Marijuana bales found bobbing off Dana Point under investigation
May 21st, 2012
Authorities were trying to determine how 160 bales of marijuana got into the Pacific Ocean off Orange County.
Doctors Seek New Approach for Jailed Addicts
May 21st, 2012Floating: $3.6M marijuana find
May 21st, 2012
Harbor Patrol officers found nearly 8,000 pounds worth of marijuana floating off the coast of Orange County, Calif., on Sunday, according to reports.
More Fines For Corrupt Politicians
May 20th, 2012Public officials in New Mexico who commit a felony will have more to lose starting Wednesday.
Those convicted in public corruption cases could be required to repay their salaries and forfeit their accumulated state pension benefits.
A new state law gives judges the authority to increase the basic sentence by adding those penalties.
Legislators approved the bill without any dissenting votes and Gov. Susana Martinez signed it in February.
The corruption crackdown is one of 19 state laws that go into effect Wednesday.
Another of the new laws creates a fund to cover the costs of New Mexico's medical marijuana program.
Companies licensed to provide cannabis for medical treatment pay the state fees of $10,000 to $30,000 a year. Rather than that money going into the state's general account, it will be maintained by the Department of Health to pay for administration of the medical marijuana program.
"It means the few New Mexico taxpayers who objected to their money going toward the medical marijuana program no longer have to worry," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque.
New Mexico has about 4,300 patients registered to use medical marijuana.
Also going on the books is a law to improve care for stroke patients, especially residents of rural areas.
It authorizes the state Department of Health to certify any acute-care hospital as a primary or comprehensive stroke center, provided that the hospital has been accredited.
"The result will be more access to critical care," said one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City. He teamed up with Republican Rep. Conrad James of Albuquerque to write the bill.
It allows the secretary of health to adopt rules to assist and encourage primary stroke centers to enter into coordinated care agreements with other health-care providers throughout the state.
This will be accomplished without any increase in the state's costs, Morales said.
Other new laws include:
• Turning the K-3 Plus pilot project into a permanent program of the state Public Education Department. The program adds a minimum of 25 instructional days for disadvantaged students in grades kindergarten through 3.
Legislative analysts say third-graders who participated in K-3 Plus for at least a year gained 7.5 points in reading, 43 points in writing and 12 points in math compared to those who did not enter the program.
• Extending for five more years a tax break at New Mexico State University.
It is a deduction from the gross receipts tax for gate admissions at non-athletic events. Legislators first granted the tax exception in 2007 because administrators at NMSU said they were at a competitive disadvantage with the University of Texas at El Paso in booking entertainment.
The new deduction on gross receipts taxes for NMSU lasts through June 30, 2017. Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces, and Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, sponsored the bill.
• Increasing from two to four the number of hunting permits for bighorn rams that will be raffled or sold through a lottery.
The stakes are high. A lottery for one bighorn hunting permit once brought the state $190,000, according to the Department of Game and Fish.
Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, sponsored the bill. Legislators estimate that the bighorn permits and attendant federal matching funds will bring the state about $800,000. All of the money will go back into programs to help the bighorn sheep grow stronger in New Mexico. Bighorns were removed last year from the state's endangered species list.
• Clarifying a tax break for a uranium enrichment plant near the southeastern New Mexico town of Eunice. With this change, the plant's utility customers will not be taxed if they sell a uranium compound before it is enriched.
Utility companies send uranium hexafluoride to the plant as part of a process for producing nuclear power plant fuel.
• Elimination of the Office of Child Development in the Children, Youth and Families Department.
• Making the New Mexico School for the Deaf and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired eligible to seek money for certain capital projects. Sen. Cynthia Nava, D-Las Cruces, sponsored the bill establishing this change.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: alamogordonews.com
Author: Milan Simonich
Contact: Contact Us - Alamogordo Daily News
Website: More fines for corrupt politicians - Alamogordo Daily News
Those convicted in public corruption cases could be required to repay their salaries and forfeit their accumulated state pension benefits.
A new state law gives judges the authority to increase the basic sentence by adding those penalties.
Legislators approved the bill without any dissenting votes and Gov. Susana Martinez signed it in February.
The corruption crackdown is one of 19 state laws that go into effect Wednesday.
Another of the new laws creates a fund to cover the costs of New Mexico's medical marijuana program.
Companies licensed to provide cannabis for medical treatment pay the state fees of $10,000 to $30,000 a year. Rather than that money going into the state's general account, it will be maintained by the Department of Health to pay for administration of the medical marijuana program.
"It means the few New Mexico taxpayers who objected to their money going toward the medical marijuana program no longer have to worry," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque.
New Mexico has about 4,300 patients registered to use medical marijuana.
Also going on the books is a law to improve care for stroke patients, especially residents of rural areas.
It authorizes the state Department of Health to certify any acute-care hospital as a primary or comprehensive stroke center, provided that the hospital has been accredited.
"The result will be more access to critical care," said one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City. He teamed up with Republican Rep. Conrad James of Albuquerque to write the bill.
It allows the secretary of health to adopt rules to assist and encourage primary stroke centers to enter into coordinated care agreements with other health-care providers throughout the state.
This will be accomplished without any increase in the state's costs, Morales said.
Other new laws include:
• Turning the K-3 Plus pilot project into a permanent program of the state Public Education Department. The program adds a minimum of 25 instructional days for disadvantaged students in grades kindergarten through 3.
Legislative analysts say third-graders who participated in K-3 Plus for at least a year gained 7.5 points in reading, 43 points in writing and 12 points in math compared to those who did not enter the program.
• Extending for five more years a tax break at New Mexico State University.
It is a deduction from the gross receipts tax for gate admissions at non-athletic events. Legislators first granted the tax exception in 2007 because administrators at NMSU said they were at a competitive disadvantage with the University of Texas at El Paso in booking entertainment.
The new deduction on gross receipts taxes for NMSU lasts through June 30, 2017. Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces, and Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, sponsored the bill.
• Increasing from two to four the number of hunting permits for bighorn rams that will be raffled or sold through a lottery.
The stakes are high. A lottery for one bighorn hunting permit once brought the state $190,000, according to the Department of Game and Fish.
Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, sponsored the bill. Legislators estimate that the bighorn permits and attendant federal matching funds will bring the state about $800,000. All of the money will go back into programs to help the bighorn sheep grow stronger in New Mexico. Bighorns were removed last year from the state's endangered species list.
• Clarifying a tax break for a uranium enrichment plant near the southeastern New Mexico town of Eunice. With this change, the plant's utility customers will not be taxed if they sell a uranium compound before it is enriched.
Utility companies send uranium hexafluoride to the plant as part of a process for producing nuclear power plant fuel.
• Elimination of the Office of Child Development in the Children, Youth and Families Department.
• Making the New Mexico School for the Deaf and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired eligible to seek money for certain capital projects. Sen. Cynthia Nava, D-Las Cruces, sponsored the bill establishing this change.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: alamogordonews.com
Author: Milan Simonich
Contact: Contact Us - Alamogordo Daily News
Website: More fines for corrupt politicians - Alamogordo Daily News
100 Bales Of Marijuana Found Off Dana Point Coast
May 20th, 2012Authorities say they seized 100 bales of marijuana found off the coast of Orange County on Sunday.
Maritime law enforcement authorities said they received a tip just before noon about suspicious bales floating off the coast of Dana Point. The Orange County Sheriff's Department recovered the bales and turned the narcotics over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Authorities said an investigation is under way.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: abclocal.com
Author: abc7
Contact: Contact KABC-TV | ABC7 E-mail Form | abc7.com
Website: 100 bales of marijuana found off Dana Point coast | abc7.com
Maritime law enforcement authorities said they received a tip just before noon about suspicious bales floating off the coast of Dana Point. The Orange County Sheriff's Department recovered the bales and turned the narcotics over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Authorities said an investigation is under way.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: abclocal.com
Author: abc7
Contact: Contact KABC-TV | ABC7 E-mail Form | abc7.com
Website: 100 bales of marijuana found off Dana Point coast | abc7.com
Why I Want A Marijuana Dispensary Near My Kids’ School
May 20th, 2012By Tamar Todd, the mother of three wonderful children and a staff attorney for the Drug Policy Alliance.
Last week, one of California’s oldest and most respected medical marijuana dispensaries, Berkeley Patients Group, closed its doors. It shut down because its landlord, like dozens across the state, received a letter from United States Attorney Melinda Haag threatening to seize the property for renting to a medical marijuana dispensary located within 1,000 feet of a school. My three children attend elementary school and preschool in West Berkeley, just blocks from Berkeley Patients Group. The notion that the closure of Berkeley Patients Group is going to somehow serve to protect my children is patently absurd.
Berkeley Patients Group served thousands of medical marijuana patients in the Berkeley area for 12 years. It was an industry leader and a model of compassion and legal integrity. It was in strict compliance with state and local law, and has long worked with the City of Berkeley and the local community to provide a safe and responsible service to patients in need. As a small business, it employed 75 people and was one of the top sales tax generators in the city.
Ms. Haag has claimed that one of her concerns about dispensaries that are in close proximity to schools and parks and playgrounds is the possibility they could be the target of violence or armed robbery. Banks and pharmacies are also targets of armed robberies and there are a number of them located in West Berkeley. Like Berkeley Patients Group, they have security. There is no evidence to suggest, and I have never felt, that it is dangerous to send my children to a school that happened to be near a bank, or a pharmacy.
West Berkeley is not crime-free. There have been a number of shootings in the blocks surrounding my children’s elementary school in past several years. There is also significant illicit drug traffic in the neighborhood. The two are likely connected. But thus far, Ms. Haag and the federal government have devoted few, if any, resources to protecting children from gun violence or other crime in West Berkeley.
Instead, Ms. Haag has chosen to use her presumably limited resources to deprive the thousands of patients who frequent Berkeley Patients Group a legal, regulated, secure place to purchase desperately needed medicine. Of course, the closure of Berkeley Patients Group does not mean that these thousands of people will stop buying and using medical marijuana. They are sick, in pain, and are allowed to purchase and consume marijuana under settled California law (a law that was approved by voters overwhelmingly). Ms. Haag says that she is not going after medical marijuana patients. But she must understand that patients will now simply have to find marijuana elsewhere, from the streets, and near schools and parks. Ms. Haag has not made these areas safer; she has simply increased the demand for an illegal and dangerous drug market.
Ms. Haag also claims that her crackdown on dispensaries is necessary because of problematic marijuana use by high school students. The reality is that between 1996 (when California passed its medical marijuana law) and 2008 there was an overall decrease in teens’ marijuana use. An analysis commissioned by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs found “no evidence” to support the claim that legalization of medical marijuana in California increased marijuana use during this period. Providing thousands of new customers to illegal drug sellers on the street might increase access to marijuana by teenagers. The existence of Berkeley Patients Group, and other well-regulated small businesses across the state, does not.
Most offensive is the notion that legal access to medical marijuana sends the wrong message to kids. I find the existence of legal medical marijuana very easy to explain to my children. This is what I tell them: Research and science matter. The opinions of medical professionals matter. We should have compassion for those who are very sick, and even for those who are just a little sick; for those suffering the effects of chemotherapy or for returning veterans suffering from PTSD; that we should help meet people’s needs and ease pain as best we can (even if it goes against the conventional wisdom or drug war ideology). I tell my children that it is better for people to buy marijuana from a safe, well-regulated source, than on the street.
I tell my children that the lives of children in Mexico matter too, where United States drug policy has led to the narcotics-related murders of nearly 50,000 people over the last five years, including thousands of children. That is the harm to children caused by marijuana prohibition, and a drug market that Ms. Haag’s actions directly fuel. The “threat” posed by Berkeley Patients Group, and other dispensaries like it, pales in comparison.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: berkeleyside.com
Author: Tamar Todd
Contact: Berkeleyside
Website: Why I want a marijuana dispensary near my kids’ school | Berkeleyside
Last week, one of California’s oldest and most respected medical marijuana dispensaries, Berkeley Patients Group, closed its doors. It shut down because its landlord, like dozens across the state, received a letter from United States Attorney Melinda Haag threatening to seize the property for renting to a medical marijuana dispensary located within 1,000 feet of a school. My three children attend elementary school and preschool in West Berkeley, just blocks from Berkeley Patients Group. The notion that the closure of Berkeley Patients Group is going to somehow serve to protect my children is patently absurd.
Berkeley Patients Group served thousands of medical marijuana patients in the Berkeley area for 12 years. It was an industry leader and a model of compassion and legal integrity. It was in strict compliance with state and local law, and has long worked with the City of Berkeley and the local community to provide a safe and responsible service to patients in need. As a small business, it employed 75 people and was one of the top sales tax generators in the city.
Ms. Haag has claimed that one of her concerns about dispensaries that are in close proximity to schools and parks and playgrounds is the possibility they could be the target of violence or armed robbery. Banks and pharmacies are also targets of armed robberies and there are a number of them located in West Berkeley. Like Berkeley Patients Group, they have security. There is no evidence to suggest, and I have never felt, that it is dangerous to send my children to a school that happened to be near a bank, or a pharmacy.
West Berkeley is not crime-free. There have been a number of shootings in the blocks surrounding my children’s elementary school in past several years. There is also significant illicit drug traffic in the neighborhood. The two are likely connected. But thus far, Ms. Haag and the federal government have devoted few, if any, resources to protecting children from gun violence or other crime in West Berkeley.
Instead, Ms. Haag has chosen to use her presumably limited resources to deprive the thousands of patients who frequent Berkeley Patients Group a legal, regulated, secure place to purchase desperately needed medicine. Of course, the closure of Berkeley Patients Group does not mean that these thousands of people will stop buying and using medical marijuana. They are sick, in pain, and are allowed to purchase and consume marijuana under settled California law (a law that was approved by voters overwhelmingly). Ms. Haag says that she is not going after medical marijuana patients. But she must understand that patients will now simply have to find marijuana elsewhere, from the streets, and near schools and parks. Ms. Haag has not made these areas safer; she has simply increased the demand for an illegal and dangerous drug market.
Ms. Haag also claims that her crackdown on dispensaries is necessary because of problematic marijuana use by high school students. The reality is that between 1996 (when California passed its medical marijuana law) and 2008 there was an overall decrease in teens’ marijuana use. An analysis commissioned by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs found “no evidence” to support the claim that legalization of medical marijuana in California increased marijuana use during this period. Providing thousands of new customers to illegal drug sellers on the street might increase access to marijuana by teenagers. The existence of Berkeley Patients Group, and other well-regulated small businesses across the state, does not.
Most offensive is the notion that legal access to medical marijuana sends the wrong message to kids. I find the existence of legal medical marijuana very easy to explain to my children. This is what I tell them: Research and science matter. The opinions of medical professionals matter. We should have compassion for those who are very sick, and even for those who are just a little sick; for those suffering the effects of chemotherapy or for returning veterans suffering from PTSD; that we should help meet people’s needs and ease pain as best we can (even if it goes against the conventional wisdom or drug war ideology). I tell my children that it is better for people to buy marijuana from a safe, well-regulated source, than on the street.
I tell my children that the lives of children in Mexico matter too, where United States drug policy has led to the narcotics-related murders of nearly 50,000 people over the last five years, including thousands of children. That is the harm to children caused by marijuana prohibition, and a drug market that Ms. Haag’s actions directly fuel. The “threat” posed by Berkeley Patients Group, and other dispensaries like it, pales in comparison.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: berkeleyside.com
Author: Tamar Todd
Contact: Berkeleyside
Website: Why I want a marijuana dispensary near my kids’ school | Berkeleyside
CannaBiz: Troubles With Lawyers And MMJ
May 20th, 2012There's a new victim in the push-back against the spread of medical marijuana: lawyers.
As first reported Monday by the Denver Post, capital attorney Ann Toney (anntoneylaw.com) was told by her liability insurance provider, Hanover Insurance Group, that it was not interested in covering her for any future terms, "because of the following risk factors: Area of practice involving medical marijuana."
The Indy spoke with Toney by phone on Monday, and though she was reticent to comment too broadly, she did provide this e-mailed statement: "I had informed [Hanover] that the bulk of my practice (70%) is comprised of defending people charged with Driving under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs. The remaining thirty percent of my business is defending people charged with criminal marijuana offenses and advising clients on the Colorado medical marijuana laws. Thus it saddens me that Hanover [made] such a decision based upon a fairly limited percent of my law practice."
Colorado Springs defense attorney Clifton Black (blackgraham.com), who also frequently represents those from the MMJ industry, was taken aback.
"An attorney's job is to advise somebody of what the law is," he says. "So, in my opinion, Ann Toney is doing exactly what an attorney is supposed to do.
"If somebody comes and asks me what the BAC on alcohol for a DUI is, and I explain that law to them, I'm not telling them to go drink and drive, I'm just telling them what the law is."
Suthers speaks, again
When it comes to government, it often seems that if there are budget problems, medical marijuana's the solution; if there are social problems, MMJ's the problem. Here's another case of the latter.
In response to a study recently released by the Partnership at drugfree.org showing a lower perception among teens of risk associated with marijuana use, as well as increased use of the substance among youths overall, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers issued a statement last week saying "the increased availability and acceptability of marijuana in Colorado has dire implications for future drug-use rates."
The study also notes use of prescription drugs among youths is plateauing, though parents are increasingly abusing the drugs themselves.
Pelosi backs patients
In response to pressure from MMJ advocates at home, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a supportive statement Friday, saying she has "strong concerns about the recent actions by the federal government that threaten the safe access of medicinal marijuana to alleviate the suffering of patients in California."
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: csindy.com
Author: Bryce Crawford
Contact: Colorado Springs Independent | Contact Us
Website: CannaBiz: Troubles with lawyers and MMJ | CannaBiz | Colorado Springs Independent
As first reported Monday by the Denver Post, capital attorney Ann Toney (anntoneylaw.com) was told by her liability insurance provider, Hanover Insurance Group, that it was not interested in covering her for any future terms, "because of the following risk factors: Area of practice involving medical marijuana."
The Indy spoke with Toney by phone on Monday, and though she was reticent to comment too broadly, she did provide this e-mailed statement: "I had informed [Hanover] that the bulk of my practice (70%) is comprised of defending people charged with Driving under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs. The remaining thirty percent of my business is defending people charged with criminal marijuana offenses and advising clients on the Colorado medical marijuana laws. Thus it saddens me that Hanover [made] such a decision based upon a fairly limited percent of my law practice."
Colorado Springs defense attorney Clifton Black (blackgraham.com), who also frequently represents those from the MMJ industry, was taken aback.
"An attorney's job is to advise somebody of what the law is," he says. "So, in my opinion, Ann Toney is doing exactly what an attorney is supposed to do.
"If somebody comes and asks me what the BAC on alcohol for a DUI is, and I explain that law to them, I'm not telling them to go drink and drive, I'm just telling them what the law is."
Suthers speaks, again
When it comes to government, it often seems that if there are budget problems, medical marijuana's the solution; if there are social problems, MMJ's the problem. Here's another case of the latter.
In response to a study recently released by the Partnership at drugfree.org showing a lower perception among teens of risk associated with marijuana use, as well as increased use of the substance among youths overall, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers issued a statement last week saying "the increased availability and acceptability of marijuana in Colorado has dire implications for future drug-use rates."
The study also notes use of prescription drugs among youths is plateauing, though parents are increasingly abusing the drugs themselves.
Pelosi backs patients
In response to pressure from MMJ advocates at home, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a supportive statement Friday, saying she has "strong concerns about the recent actions by the federal government that threaten the safe access of medicinal marijuana to alleviate the suffering of patients in California."
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: csindy.com
Author: Bryce Crawford
Contact: Colorado Springs Independent | Contact Us
Website: CannaBiz: Troubles with lawyers and MMJ | CannaBiz | Colorado Springs Independent
Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTC:CBIS) Cut Off The Loss
May 20th, 2012After a long-term downtrend, Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTC:CBIS, CBIS message board) cut off the loss. Yesterday, the stock price jumped up 38.89%, and its traded volume hit 13 million shares. So, what's next today?
The massive trade has an absolutely reasonable explanation. Namely, the last news by the company.
Last Friday, CBIS reported that it was supporting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-San Francisco Historic Statement to President Obama supporting Medical Cannabis and the Fight for Patient Rights.
Apparently, the fight for the patient rights has inspired traders and CBIS grabbed the climb at once. Nevertheless, it's still too soon to predict how long the up move will resist. In any case, the positive reports on CBIS continue.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is claimed to be at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. During the past month, the company has been regularly releasing positive news on its business activities, though the stock price remained low for most of the time.
Meanwhile, on April 16 CBIS filed its delayed annual results, which however, were discouraging. The 10-K stated that since inception, the company has earned limited revenues of $90,107. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 CBIS generated license revenues of $73,702, though the company had an accumulated deficit of $70,536,669.
Presently, the management claims that at this time, their ability to generate any significant revenues continues to be uncertain. Due to the huge losses, there is substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern. Moreover, when CBIS is currently not in good short-term financial standing and is still waiting for an FDA approval of its first medical cannabis product.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: hotstocked.com
Author: Nelly Shishkova
Contact: About us
Website: Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTC:CBIS) Cut Off the Loss
The massive trade has an absolutely reasonable explanation. Namely, the last news by the company.
Last Friday, CBIS reported that it was supporting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-San Francisco Historic Statement to President Obama supporting Medical Cannabis and the Fight for Patient Rights.
Apparently, the fight for the patient rights has inspired traders and CBIS grabbed the climb at once. Nevertheless, it's still too soon to predict how long the up move will resist. In any case, the positive reports on CBIS continue.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is claimed to be at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. During the past month, the company has been regularly releasing positive news on its business activities, though the stock price remained low for most of the time.
Meanwhile, on April 16 CBIS filed its delayed annual results, which however, were discouraging. The 10-K stated that since inception, the company has earned limited revenues of $90,107. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 CBIS generated license revenues of $73,702, though the company had an accumulated deficit of $70,536,669.
Presently, the management claims that at this time, their ability to generate any significant revenues continues to be uncertain. Due to the huge losses, there is substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern. Moreover, when CBIS is currently not in good short-term financial standing and is still waiting for an FDA approval of its first medical cannabis product.
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: hotstocked.com
Author: Nelly Shishkova
Contact: About us
Website: Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTC:CBIS) Cut Off the Loss
Maple Valley City Council Moves To Ban Collective Gardens
May 20th, 2012While the dispute over the exact business nature of Green Society Group continues, the city of Maple Valley is considering whether to prohibit collective gardens.
At the City Council’s May 7 meeting several city officials addressed the council advising it to prohibit collective gardens in order to protect Maple Valley legally before the year-long moratorium expires.
Community Development Director Ty Peterson recommended that the sooner such an ordinance is passed the better.
“It was meant to function as a system that would be regulated through the Department of Agriculture,” he said. “All of that got vetoed. So nothing has changed. That’s the difficult part here.”
Peterson also said the dilemma isn’t over the morality of medical marijuana, but, the state’s contradiction with federal law.
“This is a land use discussion,” he said. “It’s not a medical discussion. It’s just this new category called collective gardens that we unfortunately don’t think there’s a particularly beneficial and useful way to regulate, because it conflicts with federal law. I don’t personally want to be put in the position of potentially issuing approvals or permits that are unlawful under federal law. That’s the difficulty we’re at.”
In the May 7 meeting agenda packet, Peterson and Johnston wrote “Although several other states have adopted so-called ‘medical marijuana’ laws, attorneys representing the U.S. Department of Justice have made it very clear that the federal government considers marijuana to be an illegal drug, and that federal prosecution for violating the federal Controlled Substances Act is a possibility.”
The push for a ban has been hastened by the opening of Green Society Group in April 20 at Frontier Square. Although its owner, Chris Schoonover, has stated that his business is a management company, and not a collective garden, the possibility of more like-minded businesses popping up has left city official, such as City Manager David Johnston, unsettled.
“We find ourself in a fairly ambiguous situation,” Johnston said. “Risk insurer expects us to follow all laws. If it’s illegal, we find it hard to believe we could allow it. There’s an expectation of our risk carrier, that we follow federal law. It’s still a real issue here.”
Christy Todd, the city’s attorney, explained during the May 7 meeting that only collective gardens are allowed under state law, as the dispensaries were line item vetoed by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
According to the state law, cities are allowed to zone for collective gardens, but are not legally required to do so.
In a telephone interview Johnston stated further that the city really does not have a choice but to comply with federal law or risk potential liabilities.
“My main concern is we’re operating legally at all levels of government, federal, state and local,” he said. “As long as there is this concept called preemption…I can’t put my staff and the city in legal jeopardy for violating federal law. We’re not focusing in the compassion or validity of medical marijuana. It’s the same rationale that Gov. Gregoire used in her line item veto. We have the same concerns.”
Federal preemption refers to the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution, which invalidates any state law which contradicts a federal law.
“We’re all in a state of confusion, but we know we have to do something,” said Johnston in a prior interview. “I think we hope that the ambiguity between state and federal law will be satisfied soon. We need that help. Because this is where the activities are happening. It’s on our main street. We’d like to have concrete legal direction where there is little if any ambiguity.”
According to the meeting agenda packet, the city ban would not affect an individual’s ability to cultivate cannabis for individual medical use, nor would it regulate through its zoning code individual cultivation of medical marijuana.
The move to prohibit collective gardens received vocal support from most of the council.
“I’m in support of a ban,” Mayor Bill Allison said. “If that (collective gardens) is permitted, we can come back to that and we do this again.”
Council member Erin Weaver agreed, stating that until the conflict between the state and federal law is resolved the city should protect itself.
“We’re putting not only the city at risk, we’re putting our own citizens at risk if we’re going to push it off and wait any longer,” she said. “I don’t think this is going to get resolved in Maple Valley. It’s going to get resolved at a federal level.”
Deputy Mayor Victoria Laise-Jonas stated that “from risk management perspective it (allowing collective gardens) puts us and city employees at risk.”
Council members Layne Barnes and Linda Johnson stated they wished to extend the moratorium temporarily in order for the city staff to have more time to write the code.
“It shouldn’t take that much time,” Johnson said. “I want the planning commission focused.”
Johnston, however, advised against it.
“Unfortunately the reality is if you continue to delay this action there may be opportunity for other like businesses to set up shop in our city and again we’ll have to use whatever mechanisms we have in our arsenal that have to be addressed before we get to the question ‘Does this business violate our moratorium?’ I’m just letting you know one of the reasons we are advocating that you seriously consider a ban is we’re having an interesting process with the first one (Green Society Group). It’s not going to go away if others want to come in.”
Ultimately, the council voted to allow city staff to write the code.
According to the May 7 meeting packet, “No Washington case (court) has ruled yet on whether law preempts Washington’s Medical Cannabis law.”
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: maplevalleyreporter.com
Author: TJ Martinell
Contact: Contact Us - Covington & Maple Valley Reporter
Website: Maple Valley City Council moves to ban collective gardens - Covington & Maple Valley Reporter
At the City Council’s May 7 meeting several city officials addressed the council advising it to prohibit collective gardens in order to protect Maple Valley legally before the year-long moratorium expires.
Community Development Director Ty Peterson recommended that the sooner such an ordinance is passed the better.
“It was meant to function as a system that would be regulated through the Department of Agriculture,” he said. “All of that got vetoed. So nothing has changed. That’s the difficult part here.”
Peterson also said the dilemma isn’t over the morality of medical marijuana, but, the state’s contradiction with federal law.
“This is a land use discussion,” he said. “It’s not a medical discussion. It’s just this new category called collective gardens that we unfortunately don’t think there’s a particularly beneficial and useful way to regulate, because it conflicts with federal law. I don’t personally want to be put in the position of potentially issuing approvals or permits that are unlawful under federal law. That’s the difficulty we’re at.”
In the May 7 meeting agenda packet, Peterson and Johnston wrote “Although several other states have adopted so-called ‘medical marijuana’ laws, attorneys representing the U.S. Department of Justice have made it very clear that the federal government considers marijuana to be an illegal drug, and that federal prosecution for violating the federal Controlled Substances Act is a possibility.”
The push for a ban has been hastened by the opening of Green Society Group in April 20 at Frontier Square. Although its owner, Chris Schoonover, has stated that his business is a management company, and not a collective garden, the possibility of more like-minded businesses popping up has left city official, such as City Manager David Johnston, unsettled.
“We find ourself in a fairly ambiguous situation,” Johnston said. “Risk insurer expects us to follow all laws. If it’s illegal, we find it hard to believe we could allow it. There’s an expectation of our risk carrier, that we follow federal law. It’s still a real issue here.”
Christy Todd, the city’s attorney, explained during the May 7 meeting that only collective gardens are allowed under state law, as the dispensaries were line item vetoed by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
According to the state law, cities are allowed to zone for collective gardens, but are not legally required to do so.
In a telephone interview Johnston stated further that the city really does not have a choice but to comply with federal law or risk potential liabilities.
“My main concern is we’re operating legally at all levels of government, federal, state and local,” he said. “As long as there is this concept called preemption…I can’t put my staff and the city in legal jeopardy for violating federal law. We’re not focusing in the compassion or validity of medical marijuana. It’s the same rationale that Gov. Gregoire used in her line item veto. We have the same concerns.”
Federal preemption refers to the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution, which invalidates any state law which contradicts a federal law.
“We’re all in a state of confusion, but we know we have to do something,” said Johnston in a prior interview. “I think we hope that the ambiguity between state and federal law will be satisfied soon. We need that help. Because this is where the activities are happening. It’s on our main street. We’d like to have concrete legal direction where there is little if any ambiguity.”
According to the meeting agenda packet, the city ban would not affect an individual’s ability to cultivate cannabis for individual medical use, nor would it regulate through its zoning code individual cultivation of medical marijuana.
The move to prohibit collective gardens received vocal support from most of the council.
“I’m in support of a ban,” Mayor Bill Allison said. “If that (collective gardens) is permitted, we can come back to that and we do this again.”
Council member Erin Weaver agreed, stating that until the conflict between the state and federal law is resolved the city should protect itself.
“We’re putting not only the city at risk, we’re putting our own citizens at risk if we’re going to push it off and wait any longer,” she said. “I don’t think this is going to get resolved in Maple Valley. It’s going to get resolved at a federal level.”
Deputy Mayor Victoria Laise-Jonas stated that “from risk management perspective it (allowing collective gardens) puts us and city employees at risk.”
Council members Layne Barnes and Linda Johnson stated they wished to extend the moratorium temporarily in order for the city staff to have more time to write the code.
“It shouldn’t take that much time,” Johnson said. “I want the planning commission focused.”
Johnston, however, advised against it.
“Unfortunately the reality is if you continue to delay this action there may be opportunity for other like businesses to set up shop in our city and again we’ll have to use whatever mechanisms we have in our arsenal that have to be addressed before we get to the question ‘Does this business violate our moratorium?’ I’m just letting you know one of the reasons we are advocating that you seriously consider a ban is we’re having an interesting process with the first one (Green Society Group). It’s not going to go away if others want to come in.”
Ultimately, the council voted to allow city staff to write the code.
According to the May 7 meeting packet, “No Washington case (court) has ruled yet on whether law preempts Washington’s Medical Cannabis law.”
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: maplevalleyreporter.com
Author: TJ Martinell
Contact: Contact Us - Covington & Maple Valley Reporter
Website: Maple Valley City Council moves to ban collective gardens - Covington & Maple Valley Reporter
Connecticut To Become 17th State To Allow For The Legal Use Of Marijuana For Medicina
May 20th, 2012Connecticut lawmakers have decided in favor of legislation that allows for the limited use and distribution of cannabis as medicine.
Members of the Connecticut Senate on Saturday, May 5, voted 21 to 13 in favor of HB 5389, the Palliative Use of Marijuana Act. Their vote follows similar approval by the General Assembly. Saturday's vote clears the way for Democrat Gov. Dannel Malloy, a supporter of the Act, to sign the bill into law.
Connecticut will become the 17th state since 1996 to allow for the limited legalization of medicinal cannabis. It will be the fourth New England state to do so, joining Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
"Today is a day of hope, compassion and dignity and I thank all of the legislators who worked hard on this legislation and who voted to pass this bill," said Erik Williams, Executive Director of Connecticut NORML, who assisted in drafting the bill and generated over 36,000 phone calls and e-mails to lawmakers in support of the measure. "I am so happy for all the patients who will have another medicinal option to discuss with their doctor and for all of those currently suffering with debilitating conditions who will no longer suffer the indignity of being sick and a criminal."
Williams added: "Connecticut had an opportunity to be a leader in America on this issue. Our strategy and dedication has obviously paid off."
The Palliative Use of Marijuana Act mandates the state to license a limited number of producers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Patients require a recommendation from their doctor to become a state-registered 'qualifying patient.' Patients will obtain cannabis via licensed pharmacists, who must acquire permits to dispense the substance from the state Department of Consumer Protection.
The majority of the new law, once signed by the Governor, will take effect on October 1, 2012. The Department of Consumer Protection will begin enacting a detailed regulatory framework for the law upon its passage.
Last year, Connecticut NORML took a lead role in the passage of separate statewide legislation that decriminalized the possession of marijuana by adults from a criminal misdemeanor (punishable by one year in jail and a $1,000 fine) to a non-criminal infraction, punishable by a fine, no arrest or jail time, and no criminal record. Since then, the state has seen a dramatic reduction in the total number of marijuana arrests.
Said Williams: "When I formed Connecticut NORML 18 months ago, I wrote a five-year plan with the goal to decriminalize possession and legalize medical marijuana. I would have never dreamed we could do it as quickly as we did."
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: enewspf.com
Author: enewspf.com
Contact: Contact
Website: Connecticut To Become 17th State To Allow For The Legal Use Of Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes
Members of the Connecticut Senate on Saturday, May 5, voted 21 to 13 in favor of HB 5389, the Palliative Use of Marijuana Act. Their vote follows similar approval by the General Assembly. Saturday's vote clears the way for Democrat Gov. Dannel Malloy, a supporter of the Act, to sign the bill into law.
Connecticut will become the 17th state since 1996 to allow for the limited legalization of medicinal cannabis. It will be the fourth New England state to do so, joining Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
"Today is a day of hope, compassion and dignity and I thank all of the legislators who worked hard on this legislation and who voted to pass this bill," said Erik Williams, Executive Director of Connecticut NORML, who assisted in drafting the bill and generated over 36,000 phone calls and e-mails to lawmakers in support of the measure. "I am so happy for all the patients who will have another medicinal option to discuss with their doctor and for all of those currently suffering with debilitating conditions who will no longer suffer the indignity of being sick and a criminal."
Williams added: "Connecticut had an opportunity to be a leader in America on this issue. Our strategy and dedication has obviously paid off."
The Palliative Use of Marijuana Act mandates the state to license a limited number of producers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Patients require a recommendation from their doctor to become a state-registered 'qualifying patient.' Patients will obtain cannabis via licensed pharmacists, who must acquire permits to dispense the substance from the state Department of Consumer Protection.
The majority of the new law, once signed by the Governor, will take effect on October 1, 2012. The Department of Consumer Protection will begin enacting a detailed regulatory framework for the law upon its passage.
Last year, Connecticut NORML took a lead role in the passage of separate statewide legislation that decriminalized the possession of marijuana by adults from a criminal misdemeanor (punishable by one year in jail and a $1,000 fine) to a non-criminal infraction, punishable by a fine, no arrest or jail time, and no criminal record. Since then, the state has seen a dramatic reduction in the total number of marijuana arrests.
Said Williams: "When I formed Connecticut NORML 18 months ago, I wrote a five-year plan with the goal to decriminalize possession and legalize medical marijuana. I would have never dreamed we could do it as quickly as we did."
News Hawk- Astonr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: enewspf.com
Author: enewspf.com
Contact: Contact
Website: Connecticut To Become 17th State To Allow For The Legal Use Of Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes
