Posted by on November 05, 2009 at 06:08:13 PT By Brent Gardner-Smith, ADN Staff Writer Source: Aspen Daily News Colorado -- While Pitkin County and Aspen have long had a reputation for a casual approach to drug enforcement, it may be Durango that is the next Colorado ski town to legalize adult possession of up to an ounce of pot and the paraphernalia used to smoke it.

A group called Sensible Durango is preparing to put a ballot question in front of Durango voters in November 2010. “We’re pretty confident it will pass like it did in Breckenridge,” said Corey Chavez of Sensible Durango. Read More... States Should Decide Usage Laws Posted by on November 05, 2009 at 04:54:14 PT Opinion Source: Buffalo News New York -- At last, some common sense about medical marijuana, and from the federal government, no less. Unlike its interventionist predecessor, the Obama administration has decided to be conservative about this controversial issue, and leave state business to the states.

We don’t know that California and the other states that have legalized marijuana for medical use as a pain reliever have done the right thing, but we always found it odd that the putatively conservative Bush administration insisted on thrashing around in a matter that was not its business. The Constitution leaves matters like that to the states, and the conservative approach would be to hew to the Constitution. Read More... Medical Marijuana Access Law OK’d Posted by on November 04, 2009 at 18:10:00 PT By Meg Haskell, BDN Staff Source: Bangor Daily News Bangor -- Mainers who use marijuana to relieve the symptoms of certain medical conditions will have easier access to the drug after voters approved Question 5 on Tuesday’s statewide referendum ballot.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting at about 1:04 a.m. Wednesday, the measure was winning 58.61 percent to 41.39 percent. Statewide, the number of votes was 293,694 in favor to 207,419 opposed. Read More... A New Era for U.S. Drug Policy? Posted by CN Staff on November 04, 2009 at 15:41:07 PT By Ken Millstone Source: CBS News CBS -- Ethan Nadelmann is feeling good. Really good. As the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Nadelmann has long advocated for the liberalization of U.S. drug laws -- specifically, making marijuana legal, regulated and taxed and ending criminal penalties on the possession and use of all other drugs.

For most of that time the Alliance has been relegated to the fringe of serious policy discussions, a space long occupied - or so the stereotype goes - by radical libertarians and readers of the marijuana enthusiast magazine High Times. Read More... Maine Becomes 5th State To Allow Pot Dispensaries Posted by CN Staff on November 04, 2009 at 14:26:10 PT By Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press Maine -- Voters approved a referendum making Maine the fifth state to allow retail pot dispensaries, but medical marijuana advocates say it won't become like California, where hundreds of marijuana shops have popped up and come under critical scrutiny.

California, Colorado, New Mexico and Rhode Island allow for places where medical marijuana patients can legally buy pot. Maine voters gave their approval Tuesday, 59 percent to 41 percent. Read More... Colorado Alters Pot Rule, Alarming Some Posted by on November 04, 2009 at 05:09:02 PT By Tom McGhee, The Denver Post Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- Colorado health officials on Tuesday temporarily struck the definition of "caregiver" from rules governing sales of medical marijuana, which providers say may make it harder for patients to buy pot legally.

Last summer, the state Board of Health defined a list of duties, such as grocery shopping or meal preparation, that an individual could perform that would qualify him or her as a patient's caregiver and thus legally eligible to sell medical marijuana. The language also made it possible to qualify if the only service the person provided was selling pot. Read More... Medical Marijuana Proposal Approved Posted by CN Staff on November 04, 2009 at 04:14:45 PT By David Hench, Portland Press Herald Source: Kennebec Journal Maine -- A proposal to expand the availability of medical marijuana in Maine was headed for passage late Tuesday night. Question 5 would expand Maine's medical marijuana law to permit marijuana to be used for treatment of many more conditions, and to create a system in which patients can get the drug from nonprofit dispensaries.

With 136 precincts reporting statewide, 22 percent, the proposal was leading 71,620 to 43,244 -- a 62 percent to 38 percent edge. Read More... Breckenridge Voters OK Marijuana Decriminalization Posted by CN Staff on November 03, 2009 at 19:28:03 PT By Robert Allen Source: Summit Daily News Colorado -- Breckenridge residents voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and paraphernalia Tuesday under town law. In early returns, some 72 percent of voters approved the measure.

The vote means that, effective Jan. 1, people 21 and up in Breckenridge will be able to legally possess one ounce or less of the drug. Possession remains illegal under state law, but Breckenridge Police Chief Rick Holman said his department will “still have the ability to exercise discretion.” Read More... CO Health Board Backs Off Medical Marijuana Rule Posted by CN Staff on November 03, 2009 at 16:30:09 PT By Ivan Moreno, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press Denver -- Colorado health officials on Tuesday narrowed the definition of who may sell marijuana for medical reasons, reacting to a state court ruling that caregivers must have personal contact with clients and do more for their welfare than simply supply the drug.

Medical marijuana users and suppliers said they worry the state health board's decision will make it harder for patients to obtain marijuana, and more expensive for dispensaries to operate. Read More... Health Department Changes Marijuana Caregiver Rule Posted by on November 03, 2009 at 15:24:07 PT By Tom McGhee, The Denver Post Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- Colorado health officials on Tuesday temporarily revised rules governing medical marijuana in order to comply with a court decision that said a supplier must do more than give patients marijuana to qualify as a caregiver.

The rule change — and the scant public notice given to the meeting where the state Board of Health passed it unanimously — drew fire from lawyers who represent medical marijuana patients, growers and dispensary owners. Read More... Look at Problems with Medical Pot in California Posted by on November 03, 2009 at 11:01:13 PT By Charlotte Eby, Globe Des Moines Bureau Source: Globe-Gazette Des Moines -- The White House’s drug czar said Monday that Iowa officials should look at the problems California has seen after allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes as they consider the idea here.

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, specifically cited problems regulating the clinics in the Los Angeles area that dispense medical marijuana. Read More... Medical Pot Creates Workplace Dilemma Posted by on November 03, 2009 at 06:58:34 PT By Kathleen Gray, Free Press Staff Writer Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- Steven Karapandza says his use of prescription marijuana to help ease the pain of daily migraine headaches is none of his boss' business. He never smokes pot on the job. He doesn't come to work high, and he gets his work done without fail, he said.

"In my mind, it's like any other medication," said Karapandza, 28, a Sterling Heights resident and cell phone repairman. "You wouldn't go up to your boss and tell him you've got a prescription for Vicodin." Karapandza is among 5,108 Michiganders registered as medical marijuana users since a new law passed last fall by voters took effect in April. Read More... Drug Czar: Marijuana Clinics Difficult To Regulate Posted by on November 03, 2009 at 05:21:46 PT By Tony Leys Source: Des Moines Register Des Moines -- Iowans should consider what's going on in California before deciding whether to allow marijuana use for medical purposes, the nation's drug czar said in Des Moines Monday.

"A number of communities, particularly in the Los Angeles area, are having a great deal of difficulty regulating the clinics," said R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Read More... Boulder Targets Medical Marijuana Posted by on November 02, 2009 at 19:44:25 PT By Heath Urie, Camera Staff Writer Source: Daily Camera Colorado -- Boulder officials are proposing sweeping regulations, or perhaps an outright ban, on the city's 20 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. Fears of increased violence, robberies, sales of marijuana to minors and a lack of zoning and sales-tax rules are all reasons cited in a city memo for imposing new rules aimed at curbing the legal marijuana industry.

The Boulder Planning Board will take up the issue Thursday, drafting a set of regulations to recommend to the City Council. A city memo released this week outlines several options that the city could pursue. They include: Read More... The End of Prohibition Posted by on November 02, 2009 at 18:06:00 PT By Jacob Weisberg Source: Slate USA -- "I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D. Roosevelt said upon signing a bill that made 3.2-percent lager legal again, some months ahead of the full repeal of Prohibition. I hope Barack Obama will come up with some comparably witty remarks as he presides over the dismantling of our contemporary forms of prohibition—laws that prevent gay marriage, restrict cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, and ban travel to Cuba. "You may now kiss the groom," perhaps, or—a version of the comment he once made about smoking pot—"I inhaled—that was the point." Read More... Rockies Ski Town To Vote Tuesday on Legalizing Pot Posted by CN Staff on November 02, 2009 at 04:08:06 PT By Kristen Wyatt, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Breckenridge, Colo. -- Voters in this Rocky Mountain resort town will decide Tuesday whether to legalize pot for all adults at a time when the movement to allow medical marijuana is gaining steam around the country.

A measure before Breckenridge voters in a municipal election would legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana along with bongs, pipes and other pot paraphernalia. Supporters of the measure say it would inch the whole state closer to full legalization. Read More... Stop The Medical Marijuana Madness Posted by on November 02, 2009 at 03:53:36 PT By Robert J. Corry Jr. Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- Today, not much about Colorado's economy moves. The state is broke and releases prisoners because it cannot afford to keep them. The governor slashes the higher education budget 40 percent. People lose jobs, homes and financial security. Our leaders face serious issues.

And what keeps some politicians up at night? That sneaking suspicion that some suffering cancer patient may gain limited pain relief through medical marijuana, coupled with that gnawing certainty that someone, somewhere, actually grew the plant for that patient. Read More... It's Time To End This Modern Prohibition Posted by CN Staff on November 01, 2009 at 04:18:42 PT By Cynthia Tucker Source: Appeal-Democrat USA -- Forty years ago, President Richard Nixon used the unfortunate phrase "War on Drugs," launching a misguided crusade that has encouraged street violence, eaten away at state budgets and packed our prisons with nonviolent offenders.

The nation's punitive approach to drugs has turned us into a penal colony. We lock up more of our citizens per capita than brutal dictators like Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro. Read More... Cash for Kush? Posted by on October 31, 2009 at 14:31:17 PT By Josh Richman, Oakland Tribune Source: Contra Costa Times California -- Just in from Stockton, Mary parks her car and enters the downtown Oakland coffeehouse — but she hasn't come all this way for a cup of joe.

Instead, she peruses a menu of dozens of strains and preparations of marijuana, all grown in California, all taxed, all legal. Producing a wad of cash and proof of her age — but no doctor's note — for a fragrant ounce of "purple kush," she departs a satisfied customer, perhaps grabbing a snack at a nearby restaurant before hitting the highway. Read More... Medical Pot: a Tangled Proposition Posted by on October 31, 2009 at 06:13:25 PT By Gregory J. Sullivan, Staff Writer Source: Times of Trenton Trenton -- As New Jersey continues its movement toward enactment of the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, the no-federal-prosecution policy shift announced by the Obama administration should be given close scrutiny. This scrutiny is required because of the unraveling of the medical-marijuana situation in Los Angeles and other cities in California, which threatens to undo this entire reform effort.

The United States Justice Department has just instructed all federal prosecutors not to prosecute the use of medical marijuana in the 14 states where it is sanctioned so long as its use complies with state law. Read More... Legislature Must Address Pot Laws Posted by on October 31, 2009 at 05:01:05 PT Denver Post Editorial Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- If there was any doubt that Colorado's medical marijuana law needs greater clarity and definition, a Colorado Court of Appeals ruling issued this week blew that equivocation away.

The court said a medical marijuana "caregiver" must be more than a grower, and also points out that under the current legal framework, growers have no legal way of providing medicinal pot to caregivers and patients. What a mess. Read More... Court Says MMJ Growers Must Have Patient Contact Posted by on October 30, 2009 at 06:19:01 PT By Felisa Cardona, The Denver Post Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- The Colorado Court of Appeals redefined the role of medical-marijuana caregivers Thursday in a ruling that says growers must have more meaningful contact with patients than simply providing the drug.

The court upheld the conviction of Stacy Clendenin, who in 2006 was charged with cultivation of marijuana in her Longmont home, which is a felony. Clendenin argued that the marijuana she grew was distributed to authorized medical-marijuana patients through dispensaries. The court found that Clendenin needed to know the patients. Read More... The Green Light Posted by on October 30, 2009 at 05:03:43 PT Editorial Source: Brown Daily Herald Rhode Island -- On Oct. 19, the Justice Department circulated a memorandum to federal prosecutors in Rhode Island and the other 13 medical marijuana states instructing them not to prosecute individuals using medical marijuana or those involved in dispensary operations that are “in clear and unambiguous compliance” with state laws. The move was hailed by medical marijuana advocates such as Stephen Gutwillig, California state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, who called it “an extremely welcome rhetorical de-escalation of the federal government’s long-standing war on medical marijuana patients.” We generally approve of ending wars but, as Americans have learned recently, winning the peace can be just as important. 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
Putting a Lid on Pot Sales in L.A. Why Is Pot Legalization Still Taboo? Calif. Lawmaker Holds Hearing on Legalizing Pot Calif. Marijuana Legalization Debate at Capitol House Overrides, Senate Upholds MMJ Veto CA MJ Ban Gets Legislative Review After 96 Years Push To Legalize Marijuana Gains Ground in Calif. Montana Issues License To Grow Hemp One City's Insane Fight Against Obama's Pot Policy Farr Seeks Additional Protection for MMJ Users Override Lynch on Medical Pot Bill Q& A: With MMJ On The Back Burner What Do We Know? Questions About Pot States Pressed Into New Role on Marijuana Alaska's Medical Marijuana Policy Stays Intact Legalized Marijuana? We May Already Be On The Way Legal Walls are Mounting Against War on Drugs Pennsylvania Should Move Now on Medical Marijuana As We See It: The Real Criminals Marijuana Should Be Approved For The Seriously Ill Easing Their Pain Medicinal Pot Issue Lingers in Maine First Give The Okay To MMJ Then Find a Safe Supply Reefer Reform The Need for Unambiguous Legislation Fed Memo Renews MMJ Push on Beacon Hill LA Could Act on Medical Pot in Early November Clear The Air on Marijuana Rules Reining in DEA Will Help Those Who Rely on MMJ From Obama, Sanity on Marijuana Policy Feds Limit Prosecution for Medical Marijuana LA City Council To Rush Vote on Medical Pot Law A Brief History of Medical Marijuana Good Sense On Medical Marijuana Up In Smoke Medical Marijuana Advocates' Hope Renewed Official Won’t Fight Medical Pot Users A Woman's Crusade To Legalize Marijuana U.S. Backs Off Medical Marijuana Policy Judge Rules Ban on New MMJ Dispensaries is Invalid U.S. Eases Stance on Medical Marijuana Looser Guidelines Leave Questions Justice To Stop Pursuit of Medical Marijuana Use Calif. Judge Backs Cannabis Clubs Support To Legalize Medical Marijuana in New York U.S. Relaxes Opposition To Medical Marijuana Justice Dept. To Stop Pursuit Of Medical Marijuana A Federal About-Face on Medical Marijuana Obama's Commendable Change in Federal Drug Policy Obama Administration Issues New Policy on MMJ New Medical Marijuana Policy Issued Marijuana Proven Effective in Treating Cancer L.A. Prepares for Clash Over Marijuana How Oakland Is Leading Marijuana Legalization The Pro-Drug Czar The Wild West of Weed A Law Enforcement View on Marijuana Where To Go To Sow Protest? DEA Grass Advocates Point To Marijuana as Potential Revenue Pot-Legalization Backers Fund Question 5 Effort Justices Weigh Rules on Recovering Seized Assets Eclectic Groups Aspire To Be Marijuana Providers The High Cost of Empty Prisons LA DA Plans All-Out Assault on City's Dispensaries 'Timing is Right' for Hemp, State Senator Says Marijuana Licensing Fails To Chase The Shadows LA County DA Prepares To Crack Down on Pot Outlets NY's Rockefeller Drug Law Reform Takes Effect Some Show Support for Legalization of Marijuana State’s Top Cop Has Concerns About Med Marijuana Pot Legalization Gains Momentum in California Exploring The State’s MMJ Law After Five Years Marijuana Hearing Begins Today in Iowa City For The Cartels, An Economic Battle Rules Proposed for City's Marijuana Clinics Medical Marijuana Supporters Rally at Capitol L.A.'s Reefer Madness Opposition To Marijuana Ballot Initiative Forms Colorado, California Leading The Way in Reform Marijuana Under Microscope MMJ Event at Wayne State Spotlights State Law Pennsylvania Needs To Legalize Medical Marijuana Legal-Pot Backers Split on Timing The Cannabis Question Some Officials Challenge Legality of MMJ Sales Marijuana in America: More Mainstream Than Ever Fog-Shrouded Pot Farms in Quiet SF Neighborhood Boulder DA: Enforcing Pot Laws is Lowest Priority 2 Marijuana Initiative Drives Under Way Sen. Scott Brown Out of Joint WAMMfest Goes Off Without a Hitch

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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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