Tag Archives: politics

Medical Marijuana Industry and Political News

June 29, 2012   Patrick

There’s no shortage of news to talk about this week with Congress’ decision on Obamacare. We’re looking forward to seeing how this effects medical marijuana patients and access to the medicine in the future. Many see medical marijuana as any other pharmaceutical, yet the government doesn’t usually share that view. It will be interesting to see how it is treated under the Health Care Reform.

Other news around the country:

New Jersey to Grow This Summer. According to Big Buds Magazine, the first of two New Jersey dispensaries is on its way to opening this summer. While Medical Marijuana has been legal in the Garden State for two years, it has taken this long to certify vendors and facilities. The Compassionate Care Facility will employ about 50 people. Read more…

New Hampshire Fails to Override MMJ Veto. SB 409 sought to allow for the personal possession, cultivation, and use of cannabis by qualified patients and was vetoed by Governor John Lynch. While the House largely supported the bill, Senate was more torn and failed to achieve the 2/3 vote needed to override the veto. The veto garnered 13 or the required 16 votes. Read more…

Chicago Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Marijuana. Cannabis Culture: “Supporters said the Chicago measure, which takes effect on August 4, would help raise revenue for the city, save money and free up police to pursue more serious crimes..The issue of deploying police to handle more serious crimes is particularly pressing this year in Chicago, which has seen a 37 percent spike in its murder rate.” Read more…

In related news, check out this great graphic from The Chicago Reader about how 86% of those arrested in Chicago for marijuana possession are black (click to enlarge):

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Medical Marijuana Industry and Political News

June 22, 2012   Patrick

It seems that this week had more bad news than good in the political sphere of medical marijuana, but we keep the faith that the great work of MMJ and legalization supporters will pay off in the end. We’ll be writing soon about our favorite blogs and Facebook groups that you should be following, too! This week, our favorite senior activist faces prison (again), North Carolina democrats makes a step in the right direction, and New York republicans stop a positive bill.

NC Dems Want to Legalize MMJ
At the North Carolina Democratic Party Convention last weekend, members supporter the decriminalization of medical marijuana use in the state. Many supporters believe it will cut down on crime while lowering costs for patients and raising tax money for the state.Another resolution from supporters would allow Norht Carolina farmers to grow industrial hemp. Via Toke of the Town.

Dispensaries Don’t Increase Crime
The DEA and Law Enforcement like to cite crime as a reason for criminalizing dispensaries, an argument which appears to be unfounded. A study by the National Institutes of Health conducted at UCLA found that neighborhoods with dispensaries had no predisposition to increased crime compared to any neighborhood without a dispensary. The study was conducted in Sacramento. Via High Times.

Robert Platshorn May Return to Prison
We recently wrote about The Silver Tour, run by Robert Plathorn, who spent 30 years in prison for nonviolent possession of marijuana. He educates seniors on why they should vote for medical marijuana, and seems to be targeted for his cause. His former parole officer allowed the use of cannabis oil in the treatment of his skin cancer, but his new parole officer wants to imprison him for a positive drug test caused by the oil. He is currently banned from travelling, despite the fact that speaking engagements makes up 80% of his salary. Via 420 Magazine.

NY Reps Shoot Down Decriminalization Bill
We reported last week that the New York State Assembly approved a medical marijuana possession bill. Earlier this month, New York Governor Cuomo proposed a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, much like Rhode Island’s recently passed bill. This proposal has been shot down by Republicans, who say “We do not support decriminalization.” 82% of the 53,124 people arrested last year in New York for possession were blacks or Hispanic. Via Kush Magazine.

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Forthcoming Obama Biography Reveals Details of Regular Marijuana Use

June 04, 2012   Patrick
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Drug Policy Alliance

A forthcoming biography on President Obama is making headlines, with new details about the president smoking marijuana with his teenage friends in Hawaii.

David Maraniss’ book, “Barack Obama: The Story,” describes Obama as a marijuana enthusiast: “When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted ‘Intercepted!’ and took an extra hit,” Maraniss writes. Maraniss also describes Obama’s technique of “roof hits” while hot-boxing cars. “When the pot was gone, they tilted their heads back and sucked in the last bit of smoke from the ceiling,” he writes. Obama has been less than shy about his drug use in the past, writing about the topic in “Dreams from My Father.” “Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it,” he writes in the memoir.

While Obama’s term began with great promise for drug policy reformers, in the past two years it has been difficult to distin¬guish Obama’s drug policies from those of his White House predecessors. Although President Obama has acknowledged that legalization is “an entirely legitimate topic for debate” – the first time a sitting president has made such a statement – his administra¬tion has made a string of increasingly disappointing moves over the last year. Half of all U.S. drug arrests are for marijuana – more than 850,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana in 2010 alone, 88 percent for mere possession.  Read more.

 

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