Marijuana

Morning Sun, 01 Apr 2013 - LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Some of the first significant changes to Michigan's medical-marijuana law kick in Monday, including extending the one-year registry cards to two years and setting rules for the doctor patient relationship for medical-marijuana users. Voters endorsed the use of medical marijuana in 2008 to alleviate side effects of certain illnesses, such as cancer or chronic pain. But lawmakers said the law left too much open to interpretation and pushed through bipartisan measures at the end of last session designed to clarify the act. One of the biggest changes defines the type of doctor-patient relationship needed before medical marijuana use can be certified.

The Daily Star, 01 Apr 2013 - It's no secret that when it comes to the "war on drugs" first declared by Richard Nixon 42 years ago, the good guys are losing. It's no secret nationwide, and it's no secret here. "The proliferation of illegal drugs upstate is "truly deplorable," Delaware County Sheriff Thomas E. Mills said in a media statement a couple of weeks ago.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 31 Mar 2013 - A Parrish man whose home was raided for the marijuana plants he cultivated to help treat his wife's disease said he has turned down a plea bargain proffered by the state. Robert Jordan, who grows marijuana to help treat Cathy Jordan's Lou Gehrig's disease, said he refused the state's plea deal because it required him to give up his right to a fair trial or stop cultivating the plant.

Seattle Times, 31 Mar 2013 - Washington's new pot consultant has one overarching, discouraging message for lawmakers and state budget writers: Don't look at weed as an ATM. Potential tax revenue will probably be less than half of the $450 million the state has projected as a maximum return, said Dr. Mark Kleiman, in an interview with TVW's Austin Jenkins.

Kokomo Tribune, 31 Mar 2013 - Push For Marijuana Decriminalization Alive And Well In Indiana. INDIANAPOLIS - The politics of pot may keep Indiana lawmakers from rolling back the state's tough marijuana laws this session, but it won't eradicate the push for decriminalization.

The Herald, 31 Mar 2013 - The State's New Marijuana Adviser Says It Can Expect About $100 Million in the First Year, Not the $400 Million Initially Estimated. SEATTLE - Estimates of how much money marijuana legalization can bring to the state's coffers have been way off, Washington's new marijuana consultant said.

The Times Herald, 30 Mar 2013 - LEAWOOD, Kan. - Two former CIA employees whose Kansas home was fruitlessly searched for marijuana during a two-state drug sweep claim they were illegally targeted, possibly because they had bought indoor growing supplies to raise vegetables. Adlynn and Robert Harte sued this week to get more information about why sheriff's deputies searched their home in the upscale Kansas City suburb of Leawood last April 20 as part of Operation Constant Gardener - a sweep conducted by agencies in Kansas and Missouri that netted marijuana plants, processed marijuana, guns, growing paraphernalia and cash from several other locations.

The Day, 30 Mar 2013 - Providence- Rhode Island is reducing the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana and preparing to open its first medical pot dispensaries as states around the nation reassess their stance on the country's most popular illicit drug. A new law decriminalizing the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana will take effect Monday. Instead of the threat of jail time or a $500 fine, those caught with marijuana will receive a $150 civil fine. The offender will have to forfeit the marijuana and appear in traffic court, but the incident won't appear on their criminal records.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 30 Mar 2013 - A federal judge denied defense requests Friday to dismiss the marijuana case against Hawaii island cannabis advocate Roger Christie, clearing the way for his trial in July. U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi issued an order saying the dismissal and other defense requests were denied. A more detailed order will come later, she said.

Tulsa World, 30 Mar 2013 - They Say Their Family Was Growing Vegetables in the Basement. LEAWOOD, Kan. - Two former CIA employees whose Kansas home was fruitlessly searched for marijuana during a two-state drug sweep claim they were illegally targeted, possibly because they had bought indoor growing supplies to raise vegetables.

The Kentucky legislature approved an industrial hemp bill Wednesday in the final hour of the session, but only after last-minute negotiations brought it back from the dead. Whether Gov. Steve Beshear (D) will sign it remains to be seen.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]]The bill, Senate Bill 50, would allow for industrial hemp production in Kentucky, if the federal government allows it, which it currently doesn't. It keeps the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission, which was created by earlier legislation, in the state Department of Agriculture and gives the University of Kentucky authority over hemp research.

Fighting over whether to shift the commission as well to the University of Kentucky nearly derailed the bill. The bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Paul Hornback (R-Shelbyville) and its chief advocate, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, had to fend off efforts by House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins (D-Sandy Hook) to shift the commission to the university.

Once agreement had been reached, the bill passed the House on an 88-4 vote, and the Senate then approved the compromise language on a 35-1 vote.

The bill now goes to Gov. Beshear, who has said he shares concerns aired by the Kentucky State Police, who opposed it on the grounds that it could make enforcing the marijuana laws more difficult. Beshear has not said whether he will veto the bill or sign it into law.

The bill was also supported by the Bluegrass State's two Republican US senators, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell. McConnell is also an original sponsor of this year's federal hemp bill, Senate Bill 359.

According to the industry group Vote Hemp, eight states have already passed laws removing barriers to hemp production, while others have passed bills establishing commissions or research activities or passed resolutions endorsing industrial hemp. Fifteen states have seen hemp bills introduced this year.

Nelson Star, 29 Mar 2013 - MEDICAL MARIJUANA PLAN HITS SNAG A North Shore couple hoping to receive one of the first licenses to produce medical marijuana under new federal regulations has run into a bureaucratic roadblock. The Regional District of Central Kootenay last week denied a variance application to let the couple expand two outbuildings on their property to a combined 4,435 square feet (412 square meters) - more than four times the maximum size allowed for a home-based business in a residential area - and increase the number of permitted employees from two to four.

The Calgary Sun, 29 Mar 2013 - Colorado's decriminalization of marijuana spreading to Canada is no pipe dream, the state's governor said in Calgary Thursday. Last November, Colorado and Washington state voted to end their war on cannabis, with both states moving to develop a distribution system similar to retailing alcohol.

New York Times, 29 Mar 2013 - The Supreme Court correctly ruled this week that using a drug-sniffing police dog on a suspect's property without a warrant violates the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches. The ruling was not surprising; the split among the justices was. The majority included conservative Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and three of the court's more liberal members (Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan). The four dissenting justices were: Samuel Alito Jr., Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., all on the conservative side; and Stephen Breyer, a moderate liberal.

Glasgow Daily Times, 29 Mar 2013 - We tend to mythologize the dead; and perhaps that's fair with politicians who've passed, since we use them for rhetorical target practice when they are stumping the earth. But regardless of the intended spirit, today is a very special day for the memory of my friendly acquaintance and sometimes political rival, Gatewood Galbraith.

Commercial Appeal, 29 Mar 2013 - The president's position on pot continues to be dangerously vague and confusing." As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot.