WENATCHEE - The City Council on Thursday repealed Wenatchee laws making small amounts of marijuana and drug paraphernalia a crime in keeping with a new state law legalizing pot possession. But the city does not plan to dismiss the half-dozen marijuana possessions that were pending when the law went into effect, as other cities in the state have done, said City Attorney Steve Smith. That's because they were in violation of the law when they were arrested. When the new state law went into effect on Dec. 6 after the passage of Initiative 502, it automatically negated all municipals laws in the state that criminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Thursday's council action makes city law consistent with state law. [continues 93 words]
To the Editor: I don't grow marijuana. I don't smoke marijuana. I do pay taxes and believe there are more like me in this city. Why should my tax money go to hire an out of town attorney to fight the federal government over something I don't believe in? Do the supervisors really believe we are above federal law? If so, we need to start thinking about our elected officials before the federal government decides to withdraw all help they give to this county. Ann Ramsey Ukiah [end]
VOTERS have declared that it is time to rethink our marijuana policies. It's also time to rethink the practice of drug testing for pot. The enactment of Initiative 502, which legalized recreational marijuana use in Washington state, is an ideal opportunity for employers to reexamine their drug-testing policies regarding employees' off the job cannabis use. Those who consume alcohol legally and responsibly while off the job do not suffer sanctions from their employers unless their work performance is adversely affected. Employers should treat those Washingtonians who consume cannabis legally while away from the workplace similarly. [continues 560 words]
No Quick Crackdown, but Federal Policy Still Unknown For backers of legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado, it isn't what President Obama said - it's what he didn't say. In an interview with ABC News, Obama said that recreational pot smoking in the two states that have legalized it is not a major concern for his administration. "We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama said. "It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal." [continues 719 words]
After Amendment 64 was passed, medical dispensaries quickly looked to reopen. Owners adjusting to new laws and regulations needed permits to reopen. I firmly believe this is smart and actually good for the community; having a regulated and controlled retailer for this new product will help keep it off the streets and away from minors. As an 18-year-old senior at Fossil Ridge High School, I've learned and reviewed all of the laws and rules regarding marijuana. All of these strict provisions are smart and perfect to keep this drug away from the kids of the community. These dispensaries will ultimately create a great profit for Fort Collins. [continues 105 words]
Please, please, please tell me that California is gonna be the next state to legalize weed. Can it happen? - -California Cannabis Crusader No one really knows. It's like California is losing its status as a groundbreaking state. Legalize weed? Hell, we can't even legalize gay marriage. Who knows what the future has in store? Amanda Reiman does. Check her bio at www.drugpolicy.org: She is the California policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance and leads the DPA's marijuana reform work in California. So, she's awesome. I sent her your question, and she sent this back: [continues 400 words]
I live with multiple sclerosis; I am asking our state representatives to support the compassionate, tightly crafted medical cannabis bill, House Bill 30. Many other Illinoisans who have worked hard to enact medical cannabis legislation-people living with cancer, fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS, Crohn's and other debilitating illnesses-have not lived to see the day when we can stop being afraid for our freedom of choice. I have been at the forefront of the medical cannabis movement in Illinois for the last eight years, testifying before Senate and House committees in support of legislation, visiting countless legislators and interviewing with media outlets locally and nationwide. My story and connections with other patients have given hope to many. [continues 109 words]
I've read with interest the recent "tough love" opinions about City Attorney Tom Carr's position on temporarily banning sale of non-medical marijuana. To me these opinions convey an undue atmosphere of crisis. In fact, (1) the supply of marijuana in Boulder is already huge, (2) police enforcement relating to marijuana possession has already been adjusted, (3) the federal government has not weighed in on this matter, and (4) no state guidelines are in place either. Under these circumstances, I don't see how Boulder can proceed on its own without waiting for guidance at the federal and state level. Otherwise, businesses attempting to set up non-medical marijuana operations in Boulder would be caught in the middle of an ever-changing regulatory landscape. In the meantime, there's no shortage of marijuana in the People's Republic of Boulder. [continues 85 words]
When I woke up on Dec. 6 I was surprised to find the sky was still there. It didn't fall as predicted after Washington became the first state to once again have legal marijuana. Oregon didn't fare as well. Measure 80 was defeated, but not by much. In Lane County 60 percent of voters said yes to legal weed (thank you, Lane County!). The statewide tally of 47 percent shines when we consider that the campaign raised only $60,000 while more than $6 million was received from supporters in Washington for their proposal, Initiative 502. [continues 678 words]
State's Experience With Medical Marijuana Could Be a Blueprint On Monday afternoon, in a conference room off Colfax Avenue in suburban Denver, two dozen members of a government task force will gather to begin hashing out the details of how to create a market for legal, recreational marijuana in the state. The group includes law enforcement officials, public health experts, marijuana advocates and others who have varying opinions but each share a stake in the outcome. Looming over their task is the fact that growing, possessing and selling pot remains illegal under federal law. Leaders in Colorado and in Washington - the other state where citizens voted in November to legalize marijuana for people older than 21 - have sought guidance from federal officials, but so far they have been met mostly with silence. [continues 927 words]
Ah, the great American West, where man can generally breathe free and also inhale -woman, too. Thank you, thank you, voters in Colorado and Washington state, for legalizing marijuana. But will Washington, D.C., leave you alone? Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department will weigh its response to the state referenda. A new national poll finds 58 percent of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and only 39 percent against. A raft of other state laws easing the prohibition on pot and growing public contempt for the existing law should be enough to change the policy. And so should a basic sense of decency. [continues 517 words]
Ah, the great American West, where man can generally breathe free and also inhale -- woman, too. Thank you, thank you, voters in Colorado and Washington state, for legalizing marijuana. But will Washington, D.C., leave you alone? Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department will weigh its response to the state referenda. A new national poll finds 58 percent of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and only 39 percent against. A raft of other state laws easing the prohibition on pot and growing public contempt for the existing law should be enough to change the policy. And so should a basic sense of decency. [continues 515 words]
Ah, the great American West, where man can generally breathe free and also inhale - woman, too. Thank you, thank you, voters in Colorado and Washington state, for legalizing marijuana. But will Washington, D.C., leave you alone? Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department will weigh its response to the state referenda. A new national poll finds 58 percent of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and only 39 percent against. A raft of other state laws easing the prohibition on pot and growing public contempt for the existing law should be enough to change the policy. And so should a basic sense of decency. [continues 515 words]
Oakland's latest round in its campaign to save the nation's largest medical marijuana dispensary includes a statement this week from Mayor Jean Quan saying federal prosecutors should back off, and the federal government's own patent application lauding the therapeutic qualities of cannabis. In papers filed late Tuesday with the magistrate who is considering the fate of the Harborside Health Center, lawyers for Oakland said patent and research records reveal that "the government believes in the medical efficacy of cannabis" - contrary to the Justice Department's insistence that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no legitimate use. [continues 360 words]
I find it interesting the people of Colorado have voted to legalize the "recreational" use of marijuana. Personally, I just can't understand how inhaling smoke can be good for a person. The government and many private organizations have spent millions of dollars over the years fighting the big tobacco companies. Finally the truth about the bad effects of tobacco, what we always knew, comes out: it is proven to kill people. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I believe the human body works best by inhaling fresh air, not smoke (of any kind). It seems to me we are taking a huge step backward. I suppose the next thing would be to turn the production and marketing of marijuana cigarettes over to Phillip Morris or RJ Reynolds, companies that really know the smoking business. That way, people could be supplied with a regular and guaranteed supply of marijuana. Again, I guess I'm just kinda old-fashioned, but my idea of recreation is hiking in the mountains or going for a bike ride, not sucking smoke into my lungs. Martin Pfefer, Centennial [end]
The problem of legalizing marijuana has nothing to do with those who smoke it ["What a long, strange trip," Focus/Society, Dec. 11] but has everything to do with economics and why it was made illegal. Marijuana, or the hemp plant, is an amazing species that has a multitude of uses. It was that threat that still makes it illegal. The almighty dollar is what matters. There are about 2,000 varieties of hemp. Look at how great hemp is. The seeds of its plant are the only ones in the world that contain all the essential fatty acids and amino acids required by the human body. The oil can be used for lamps, food, bio-fuels, cosmetics, skincare, health aids and medicinal purposes. The fiber makes excellent paper products which do not yellow or disintegrate over time, unlike regular tree paper. Also it makes great building and construction materials, hemp plastics and rope. In textiles and fabrics, it far surpasses the cotton plant. Since it is more easily grown in wider climates, it requires few pesticides and no herbicides, has fewer problems with pests and is easier to harvest. [continues 113 words]
Re: "University of Colorado president sees $1 billion risk in legalized pot," Dec. 9 news story. University of Colorado president Bruce Benson's hyperbolic pronouncements about the legalization of marijuana affecting federal aid to CU merely serve to stir up uninformed and paranoid rhetoric, rather than contribute to a rational debate. Mr. Benson should consider joining the rest of us in the 21st century. Marijuana use is a reality. Why, I would wager that even some of your best friends at Republican cocktail parties occasionally put down their glasses of top-shelf scotch and sneak out to the balcony or patio to fire one up. And they don't, by and large, become drug addicts or felons. They are good people just getting high a little differently than you might. As president of a college annually ranked high among those where drunkenness, couch arson and debachurey are widely practiced, isn't it a touch hypocritical and naively nostalgic for Benson to pick on marijuana? Jack Farrar, Denver [end]
Elections have consequences. Mitt Romney was poised to be president of the United States. He lost the election and ended up on the Marriott hotel chain's board of directors. He went from nearly being the next leader of the free world to trying to keep hotel guests from stealing from their hotel room mini-bars. Overlooked in the long race for president (won, as most marathons are, by a Kenyan) were some state votes on social issues. Washington state was the first to legalize the possession of marijuana without a doctor's prescription; Colorado followed this week. In a related story, Twinkies maker Hostess quickly emerged from bankruptcy. [continues 631 words]
What is the scientific and medical basis for Illinois politicians considering the legalization of "medical" marijuana? Delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary mind-altering chemical compound in marijuana, is already a Food and Drug Administration-approved medication and THC pills are already available by prescription. However, the marijuana plant has never received FDA approval because it has not had adequate clinical trials. One obstacle for approval is that the marijuana plant has hundreds of compounds in varying amounts depending on the plant. Even THC concentration levels vary among plants. [continues 91 words]
Yurgine: The war on illegal drugs started with the Nixon administration and has been going on ever since. The mission of the war was to reduce the consumption of illegal drugs by apprehending and punishing those persons who sell and possess drugs. The war has been a complete failure. The demand for marijuana will always be there. The only thing that varies is its price. Do you think with the recent election that we will be able to end the war, at least as regards marijuana? [continues 1099 words]
Inside United States
