Recent Articles
Marijuana Petitioners Clash with ACLU
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
By Andy Hobbs, Covington Reporter Columnist
Source: Covington Reporter 
Washington State — A grass-roots campaign is under way to legalize marijuana in Washington state.
Sensible Washington is the political committee behind Initiative 1068, which seeks to remove criminal penalties involving adult use, possession and cultivation of marijuana. I-1068 needs 241,153 valid voter signatures by the July 2 deadline in order to appear on November’s election ballot.
Despite a well-known stance for the reform of marijuana laws, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington has drawn criticism from activists for not supporting the initiative. Read More..
In Drug War, Failed Old Ideas Never Die
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
By Bernd Debusmann�
Source: Reuters�
Washington, D.C. — Here’s a stern warning to the U.S. states of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. A United Nations body is displeased with your liberal medical marijuana laws. Very displeased.
The U.N. rarely takes issue with the internal affairs of member states, and even less with those of the United States. But that’s what the International Narcotics Control Board has just done in its latest annual report, published this week. Without mentioning by name the 14 American states where marijuana is legal for medical purposes, the 149-page report says: Read More..
Panel Will Study Medical Marijuana
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
By Tony Leys
Source: Des Moines Register
Iowa — Iowa legislators plan to keep the medical marijuana issue moving forward, a leading lawmaker said Tuesday.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the Legislature intends to set up a committee of experts to consider how marijuana could safely be allowed for patients with legitimate medical needs. If that committee comes up with a workable plan, he said, legislators will give the matter serious discussion in their 2011 session.
Last week, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy unanimously recommended legislators reclassify the drug in a way that could make it legal for medical purposes. The board also recommended the state set up an expert task force, including patients, health care professionals, state regulators and law enforcement representatives, to design a system. Read More..
Marijuana Could Be Farmers’ New Crop
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
By Joseph P. Smith
Source: Daily Journal
Vineland — New Jersey farmers, including some in this area, see a chance to add an important new crop now that the 
state has legalized medical marijuana. “We would all like to grow it because we think it would be a good cash crop — literally,” Fairfield nurseryman Roger Ruske said.
The New Jersey Farm Bureau, a trade group for agriculture, has looked into the issue in depth and found good news and problems with the idea. New Jersey last month adopted a law allowing medical use of marijuana.
Farm Bureau research associate Ed Wengryn said the legislation isn’t written clearly enough for the state Department of Health and Senior Services to write regulations. “But I will say there are growers interested in it — but they’re interested in the concept,” Wengryn said. Read More..
Why Growing Numbers of Baby Boomers and the Elderly Are Smoking Pot
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:22:18 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
An excellent and thoughtful analysis appears today via Alternet.org. Below is an excerpt. To read the entire story, please visit here.
Why Growing Numbers of Baby Boomers and the Elderly Are Smoking Pot
More and more of the nation’s 78 million Boomers are discovering they’d rather smoke marijuana than reach for a pharmaceuticalConventional wisdom dictates that as younger generations slowly replace the old, conservative social traditions are jettisoned. This may be true for issues such as gay marriage, where there are clear divisions among younger and older voters, but when it comes to marijuana reform, the evidence indicates that simplistic divisions of opinion along age lines don’t apply for pot.
Earlier this week, an AP wire article picked up a lot of buzz in the news-cycle, with a title and premise meant to shock the mainstream: “Marijuana Use by Seniors Goes up as Boomers Age.”
The AP article was pegged to a December report released by the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It revealed that the number of Americans over 50 who had reported consuming cannabis in the year prior to the study had gone up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent in the period from 2002 to 2008. Read More..
NORML’s Weekly Legislative Update
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:07:38 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Lawmakers around the country are debating a record number of marijuana law reform bills in 2010. NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up is your one-stop guide to pending marijuana law reform legislation around the country, along with tips for influencing the policies of your state.
** A note to first time readers: NORML can not introduce legislation in your state. Nor can any other non-profit advocacy organization. Only your state representatives, or in some cases an individual constituent (by way of their representative; this is known as introducing legislation ‘by request’) can do so. NORML can — and does — work closely with like-minded politicians and citizens to reform marijuana laws, and lobbies on behalf of these efforts. But ultimately the most effective way — and the only way — to successfully achieve statewide marijuana law reform is for local stakeholders and citizens to become involved in the political process and make the changes they want to see. We can’t do it without you.
Massachusetts: On Tuesday, March 2, members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hear testimony in favor of Senate Bill 1801, which seeks to legally regulate the commercial production and distribution of marijuana for adults over 21 years of age. The hearing is scheduled for 1:00pm in room A-1 of the Massachusetts State House. You can read NORML’s written testimony to the Committee here. You can also watch video of NORML representatives previously testifying in favor of this measure before lawmakers here. For information on attending next week’s hearing please visit here, or to contact the Committee, please go here. Read More..
Panel Will Study Medical Marijuana
Feb 28, 2010Online IssueLeave a comment
Posted by CN Staff on February 24, 2010 at 05:52:23 PT
By Tony Leys
Source: Des Moines Register
Iowa — Iowa legislators plan to keep the medical marijuana issue moving forward, a leading lawmaker said Tuesday.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the Legislature intends to set up a committee of experts to consider how marijuana could safely be allowed for patients with legitimate medical needs. If that committee comes up with a workable plan, he said, legislators will give the matter serious discussion in their 2011 session.
Last week, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy unanimously recommended legislators reclassify the drug in a way that could make it legal for medical purposes. The board also recommended the state set up an expert task force, including patients, health care professionals, state regulators and law enforcement representatives, to design a system. Read More..
