Maryland Medical Marijuana Law Signed by Governor →
Baby steps.
Quote:
However, due to its unusually restrictive nature, the state will not be considered one with full access for medicinal use by advocates. “Maryland will not be listed on the National NORML website as being the 19th state to pass legislation for medical marijuana,” a spokesperson for the Maryland chapter of the legalize-it group said. “NORML’s official stance on the bill is that we are not against HB1101, but nor are we in support of it as it does very little to help the patients in Maryland who really need to be able to have safe access now. The bill, we know, will only help a small number of patients and the majority will see no benefit.”
Idaho Lawmakers Take Preemptive Step Against Marijuana →
Lawmakers in Idaho’s state Senate took preemptive action against marijuana acceptance this week, voting overwhelmingly to pass and send to the state House a resolution outlining their opposition to legalizing the substance for any purpose. The GOP-controlled body passed the non-binding measure by a vote of 29 to 5 on Monday, declaring that it believed marijuana to be unhealthy, unsafe, addictive and debilitating, even when used for medicinal purposes.
Michigan Medical Marijuana Patient Refused Placement in Prison Medical Facility Despite Judge's Recommendation →
Quote:
“It’s bad enough that we’re throwing our frail and sick into federal prison with no evidence that they violated state medical marijuana laws,” said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA). “But to deny those patients the most basic medical needs in prison is beyond shameful.” The controversy over the BOP failure to place Duval in a medical facility comes less than year after Montana medical marijuana patient Richard Flor died in federal detention last August while serving a 5-year sentence for a similar conviction. The Justice Department also never provided evidence at any point that Flor had violated Montana’s medical marijuana law.
Rhode Island: Marijuana Decriminalization Law Takes Effect Monday →
Quote:
Legislation signed into law last year decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses takes effecton Monday, April 1.
Presently, possessing cannabis in the Ocean State is classified as a criminal misdemeanor punishable by one year in jail and a $500 maximum fine. Starting Monday, the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by an individual 18 years or older is a non-arrestable civil offense, punishable by a maximum fine of $150 but no jail time, and no criminal record.
Fifteen states have enacted similar decriminalization laws. Three states — Alaska, Colorado, and Washington — impose no criminal or civil penalty for the private possession of small amounts of marijuana. (Colorado had previously decriminalized cannabis possession decades earlier, while Alaska’s legal protections were imposed by the state Supreme Court.)
Similar decriminalization legislation is pending this year in nearly a dozen additional states, including Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas, and Vermont.
Lawmakers in several other states, including Maine, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, are considering separate legislation to legalize the adult consumption of cannabis and regulate its retail production and sale.
There are comments after the article.
ASA wants to help you LEARN YOUR RIGHTS AND EXERCISE THEM! →
Lots of information here.
Quote:
KNOW THE MAGIC WORDS
There are three levels of police interactions, and ASA recommends the safest ways to handle each encounter. There are three sets of magic words to use during a law enforcement encounter.
1) Casual Conversation – During a law enforcement encounter, ask ”Am I being detained or Arrested?”. If you are not being detained or arrested, walk away.
2) Detention - If you are being detained, ask “Why am I being Detained?’ Make them cite the law - and REMEMBER WHAT THEY SAY.
3) Arrest - Say the first two sets of magic words: “I choose to remain silent!” AND “I want to see a lawyer!” Remember to REMAIN SILENT. Law enforcement may try to trick you into talking. Keep in mind they are highly trained in gathering information, Police ARE ALLOWED TO LIE in order to trick you into talking.
If the police are going to conduct any form of search regarding your encounter with them, the third set of magic words to say are: “I do not consent to a search!”
Holder Promises Marijuana Verdict Coming ‘Soon’ →
Quote: “You will hear soon. We’re in the last stages of that review and we’re trying to make a determination as to what the policy ramifications are going to be, what our international obligations are — there are a whole variety of things that go into this determination — but the people of [Colorado] and Washington deserve an answer and you will have one soon.”
End quote.
My take: the people of Washington and Colorado have an answer. They made the answer for themselves on November 6, 2012! Your job as a political appointee is to up hold the will of the people, not your corporate puppet masters.
Dying to Get High: Synthetic Marijuana Severely Disables Teenage Girl →
Quote:
“The prohibition of marijuana has led to the creation of dangerous synthetic substitutions for pot,” said Hudson. “The injuries and hospitalizations of synthetic marijuana users are analogous to those of consumers of bootlegged liquor during the prohibition of alcohol. The legalization of alcohol eliminated this issue and I believe the legalization of marijuana can do the same. It’s sad to see a kid go to the hospital because of a social stigma against natural marijuana.” Definitely a view that will generate some debate, Hudson makes a convincing point; although the issue at hand is the legality of the synthetic marijuana, perhaps the underlying issue lies within the legality of marijuana in general.
Pot Plans: Efforts Surge in Congress to Reform Marijuana Laws →
When I tried pot in desperation, after all the pharmaceuticals had failed to halt my decline, I did not think I would see legalization in my lifetime. I did not realize then, that my health would be so dramatically improved that I would now see my life as only half over.
I am pretty sure I’ll live to see cannabis re-legalized, now.
Quote:
“Congress is frequently a lagging indicator for public opinion,” said Polis. “Public opinion is that it should be up to states and local governments how to deal with marijuana—it’s just a question of how we’re going to catch up, not if.”
Marijuana Scheduling Case Heard By DC Appeals Court →
Quote:
In oral arguments Tuesday, ASA counsel Joe Elford charged that the DEA had ignored accumulating evidence of marijuana’s benefits, and so acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in rejecting the rescheduling petition last year. Federal law requires the agency to take such evidence into account, he said. Elford also accused the Department of Health and Human Services of creating a Catch-22 for medical marijuana advocates by strictly limiting researchers’ access to marijuana, then arguing there is insufficient scientific evidence to merit rescheduling it.
“This game of ‘gotcha’ will continue indefinitely unless this court intervenes,” Elford told the three-judge panel.
5 Ways to Avoid Getting Busted for Pot →
Quote:
If you don’t feel like hanging out with the cops, ask if you’re free to go. If they say “yes,” leave immediately. If they say “no,” then you’re being detained and they will need to prove in court that they had a legal reason to detain you. Even if they search you and find marijuana, the fact that you asked to leave before the search will improve your chances in court, because any evidence found during an illegal detention is not admissible. The legal concepts here get a bit complicated, but just remember that after you refuse a search you should also ask if you can leave.
Page 1 of 4
