Cannabis May Help Treat Autism

Published by Rib

The list of maladies which may be eased or cured by ingesting THC just got longer. A few more of these and the list of proven benefits of pot may get to be as long as the list of disproved arguments against legalization.
Parents of autistic children are increasingly turning to cannabis to help their children relax, eat and interact with other people in a more positive manner. Parents of children who were previously sullen, aggressive and disconnected have seen those same children become easy going and happy in response to doses of MM.

"It was a medication with the result we'd been hoping for, for so long..."
"He was happy again, smiling, laughing. There was the boy we'd lost for so long, who we wondered if we'd ever see again."

Most doctors are cautious not to recommend MM as therapy for affected kids, but the movement to at least study the usefulness of cannabis to treat the symptoms of autism seems to have a little momentum. For right now, it's just more good news.

Amsterdam fights for your right to smoke pot

The proposed ban on allowing foreigners to purchase cannabis will increase crime, Amsterdam officials say.

Paul Ames

From: http://www.globalpost.com/

A Spanish tourist smokes a joint in front of the Bulldog coffee shop in the red light district of Amsterdam on Dec. 8, 2008. (Anoek de Groot/AFP/Getty Images)

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — The city of Amsterdam is preparing to fight for tourists' right to party.

The capital's town council, backed by the tourist board and local campaigners, is opposing a new law proposed by the Dutch government that would ban foreigners from frequenting the city's cannabis-serving coffee shops by 2012.

(Read: Genetically modified pot fetches 10x regular price)

“If tourists are denied access to coffee shops, illegal sales and drug dealing on the streets of Amsterdam will increase,” warned Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. “Amsterdam does not want to facilitate soft drug use by tourists, but to help those who wish to use drugs to do so as responsibly as possible.”

(Watch: Legalizing pot in Mexico to combat violence & Front lines of Mexico's drug war)

Van der Laan is consulting with the center-right national government to convince it, “that these measures will be counter-productive for Amsterdam,” said City Hall spokeswoman Iris Resheef.

In May, the lower house of parliament voted to back a bill that will oblige The Netherlands' 400 coffee shops to become member-only clubs. Only Dutch citizens will be able to obtain a so-called “weed pass” allowing them to enter.

The measure came after appeals from smaller towns along the country's southern and eastern frontiers that have complained about an influx of rowdy, drug-seeking youths from Belgium, Germany and France.

The bill still needs to pass the upper house of the Dutch parliament and may face a legal challenge from campaigners who say it infringes on the country's constitution by discriminating against foreigners.

“We recognize that there are problems in cities on the border with drug trafficking and so on, but we don't have that here,” said Machteld Ligtvoet, head of communications at the Amsterdam tourist board. “It offers a solution to a problem that we do not have.”

Amsterdam, a city of about 700,000 people, welcomes 4 million tourists every year. About one quarter of them visit one of the city's 223 coffee shops. For many, kicking back with a joint has become an integral part of any visit to Amsterdam, alongside the canals, flower market and art treasures.

“We didn't come here specifically for the coffee shops, but it was definitely a factor,” said Aaron, 27, from Austin, Texas. “We've done the Rembrandts and the Van Goghs, we've done all the hot spots, but its just fun to smoke a joint.”

“Honestly you can only see so many museums and this is a nice alternative,” added his companion Elizabeth, 22, as the pair emerged from a downtown coffee shop called The Jungle. “It's not the only thing here, but it's certainly a draw.”

The coffee shops' clientele are a mixed bag. There are cannabis connoisseurs who know their Acapulco Gold from their White Widow, respectable middle-aged travelers reliving a youthful flirtation with the weed or indulging in some giggly experimentation, and boozed-up bachelor parties taking a toke before resuming their wide-eyed tour of the red-light district.

“I love my place,” said coffee shop owner Marc Jacobs. “We have people from all around the world, they drop in for a joint, to have a laugh and a nice time. Everybody gets along and we've never have any trouble.”

Jacobs opened his coffee shop, The Rookies, in 1992 among the theaters and cafes of the Liedseplein district of central Amsterdam.

Now a board member of the nationwide Cannabis Retailers Association, he warns that the new law will have a disastrous impact on a sector that, he says, directly contributes 110 million euro ($155 million) to the tax authorities in addition to attracting tourists to the city.

However, Jacobs said the economic consequences are a secondary concern. The real fear is that the new law will push the trade of cannabis back onto the streets.

“I think the Dutch politicians have forgotten why we have coffee shops in the first place. That was for health care first of all to keep the cannabis away from hard drugs and the safety on the streets,” he said.

City officials agree. Mayor Van der Laan has warned that Amsterdam does not have the resources to cope with the expected increase in street crime and health problems that could stem from the marijuana trade going underground.

“The moment it is sold illegally you'll have the danger that people will be cheated and robbed. They will start to offer hard drugs with it. We are really worried that it will lead to an increase in crime,” said Ligtvoet, from the tourist board.

The government, however, seems to be standing firm. While Amsterdam's coffee shops, legalized prostitution and thriving gay scene are viewed abroad as symbols of Dutch permissiveness, the capital's liberal attitudes are often out of step with more conservative thinking in the wider country.

Recent elections have shifted Dutch politics to the right and the government is targeting the coffee shops as part of a law and order campaign that's particularly tough on crime associated with foreigners.

“The current open-door policy of coffee shops should be terminated and that the fight against organised drugs-related crime is intensified,” said a recent statement from the Ministry of Security and Justice. “The cabinet expects that closure of coffee shops to foreign drugs tourists will ensure that they no longer travel to the Netherlands to purchase and consume cannabis. After all, many of them can use the illegal markets available in their immediate surroundings."

(More: Morocco: Cannabis fields torched)

Former President Carter Urges Marijuana Legalization

By Steve Elliott
From: http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Photo: Jimmy Carter Library & Museum

Former President Jimmy Carter: "Maybe the increased tax burden on wealthy citizens necessary to pay for the war on drugs will help bring about a reform of America's drug policies"

​In a new op-ed published in The New York Times to coincide with Friday's 40th anniversary of President Nixon declaring "War On Drugs," former President Jimmy Carter supports recent recommendations for countries around the world to try "models of legal regulation of drugs ... that are designed to undermine the power of organized crime and safeguard the health and security of their citizens."

In the New York Times op-ed, President Carter called the recommendations of the Global Commission on Drug Policy "courageous and profoundly important."

"In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts," Carter wrote. "I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: 'Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.' "

"Those ideas were widely accepted at the time," Carter wrote. "But in the 1980s President Ronald Reagan and Congress began to shift from balanced drug policies, including the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, toward futile efforts to control drug imports from foreign countries."

"One result has been a terrible escalation in drug-related violence, corruption and gross violations of human rights in a growing number of Latin American countries," Carter wrote.

"Maybe the increased tax burden on wealthy citizens necessary to pay for the war on drugs will help bring about a reform of America's drug policies," Carter wrote. "At least the recommendations of the Global Commission will give some cover to political leaders who wish to do what is right."

by ■ Edward Xiao
from: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303753#ixzz1EK9XH0Kq

Massachusetts bill to legalize marijuana

A bill calling for the legalization, regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana has been introduced into the Massachusetts Legislature. 

According to The 420 Times, "The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act", which was drafted by attorney Richard M. Evans and introduced by Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst), would legalize the possession, consumption and sale of marijuana. An age limit of 21 and multiple fee-requiring licenses would also be established. The bill includes specific regulations and limits, such as processors of marijuana only being able to process the cannabis into one ounce packages, a $5000 fine for driving while high and specific indoor locations to sell the product. As noted in The Daily Collegian, the bill would also erect a Cannabis Control Authority. Made up of seven part-time directors serving seven-year terms and collecting salaries 20% that of the governor's, the group would oversee the Massachusetts cannabis industry, create regulations and rules, revoke licenses in the case of transgressing any laws pertaining to marijuana and its distribution, approve licenses for cannabis and collect $10 excise taxes per one percent of THC per one ounce of marijuana. While many are glad to see such a bill in the legislature, they still maintain a cautious outlook on the likelihood of the bill actually passing. Although he created it, Evans believes that the bill won't pull through because the legislature "won’t touch the legalization bill with a 10-foot pole.” He further states that supporters of the bill are reluctant to voice their approval because of fear that they will be labeled drug addicts. A ballot initiative, Evans claims, would be a more effective first step towards the legalization of cannabis. However, such an initiative would have to wait until 2014 to be introduced because under the law, highly similar proposals cannot be filed within four years of each other. Nevertheless, Massachusetts is still a focal point in the crusade to legalize marijuana. According to The MetroWest Daily News, since 2000, voters in the state have had a positive reaction to every question pertaining to the easing of restrictions on weed.

Willie Nelson Could Get Two Years In Texas Pot Bust

By Steve Elliott
From http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Photo: All Access

Willie Nelson could be sentenced to between six months and two years for being busted with six ounces of marijuana on Friday.

​Thanks to our fearless Border Patrol, music legend Willie Nelson, 77, could face up to two years in prison for his marijuana possession arrest, according to a criminal defense attorney in Austin.

The attorney told website TMZ that Willie's arrest for six ounces of weed at a Border Patrol checkpoint could get the singer six months minimum and up to two years in prison.

However, ace L.A. pot attorney Bruce Margolin -- who's also director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws -- said that Willie might dodge prison time if he could convince a jury that he just forgot the pot was on the bus.

Margolin believes Nelson should say the pot was California-grown, with California, of course, being the first of 15 states which have legalized the medicinal use of cannabis.

The bust went down at the Sierra Blanca, Texas checkpoint after Nelson's tour bus pulled in Friday morning and a Border Patrol officer smelled marijuana through the vehicle's open door.

Photo: Riverfront Times

​Nelson, one of three people arrested, said the pot belonged to him. He was briefly held on a $2,500 bond before being released.

"It's kind of surprising, but I mean we treat him like anybody else," said Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West. If by "surprising," Sheriff West means "I'm a fucking moron if I didn't already know Willie smokes weed," then yeah, right. "Surprising."

Two days later, in a statement to website CelebStoner.com, Nelson called on the United States to start a new political party based on the legalization of marijuana.

"There's the Tea Party," Nelson wrote in an email. "How about the Teapot Party? Our motto: We lean a little to the left... Tax it, regulate it and legalize it," Nelson wrote.

When Willie speaks, he makes it so. By Sunday afternoon, a Facebook page for the Teapot Party had already been created. The page already had almost 7,000 followers Monday morning.

"Stop the border wars over drugs," Nelson wrote. "Why should the drug lords make all the money? Thousands of lives will be saved."

Stoner comedian Tommy Chong has already endorsed Willie's Teapot Party. "If Willie gets behind something, you know it's going to be big and in your face," Chong told CelebStoner. "Any pot party is a wonderful idea."

Jamie Foxx Talks Prop. 19, Thinks President Obama Must Be Smoking Weed

From: http://www.tvsquad.com/



Now that Conan O'Brien has a new talk show, 'Lopez Tonight' has moved to a different starting time (weeknights, 12AM ET on TBS). 'Lopez' is now more of a late late night experience. In honor of the show's new schedule, actor Jamie Foxx appeared, got George Lopez a little drunk, and then started talking about drugs.

Foxx celebrated the "after hours" time slot by having Lopez do some shots of booze. Once the pair was a little tipsy, Jamie shifted the conversation to the topic of Proposition 19 -- the attempt to legalize marijuana under California law.

The actor discussed his own prodigious pot consumption, then advanced a novel theory -- that Barack Obama is stoned all the time.

Jamie theorized that the president was engaging in some recreational activities. "Barack is so smooth," he said. "He's always cool -- even when 'they' yell at him. ... The president is smoking [pot]!" he yelled.

Foxx continued to argue that Obama must be "baked" to handle the amount of stress he faces. He added that Obama seemed to remain calm no matter what: "Even if they're like, 'Mr. President, you're just so wrong, you're just the worst!'" But even if Obama is always calm, Jamie was pretty loud and animated while discussing his theory. But then, he was drunk(-ish), not stoned, so that's understandable.

Schwarzenegger: 'No One Cares If You Smoke A Joint'

By Steve Elliott
From http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Photo: Reason

Arnie burns one down in the documentary "Pumping Iron"

​
In California, "No one cares if you smoke a joint or not," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The Governator made the remark while discussing Prop 19, which would have legalized adult recreational pot use in the state, reports Mary Dooe at CBS News.

"Proposition 19 went a little bit too far, I think," Schwarzenegger said of the failed measure. But he added a note of hope for the future.

"Propositions don't die because the idea is bad, it just dies because it is written wrong," the Governor added.

Arnie said his decision to sign a bill last month that reduces marijuana possession charges for up to an ounce from a misdemeanor to a civil fine hurt Prop 19's chances of passing.

"It makes [possession] from a misdemeanor to an infraction, which is like a speeding ticket," Schwarzenegger said. "And no one cares if you smoke a joint or not."

Schwarzenegger famously appears in the body building documentary, Pumping Iron, including one memorable scene in which he is seen puffing on a joint.

California voters turned down Prop 19, 54 percent to 46 percent.

Botched Raid: Mayor To Meet With Cops About Pot Enforcement

By Steve Elliott
From http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Photo: The Washington Apple

Way cooler than your average mayor: Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is reviewing marijuana enforcement policies after the botched raid of a legal patient

​
Battering Ram Raid Of Legal Seattle Patient By Machine Gun-Toting Officers Results In Review

Activist Group Invoices City For Cost Of Patient's Door

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will sit down Monday with top law enforcement officials to talk about how city police and King County deputies are enforcing marijuana laws.

McGinn, who supports legalizing marijuana, said a recent Seattle police raid in which only two legal medical marijuana plants were found shows the difficulties law enforcement officers face, report Emily Heffter and Sara Jean Green of The Seattle Times.

Seattle Anti-Crime Team officers brandishing machine guns burst through the door of Will Laudanski, a renter who was following state law and city policy on marijuana, according to a Seattle Police Department spokesman. The officers had a search warrant they had obtained after sniffing around Laudanski's apartment and claiming to smell marijuana.

When officers realized the tenant had valid medical marijuana documentation, they left without arresting Laudanski. While the Seattle Times reported that the cops fixed the man's door, they got it exactly wrong. The repair was in fact paid for by the Cannabis Defense Coalition (CDC), a Seattle-based activist group which advocates for medical marijuana patients in Washington state.

"The CDC paid for, and replaced, Will's door," spokesman Ben Livingston confirmed to Toke of the Town Monday morning. "End of story."

The CDC had pledged to repair Mr. Laudanski's front door after it was severely damaged by a police battering ram during the October 25 raid. Police left the door in disrepair and the disabled Gulf War veteran lacked the resources to replace it.

"Wasting our limited tax dollars on these worthless pot raids is bad public policy," Livingston said. "Failing to repair Will's door is just plain bad manners."

The CDC announced on Monday that it will invoice the City of Seattle for the cost of fixing Laudanski's front door. The group said it would hand deliver the invoice at 3 p.m. Monday at the executive forum called by the mayor to discuss the incident.

"This makes my blood boil," commented CDC activist Phil Mocek on Facebook. "The police are apparently lying about cleaning up the mess they made -- that we at CDC cleaned up because they didn't do a damned thing about it.

"We're not going to let this drop," Mocek said. "They bust into this guy's home with no indication that he was doing anything illegal other than possibly using marijuana, and in this city, busting adults for marijuana is, by law, our police department's lowest law enforcement priority."

"They went in with a half-dozen cops in SWAT gear with a battering ram," Mocek said. "And found two plants. Legal ones."

Mayor McGinn, meanwhile, is questioning whether there's not a better way to guide police behavior on pot raids.

"We're not giving -- the law doesn't give -- clear policy guidance to the police or prosecutors necessarily, or even the public, and the recent raid highlighted that issue," he said.

Joining the mayor for the meeting will be City Attorney Pete Holmes, who has followed through on his promise he made while running for office a year ago to stop prosecuting people for simple marijuana possession. Also planning to attend the meeting are Police Chief John Diaz, King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, and City Council member Nick Licata.

McGinn has already asked Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel to "review" all marijuana investigations when officers are asking for a search warrant.

"We just want to give them greater security and determine whether there are other methods that we could use... but the raid reflects the fact that we don't necessarily give police officers the clarity they need to do their job," McGinn said.

In Washington state, patients who are authorized by their physicians to use cannabis for medical conditions can legally grow it. Washington allows medical marijuana patients to grow 15 plants and possess 24 ounces of dried marijuana. Patients can be authorized to have more under certain conditions.

Seattle Police Department spokesman Sean Whitcomb claimed the laws put officers in a tough position, because they don't know who is legally authorized to grow marijuana.

"Is it our job to compromise the investigation to give the benefit of doubt to people?" Whitcomb whined. You know, when your potential pot raid targets could be chronically or terminally ill patients -- as is required by Washington's medical marijuana law -- I'd say maybe that is your damn job, Officer Whitcomb.

But of course, just knocking on the damned door and asking is out of the question for these bush-league Rambos.

But without a state database of legal marijuana patients, it's difficult to know if a grower is authorized, according to Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff to King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. Goodhew said for-profit, large-scale marijuana growers "are often well-armed," and officer safety is always a consideration.

A quick check was unable to turn up any instances of Seattle officers ever being shot or even fired upon in a marijuana grow raid.

In the Laudanski case, officers claimed they were following up on a citizen complaint. They went to his apartment and spotted ventilation equipment "common to marijuana grow operations."

Anti-Crime Team Officer Tyrone Davis and Sgt. Garth Green saw that a window was boarded up and rigged with a fan. They climbed the stairs to a second-floor landing and smelled "an odor consistent with the smell of marijuana plants," according to the search warrant.

Davis and Green got a search warrant and returned on Oct. 25 about 9:45 p.m. According to their incident report, they knocked on Laudanski's door and then broke the door and entered after nobody answered.

Laudanski, 50 said he was tying his robe and trying to answer the door when officers barged in and forced him face down to the floor.

They found two scrawny potted cannabis plants in the bedroom, and two glass jars containing dried marijuana.

Laudanski had valid paperwork showing the marijuana was for medical purposes.

"In hindsight, it looks like more force" was used than necessary, Goodhew admitted, "but you have to remember that police didn't know what they would find."

Whitcomb claimed the officers had "no reason" to consider Initiative 75, the 2003 measure Seattle voters approved that made arresting and jailing adults for possessing personal amounts of marijuana the departments lowest law-enforcement priority.

The Laudanski search wasn't considered a "possession" case, Whitcomb claimed.

While that's technically true, Mayor McGinn said I-75 does apply to the situation "on a practical level" because it reflects the public's changing attitude toward marijuana.

"Both the medical marijuana law and I-75 reflect the public's intent with regard to marijuana, and that does influence how you think about your policies regarding it," the Mayor said.

Globe Toking: Pot Around the World (Photos)

newsweek.com — A slideshow of how other countries in the world handle marijuana use. The list comprises countries that allow people to use the drug without facing jail time, mandatory drug treatment, or other penalties. 1 day 15 hr ago

Tony Avelar / The Christian Science Monitor-Getty Images

The most marijuana-friendly nations

By Ryan Tracy

Would Proposition 19, the proposal to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana use in California, have really generated the benefits that its proponents claimed? We may never know. But in theory, the answer is hazy for one main reason: Prop 19 would have gone further than any marijuana law on the books anywhere. The policy would have been revolutionary in the U.S., where marijuana is legal only for medical purposes—and that in just 13 states. But not even the world's pot meccas have legalized and taxed the drug from production to consumption, as Prop 19 would have allowed cities in California to do. Drug-policy experts, though, disagree on whether Prop 19 took the right approach. Do other parts of the world have a more sensible system? We've put together a slideshow of how some other countries in the world handle marijuana use.

Ed Oudenaarden / AFP-Getty Images

Netherlands

Not even Amsterdam, home of the Cannabis Cup, has laws like the ones Prop 19 proposes. Cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, but the Dutch have decided to fight other types of crime and leave pot smokers, like this one smoking a pipe in Amsterdam, alone. Cops also don't bother "coffee shops" that sell marijuana as long as they follow certain rules, like not selling to minors and not selling "hard" drugs such as cocaine (the Dutch consider marijuana a "soft" drug). Prop 19 would make marijuana legal to use for people over the age of 21, though they could not smoke around minors, in public, or on school grounds. The Netherlands' system for regulating cannabis is similar to what Prop 19 proposes: individual municipalities decide how many marijuana retailers they will tolerate by issuing licenses. Licensed "coffee shops," in turn, have to pay taxes. Prop 19 would allow both those things in the state of California, but it would also permit and tax the commercial production of marijuana, sanctioning an industry that could create a huge supply of legal weed. Commercial marijuana production for recreational use is not legal anywhere on the planet.

Nacho Doce / Reuters-Landov

Portugal

Portugal decriminalized all drug use and possession in 2001, meaning that while using or possessing drugs is not legal, authorities don't punish users as they would a criminal offense, like robbery. When drug users are caught, they must appear before a three-person "dissuasion commission," which might mandate treatment if the person is a repeat offender. Drug dealers can still be prosecuted as criminals. A 2009 report by the libertarian Cato Institute found that drug use did not increase in Portugal after decriminalization, but deaths and disease related to drug use have decreased, perhaps because the government now offers better treatment programs for addicts. For some, decriminalization isn't enough, though: above, a pro-legalization March in Lisbon in 2008.

Andina Agency-Reuters-Landov

Peru

While Peru doesn't allow the sale of marijuana, it has gone further than other nations down the path to legalization. It's legal to possess about a third of an ounce (eight grams) of marijuana for personal use, with no fines, treatment programs, or other consequences. Debate about further legalization continues, though President Alan García has come out against the proposals. And the Peruvians are still making drug busts like the one cops are showing off above, in which they seized marijuana hidden in vuvuzelas at a school in Lima.

Enrique Marcarian / Reuters-Landov

Argentina

Argentina only recently entered the ranks of countries with relatively liberal cannabis policies. Last year a Supreme Court ruling declared that the country's constitution gave "each adult" the right to "make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state," paving the way for citizens like this man to grow cannabis plants on a small scale or use drugs. The court overturned convictions of people who had served jail terms for carrying marijuana. The ruling opened the door for the country's government to decriminalize other drugs as well.

Pablo La Rosa / Reuters-Landov

Uruguay

If Argentina is the newest member of the decriminalization club, Uruguay may be the oldest. The nation has never criminalized marijuana for personal use. Its laws have, since 1974, left it up to judges to determine what amount constitutes "personal use" on a case-by-case basis. Still some Uruguayans want more freedom. Above, a man smokes a joint a pro-legalization rally in Montevideo in 2007.

Luis Acosta / AFP-Getty Images

Mexico

In August 2009 Mexico decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana and other drugs, including heroin and cocaine. Individuals can possess less than a quarter of an ounce (five grams) of marijuana for personal use, though the law states that if a person is caught with small amounts of drugs on three occasions, he will face mandatory drug treatment. On the first and second occasions, treatment is optional. The decision to focus on treatment and leave drug users unprosecuted came in the midst of a bloody war between drug cartels, but young Mexicans are still organizing pro-legalization rallies, like the one above in September 2010.

www.encod.org

Belgium

Though Belgium has decriminalized marijuana, meaning that possession of up to five grams, or less than a quarter of an ounce, will not lead to a criminal penalty, possession will still net you a fine. The fine of €75 (about $104) is relatively low, however—Luxembourg mandates a fine of €250 for a possessing a small amount of marijuana, and in Spain the fine is €300. Still, pro-legalization rallies, like this one in Antwerp, still attract a crowd. Belgium has made it illegal to smoke in the presence of minors or in public—as California would should Prop 19 pass—but will tolerate personal consumption in private. Belgium treats the cultivation of any more than one plant as a criminal offense.

More...

Marijuana Policy Project: A clean sweep in Massachusetts!

November 3, 2010

A clean sweep in Massachusetts! Yesterday, 18 legislative districts were given the opportunity to let their legislators know that marijuana policy in Massachusetts needs reforming. On ballots across Massachusetts, voters were asked if their state officials should support medical marijuana or taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol. In all 18 districts, the voters sent a message to Boston. Reform must happen. Nine districts had public policy questions on the ballot asking if medical marijuana should be available to seriously ill residents with a doctor’s recommendation. All nine districts agreed it should be. Nine districts asked if marijuana should be taxed and regulated, like alcohol, as opposed to the current outright prohibition, which creates violence and wastes millions in resources. They all said yes. Although these questions are non-binding, they certainly send a strong message to legislators that reform must happen. Many thanks go out to the various organizations who worked so tirelessly on these PPQs, including the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts and MassCann. These organizations have helped amplify your voice, now it’s time to make sure it’s heard in Boston! Thank you kindly for all your support and help. Sincerely, Robert J. Capecchi Legislative Analyst Marijuana Policy Project

INFOGRAPHIC: Your Guide to Prop 19

By Brandon Ferguson
From http://blogs.ocweekly.com/

For all you unmotivated pot-heads waiting til the last minute to get the facts on Proposition 19, this just in: The election is tomorrow. Take a look at this trippy infographic designed by Jay Brockman. It'll fill you in on everything you need to know about the issues surrounding marijuana legalization.


Click on the image to enlarge!

Jay Brockman/OC Weekly

Legalize It! Peter Tosh Family Endorses Prop 19

From: http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Graphic: uuLyrics

"Some call it tampee. Some call it weed. Some call it marijuana. Some of them call it ganja. Legalize it; don't criticize it. Legalize it, and I will advertise it."

​When reggae legend Peter Tosh released the song and album "Legalize It" in 1976, a new anthem for the marijuana movement was born. And that same year, as a newly licensed 16-year-old driver, Legalize It was one of the first 8-track tapes (I know, LOL) I ever bought.

Now, in 2010, the family of Peter Tosh is, for the first time, coming out and announcing its strong support of California's Proposition 19 and the Just Say Now campaign to legalize marijuana nationwide, reports Michael Whitney at Just Say Now.

Part of that support is the launch of a new video from Peter Tosh's son Dave, intended to help mobilize voters to vote November 2, and to organize supporters to call voters for Prop 19 this weekend.

Peter Tosh's family released this statement:

Today, as Peter Tosh did back in 1976 with the release of Legalize It, the Peter Tosh Estate proudly speaks out for marijuana legalization. They do this in the name of Peter Tosh, his music, and their strong belief in the power of "Yes" on California's Proposition 19. Join them in the fight for legalization by supporting the Just Say Now campaign.

In the video, Dave Tosh endorses Prop 19:

My name is Dave Tosh. Peter Tosh has been a lifelong advocate for the legalization of marijuana. The song "Legalize It" from the album of the same name became the anthem and rally cry across the globe. On November 2nd, California can help make this dream a reality. Vote "Yes" on Proposition 19.

"On behalf of Just Say Now, I can say that we are deeply honored Mr. Tosh's family is carrying on the same legacy that marked his living years: speaking up for those whose voices weren't as prominent," said Aaron Houston, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

"He was an early pioneer not only in music, but also in speaking out for marijuana legalization," Houston said.

"It truly is an honor to have the endorsement and support from the Peter Tosh family in these final days for the Proposition 19 campaign," said Whitney of Just Say Now. "Join us in the last four days to pass Prop 19: sign up to call young voters and put Prop 19 over the top."

Snoop Does a Public Service Annoucement for Prop. 19

By Lilledeshan Bose
From: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/

John Gilhooley./OC Weekly

​Yesterday Matt Coker wrote about Snoop Dogg endorsing Prop. 19 on KTLA Morning News Today. We all knew he was "high on that" already--now watch Snoop Dogg's public service announcement after the jump.

The LA Times also wrote about a 30-second ad airing on Comedy Central this weekend to make sure people vote, saying the measure would pass if there was a big pro-legalization turnout.

Marijuana on the ballot: 6 states moving toward 'legalization'

Calfornia voters aren't the only ones considering loosening their state laws against pot possession next week

From: http://theweek.com/

California's Prop 19 would be the most permissive marijuana law in the nation. A medical marijuana dispensary in L.A. is pictured. Photo: Getty SEE ALL 29 PHOTOS

While the battle to control Congress is getting most of the pre-election ink, voters in several states will also be deciding how to handle the touchy issue of marijuana's legal status. Fourteen states already have medical marijuana laws on the books, and more are likely to vote in doctor-approved pot use this year or in 2012. (Click here to read The Week's latest coverage: "Will California's Proposition 19 pass?") Here are six states that could take a major step down the path toward decriminalization — or even legalization — on Nov. 2:

California
Passage of Proposition 19 by Golden State voters would create by far the most permissive marijuana law in the nation. The ballot measure would legalize — at the state and local level, anyway — recreational amounts of marijuana and allow local goverments to tax and regulate sales of the drug. The contentious battle over Prop 19 is creating some strange political dynamics, says NPR's Mandalit del Barco. For instance, many growers and "stoners" are opposed to the new taxes and government oversight, while some cops and mothers' groups support Prop 19 as a way to take profits out of the hands of drug dealers and Mexican cartels. None of that may matter, says Nate Silver in The New York Times, since support for the measure appears to be "going up in smoke" as the election nears. Today it stands no better than a 50-50 chance of passing.

Oregon
More than one in every 100 Oregonians already smokes marijuana legally for medical purposes, and Measure 74 would let them purchase their pot from state-licensed growers and nonprofit retailers, called dispensaries. (Under current law, card-carrying smokers have to grow their own marijuana, or designate someone to grow it for them.) The problem with the measure, says The Portland Mercury in an editorial, is it has no regulation mechanism to assure "all pot is safe and legal," as with other medicines. Oregon should learn from the mistakes in California and Colorado, "and do ours better." But Oregon has already taken "the main step" of legalizing medical marijuana, says the Albany, Ore., Democrat-Herald in an editorial, and "if something is legal to use — such as liquor and tobacco — it's not unreasonable to authorize places where it may be sold."

Arizona
Proposition 203 would allow Arizonans with a host of diseases to possess up to 2.5 ounces of pot with a doctor's recommendation. They would be allowed to buy medical marijuana from nonprofit, state-licensed dispensaries, or grow it themselves if the nearest outlet is more than 25 miles away. "Opponents worry it will bring more crime, substance abuse, and corruption to our state," says Lori Jane Gliha at ABC News 15. But with polls showing it the most popular measure on the ballot, with 54 percent support, "we'll go out on a limb and say [it] will probably pass" anyway, says Ray Stern in the Phoenix New Times.

South Dakota
Measure 13 is a do-over for South Dakota medical-marijuana proponents, after a similar measure in 2006 fell short by about 15,000 votes, or 4 percentage points. Activists "think they can get over the top this time around," says Phillip Smith in Drug War Chronicle, with restrictions carefully tailored "to win over a skeptical and conservative prairie electorate" — to wit, the proposed law limits people with specific conditions to 1 ounce and only upon the recommendation of a doctor with whom they have "bona fide relationship." But not all skeptics are convinced: "I just think it's a total scam being done by people interested in legalizing marijuana," says Yankton County, S.D., Sheriff Dave Hunhoff. "If they want to legalize marijuana ... they should just stand up and use that argument."

Vermont
The Democratic candidate for governor of the Green Mountain State, Peter Shumlin, publicly advocates the decriminalization of marijuana, says Ron Kampia in The Huffington Post. And if he beats Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (R), who is "ultra-hostile to decriminalization," Vermont — which already has a medical-marijuana law — "has a good chance of decriminalizing the possession of marijuana," too. But Shumlin can't count on getting every pro-pot vote, says Brad Sylvester in Yahoo News, since he's also facing Liberty Union candidate Ben Mitchell, whose platform calls for making Vermont into the "Amsterdam of the U.S."

Massachusetts
In November, 73 Massachusetts towns and cities will vote on a nonbinding ballot measure instructing state lawmakers "to vote in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate the taxation, cultivation, and sale of marijuana to adults" — in short, to legalize pot. Although only 13 percent of the state's voters will see the ballot initiative, its sponsor, the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, says majority approval would lay the foundation for a statewide, binding ballot measure in 2012. State voters have already approved decriminalization, says Michael Cutler in Wicked Local, and "the sky hasn't fallen." Full legalization would better limit access to the drug and raise revenue.

19 Reasons for Every Californian to Vote Yes on Prop 19

By: Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator
From: http://blog.norml.org/

California’s Prop 19 will be the most talked-about ballot initiative in the November election. This measure would make lawful the possession and sharing of one ounce of marijuana outside the home and allow for personal cultivation of a small marijuana garden and possession of its harvest in the home. California cities and counties would be able to opt-in to commercial sales, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. Existing prohibitions against driving under the influence and working under the influence would be maintained and prohibitions against furnishing marijuana to minors would be strengthened.

After almost 100 years of marijuana prohibition in California, marijuana is more popular and accepted than ever. Prohibition has clearly failed. Prop 19 gives us another choice, one that benefits not just those who enjoy the herb, but the entire state of California and ultimately, the nation and the world. Whether you are a regular marijuana user now, an occasional toker back in the day, or you’ve never touched the stuff, there are many compelling economic, social, public safety, and civil libertarian reasons to support its legalization. Here are nineteen reasons for six distinct groups of Californians to vote Yes on Prop 19.

For the Concerned Parents

1. To make pot more difficult for kids to buy. It might seem counter-intuitive to some, but illegal marijuana is much easier to acquire than regulated marijuana because weed dealers don’t check ID’s. Four out of five high school seniors, more than three in five sophomores, and two in five middle schoolers (8^th grade) say marijuana is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get. One third of 16-17-year-olds say marijuana is easiest to buy, not cigarettes, alcohol, or prescription drugs. Two out of five teens say they can get marijuana in a day; almost one in four can get marijuana in an hour. Obviously letting unregulated dealers control the marijuana market is not protecting your kids from access to marijuana. On the other hand, aggressive enforcement of ID carding for minors, combined with public education have led to some of the lowest rates of teen alcohol and tobacco use ever recorded. Prop 19 enacts the same common sense ID carding for marijuana as we use for martinis and Marlboros.

2. To make pot more difficult for kids to sell in school. Regardless of what regulations we put on marijuana, like alcohol and tobacco, there will be some kids who manage to get a hold of it. But part of what makes marijuana so easy for teens to buy is that they can all find in their high school one of the one million teens nationally who are dealing it. Legal access to marijuana for adults removes the criminal risk markup that makes pot so profitable. After all, when was the last time you heard of a beer dealer in a high school hallway? Prop 19 eliminates the huge profit that entices youngsters to sell marijuana.

3. To make pot less available for transfer from young adults. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a decriminalization bill that makes it an infraction, not a crime, to possess and share of up to one ounce of marijuana between anyone 18 and older. Prop 19 adds a stiff punishment of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for any adult aged 21 or older who shares marijuana with anyone aged 18-20, just like we punish adults who furnish alcohol to those under legal age. When it’s tougher for those 18-20 to get marijuana, it’s tougher for them to share it friends under 18. Prop 19 treats marijuana like alcohol as a privilege for age 21 and older.

For the “Law and Order” Crowd

4. To decrease the profits of violent criminals. Prohibited marijuana brings with it the same problems as prohibited alcohol did – gangs and violence. We don’t see bootleggers shooting up the streets over whiskey distribution any more. We don’t see clandestine wine grape vineyards sprouting up in national forests. Providing California’s adults a legal way to grow or buy their own marijuana means violent drug gangs lose customers. No, these gangsters won’t stop being gangsters, but they will become gangsters with lower budgets and fewer associates. Prop 19 brings the dangerous underground marijuana market into a safe, regulated, inspected, and taxed legal market.

5. To increase public trust of law enforcement. Currently more than 1 in 10 adult Californians smoke pot every year. It is unknown how many of these 2.9 million annual users fail to report crimes for fear of police interviewing them and discovering the marijuana they possess or grow. Prohibition also creates fear and paranoia that lingers long after the joint is smoked for these adults whenever they see police, fear that even talking to police could end in a ticket or arrest. Prop 19 allows otherwise law-abiding cannabis consumers to trust and help law enforcement.

6. To prioritize our law enforcement. It is estimated that including the arrest, jail, prison, court, and marijuana eradication costs, California spends $200 million per year on marijuana law enforcement. Then there is the time and space we can’t afford in our overworked court system and overcrowded prisons. Prop 19 alleviates much of those problems while maintaining the current laws against irresponsible use of marijuana, such as driving under the influence and giving marijuana to kids. Prop 19 focuses police priorities away from adults who enjoy marijuana responsibly and onto real crime.

For the Medical Marijuana Patients

7. To protect your medical collectives. Over the fourteen years of medical marijuana in California we’ve seen numerous raids on medical marijuana collectives, or “dispensaries”. Many are conducted by state or local authorities, some by DEA but always with the cooperation and assistance of local law enforcement. Prop 19 forbids state and local law enforcement from seizing, attempting to seize, or even threatening to seize lawfully cultivated marijuana – medical or personal. Prop 19 makes it impossible for local law enforcement to assist federal prosecution of medical marijuana collectives.

8. To provide easier access to cheaper medicine. Currently a patient has to see a doctor and pay for a recommendation to use medical marijuana. The patient has to carry around that recommendation to prove medical use to the police. The patient can designate a caregiver to grow for them or buy from a dispensary at grossly inflated prices. After Prop 19, you can use marijuana simply because you decide to, no doctors, no notes. Any number of your friends could be growing marijuana for you. There may even be Prop 19 stores that open in your city. Prop 19 will lower marijuana prices and provide greater access to patients without need for permission slips.

9. To allow you to grow a lot of marijuana. For adults who decide not to get Prop 215 recommendations, you will be allowed under Prop 19 to cultivate a plot of marijuana not exceeding 25 square feet. The DEA has concluded that the average yield of cannabis bud per square foot is about one-half ounce – that’s over three quarters of a pound from a 5’x5’ garden. Prop 19 allows you to keep the results of your harvests; the one ounce limitation only applies to taking your marijuana out of your residence. Prop 19 does not impose arbitrary plant and possession limits at your home grow site.

For the Business Community

10. To create much-needed jobs. California’s marijuana market is already the largest cash crop in the state at an estimated $14 billion annually. This estimate only includes the marijuana itself and not all the ancillary industries a legal pot market would bring, from accessories to fashion, from tourism to retail, and all the incredible markets for marijuana’s non-drug cousin, industrial hemp. Prop 19 creates new job and business opportunities and opens the door for industrial use of hemp.

11. To bring in much-needed tax revenue. It’s true that Prop 19 allows localities to opt-in and regulate commercial cannabis sales and some places may not opt-in, reaping no marijuana taxes. But marijuana for personal use will still be legal and many of the ancillary industries could flourish in a “dry county” (e.g., marijuana bed’n’breakfast) and that would produce tax revenue. Prop 19 brings in more tax revenue from marijuana than we’re bringing in now.

12. To bring fairness to workplace drug testing. Prop 19 maintains an employer’s existing right to address marijuana impairment in the workplace – nobody gets to go to work stoned any more than they get to go to work drunk. But Prop 19 frees employers from the burden of disciplining, firing, or not hiring safe, productive workers for their personal use of marijuana away from the job site. Prop 19 treats employees who use cannabis responsibly in their private life like those employees who drink alcohol.

For the Latinos and African-Americans

13. To end the disproportionate arrest and harassment of people of color. African-Americans in California’s 25 largest counties are arrested at rates two-to-four times greater than their white counterparts, despite whites using marijuana at greater rates. In the 25 largest cities, the arrest disparity ranges from twice-to-thirteen times the rates for whites. Arrest rates for Latinos also exceed the rates for whites. Prop 19 removes the probable cause for law enforcement to harass people of color for merely possessing marijuana.

14. To end street-level dealing of marijuana. Marijuana’s profitability and scarcity create the open-air street-corner dealing that plagues many communities of color and utilizes juveniles to perform the transporting and selling of small amounts of pot. The profit enriches gangs and leads to violent confrontations over turf. Prop 19 will reduce the cost of marijuana and provide a regulated place to buy it that will undercut the street dealers.

15. To strike back at the murderous drug gangs in Mexico. Many Latino Californians worry for the safety of friends and family back in Mexico. Residents in northern border towns face violence and murder rates usually only found in war zones. Law abiding Mexicans don’t know if their law enforcement and government officials are corrupted by the wealthy gangs. Prop 19 is the first step in nationwide legalization that can be the only solution to Mexico’s drug war violence.

For the People of All Political Ideologies

16. To energize and connect with the progressive Democratic base. Prop 19 is overwhelmingly supported by the young, progressive, liberal voters that are the base of support for Democratic politicians. Many of these voters are not as enthusiastic about the Democrats as they were in 2008 when they turned out in record numbers. Prop 19’s passage forces the Democratic Party to recognize the get-out-the-vote potential of the marijuana legalization issue for future elections.

17. To build a new, younger Republican base on conservative principles. The Republican Party faces a decline in its numbers due to the aging of its core base of white male supporters. Younger, libertarian-leaning, “Tea Party” activists are calling for a return to conservative principles of states’ rights, less government, personal responsibility, and cutting wasteful government spending. Prop 19 affirms the right of states to set their own policies and begins to dismantle the most ineffective government program of all time – the War on Drugs.

18. To show the traditional political parties they aren’t responding to the people. Candidates for the highest offices in California from both major political parties refuse to endorse marijuana legalization even though more than half the citizens have used marijuana and support its legalization. Prop 19 reminds the major parties that they are the servants of the people and the people’s will is sovereign.

For the Future

19. To change the world. Prop 19 is not just another California initiative. Prop 19 is being watched in all fifty states and throughout the hemisphere as the “shot heard round the world” in ending the prohibition of marijuana.

It’s up to you, California, to take that one small step for your state that will be one giant leap for the nation. Vote Yes on Prop 19!

Former U.S. Surgeon General Calls for Marijuana Legalization

By the CNN Wire Staff
Ex-surgeon general: Legalize marijuana

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Joycelyn Elders tells CNN resources can be better spent
* She says the drug's illegality is criminalizing young people
* "It's not a toxic substance," she says
* California's Proposition 19 would legalize marijuana use in the state


(CNN) -- Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders told CNN Sunday she supports legalizing marijuana.

The trend-setting state of California is voting next month on a ballot initiative to legalize pot, also known as Proposition 19. The measure would legalize recreational use in the state, though federal officials have said they would continue to enforce drug laws in California if the initiative is approved.

"What I think is horrible about all of this, is that we criminalize young people. And we use so many of our excellent resources ... for things that aren't really causing any problems," said Elders. "It's not a toxic substance."

Supporters of California's Prop. 19 say it would raise revenue and cut the cost of enforcement, while opponents point to drug's harmful side-effects.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a letter, obtained by CNN Friday, that federal agents would continue to enforce federal marijuana laws and warned Prop. 19, if passed, would be a major stumbling block to federal partnerships between state and local authorities around drug enforcement.

His letter was a response to an August letter from several former directors of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration urging the White House to block Prop. 19 if it's approved next month.

Elders stressed the drug is not physically addictive and pointed to the damaging impact of alcohol, which is legal.

"We have the highest number of people in the world being criminalized, many for non-violent crimes related to marijuana," said Elders. "We can use our resources so much better."

Freedom Rally - Boston Common - 9/18/2010

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