a New Medical-Marijuana Center in Tucson Takes a One-Stop-Shop Approach A couple of months back, I decided Tucson was beginning to suck a little more than Phoenix, at least by one measure, because we didn't have any fun and exciting medical-marijuana clubs or pot superstores or other places to celebrate our newfound MMJ-ness. (See "Phoenix Doesn't Suck," Nov. 3.) All we had were a few sign-wavers and some dingy clinics. Well, things have changed a little since I wrote that. We might not have any superstores, but we do have a few spots where patients can get meds; caregivers can get patients; and everyone can get some information. [continues 595 words]
As bad as the attacks on 9/11 were, and I am a New Yorker who was there that infamous day, there is a war that is actually worse. Right across the fence from El Paso, Texas, is a poor Mexican city where more murders were committed in 2010 than the 9/11 attacks. Since 2008, there have been more than 10,000 murders in this decaying city, which easily surpassed both of our wars in the Middle East combined by a whopping 40 percent. This city is called Juarez, which has become the symbol of all the unspeakable violence that has hit our once-proud neighboring country of Mexico. As the director-producer of "8 Murders a Day," a movie documentary about Juarez that opens here Friday, I know about the violence there. [continues 246 words]
COTTONWOOD -- When and if the medical marijuana state law created by the voter initiative is active again, cities and towns only may make zoning restrictions. Long range planner Charles Scully of the City of Cottonwood is explaining to staff that the selection process that is established in the initiative has never actually gotten under way, even though a number of agents looked at Cottonwood's zoning and eyed properties at one time. "The order to issue dispensary permits really means ADHS can start the multi-step process to review and award the permits. That is how the law the voters approved lays it out. It is a lengthy process," Scully explained. [continues 449 words]
PHOENIX -- Gov. Jan Brewer agreed Friday to finally let the state issue licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries -- but not immediately. Brewer said she will not pursue a lawsuit seeking a ruling of whether state employees who process those applications can be prosecuted under federal drug laws. A judge threw out that lawsuit last month as legally flawed but gave the governor a chance to fix the problems and refile it. That, Brewer said, will not happen. "I have directed the Arizona Department of Health Services to begin accepting and processing dispensary applications," Brewer said. [continues 609 words]
College Student Experiences Firsthand The Pros And Cons Of Contraband, Offers Her Take On Drug Laws And What She Wished She Knew About Tripping Krystle Cole has tried more psychedelic drugs than all of the Beatles combined, personally knew the operators of the biggest LSD laboratory in history and lived through some of the most profound and darkest experiences a human being can have, such as run-ins with the law and bad trips. A native of Kansas and former Tucson dweller, Cole is a pursuing a master's degree in psychology from Capella University. Through her experience, she became an expert in psychedelics and safe drug use, penned a book called "Lysergic" and founded Neurosoup.com, a website that focuses on trying to educate people on responsible drug use. [continues 1150 words]
Now that Jan Brewer has elevated her professional status from governor to savior, I'm wondering if she could perform a small miracle for a constituent named Mike Neil. According to the e-mail Neil sent me, he has written to Gov./Sav. Brewer but has not heard back. Since Brewer declared in her State of the State speech that "Arizona has been saved" (by her, apparently), we might hope that the all-powerful governor could spare a few moments for a little guy. [continues 715 words]
Is It Time To Discontinue Use Of The Word 'marijuana'? From the 1954 Funk and Wagnalls New Practical Standard Dictionary. I happen to own an unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, which might be a cumbersome thing but for the fact that it's a compact version printed with four reduced original pages per page. Even with that, the 1933 dictionary is more than 4,000 pages, and I have always considered it a definitive source on English. When I wanted to narrow down the nuances among the various names for medical marijuana, old-school Oxford came up short. The Oxford University Press had neither cannabis nor marijuana in the 1933 text. The closest Oxford came then was cannabic, defined as "of the nature of hemp," though there are references from 1731 to cannabin's "powerful intoxicating effect" and the use of Cannabis indica in the East as an "intoxicating agent." [continues 570 words]
Rich Wandschneider is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News. He writes from Joseph, Ore. A cop friend told me not long ago that he had changed his mind on the idea of legalizing drugs. His current take: "Legalize everything but meth, and hang the meth-pushers"--or something close to that. We were talking about a kid we both had known back in the day, a kid who had some problems but skated along at the edge of the law, made it through school and even had some jobs. Then he got hooked on methamphetamine. He is now in prison. [continues 587 words]
Medical marijuana patients in Arizona who have either had to grow their own cannabis or purchase unregulated strains on the street may be afforded the same availability for their medicine as seen in California and Colorado. A lawsuit filed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer challenging the legality of the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law was dismissed Jan. 4. Brewer filed the lawsuit in May, just before the Arizona Depart-ment of Health Services was to begin issuing licenses to businesses that wanted to open nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries. The ADHS is responsible for overseeing and implementing the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. Due to the lawsuit, the ADHS and its director, Will Humble, suspended the application process for dispensaries May 27, 2011. The ruling seemingly gives Humble a green light to begin processing dispensary applications if Brewer decides not to appeal. A spokesperson for the governor, Matthew Benson, said Brewer would consult with Attorney General Tom Horne before deciding to file an appeal. [continues 1000 words]
The number is 841,348; that's 50.13 percent of the voters - a difference of 4,340 people. They said yes, they wanted medical marijuana. They followed the rules. The governor doesn't, so, she doesn't. Is that how government works now? I hope the 50.13 percent are writing and telling their governor their expectations, again. Mike Templeton Mesa [end]
The proscription of marijuana because it has no medicinal use is an unreasonable and unnecessary regulation of my fundamental rights to privacy, to liberty and to property, and contravenes the Fourth, Fifth and 14th Amendments ("Off Schedule," Medical MJ, Dec. 8). For marijuana laws to be reasonable and necessary, there must be a victim who has suffered injury to their rights. The private use of marijuana by an adult does not threaten the rights of others. The proscription of marijuana is property discrimination and deprivation of rights under the color of law, without due process of law. Due process applies not only to the reasonable operation of law, but also the reasonableness of the law. Michael Dee [end]
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer doesn't have the best track record with her appeals to federal courts (see: immigration), but she has a point on this latest one. Brewer's lawsuit regarding the legality of potential state medical marijuana dispensaries was dismissed on Wednesday, further delaying full implementation of the initiative Arizona voters passed in November. The lawsuit contended, with legitimate concern, that potential Arizona dispensaries - and state employees - may be in violation of federal pot laws despite the medical applications. The U.S. District Court saw no such cause and dismissed the suit, but the dismissal also means that Brewer can re-file within 30 days. [continues 374 words]
In Ken Burns' outstanding PBS documentary Prohibition, it was revealed that alcohol prohibition corrupted all levels of our government -- all the way up to the Warren G. Harding White House. The alcohol cartels had hundreds of politicians on their payroll. Is it unreasonable to suspect that the drug cartels of today are following in the footsteps of the alcohol cartels? It's obvious that medical marijuana dispensaries were making a major dent in the income of the Mexican drug cartels. Would a $10 million bribe motivate Obama to change his policy regarding medical marijuana? We will never know. But I certainly suspect so. Kirk Muse Mesa [end]
Cottonwood enacts ban; Prescott groups want same action Monica Wipf, who runs two recovery homes in Prescott, said she put out fliers for a protest against bath salts, window cleaner, spice, and other designer drugs, because she's seen the damage they have done. About 40 people gathered at the Yavapai County Courthouse on Wednesday morning to protest the sales of designer drugs in Prescott. "I know of a 17-year-old who OD'd on them and just came out of a coma recently who can't talk," Wipf said. "(Another) woman said to come down off of that stuff made her want to hurt herself." [continues 713 words]
PHOENIX -- A federal judge on Wednesday refused to tell Gov. Jan Brewer whether she can legally implement Arizona's voter-approved medical marijuana law. Judge Susan Bolton rejected the governor's argument that she wanted to know if state employees who process applications for marijuana dispensaries could be at risk of prosecution under federal laws which make possession and distribution of the drug illegal. Bolton said the letter to state health officials from Dennis Burke when he was the chief federal prosecutor in Arizona contained no such threat. [continues 585 words]
A federal judge has thrown out Arizona Gov. Jan's lawsuit over the state's medical marijuana program. Back in May, the governor, who had ordered the state Department of Health Services not to issue dispensary licenses as required by the state law passed by voters in 2010, asked the court to decide whether the state MMJ Act offers a safe harbor from prosecution under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Then a group of folks including the Arizona Association of Dispensary Professionals, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, the United States Department of Justice and the United States of America asked the judge to toss the lawsuit. [continues 229 words]
Reclassifying Marijuana As A Schedule 2 Drug Would Come With Some Positives--But Could Lead To A Train Wreck Here we go again with the schedules. Late last month, Colorado, which has had medical marijuana on the books since voters passed it in 2000, jumped on the bandwagon with Vermont, Washington and Rhode Island to ask the federal government to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug. (See "Off Schedule," Dec. 8.) On the surface, reclassification sounds great. Under current federal law, marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, which means the Great Nation doesn't recognize any medical benefits whatsoever. It's treated the same as heroin and mescaline and psilocybin. [continues 565 words]
I'm glad this new year for a couple of things; that Bill Richardson is retired, and the fact that I never have to drive through Mesa. The drug warrior mentality espoused in his op-ed (Tempe must try to cut off drug cartel tentacles, Dec. 29) needs to be retired as well. Decades along, many lives and a trillion dollars have been invested in his way. The return on our investment? Drugs of all stripes are more available, more powerful, more affordable, for all in our society who would wish. Respect for law has been diminished. We are obviously, yet obliviously, on the wrong path. [continues 87 words]
A U.S. District Court judge Wednesday dismissed Arizona's lawsuit seeking to clarify whether its voter-approved medical-marijuana law trumps federal drug laws. In an unusual legal request, Gov. Jan Brewer had asked the court to mediate the conflict between state and federal drug laws. But Judge Susan Bolton tossed the suit, saying the state couldn't show its workers were at risk of federal prosecution for following Proposition 203, or even if it intended to fully implement the law. [continues 894 words]
Thanks for publishing Alan Dean Foster's Dec. 15 thoughtful letter, "Medical marijuana can be a lifesaver - literally." I would like to add that I know from personal experience that marijuana is a substitute for both dangerous painkillers like Vicodin and alcohol. The pharmaceutical industry knows this and so does the alcohol industry. And this is probably why marijuana remains a criminalized substance. Kirk Muse Mesa [end]
Inside Arizona
