Pubdate: Wed, 04 Dec 2013
Source: Garden Island (Lihue, HI)
Copyright: 2013 The Garden Island
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/Fyr3Cplk
Website: http://thegardenisland.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/964
Page: B4

LAWS TO LEGALIZE POT CONTINUE TO GROW

Americans have come a long way in their acceptance of marijuana. Long
gone are the days of "Reefer Madness," the infamous 1936 movie that
depicted a couple falling into addiction and ultimately - madness.
Today, 58 percent of Americans favor the legalizing of pot for
recreational use, according to an October 2013 Gallup poll.

Fueling the momentum to legalize marijuana for recreational use are
the recent new laws in Colorado and Washington, which legalized
recreational marijuana use in those states.

Including Colorado and Washington, 13 states have proposed or enacted
legislation on the recreational use of marijuana, according to
WestlawNext, the nation's leading online legal research service. In
addition, 24 states have legalized medical marijuana, which is widely
accepted for treating a range of diseases, such as epilepsy, and to
reduce the side effects of other medical treatments, such as
chemotherapy.

Michael Carlson, a reference attorney with Thomson Reuters, notes that
proposing a law to legalize pot for recreational use isn't as simple
as it might sound.

"Legislators have to contend with many facets of this issue, ranging
from taxation to regulating who can grow marijuana, how it will be
harvested and processed, and how marijuana can be legally distributed
and sold," said Carlson.

A key step toward acceptance of recreational marijuana use is the
decriminalization of persons caught in possession of marijuana. Since
1973, 15 states have enacted legislation that decriminalizes
possession of small amounts of marijuana according to the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). On July 1,
2013, Vermont became the most recent state to decriminalize marijuana,
and in late August, the U.S. Department of Justice, in a memorandum to
all United States Attorneys, said it would not challenge state laws on
recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington based on the
expectation that those states will "implement strong and effective
regulatory and enforcement systems," which includes keeping marijuana
from minors and out of the hands of gangs.

If the new laws in Colorado and the state of Washington serve as a
precedent as to how other states may approach the legalization of
marijuana, here's what U.S. residents can expect, according to WestlawNext:

* The first recreational marijuana retailers will open on Jan. 1,
2014, in Colorado. A specific date has not been set in Washington. The
number of retailers in Washington will be capped at 344, according to
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

* Twenty-one is the recommended age for recreational marijuana
use.

* In Washington, adults, 21 years of age and older can purchase, in a
single transaction, one ounce of usable marijuana, 16 ounces of
marijuana-infused product in solid form, and 72 ounces of marijuana
infused product in liquid form.

* In Colorado, adults, 21 or older, can possess up to one ounce of
marijuana and six marijuana plants. You do not have to be a resident
of Colorado or Washington to purchase and use marijuana while visiting
those states. It will be illegal to grow your own pot in Washington.

* Open and public smoking of marijuana in Colorado will still be
illegal, as it will be in Washington.

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