PHOENIX - When Arizonans voted to legalize recreational cannabis in November, it seemed plausible that sales would begin sometime in the spring. But on Jan. 22, less than three months after the vote, the Arizona Department of Health Services started quickly approving applications, allowing dispensaries to sell cannabis to adults 21 and older immediately. "It was kind of like ripping a Band-Aid off," said Jennifer Matarese, the president of a management company that runs Local Joint in Phoenix. Like many other dispensaries in Arizona, Local Joint has been serving medical patients for years; the legalization of recreational cannabis has led to a rapid rise in demand. [continues 1214 words]
PHOENIX - Foes of legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana in Arizona are trying to keep the issue from going to voters in November. Legal papers filed in Maricopa County Superior Court contend the legally required 100-word description misled people into signing the petition to put the issue on the ballot. Issues range from the definition of "marijuana" to how the law would affect driving while impaired. The lawsuit comes as a new survey Tuesday finds widespread support for the proposal a=80" with more than 6 out of every 10 likely voters saying they will support it if it is on the ballot. Pollster Mike Noble of OH Predictive Insights said the query of 600 likely voters found that just 32% say they're definitely opposed. [continues 814 words]
Thanks for publishing Kathy Inman's outstanding letter: "Marijuana Solution" (Feb. 11). I'd like to add that about seven years ago before and after my hip-replacement surgery, I was taking about six Vicodin tablets every day.Now, thanks to medical marijuana, I take no pain pills. Vicodin can and does kill thousands of people every year. Cannabis, on the other hand, has never killed anyone. For those who oppose cannabis use don't buy it. Don't buy it. Don't grow it and don't use it. Period. Kirk Muse Mesa [end]
Maricopa County Attorney loses legal battle with tail between his legs Earlier this month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state's medical marijuana industry by quashing a long-standing legal assault by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Montgomery constantly rails against imaginary dangers of marijuana, likely borne from knowing little to nothing about the plant, and based on flawed data. He was a major player in the fight against Proposition 205 along with Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk. [continues 633 words]
Your meds are safe for a little while longer. Congressional lawmakers bought a little more time for the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment by extending the current federal budget with a disaster relief bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. The clause is set to expire with the rest of the bill on Dec. 8. The bill itself caught a lot of press due to the shocking ease with which Trump sided with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling. Of the 90 "no" votes in the House of Representatives, all were Republican. (House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told the Washington Post the vote indicated House Republicans "have a philosophical problem with governance.") [continues 427 words]
It looks like Attorney General Jeff Sessions has run into some problems in his crusade against the marijuana. While the new Department of Justice administration has long been mounting pressure against the marijuana industry, the latest suggestion from the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety is to, well, do nothing. The subcommittee was announced months ago and tasked with developing a legal avenue for Session's marijuana crackdown. However, the Associated Press reported the group "has come up with no new policy recommendations to advance the attorney general's aggressively anti-marijuana views." [continues 521 words]
Editor: Thanks for publishing Rita Shyrocka's outstanding letter: "Crisis is on government's shoulders" (7-19-17). I'd like to add that in 1972, when President Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs, the federal budget for the drug war was $101 million. Last year, the federal budget for the drug was over $25 billion - a 250-fold increase. In 1972, fewer than 5,000 Americans died from illegal drugs. Last year more than 50,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. [continues 58 words]
Sessions' correspondence to marijuana states is full of smoke and mirror While certain federal administration officials take to Twitter to air their grievances, those stuck in last century use more traditional means for their loosely-supported rants. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent letters to governors of states with legal recreational marijuana in response to an April 3 letter from the governors of Alaska, Washington and Oregon urging him to uphold Obama-era pot policy. However, the points raised in Sessions' letter may not be as watertight as he thinks. [continues 502 words]
Despite the upheaval of the current presidential administration, some things just haven't changed, like acting DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg's Obama-era insistence last month that "marijuana is not medicine." Though he also stated that he'd "be the last person to stand in the way" if medical uses of marijuana rise through the FDA process. (Here's where we count on Sue Sisley's research in Phoenix.) But Rosenberg doesn't seem to pay attention to what happens in Phoenix. If he did, he might hear about a small clinic using marijuana to treat opioid addiction. [continues 582 words]
Major anti-pot campaign funder lands DEA approval of THC drug amidst flurry of lawsuits Ethics is a hazy argument when it comes to marijuana. On one hand, opponents of legalization argue that the plant is harmful to society and individuals, and therefore should not be used. "Good people don't smoke marijuana," remember? On the other, little evidence exists to show that marijuana was even made illegal on ethical grounds, and thousands of individuals' lives are affected by simple possession of a joint, regardless of context. [continues 511 words]
Arizona continues efforts towards legal marijuana The failure of Prop 205 may have been a sobering realization for some, but others still have high hopes for the future of marijuana in Arizona. Several new efforts have popped up to change the landscape of Arizona's marijuana landscape since voters rejected this year's recreational proposition. The most promising initiative comes from the Independent Wellness Center in Apache Junction, and intends not to legalize recreational marijuana, but to increase the number of qualifying conditions for patients to be eligible for a medical marijuana card. [continues 525 words]
Candidate opinions on legalized marijuana appear to have less to do with party affiliation and more to do with perceptions on whether Proposition 205 is a solution to a problem, or a serious threat to Arizona. The citizens initiative is on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters whether to allow the recreational use of marijuana. Arizona is one of nine states that will vote on the issue in the General Election. Though many prominent Republicans have come out against Prop. 205, there are notable exceptions. Gov. Doug Ducey and other state GOP leaders, including LD14 State Sen. Gail Griffin, are on record opposed to the initiative, while locally, Republican Cochise County Supervisor Pat Call has said it may be time to reallocate the resources committed to the "War on Drugs." [continues 629 words]
There's a great deal of fear and loathing about the legalization of marijuana, and I buy just about none of it. In fact, I would not be alarmed, or even displeased, if Arizonans approve Proposition 205. Nor do I think the state would plunge into crime, chaos and hedonism should the measure pass. That said, I could not bring myself to vote for Prop. 205. Not out of concern for the state, mind you. Or concern for the users. Or their family, friends and employers. If anything, marijuana users are why I almost voted for the "Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol" initiative. [end]
I love Denver. I served as its mayor for 12 years, so it saddens me to see what has happened to my city since recreational marijuana became legal. The shock for most of us has been the unintended consequences of legalization. Consider some staggering facts: Denver now has more pot dispensaries than Starbucks and McDonald's combined. Marijuana-related traffic deaths have risen 32 percent. Denver schools have seen none of the money they were promised. And that vow from marijuana's backers that "the cartels would be driven out of business" - well, sadly, the exact opposite happened. [end]
Discussions on marijuana being less harmful than alcohol or the amount of tax money generated by legalizing pot use are irrelevant. Free-thinking adults should be able to do with their own bodies whatever they damn well please, contingent only on the requirement that they alone are completely responsible for the consequences of their decisions. - - Bill Betz, Mesa [end]
An open letter to the community: We, a coalition of clergy and community leaders with Pinal County Interfaith, are writing to oppose Proposition 205, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The proposition is crafted to further the interests of the marijuana industry and clearly not the interest of Arizona families. We have seen that addiction is devastating. Individuals and families suffer as a result of addiction. Easing access to marijuana will exacerbate that suffering. It is disingenuous to tell voters that Proposition 205 is good for schools. For decades, we have educated children without any funding from marijuana; our schools will undoubtedly survive without it! Our teens are especially at risk if marijuana use is normalized and access increases. The risks to children and youth far outweigh the relatively small amount that schools will receive from the Marijuana Fund (around $50 per student, less than the cost of a textbook). [continues 341 words]
A ballot measure that would legalize recreational use of marijuana in Arizona is receiving mixed reviews among Santa Cruz County residents. Known as Proposition 205, the initiative would make it legal for people 21 and older to use and possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes. The proposed plan would also establish a state regulatory department and would levy a 15 percent tax on sales of the drug. But with the general election just a week away, there is still a split between supporters and opponents and many county voters are still on the fence about making pot legal in Arizona. [continues 786 words]
Last week, Northern Arizona Healthcare employees received an email from their top boss, NAH President and CEO Robert Thames. In it, Thames waded into one of the more contentious issues on Arizona's ballot this election: the legalization of recreational marijuana. The email, which opened with the subject line "ONE NAH, One Obligation to Health," addressed Proposition 205, which would legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona and create a system to regulate and tax the drug. In his message, Thames emphasized the significance of the ballot measure to NAH employees as healthcare providers. NAH is the parent organization for Flagstaff Medical Center, Sedona Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center. [continues 639 words]
SIERRA VISTA - If examples from Washington and Colorado are any indication, should Arizona voters pass Prop 205 this November and legalize recreational marijuana use for adults, there should be little to no federal interference with state law, even in areas with a high number of federal law enforcement agents, such as Cochise County. Just don't try to drive through a U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint with your state sanctioned weed, said Vic Brabble, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman for Arizona. [continues 1491 words]
Are marijuana lobbyists trying to change our state's name to "Marizona" with Prop. 205 legalizing recreational marijuana? Prop 205 allows for the untaxed sale of marijuana products with a concentration of THC of 0.3 percent or less, classified as legal industrial hemp, to be sold without age restriction. That will apply to some marijuana candy and other edibles such as the chocolate THC- laced "Boulder Bar" sold in Colorado to be considered hemp under Prop 205 though it contains 10 servings of THC. [continues 112 words]
Re: the Nov. 2 story "Steller wrong about propositions" While I normally appreciate and enjoy Tim Steller's column on a routine basis I fully disagree with his logic regarding his choice to vote no on Prop 205. Steller's logic is that at some point the legalization of marijuana will become "commercially" more acceptable than what is currently proposed on this years ballot. His view is that once again Arizona voters will have legalization on a future ballot. While Stellar waits for a more commercially acceptable plan, money flows into the drug cartels coffers, veterans are denied relief from their PTSD, police resources are wasted, courts are clogged and Arizona schools are denied tax revenue they desperately need. A 'no' vote on Prop 205 retains the ridiculous status quo of criminalizing the activity of thousands of Arizonans in order to line the pockets of both the cartels and special interests such as big Pharma and for profit private prisons. Todd Smyth Vail [end]
As Election Day Approaches, campaigns are making their closing arguments. Last week, Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenhauer, a Democrat who represents Portland, made a trip to our desert town to support the passing of Prop 205. He spoke in favor of the proposition on the University of Arizona campus, joined by local representatives such as Rep. Bruce Wheeler and Rep. Matt Kopec as well as Sunnyside School District Board member Daniel Hernandez, who is running for a District 2 spot in the state House of Representatives. [continues 765 words]
I strong support the legalization of marijuana but I'm voting no on Prop 205. I'm not a prohibitionist. I think the reefer madness propaganda campaign against Prop 205 is ridiculous. I'm naturopathic physician that provides medical marijuana certifications. I believe in medical marijuana - like many I have seen the miracles of this plant. I believe in recreational marijuana too - just not this way. First, props to all the hard work done throughout the state in efforts to get legalizing marijuana on the ballot. There are many reasons why I'm voting no THIS time. (I'm intentionally avoiding the legal points because Im not a lawyer. But its important to remember that minor infractions can lead easily lead to felonies). I'll boil it down to a few points against 205 that aren't talked about [continues 673 words]
When tackling today's major issues we can learn a lot from history. For example, when Congress was debating marijuana prohibition in 1937, Dr. William C. Woodward, President of the American Medical Association, argued strenuously against it. Dr. Walter Musto, Assistant Surgeon General told Congress marijuana "does not produce dependence it probably belongs in the same category as alcohol." Sadly, as is often the case, Congress was more susceptible to political rather than economic and scientific considerations, so marijuana prohibition was enacted. [continues 527 words]
There's at least one issue on Arizona's General Election ballot that crosses political and partisan lines -public health. All Arizonans, regardless of our stance on just about any other issue, can agree public health and safety are paramount to our wellbeing, productivity and quality of life. That's why, as two of Arizona's leading health and healthcare organizations, we've come together to oppose Proposition 205, the initiative that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. For hospitals and health professionals across our state, the issue comes down to this: Our mission is to help patients and protect public health. Prop 205 does neither. [continues 391 words]
Legalization Props: Part two We're two weeks out from the Nov. 8 election and the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy have been kicking their "No on 205" campaign into high gear with a slew of ads filled with misleading information and flat out lies to dissuade voters from passing a law that would be part of any real responsible drug policy. With the amount of purported "facts" released by the ARDP, it's time for another installment of fact checks! [continues 761 words]
Arizona's economy is growing, attracting national businesses and diverse industries, professionals and civic-minded leaders to continue making our state even more prosperous. As a representative of business, community, education and government leaders, I view Proposition 205 as an impediment to our economic growth. Based on significant concerns, I join the East Valley Partnership board of directors in opposing Prop 205, the ballot initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Prop 205 introduces substantial risks to the years of hard work of many to make Arizona a wholesome place to build a business, family and community. Prop 205 could damage our economy. Few would benefit from the monopoly on retail sales. From an employer standpoint, studies show that marijuana legalization has adverse outcomes for businesses and challenges employers trying maintain a safe and productive work environment. [end]
Discount Tire Co. quietly donated $1 million to the campaign opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, prompting calls for a boycott by some who want the drug legal through Proposition 205. The tire company chain was founded by Bruce Halle, who lives in Paradise Valley and has an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion, according to Forbes' 2016 list of richest Americans. A spokesman for the company did not respond Monday to The Republic's inquiry about the donation. Halle is an ally of Gov. Doug Ducey, who is raising money to oppose Prop. 205. [continues 57 words]
Editor: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, asserts that one of the roles of government is to "promote the general welfare." Legalizing recreational marijuana is not promoting the general welfare! A Payson Roundup article (April 14, 2015) cited "a 30-year study of the effects of marijuana that found regular use associated with a 7-8 point drop in IQ, impaired cognition and increased risk for psychiatric disease, increased dropout rate, lower relationship success and lower life satisfaction." Many more such studies abound. [continues 326 words]
Despite a barrage of TV ads warning Arizona voters of the potential consequences of legalizing marijuana, about half of those surveyed in a new poll support creation of a system to tax and regulate sales of the drug. The Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found 50 percent of the registered voters surveyed favor Proposition 205, which would legalize the drug for adults. Nearly 42 percent oppose it. And another 8 percent were undecided. The statewide telephone poll surveyed 779 registered voters between Oct. 10 and Oct. 15. The margin of error was 4 percentage points. [end]
BULLHEAD CITY - Proposition 205 is poorly written, creates two new bureaucracies and will greatly reduce Arizonans' ability to affect marijuana policy in the state, Laurence Schiff says. Schiff, a Kingman psychiatrist, outlined for the Colorado River Republican Women group several justifications for a "no" vote on the measure in the Nov. 8 election. Proposition 205 would legalize the possession and consumption of marijuana for anyone 21 or older and tax sales at 15 percent. He appeared on behalf of the "No on 205" campaign, but he said some aspects of the proposition make it hard even for pro-marijuana voters to support it. [continues 754 words]
Just before Prop 205 goes before voters, new dispensary licenses are approved making way for more MJ The Arizona Department of Health Services announced 31 new dispensary licenses last week, bringing the total number of Arizona dispensaries to 130 a month before Prop 205 appears on the November ballot. Nearly 750 potential pot purveyors applied for the limited number of licenses back in August in what many consider a lottery. While the AZDHS reviews applications to direct openings in areas closest to high concentrations of medical patients, nine of the 31 applicants were drawn in a literal lottery with each of the nine being tied with two to five other would-be dispensaries. [continues 469 words]
Will Arizonans make a deal to sacrifice regulatory concerns to eliminate the majority of marijuana felony arrests? Prop 205 trudges towards the ballot amidst mounting concerns from critics. Much of the literature condemning the marijuana legalization initiatives takes issue with the new system the proposition would put in place. On the surface, the law would legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21 and possession outside of the home up to one ounce. Users would also be able to retain the yield from up to six plants within their homes. [continues 644 words]
Big Pharma steps up to oppose recreational weed initiative A couple weeks ago, we took a look at opioid use and prescription in Arizona and how states have seen a decrease in opioid overdoses after legalizing medical marijuana ("An MMJ Win," Sept. 1). Well, now it seems one such manufacturer of a fentanyl-based drug is concerned about recreational marijuana interfering with its future business plans. Insys Therapeutics plans to roll out a new line of THC medicine in the near future and decided to donate $500,000 to the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy to aid the opposition of Prop 205. [continues 528 words]
Political reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez moderates a debate between Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery (against) and J.P. Holyoak from the Pro Prop 205 Campaign over legalizing recreational marijuana in Arizona. William Bennett needs to spend some time on a high school campus ("3 lies the pro-marijuana side is pushing ...," Sept. 19). Marijuana is already prevalent and widely available. I am going to support legalization because I want to get the drugs out of our schools. The people who sell marijuana also sell other things that are very nasty and things that can get you very addicted. [continues 119 words]
Rulings by two Superior Court judges will give voters a swing at two controversial ballot measures. That's a good thing. The effort to legalize marijuana and the push to increase Arizona's minimum wage to $12 an hour deal with issues that are complex and unlikely to be considered by the Legislature. Arizona's Constitution provides the ballot-initiative process to allow supporters of such ideas the right to go directly to voters to make their case. Arizona voters deserve the chance to decide these timely and important questions. These initiatives aren't simple. Is legalizing marijuana for recreational use the logical next step after voters approved medical marijuana? Should the state see this as a way to allow adults to make their own choices about an intoxicant? Will legalization send the message to young people that Arizona endorses getting stoned? [continues 350 words]
Supreme Court Rejects the Final Legal Challenge to Ariz. Voter Initiative A voter initiative to legalize recreational marijuana will be on the November ballot after the Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a final legal challenge to the measure. A lower court judge had thrown out the challenge, saying the group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy didn't have a right to sue. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry's ruling went on to reject all of the reasons opponents laid out for keeping the initiative off the ballot. [continues 563 words]
Does Medical Marijuana Reduce Opiate Addiction? Many consider marijuana a "drug." However, it is no more a drug than cigarettes we smoke or alcohol we drink. In fact, there is only one difference that separates marijuana from these other substances and it is perhaps simultaneously the best case for calling marijuana a drug and revoking its status as a Schedule I controlled substance: it has medical benefit. One can argue that the medical benefits of marijuana have still not been tested to an extent that would satisfy medical benefit. Sure; after all, the FDA knows best. But there is one medical benefit that has only recently began to surface. [continues 472 words]
Much of the talk lately has been about the ballot initiative for recreational marijuana use, but Arizona will award licenses for 31 new medical marijuana dispensaries in October. Most will be worth millions of dollars the day they are issued, and all an applicant had to do was find a location that complies with local zoning and pay a $5,000 fee. This sounds simple enough, but there are serious problems. The Arizona Department of Health Services, which awards the licenses lottery-style, doesn't require dispensary applicants be 100 percent compliant with zoning the day of the drawing. [continues 1124 words]
PHOENIX - Foes of legalized marijuana asked the Arizona Supreme Court late Thursday to keep voters from ever getting to decide the issue. Attorney Brett Johnson wants the justices to rule that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry got it wrong when she ruled last week that a 2015 change in state law precludes outsiders - including initiative opponents - from challenging the legal sufficiency of the ballot measure. Gentry said that makes all of the alleged flaws Johnson said are in the petitions legally irrelevant. [continues 620 words]
Well, I think political correctness has reached its limit of stupidity. Recreational marijuana, hooray, what's next - recreational cocaine, heroin, speed, meth? Now on cocaine, does recreational mean you snort only a three-inch line, and any longer it's a crime? On pot, does the joint have to be a certain length to be legal, or on heroin a butterfly syringe or one used for horses? What in the world have the people in this city, county and state been thinking? Recreational used to be outside running, playing some games, fishing, camping, hiking, swimming and just getting some fresh air and exercise. Oh, I forgot, we now get thumb exercises playing games on the stupid cell phones almost all waking hours or phone glued to ear. This last is ignored even when they suspect it may be causing brain tumors. Those using this new toy of the generation are not only kids but adults, making conversation by appointment only. [continues 183 words]
PHOENIX - Opponents of a voter initiative legalizing recreational marijuana in Arizona are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to overturn a judge's decision and block the measure from the ballot. The group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy said in a filing that if Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry's ruling stands, "courts no longer have the power to prevent fraud on the electorate." Gentry ruled last week that foes can't challenge it because of a 2015 law. She went on to reject all the opponents' arguments against the initiative. Legalization backers told the high court that Gentry got it right and said the opponents' case was politicized and filled with incorrect arguments. Staff and wire reports [end]
Prop 205 Moves Forward Despite Effort to Challenge Initiatives Prop 205 appears to be safe for the moment as Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry dismissed charges against its campaign last week. Maricopa and Yavapai county attorneys Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk were two of the major plaintiffs to file the lawsuit but were joined by the chairman of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, Seth Leibsohn and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. To nobody's surprise the plaintiffs intend to appeal the judge's decision. However, the ruling decided that not only did the opposition fail to support their claim, but that the state legislature effectively eliminated citizens' ability to legally challenge ballot initiatives, which may not bode well for the lawsuit's future. [continues 764 words]
Leaders of the campaigns for and against the statewide proposition to legalize recreational marijuana use in Arizona appeared at a Yuma forum Tuesday to make their cases to an audience of about 30. The faceoff was sponsored by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, which has found itself split on the question of Proposition 205, Executive Director John Courtis said at the beginning of the two-hour session, though the statewide Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a major funder of the campaign against it. [continues 1255 words]
Advocates and opponents of this November's state ballot initiative to legalize non-medical marijuana use will present what they see as the pros and cons of Prop 205 at a forum today in Yuma. The event will be from 3 to 5 p.m. in the auditorium at the Yuma Heritage Library, 350 S. 3rd Ave. Admission is free for the event, sponsored by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. Seating is restricted to the first 100 attendees. Chamber Executive Director John Courtis said he was contacted by representatives of Arizonans for a Responsible Drug Policy, which is against the legalization measure, a couple of weeks ago about the possibility of hosting a presentation of its platform. Chamber board members advised him to find someone to represent legalization proponents. [continues 369 words]
PHOENIX - A judge has thrown out a bid to keep voters from deciding whether to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. In a ruling Friday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry said when state lawmakers altered the election code last year they eliminated - perhaps inadvertently - the ability of individual citizens to sue to keep initiative measures off the ballot. And she said lawmakers failed to restore that right anywhere else. "Thus, whether wittingly or not, the legislatures eliminated a means by which initiative petitions can be challenged," Gentry wrote. [continues 572 words]
You would be forgiven for not recognizing the nondescript brick warehouse in Phoenix's Grand Avenue industrial district as the site of a high-tech agricultural facility. But as soon as you step inside, the smell of hundreds of marijuana plants is overwhelming. As you make your way through the small rooms that line the main hallway, you can hear the whoosh of ventilation fans and the gentle hum of huge artificial lights suspended above a lush green canopy of leaves. Reggae, old-school hip-hop, and pop-punk blare from a portable speaker as a crew of 30 or so workers trim, water, and inspect the all-female crop of cannabis plants casually known as "the ladies." [continues 3709 words]
If Trump wins, some of us will need it. If Clinton wins, some of us will need it. And since none of us knows for sure how the election in November will go, we ALL need to vote for ... legalizing marijuana. Stop the presses! Finally, something we agree on. The signatures are in and have been validated. Arizona voters will get to decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use at the same time we choose between Donald or Hillary. At least, we'll get to make that decision if the agents of fear, who want to steal your right to vote, don't prevail in court. [continues 371 words]
Some locals are not okay with treating a joint like a bottle of gin Prop 205, which would decriminalize the use of marijuana for adults over 21, is a complex proposal. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol officially met the signature requirement to be included on the November ballot. However, the initiative could be blocked by a pending court case, which had its first hearing last Friday. The suit was filed by Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, which would more adequately be named Arizonan's for Anti-Drug Policy or, as their website says, "Arizonans Against Recreational Marijuana." [continues 383 words]
Arizona voters are poised to decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use. State officials notified the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol that it submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. The secretary of state is expected to certify the petition Thursday, according to spokesman Matt Roberts. The initiative will appear as Proposition 205. But the campaign faces another hurdle: Marijuana-legalization foes are asking a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to toss the initiative from the ballot. In a lawsuit, opponents argue marijuana-legalization backers are deceiving voters in how they are pitching the measure. The lawsuit, brought by 13 individuals and groups, is scheduled for hearings on Friday. [continues 165 words]
Last summer, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol set out to place an initiative on the presidential election ballot that would end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in Arizona. Now that it is poised to qualify, our campaign begins in earnest. Over the next few months, we will inform voters about the many benefits of replacing the criminal market with a tightly controlled legal market. We will detail the public-safety benefits of moving marijuana production and sales out of basements and back alleys and into secured facilities. We will describe the public-health benefits of replacing illegal dealers with licensed stores that test and label products, ask customers for ID, and only sell to adults. [continues 496 words]
How did MJ get on same schedule as heroin? For nearly a century officials have touted the dangers of marijuana. Many of us can dip into the memory banks to find attempts of officers visiting our classrooms to enlighten us on how drugs would ruin our lives. The common narrative was that we'd get arrested and go to jail as they conveniently overlooked the fact that the only danger came from the legal system rather than the plant itself. Predictably and perhaps ironically, the DARE program didn't deter as many young minds from experimenting with marijuana as it intended. According to a Pew Research poll, nearly half of Americans have tried marijuana at least once. [continues 547 words]
The Legal Synthetic 'Weed' That Kills As any republican with truly conservative beliefs will tell you, government intervention leads to negative consequences. In the case of prohibition, it leads to black markets that, without the option of regulation, create more harmful scenarios than their potentially legal analogues. There is perhaps no greater example of this in our current events than that of marijuana prohibition and the consequent market for a dangerous synthetic called "spice." It's the same argument the right often uses to keep their fingers tightly wrapped around the triggers of their beloved assault rifles: "If you make it illegal, then only criminals will have them leaving law-abiding Americans in a dangerous situation." [continues 508 words]
At root, the debate about legalizing marijuana is a philosophical one dating to the Enlightenment. It pits the individual natural rights philosophy of John Locke (16321704) against the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Locke believed that individuals had an innate right to liberty, which was the building block of civil society. Individuals entered into a social contract to form governments and give them power. But power to protect their liberty against the predations of others. From the Lockean perspective in the modern era, getting high by ingesting weed isn't predatory behavior against anyone else. So, government has no right to deprive a person of liberty for using marijuana. [continues 591 words]
From Marijuana Strains to Blows on Big Pharma Best Trains for productivity We often hear about marijuan being great for increasing appetite, sex drive, and helping us sleep better. These things are amazing, but sometimes what is really need is a kick to make us more active and get more done. Here are a few marijuana strains that help people become more active and get more done during the day. Jack Herer This sativa is unique, as it combines a strong body high with a cerebral high. This means you can feel great and comfortable sitting at your desk, or going for that morning jog you've been meaning to take, while also producing a ton of great ideas. Your mind will be moving a mile a minute as you work, all while you maintain a relaxed demeanor. It also does wonders for boosting creativity. [continues 574 words]
It seems the grass-roots campaign to legalize weed in Arizona is more grass than roots. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has raised $2.2 million - nearly four times the $638,000 raised by opponents. The vast majority of that was put up by either the national pot lobby or medical-marijuana dispensaries, which stand to corner the lucrative market should voters legalize recreational marijuana. Yet just last month, the campaign chairman talked of its "broad coalition of contributors." [continues 397 words]
The Leibsohn/Polk Op-Ed column ("Recreational marijuana? The price is too high") states in part that under the initiative to legalize marijuana "showing up for work impaired by marijuana would be shielded from discipline until the commission of an act of negligence or malpractice" and "any driver with a blood alcohol content over 0.08 percent is legally drunk. The Arizona law would prohibit a THC limit from ever being set." The petition text published on the initiative website states, "This chapter does not require an employer to allow or accommodate the possession or consumption of marijuana or marijuana products in the workplace and does not affect the ability of employers to ... enforce workplace policies restricting the consumption of marijuana ... by employees." [continues 72 words]
After all the police shootings, only the Libertarian Party provided a viable solution: "If we truly want to reduce situations in which police are pitted against the people they are sworn to protect, we would end the war on drugs. The constant escalation of prohibitionist policies have increasingly pitted police and citizens against each other for decades and are largely responsible for the militarization of police forces across America. "Ending the violence means ending the policies that lead to black and gray markets, the highest incarceration rate in the world, and reduced economic opportunities in the formal labor market for huge swaths of Americans. Ending the violence means ending the war on drugs. "Ending the drug war will do more to heal the divide between police and citizens than any other measure. It is the best way to save lives: both those of innocent police officers and innocent citizens." - - Dr. Richard W. Morris, Phoenix [end]
Three things that are dead-solid-perfect guaranteed to be Dead On Arrival: The book "The Wit and Wisdom of Melania Trump" Arizona's marijuana legalization initiative that appears to have been written by a committee of stoners while binge-watching a Cheech and Chong Film Festival. My personal choices involving drugs and alcohol have not changed, nor will they ever. I will go my entire life without ever having tasted alcohol or using any drugs. But please know that I sincerely believe that my choices don't make me better than anybody else; they just make me different. And maybe more boring. [continues 826 words]
Opponents of a ballot initiative that seeks to ask voters to legalize recreational marijuana for adults filed a lawsuit on July 11 to keep the measure off the November ballot, citing that the would-be law misleads voters in its petition summaries concerning how many of Arizona's laws it would affect. The lawsuit mainly takes issue with a number of Arizona laws that would be affected with its passage, stating "the Initiative's operative provisions embrace far too many subjects than allowed for a single ballot initiative." [continues 794 words]
PHOENIX - A judge will hear arguments Aug. 12 over whether Arizonans will be allowed to vote on whether they want to legalize marijuana for recreational use. At a hearing Tuesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry gave backers of the initiative two weeks to respond to charges by foes that the wording of the measure is legally flawed and cannot be placed on the November ballot. Attorney Brett Johnson, who represents challengers, contends the proposal is basically a fraud on voters. [continues 484 words]
An attorney defending from a court challenge an Arizona citizen's initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana is calling the attempt to keep the proposal off the ballot a "Hail Mary" effort by opponents of legal pot. Attorney Kory Langhofer said Tuesday that the lawsuit filed by 13 individuals and groups including Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk is likely to fail because opponents are on thin legal ground. "I'm very bullish on this lawsuit," Langhofer said. "The bottom line here is the opponents of this initiative have to make a Hail Mary pass to keep it off the ballot because voters are pretty likely to support this initiative if they ever get a chance to express that." [continues 537 words]
Why must it always come down to money? It is obvious from much that has been printed regarding the legalization of marijuana in Arizona that the negative effects of pot far outweigh any benefits. People can clamor that it will decrease crimes related to drug trafficking, etc. and perhaps that is so to a degree, but what about the effects its use will have on our teenagers and others? You can bet they will be using it in greater amounts than they do now with many untoward side effects. [continues 123 words]
Same Rule Applies to Medical Marijuana Products As Well According to a May report on the Today Show, there has been a spike in children going to the emergency room after consuming edible products containing marijuana, and the show noted that doctors and police alike want to raise awareness that children can be hurt by accidentally consuming such products. This is a concern in any state that has legalized medical marijuana, including Arizona. Marijuana-infused food products, or edibles, provide an option to patients who can't or don't want to smoke their prescribed marijuana. Such products can come in a variety of shapes and sizes - brownies, cookies, candies, gummy candies and more. [continues 254 words]
If insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results, no word better describes the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Arizona. Colorado and Washington, the first states to do this, have seen increases in teen use of marijuana, traffic fatalities, and emergency room visits (including of toddlers) - all tied to marijuana. In Denver, home of most of the pot shops, more than one in three 11th- and 12th-graders are now regular marijuana users, an increase of 20.5 percent from two years ago, according to the latest Colorado youth survey. [continues 463 words]
In response to July 8th editorial in the Yuma Sun, about the panel finding major revenue potential in marijuana. "Slap in the face." Major concern with the legalization of marijuana in any format, medical or recreational, is that we are a border town. We here in the Yuma area are very proud of our Border Patrol officers, and law enforcement officers. They are on their toes when it comes to protecting us from illegal people trying to beat the system by, "jumping the wall." [continues 148 words]
The usual suspects can't wait to subvert the people's right. Sheila Polk and her cohorts, including our own Maricopa County attorney, are going to court spending whose money to stop the will of the people. They claim the pro (legalized marijuana) ads are misleading when we haven't heard one true statement from any of them. Fear, lies and no stats to back them up is all they have. They really are playing into the hands of the cartels. Ever wonder why the cartel doesn't smuggle beer and whiskey? They are on the wrong side of this issue and do a disservice to honest discussion. Bill Acree - Phoenix [end]
Parents of Medical Marijuana Patient, Caregiver in Prison Are Not Giving Up Until Their Son Is Free Suson Catlin has been letters to the Governor's Office hoping someone out there will help get her 27-year-old son, Kyle, out of prison-where he's been since mid-January over nonviolent marijuana felony charges. Unsurprisingly, she hasn't received a response. But as I imagine most mothers would, Suson is willing to exhaust all options. Hope dies last. The night of June 23, Suson got a phone call from Kyle, saying he had been charged with assault after another inmate in the Marana Community Correctional Facility jumped him and split his lip open. In response to the altercation, which Kyle repeatedly told his parents he didn't do anything but take the punches, Kyle was placed in "protective custody," also known as "the hole," or solitary confinement. The inmate who assaulted Kyle was placed in solitary first, so he and friends threatened to kill Kyle for being "a snitch." [continues 556 words]
Opponents of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Arizona have filed a lawsuit, hoping to keep the proposal off the November ballot. Put another way, opponents of legalizing weed don't trust Arizona voters to do the right thing. So their play is to run to court to make sure you never get that chance. Whether you support legalizing marijuana or not, consider yourself slapped smack in the face. In Arizona, we have a constitutional right to make laws by voter initiative. Or, to veto laws by referendum as is being attempted now in an effort to stop our leaders from opening the floodgates to even more dark money in this state. The people who founded this state made sure of it. [continues 355 words]
Rulings Say Police May Pursue Source of Odor With a pair of opinions published Monday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that police can still use the odor of marijuana as probable cause to search a car or a premises, despite medical-marijuana laws. In both cases, one from Tucson and the other from Maricopa County, defendants tried to claim that since the passage of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) in 2010, law-enforcement officers could no longer assume that a crime was committed based on the mere odor of marijuana. [continues 538 words]
To get a job at Woodworkers Source, potential employees must pass a drug test. There's a good reason for that, said Keith Stephens, owner of the Scottsdale-based lumber-supply business: "Many, many businesses, including mine, have a certain element of risk. In my case it's driving a forklift loaded with heavy material and being in the shop with chop saws," said Stephens, 72, of Paradise Valley. If Arizona voters legalize marijuana for recreational use through a ballot measure poised to appear on the November ballot, Stephens worries it would become more difficult to find qualified workers. [continues 1266 words]
Opponents of the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona filed a lawsuit Monday, asking a judge to bar the initiative from the November ballot. The lawsuit comes as elections officials are verifying whether the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. The lawsuit was brought by 13 individuals and groups, including Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Republican Rep. Paul Boyer, a Tempe school board member and others. [continues 225 words]
PHOENIX - Got marijuana? Not legally? Might want to keep the smell down. A pair of new court rulings Monday allows the police to pursue a search of your place or your vehicle solely based on the odor. Attorneys for both men who were convicted based on such searches argued that the 2010 voter-approved law which allows some people with certain medical conditions to legally possess or use marijuana means that the smell alone is no longer evidence that a crime is occurring. The fact that neither of them was a medical marijuana cardholder, the lawyers said, is irrelevant. [continues 447 words]
PHOENIX - Foes of legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Arizona are trying to block voters from getting their say on the measure. In a lawsuit filed Monday, challengers say the 38-page initiative is legally flawed, to the point where it would be illegal to put the question on the November ballot. It specifically says the legally required initiative summary fails to tell those who signed the petitions all the different things that the measure, if approved, would do. And that, according to the lawsuit, means it is "so misleading voters as to cause a fraud on the electorate." [continues 573 words]
I Oppose the Proposal to Legalize Marijuana in Arizona and Suddenly I'm An Advocate for Tossing Potheads in Prison. WHO Knew? "Laurie Roberts Believes That Arresting 12,000 Marijuana Users in Arizona Every Year Somehow Stops Kids From Getting It," Writes Peter B. Wilson of Phoenix, in a Letter Published Thursday About My Recent Column on the Proposition That'll Be on the November Ballot. Actually, Laurie Roberts Believes That Arresting People for Using Marijuana Is a Waste of Time and Resources. [continues 421 words]
Idea Is Controversial, but Could Help Solve State's Financial Woes Could recreational marijuana solve the state of Arizona's revenue challenges? A report by the staff of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee has found that if Arizona legalized recreational marijuana, Arizonans would buy nearly $500 million of pot a year by 2020. That in turn would generate nearly $82 million in taxes once the program is fully implemented, Capitol Media Services reports. Of that, $27.8 million would go to general aid to education, with an identical amount available to help schools fund full-day kindergarten programs, Capitol Media Services reports. [continues 304 words]
The campaign to legalize marijuana for recreational use submitted 258,582 signatures to secretary-of-state officials Thursday in an effort to qualify for Arizona's November ballot. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol needs 150,642 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify, and they have likely submitted enough signatures to account for any that may be thrown out. The measure almost certainly will make the ballot, and the proposal is pitting powerful business and social interests against legalization supporters, including medical-marijuana dispensaries and marijuana users. [continues 419 words]
Levels of Impairment Not Defined PHOENIX - The campaign to allow recreational use of marijuana is on amid questions of whether the measure would allow people to legally drive while under the influence of the drug. Supporters on Thursday submitted what they said were petitions with 258,582 signatures seeking to change the law. That is more than 100,000 more than the secretary of state's office needs to declare valid to put the issue on the November ballot. But amid the nearly 10,000-word proposal is language saying that individuals cannot be penalized solely because they test positive for not just marijuana metabolites that are left over weeks after using the drug, but the actual "components of marijuana." And that would include tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC), the psychoactive element of the drug. [continues 580 words]
PHOENIX -- Arizonans would buy nearly $500 million worth of marijuana a year by 2020 if voters agree in November to allow its use here for recreational purposes, according to a new report. The study by the staff of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee figures legalization would generate nearly $82 million in taxes when the program is fully implemented. That includes $74 million based on a tax rate of 15 percent of retail costs, with the balance coming from things like licensing dealers and growers. [continues 556 words]
Keep Up With the Global and Local Medical Marijuana News A new measure has been approved by the U.S. Senate Committee that would allow banking institutions to offer financial services to marijuana businesses. State-legalized marijuana businesses will soon be able to operate as a traditional business with a traditional banking system. Thus far, banking services have not been available to a majority of marijuana businesses due to marijuana's illegal federal status. [continues 490 words]
Marijuana supporters are launching a new "Buy American" theme in their campaign to legalize the drug for recreational use in Arizona. On Tuesday, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol plans to unveil a billboard in Tempe lauding how Arizonans would be able to "Buy American and Support Schools, Not Cartels," if voters approve their legalization proposal in 2016. A retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agent who investigated Mexican drug cartels will speak at a 10 a.m. news conference at the Tempe Marketplace shopping center. [continues 346 words]
I used to support full marijuana legalization. I have nagging doubts these days. Arizona's medical marijuana law is a farce that's disproportionately used by young men who claim more pain than their years would justify in order to gain a steady supply of high. Chronic pain is the ailment of choice for 80 percent of Arizona "patients" with medical marijuana cards, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Sure. Some of them may be legitimate. But 80 percent? [continues 609 words]
A store displays two identical TVs: One costs $575, the other is on sale for $533. Which do you choose? I know this is a dumb question. However, this is the precise choice some Arizona residents will face if citizens pass the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act - the state initiative seeking to decriminalize marijuana for recreational purposes. Proponents arguing that Arizonans should vote for this initiative dangle before voters the prospect that marijuana, once "regulated like alcohol," will bring in massive tax revenues: between $40 million and $113 million, as reported by The Arizona Republic, if the act goes into effect. But these estimates fail to account for the undercutting effect of Arizona's medical-marijuana market on the sale of recreational marijuana. [continues 1150 words]
In October 2014, Ashley Cervantes crossed from Nogales, Arizona, to Nogales, Sonora, to have breakfast at one of her favorite restaurants. But on the way back home, the U.S. citizen was confronted at a port of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who accused her of carrying drugs. Over the next seven hours while in custody of CBP officers, she was handcuffed to a chair, checked by drug-sniffing dogs, asked to squat so a female investigator could visually inspect her, and then taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where a male physician probed her vagina and anus for drugs as part of an unwarranted body-cavity search, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on June 8. [continues 713 words]
Bloom Dispensary Offers Smokin' Deals for First-Time Customers and Quality Bud The Bloom medical marijuana dispensary, which has outlets across the state, has a local operation on Oracle Road across from the Tucson Mall. It's easy to find and offers plenty of parking. Upon entering Bloom, I was immediately impressed. The waiting area was very open, clean and comfortable. There was a large TV in the lobby where, at the time, South Park was playing. Maybe it is my love of South Park that helped to create this feeling, but I believe that it just added to the comfortable vibe. [continues 499 words]
I was disappointed to read last month's column from usually sensible and forward-thinking Laurie Roberts ("$113 million for legalizing pot? Sorry, I'm not sold"). She dismissed the $113 million in tax revenue this state could benefit from if voters pass the proposed initiative to regulate marijuana this November. What's holding her and many opponents back? Misinformation, a lack of information, and politics. In other words: "reefer madness." As a parent and law professional, I am concerned that the conversation on marijuana is more about political gains and less about the safety of our communities and children. Clearly, Roberts and the local prohibition advocates are held up by anti-marijuana sentiments, but Arizona voters should look past their scare tactics by getting the proper and right information they need to make an informed and intelligent decision. [continues 466 words]
The My Turn writer's article concerning marijauna (June 6) was unfortunately a bit dishonest, coming from a supposedly scientific background. The impression left is that marijauna is causing more traffic deaths in, for example, Colorado, since more people involved in accidents are testing positive for marijauna. It would therefore be honest for the writer to point out that the metabolites of marijauna can be detected in the blood of a person for at least several days after use, up to several weeks. [continues 113 words]
Todd Griffith, Sheila Polk, Mark Brnovich: Before preaching to me about the evils of marijuana, please put down your beer, vodka martini or glass of chardonnay. Pick up a mirror and look at the reflection you see. That is the face of a hypocrite. And once you've done that, look again at the name of the group that is behind the ballot measure being advanced for the legalization of marijuana: The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. That's it. [continues 99 words]
Legalizing recreational marijuana is just hard to swallow - or inhale - - politically and personally. For some, the issue may come down to moral values. For others, it's a matter of compromise for the greater good of society. And to many others, it's about a justice system that unfairly targets marijuana users, especially minorities. As the debate over taxing and regulating the sale of cannabis gains steam in Arizona, I framed some questions to help me shape my stance - - and perhaps yours as well. [continues 698 words]
In my profession, I have seen too much death, injury and damage caused by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Marijuana is the most prevalent drug causing impairment after alcohol. It contributes substantially to DUI carnage even though statistics indicate only about 8 percent of the population regularly uses marijuana. This can only mean that Arizona will also face major increases in death and injury from marijuana DUI crashes if marijuana becomes a legal recreational drug here. [continues 453 words]
Scientist: Why would Arizona voters approve an initiative that protects drivers stoned on marijuana, even if they cause crashes and deaths? In my profession, I have seen too much death, injury and damage caused by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Marijuana is the most prevalent drug causing impairment after alcohol. It contributes substantially to DUI carnage, even though statistics indicate only about 8 percent of the population regularly uses marijuana. This can only mean that Arizona will also face major increases in death and injury from marijuana DUI crashes if marijuana becomes a legal recreational drug here. [continues 516 words]
Legalizing recreational marijuana is just hard to swallow - or inhale - - politically and personally. For some of you, the issue may come down to moral values. For others, it's a matter of compromise for the greater good of society. And to many others, it's about a justice system that unfairly targets marijuana users, especially minorities. As the debate over taxing and regulating the sale of cannabis gains steam in Arizona, I framed some questions to help me shape my stance - -- and perhaps yours as well. [continues 881 words]
A dispute over whether a medical-marijuana facility can locate across from Arizona State University property in Tempe is headed toward a showdown in Maricopa County Superior Court. The dispensary, Healing Healthcare Inc., claims city officials wrongly invoked an ordinance that prevents dispensaries from locating within 500 feet of residential zoning districts when it sought to open in a building across from ASU's Karsten Golf Course, on McClintock Drive just south of Rio Salado Parkway. The Karsten Golf Course is zoned as an agricultural area but it is included in the residential district category and could be rezoned for houses or apartments, the city said. [continues 693 words]
Almost every day we hear news of drunken drivers causing accidents and killing or maiming other drivers and families. Why is this tolerated? We give them a slap on the wrist and let them go to do it over and over again. We need to demand that our laws be changed so that on the second offense their vehicle is forfeited to the state and is sold and the money used toward enforcement and budget etc. If the vehicle is taken then there is a little more incentive not to drink and drive. If the vehicle is borrowed it should still be forfeited in the same way. Not many will loan cars to drunks and word will spread fast. Give them a bike to get around on. [continues 72 words]
A doctor is upset after the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix blocked her from giving a lecture about marijuana's effect on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Sue Sisley has been conducting a study on PTSD and medical marijuana this summer. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved her work, the Phoenix VA Medical Center told Sisley she couldn't give a presentation there. "The notion that the Phoenix VA hospital refuses to allow that information to be shared with their medical staff is really shameful," Sisley told KTAR-FM (92.3). [continues 155 words]
Whether You Are Looking for a Location With Easy Access or Just High Quality Product at a Good Price, the Green Halo Doesn't Disappoint. My first experience at a dispensary was based on location. When I received my green card in the mail, I asked my phone to locate the closest dispensary. The Green Halo came up and was less than five miles away. Located near the I-10 at 7710 S. Wilmot Road, The Green Halo offers easy access even if it is not close to you. [continues 478 words]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - An Albuquerque police narcotics operation in which undercover detectives haggled with transient drug addicts in some cases accepting the clothes off their backs in exchange for drugs, then arresting them is raising broader questions about the agency's approach to drug crimes, especially when using stings. APD says a court order allowing them to sell drugs on the streets, then arrest people is a valuable tool that lowers crime, while the public defender's office contends that police are targeting the poor and that the tactic has done nothing to battle drug crime in the city. The district attorney said the value of the operations is minimal. [continues 873 words]
Celebrity endorsements are common. We see and hear them daily. It is part of our culture and does bring some benefits to the consumer. Whoopi Goldberg recently announced the launch of her company. Whoopi & Maya hopes reduce menstrual pain and cramps. The new line will sell in California. Their website advertises their four initial products. "Even Queen Victoria found relief once a month with her favorite THC infused tincture," the website states. Is this an example of someone using their money and stature to help others find the help they did or someone using their name to make a buck? Probably the former. Goldberg has written and spoken about the benefits of marijuana for years, but there will be those looking to do the latter. [continues 451 words]
Re: April 27 letter about potential harm of using of marijuana while driving. Having just returned from Washington state, where marijuana is legal, I can assure the writer he would never know it is legal based on driving habits. In fact, Washington drivers are FAR more considerate than Arizona drivers, and if that is due to widespread use of marijuana, then maybe we should just put it in the water here. It was nice to be able to drive for a few days without nearly getting killed by a red-light runner. Steve Hartland - - Scottsdale [end]
When it comes to the concept of legalizing marijuana, I am on the side that this should not happen. It is likely to end up just as much of a problem as alcohol and phones are with driving. Sure, there would be laws restricting that, but people will still do it, thus creating another form of "intoxication" for all the drivers who wish to use it. There are many other downsides to its legalization, and this is just one of them. Taylor Stern - - Phoenix [end]
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, no one has ever ... EVER ... died from a pot overdose. In 2014, meanwhile, 25,760 Americans died from prescription drug overdoses. Alcohol is killing people at a rate not seen in 35 years, with 30,700 dying from alcohol. And that doesn't include those killed in alcohol-related accidents or drunk driving. If it did, that total would be two and a half times higher. Now the anti-pot propagandists are pointing to increased ER visits by pot users in places like Colorado as proof of a scourge. But doctors involved have attributed that to people feeling they can visit an ER without risk of prosecution. The history of anti-marijuana activity is replete with falsehoods, distortion and scandalous propaganda. It must be so, because the argument can never be won using reality and reason. Lance Lawson, Scottsdale [end]
MMJ is one treatment that can help, but our state needs some convincing April is Parkinson's Awareness Month and so now is a good time to have some discussion about cannabis treatments for these conditions and the state of Medical Marijuana in Arizona. There are now 90,000 Arizonans enjoying safe legal access to cannabis thanks to the 2010 passage of the AMMA. Many of these patients report substantial improvements in their symptoms, their pain levels are more manageable, many have reduced or eliminated narcotic pain medications, their sleep is better, also with less pills, their blood sugars and blood pressures also respond favorably, and this all comes from a natural non toxic herb. [continues 583 words]
EJ Montini states that legalizing marijuana will "save money spent on needless law enforcement" ("...a doobie done deal," April 15). With that logic, we could save a lot of money by decriminalizing everything. No police force, no judicial system, no prison system... the savings would be incredible. Jennifer Rivera - - Tempe [end]
It won't be easy clearing 80 years of smoke from a room. Not marijuana smoke -- the smoke of propaganda. The smoke of fear. The smoke already being blown in our faces by opponents of Arizona's Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is working to get an initiative legalizing small amounts of marijuana on the November ballot. It shouldn't be any surprise that there is an early poll on the issue showing that the initiative probably wouldn't pass, particularly since the poll was released by the group trying to defeat the initiative. [continues 272 words]
We live in a state where it appears that marijuana smokers are more inclined to offer tax money for education than state legislators. On the bright side, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol announced this week that it has collected more than 200,000 signatures for a November ballot initiative that would end marijuana prohibition in Arizona. The campaign needs to collect 150,642 valid signatures. A local backer of the initiative sent me a note saying, "Is 200,000 signatures a milestone or a milestoned?" [continues 393 words]
The campaign to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Arizona has gathered more than 200,000 signatures in its effort to qualify for the November ballot, it reported Tuesday. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which has been pushing the effort for about a year, needs 150,642 signatures from registered voters to make the ballot. Some of the gathered signatures may be invalid because they were signed by people who cannot vote. To account for invalid signatures, the group aims to collect about 225,000 signatures, a spokesman said, and hopes to have a healthy cushion once the signatures are verified by the Secretary of State's Office. Barrett Marson, a campaign spokesman, could not say when those signatures would be filed with that office. [continues 301 words]
Why Can't Advocates of Legal Weed Get Along With Each Other? In an ideal weed-topia, all marijuana advocates work together to accomplish the ultimate dream: abolishing prohibition. But because the world is an imperfect place, several groups in Arizona have split up into at least half a dozen initiatives-with similar but different demands-campaigning for voter support. Most of them are going nowhere, but the two measures that have gathered traction are the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, backed by the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, and the underdog Phoenix group Arizonans for Mindful Regulation. [continues 1984 words]
Medical Marijuana Researcher Sue Sisley Briefly Came Back to the UA for a Special Lecture on the Challenges of Conducting Weed Research Nearly two years after medical marijuana researcher Sue Sisley was fired from the UA, she returned for a special lecture on medical weed in front of a room of more than 50 people at the off-campus entity, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-an educational program for older adults. The crowd was filled with questions about Sisley's research and the current UA administration's decisions to back away from a study that seeks to find answers on the soothing impact of marijuana on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. [continues 444 words]
Here we go again with another diatribe by Sheila Polk and friends against the legalization of marijuana (Our Turn column, April 4; letters, Feb. 13). Sheila Polk is making sure that the USA keeps its lead for having the highest incarceration rate in the world by helping to continue the draconian laws that lead to arresting people for marijuana use even though more people died from prescription drugs each year than all illegal drugs combined. Also, booze and tobacco kill more people each year than "illegal drugs," and they are more harmful. [continues 175 words]
The people behind the marijuana initiative want to "regulate marijuana like alcohol." Clever marketing. But it hides the many flaws inherent in legalizing this drug flaws that have statewide lawenforcement leaders, along with many others, united in opposition. Just look to Colorado, the pioneer in marijuana legalization. Since legalization there, teen use has increased to more than 70 percent above the national average. So much for this being about giving adults choices. Arizona should expect similarly disastrous effects. Meanwhile, advocates claim that legalization will allow law enforcement to focus on more serious crimes than marijuana possession. We already are: Only about 3 percent of marijuana users are ever arrested, and those people are generally involved in other crimes as well. Or, they are carrying pounds (not ounces) of marijuana. [continues 420 words]
Vice Media Creates a Buzz With "Weediquette" Show Krishna Andavolu tackles a controversial issue in the first episode of his new show Weediquette: Parents who turn to concentrated cannabis oil to fight cancer. Weediquette, which airs weekly on the Vice Media's new channel Viceland, launched a TV segment where Andavolu called his mom to share some good news. "I got the new show," Andavolu told her. "It is about weed." "Oh no," she replied. "Don't smoke it on camera." [continues 473 words]
Today's question: What's the difference between "medical marijuana" and "street marijuana?" And how come medical marijuana costs $300 an ounce while "street" marijuana only costs $60 an ounce? There are several reasons for this. For starters, it's kind of like the difference between really cheap rotgut whiskey and the finest Tennessee sipping whiskey. Medical marijuana is usually grown using hydroponics or aeroponics in climate controlled conditions and raised with quality nutrients. And security can be expensive. Purveyors of street weed are not quite so fussy. [continues 149 words]
I was a warrior in the war on drugs. I spent 20 years fighting the flow of drugs into America, including 18 years as a DEA special agent. As a special agent, I helped spearhead the Drug Enforcement Administration's marijuana efforts in Florida and New Mexico before retiring. I spent a lifetime's work in law enforcement, mostly centered on stanching the flow drugs into America, and have come to one conclusion: I don't believe marijuana should be illegal. [continues 440 words]
Since its legalization in Denver there have been many jokes about the Broncos and marijuana. The fact that the football team's home, Denver, is also known as "Mile High" just makes it easier. Even though marijuana is legal in Colorado, it is still banned in the NFL. Players are tested regularly for marijuana and punished if found to have any in their system. With the Broncos in the Super Bowl the jokes were at an all-time high, but does marijuana have a place in the NFL and sports other than jokes and suspensions? [continues 525 words]
PHOENIX (AP) - The state Supreme Court plans to decide whether the mere smell of marijuana is enough to justify a search by police in the wake of Arizona's legalization of medical marijuana. The justices agreed Tuesday to consider appeals of contradictory rulings by the Phoenix and Tucson divisions of the state Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel of the Phoenix division ruled the enactment of the medical marijuana law doesn't eliminate a legal doctrine that says the plain smell of marijuana is sufficient to establish probable cause for a search. A ruling by a divided panel of the Tucson division ruled that circumstances other than the mere smell of marijuana are now needed to provide the legal basis for a search warrant. The justices plan to hear oral arguments on the issue. [end]
If You Don't Make Sure Your Voice Is Heard, Then Probably Not Last week, I wrote about the need for research into the positive effects of marijuana. I chose this as my first topic because of how important I believe it to be. If I had to list in order of importance that would be issue 1A and issue 1B would be the decriminalization of marijuana. This is another area where progress has been made, but there is still much work ahead. [continues 456 words]
94 Percent of U.S. Research Is Aimed at Finding Negative Effects of Marijuana Greetings readers. This is my first article for the Tucson Weekly. My Mary Jane Doe cannabis column will be a mix of news, opinions and reviews. Sometimes all in the same article. I have known and believed in the medicinal power of cannabis since the '90s, when my friend credited it with saving his life. His illness made it impossible for him to keep food down. He was malnourished and dying until he found marijuana. [continues 543 words]
The parents of a young woman whose 2010 murder remains unsolved have alleged their daughter was a confidential informant for Phoenix police, a position that may have placed her in direct contact with her killer. On Tuesday, the family of Nicole Glass filed a wrongful-death suit against the city of Phoenix for what they say were officers' failure to warn the 27-year-old about the dangers of their arrangement. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the recruiting officers and their supervisors, all labeled as John Does for now. [continues 1020 words]
For those of you that think using and selling drugs is not a violent crime, I suggest you consider the event that occurred to the Buckner family on Tuesday in Glendale. Alex Buckner killed his mother, father and two sisters and then set the house on fire. Responding police had to shoot and kill Alex. What could be more violent? Furthermore, there is a TV program called "The First 48" which televises real-life homicide events around the country. A large portion if not the majority of homicides involves drugs. So ask yourself, would the world be a better place if there was no marijuana, crack cocaine or heroin? Q.E.D. - - Sammy Bell Glendale [end]
A rise in suspensions and expulsions caused by students' marijuana use is truly an issue, and we should be (I certainly am) working on solutions. But, prohibition hasn't worked - kids can still buy marijuana! Fifty-eight million dollars in tax revenue isn't a "mere drop in the bucket" for taxpayers who want the best for our kids or for the countless students who benefit from better-funded schools. Last year, our state's school system ranked 48th out of 51. We shouldn't pretend like we have the luxury of turning down millions of dollars. [continues 113 words]
I have listened to and read the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana, and I don't see anyone talking about the strength of the THC in weed today. The weed if the '70s was much weaker than the weed of today. Unless there are strict controls on that, I can't support legalization. We have strict controls on the percentage of alcohol in liquor. You can't go into a bar or liquor store and buy a bottle of pure grain alcohol. Until we can have controls on the THC in weed, we can't legalize it. If weed is to be consumed for medical purposes, the THC must be bred out of the marijuana plant. I can't see legalizing it just so stoners can get high any time they want. There must be controls! Teresa Hering Phoenix [end]
Preventing kids from using drugs and alcohol is not easy, in fact, it is complicated. But this much we know about keeping kids safe from alcohol and drugs; the way to reduce the number of kids who use is to decrease supply and easy access, and increase the understanding of risks. Colorado, where marijuana was made legal in 2014, now leads the nation in youth use of marijuana and all illicit drugs. Colorado has been the proving ground that legalizing marijuana increases supply, increases ease of access, decreases perception of risk and increases the social acceptance of the drug. [continues 101 words]
There have been several articles published recently by the folks who don't want to see cannabis legalized for recreational use. Several of these opinions are penned by current and former elected officials, all of whom base their opinions on dubious facts, half-truths and outright lies. What message do you think that this sends to the very people the anti-cannabis crowd claim to want to protect, the adolescents? Today's kids are smarter than these folks give them credit for, and they know the facts about cannabis. So the message they may be getting is, "If they're lying to us about the harmful effects of cannabis, they're probably lying to us about the harmful effects of alcohol, meth and heroin, too." Unintended consequences of dishonesty? Bob Uselton, Phoenix [end]
As former Arizona superintendents of public instruction, we have spent our professional careers dedicated to seeking positive outcomes for our state's youth and its education system. Given what we know about the challenges involved in education reform, we are compelled to go on record in vociferous opposition to current efforts to legalize marijuana in Arizona. Most critically, we take great exception to recent campaign efforts to promote legalized marijuana as a net positive benefit to education reform. Legalizing a drug whose dangers have become more widely known and documented overturns decades of prevention work in our education and health-care systems. [continues 418 words]
Not surprisingly, EJ Montini was noticeably vauge in his recent op-ed ("Blowing marijuana smoke ...," Feb. 10) accusing Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy of using "questionable" information in its arguments against legalizing marijuana. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consider the following: - -- Since Colorado legalized marijuana, teen use has risen dramatically and is now 74 percent higher than the national average. (2015 SAMHSA report/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) - -- Since legalization, Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana-related traffic fatalities, hospitalization and emergency visits, as well as marijuana-related calls to poison control centers. (Rocky Mountain HIDTA) [continues 145 words]
Last week, dispensary owners in Arizona, and other states, woke up to news their Facebook pages were deleted At least a handful of medical marijuana dispensaries in Tucson realized their Facebook pages had been deleted on Thursday, Feb. 4 by the social media site, according to the Daily Haze. Facebook claimed they had banned the pages because the company does not allow any material that "condones drug use." The Haze spoke to Tucson's Earth's Healing's marketing director, Florence Hijazi, who told the online publication that not having a Facebook page damages the dispensary's business, because their patients check their page on a daily basis for different specials and other updates. Hijazi also told the Haze that, in response to being kicked out of Facebook, Earth's Healing plans to focus more on their Twitter account and their phone app. [continues 361 words]
Phoenix Open-Inspired Billboard Aims to Educate Golf Lovers and More on Marijuana Legalization Backers of a proposed ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Arizona launched a Phoenix Open-inspired billboard on Monday, Feb. 1 to coincide with the kickoff of the golf tournament. It will be up through the end of the tournament on Sunday, Feb. 7. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the world's best-attended golf tournament, according to the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, which refers to the tournament as the "greatest show on grass." [continues 275 words]
Continuing the State's Anti-Marijuana Trend, Several Proposals by GOP Lawmakers Want to Make It Make It Harder for Patients to Access Medical Weed As it's been the tradition for several years, the 2016 legislative session began with nearly a handful of proposals hoping to burn down the state's medical marijuana industry. Whether any of them will see the light of day is still up for debate, but the bills still fired up medical weed advocates, who are sick and tired of state lawmakers continuously attacking the 2010 voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. [continues 621 words]
Continuing the state's anti-marijuana trend, several proposals by GOP lawmakers want to make it make it harder for patients to access medical weed As it's been the tradition for several years, the 2016 legislative session began with nearly a handful of proposals hoping to burn down the state's medical marijuana industry. Whether any of them will see the light of day is still up for debate, but the bills still fired up medical weed advocates, who are sick and tired of state lawmakers continuously attacking the 2010 voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. [continues 620 words]
Mexican Border City Grapples With Possibility of Legalizing Marijuana Mexico's Supreme Court ruled this fall that individuals have the right to grow marijuana for personal use, but on the border many are divided over the issue. Some in this border city, which became a bloody battleground for rival drug cartels fighting for lucrative smuggling routes to the U.S., say they believe decriminalizing marijuana will reduce violence. "Drug trafficking would go down and there would be fewer people involved in violence," said Raul Parra, a nursing student in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua--on the U.S.-Mexican border across from El Paso, Texas. [continues 265 words]
Legalization Nears Ballot; Bills Target Medical Use As a marijuana-legalization campaign nears its goal of gathering 150,000 valid signatures to get on the statewide November ballot, two Arizona lawmakers are proposing bills that would place limits on its medical use. Republican Rep. Jay Lawrence of Scottsdale is seeking to restrict access to medical marijuana with a bill that would ban naturopaths and homeopaths from writing prescriptions for the drug, require patients to renew cards every six months and punish those cardholders who sell or give the drug to kids. If approved, it would be referred to the November general election ballot. [continues 834 words]
In response to Lisa Olson's Saturday My Turn supporting the legalization of marijuana. I honor her dedicated service as an educator. My grandmother, father and three sisters were all Arizona teachers. My six children and I are products of Arizona schools. But on this issue, Ms. Olson is off the mark. Our schools need increased funding. However $40 million in revenue would result in less than one-half-of-one-percent of the overall $10 billion school budget in Arizona. [continues 130 words]
In November, Arizona voters will likely have the opportunity to decide whether marijuana should be regulated like alcohol in the state. With this vote on the horizon, it is time to seriously consider the implications of regulating marijuana. As a parent of five children and educator in Arizona for 25 years, my natural inclination is to wonder what impact it might have on young people in our state. While opponents of the proposed initiative claim it will be disastrous, the evidence suggests otherwise. [continues 575 words]
Cannabis prohibitionists (New Conditions, Dec. 24, 2015), discriminating against citizens, including sick citizens have been a menace long enough. Arizona citizens may stop cannabis prohibitionists from harming sick citizens with a golden opportunity to completely RE-legalize the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant cannabis on the next Election Day. Colorado citizens no longer need a doctor's recommendation and a permit, to use cannabis for medical health reasons and every subsequent poll indicates voters continue supporting the end of cannabis prohibition. Forcing sick citizens to pay for permission to use cannabis amounts to government extortion for protection from police and that sickening policy must end. - - Stan White [end]
Labs, Doctors Scrutinized Over Routine Screenings Doctors frequently order patients to take urine drug tests to safeguard against prescription pain-pill abuse. But federal investigators and Medicare say these routine tests, designed to ensure patients properly use opioid drugs, have led to questionable billing practices by some for-profit labs, doctors and addiction-treatment centers. Millennium Health, the nation's largest lab and one that has conducted widespread testing in Arizona, agreed to pay $256 million to the federal government in October to settle claims that it conducted unnecessary testing. [continues 2104 words]
Cannabis can and should be grown and distributed in a way that is safe for both consumers and communities, but prohibition keeps that commonsense option out of reach. Patients looking for their medical marijuana should not have to resort to the back alley! Now with recent research on the plant they are able to breed new plants that give less of a high and more of a medical value, especially helping our veterans and young people needing the very low side effects of their medicine! States that have effectively regulated cannabis have already taken billions of dollars out of the hands of criminals and put them in the hands of taxpaying licensees! Steve Stockwell Chino Valley [end]
The State Is Failing to Meet the Requirement to Allow New Medical Conditions The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act has provided safe legal access to medical cannabis to sick Arizonans since the passage of Prop 203 in November 2010. The program is regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services. New conditions can be added to the program during open application periods twice a year, but the rules surrounding the process and the specific standards by which these conditions are approved or denied are largely left to the AZDHS administration. AZDHS has fought hard against all the petitions filed in the history of the program. Only PTSD, with the help of the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association has been successfully added as a qualifying condition. AZCNA Attorney Ken Sobel appealed the AZDHS denial of PTSD and prevailed.In a huge victory for patient rights, this was special because is it is the first mental health condition to be approved for treatment under the AMMA. [continues 398 words]
For Arizonans who have spent their lives and careers seeking positive outcomes for our children's health, education and welfare, E.J. Montini's Dec. 17 column, "Marijuana initiative slyly spreads like weed," must have come as quite a shock. In arguing for an initiative to legalize marijuana, Montini's source came from a pro-marijuana lobbyist: broadcasting several errors of fact and logic. The lobbyist stated that those opposed to legalizing marijuana use one tool, "fear." Indeed there is a great deal to fear from making a dangerous drug like marijuana more available, but that fear is actually based on scientific and medical fact. [continues 532 words]
Arizona Pot Prohibitionist Seth Leibsohn Says He Won't Really Debate in Favor of Legalization Avriette A right-wing Sedona group advertises what promises to be the throwdown of the year: A debate on the merits of marijuana legalization between staunch pot prohibitionist Sheila Polk on one side and fellow anti-marijuana activist Seth Leibsohn on the other. Yes, you read that right: The group says Leibsohn will take a pro-legalization stance in the debate. Leibsohn, a conservative AM-radio talk-show host, is the chair of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, a group formed to combat an adult-use legalization measure expected to be on the 2016 Arizona ballot. Yavapai County Attorney Polk is the group's vice chair. [continues 678 words]
Arizona is125,000 signatures closer to legalizing marijuana. It's going to happen. While the rest of us have concerned ourselves with presidential politics and terrorism (which sometimes seem indistinguishable) the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol in Arizona has quietly collected more than 125,000 initiative signatures, well on its way to getting the needed 150,000 valid signatures by July 7. "This is going even more quickly than we thought it would go," deputy campaign manager Carlos Alfaro told me. "We're looking forward to getting the signature process finished and get the campaign out there." [continues 413 words]
An Arizona State University student is asking an appeals court to overturn the law that makes it illegal for him to have physician-recommended medical marijuana in his dorm room. Andre Maestas, 20, an ASU junior and medical-marijuana cardholder, was arrested in 2014 and charged with a felony for having 0.6 grams of weed in his room on campus, roughly the equivalent of one joint. He is the first to challenge a 2012 statute banning medical marijuana on state university campuses, which the Legislature passed two years after Arizona voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana. [continues 1363 words]
As a retired police lieutenant, I can confidently say that Bill Montgomery fails to understand how civil forfeiture laws have played out in reality ( "Arizona won't seize your property unjustly"). Between 1997 and 2013, 87 percent of all assets seized were through civil forfeiture laws, meaning that nearly all instances occurred without requiring law enforcement to seek or obtain a conviction. Even the original architects of civil forfeiture laws said last year, "The program began with good intentions but now, having failed in both purpose and execution, it should be abolished." [continues 114 words]
Paul Avelar and Keith Diggs earn an "F" for grossly distorting Arizona's civil forfeiture laws with a self-serving, special interest "national report card." ("Arizona must end 'policing for profit,' " Our Turn, Thursday). Their critique conflates civil and criminal legal standards to make the preposterous claim that law enforcement can seize someone's property without due process and force a property owner to prove their innocence in order to get it back. If this were truly the case, courts would have struck down our forfeiture laws years ago. [continues 386 words]
The marijuana legalization movement in Arizona is relying on a specious study to make the case for recreational marijuana at the ballot next year. Their study says marijuana is 114 times safer than alcohol. Interestingly, it also says meth is ten times safer than alcohol, while heroin and cocaine are twice as safe. On that logic, why not make meth, heroin, and cocaine like alcohol, as well? Meanwhile, serious peer reviewed research regarding the effects of marijuana has been shown to increase high school drop outs, lower IQ, induce memory loss, and in some cases cause paranoia and psychosis especially among adolescents. [continues 404 words]
I disagree that legalization of recreational cannabis should wait until science provides a means to objectively measure cannabis impairment for driving (editorial, "Another unanswered question on pot"). Legalization and DUI enforcement are distinct issues. We have the problem of impaired drivers arising from use of various legal and illegal substances, whether or not recreational cannabis is legal. This public health and safety issue should be addressed through public awareness campaigns and enforcement, using the best evidence currently available. However, we have the disastrous societal effects of our futile efforts at prohibition only as long as we continue those efforts. [continues 87 words]
Now's the time to get involved in the cannabis social movement Many social movements have been taking hold in our nation recently. For example, same-sex marriage has moved from social acceptance to being fully legal. Cannabis law reform is a hot topic in politics and the media, as well as more and more states jumping onboard. Times are good, and there is much fulfilling work to be done on these and other humanitarian fronts. However, I am making a public call to action, asking for your participation in these movements. It isn't hard, there are events happening all the time. [continues 408 words]
How far down this rabbit hole does Arizona plan to go? Questions about driving while high on medical pot get curiouser and curiouser, even as some Arizonans push to legalize marijuana for recreational use. These are life-and-death questions because a stoned driver can be just as deadly as a drunken one. The men, women or children that stoner crashes into can wind up just as cold as the victims of drunk drivers. The difference is that we have set and measurable limits on how much alcohol a person can consume before he or she is considered legally too drunk to drive. [continues 467 words]
November is epilepsy awareness month and that is cause for celebration in the cannabis world because cannabis has been shown to be a safe, effective and far less toxic treatment option when compared to the usual allopathic anticonvulsants. This is accomplished through the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties found in the cannabinoids and terpenoids that are the major active components. These compounds help to turn down the music for many who suffer from epileptic conditions. With cannabis they are able to live fuller lives, without their development being interfered with by pills. [continues 477 words]
Five cartel lookouts huddled beneath thick desert brush one night last month. Suddenly, they realized they'd been spotted. The scouts, who are paid to study the movements of authorities and guide drug traffickers through the Arizona desert, dropped their heavy backpacks and bolted across rocky terrain near the quiet neighborhoods and golf courses south of Casa Grande. Using covert tactics, a border-crimes team stationed at a makeshift headquarters watched as the lookouts made their getaway. "They have night-vision capabilities and they're lightning fast," said Department of Public Safety Capt. Dave Nilson, who fielded constant radio traffic as he led the operation targeting traffickers in Vekol Valley. [continues 1878 words]
MMJ businesses to conduct business the normal way, except when it comes to keeping their cash in a bank Picture yourself as a humble small-business owner. You arrive at work one fine, crisp Tucson morning to a surprising letter from your bank. It says you have two weeks to get any and all the assets out of your account before they freeze it indefinitely. The rent on your office is due next week, and Friday is payday for your employees, and Tucson Electrical Power is wondering when they are going to get their check for last month's energy usage. The bank offers no explanation of why your account was closed. [continues 823 words]
With so much misinformation circulating regarding the legalization of pot use by advocacy groups, it was good to see some actual facts about the real harmful consequences of condoning the use of marijuana by adults and teenagers in Colorado. The myth that the black market would somehow disappear with legalization was quickly put to rest, as "legalization in Colorado has created a magnet for it as legality and availability drive sales and consumption." Now the entrenched drug cartels have to compete with local growers, leading only to increased violence and addiction. [continues 74 words]
I see the Seth Leibshon and Sheila Polk dog-and-pony show got more publicity. They never give the whole story, only those parts that will work for their stilted views. For instance, one of the big reasons Ohio voted against legalization of marijuana was the bill would have created a marijuana monopoly, allowing only 10 privately run marijuana farms in the entire state. Can you imagine the millions those would-be farmers stood to make? Of course, there would be some problems with children and teenagers, just as there are with alcohol, cigarettes and now the vapes. However, what is less than honest about these two zealots is they want you to believe these problems would be happening to every other kid. Not so. Check the facts. William Cochran Phoenix [end]
Sheila Polk and Seth Leibsohn attacked Colorado's legal, regulated marijuana program because they found evidence that there is still some black-market activity in that state ("Pot failed in Colorado. Why bring it here?"). No program, including the failed War on Drugs, will eliminate all black-market activity. Although hard liquor has been regulated for over 80 years, there are still people making moonshine, but they are now just a fraction of the number of criminals who produced oceans of booze during prohibition. The Colorado experience has been a positive windfall for their state and a pioneer for Arizona. - - Bob Fern, Show Low [end]
Sheila Polk, the Yavapai County attorney, is perhaps the most high-profile person standing against efforts to legalize marijuana in Arizona. Her organization, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, boasts support of dozens of municipal leaders across the state. But looming developments to our south and west could render pointless their crusade to stop Arizona going the way of Colorado, Oregon and Washington -- states that have already legalized recreational pot. Our two biggest neighbors - Mexico and California - are standing on the cusp of monumental change that could powerfully pull the state of Arizona in its wake. [continues 541 words]
Our Turn: Pot failed in Colorado. Why bring it here? Our Turn: Promises about legalized marijuana have not come to pass in Colorado. Why would Arizona follow suit? As Arizonans prepare for a public debate on legalizing marijuana, we encourage a close look at Colorado - the first state to fully legalize recreational use and sale of marijuana - and Ohio, the most recent state to defeat it. Ohio - a key bellwether state - defeated legalized marijuana this week by a margin of 28 points. What Ohio made clear is that when the facts about today's more potent and dangerous marijuana are aptly communicated and exposed, there are no good reasons left to make it both legal and more widely available - and it loses. [continues 477 words]
There is a flip side to the benefits of chronic pot use, whether it is for alleviating pain or simply for the pleasures of getting high. That other story can be described in two words: Tyrann Mathieu Former National Football League players lined up supporting legalized medical marijuana at the Southwest Cannabis Convention in Phoenix this week, which isn't exactly surprising. A lot of football players smoke pot, regardless of league policies forbidding it. A widely circulated story from the online Bleacherreport.com last summer included numerous testimonials from former players who are convinced the drug helps alleviate the ever-present aches and pains that NFL players must live with. [continues 294 words]
Re: Peter B.Wilson's Monday letter in support of legalizing pot. Would you want your airline pilot on your next flight to be "merely high" on marijuana? Suppose you developed a brain tumor that was pressing on your optic nerve and needed surgery to remove it. Would you want your surgeon to be high on marijuana? Why not? "Hey, dude, sorry you can't see anymore. Slight slip of the knife. I smoked pot before operating on you. It's cool, though, right?" This needs to be better thought out than the difference between high and intoxicated. - - Kim Nofsinger Scottsdale [end]
During last week's Democratic debate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the United States should model its social policies on Sweden, Norway and Denmark - countries that provide free health care, free college and paid family leave. But by saying he'd vote to legalize marijuana, Sanders made it much harder to convince Americans to adopt these programs. Swedish history shows why. In the 1970s, Sweden did what we're doing now: told police to ignore drug possession and only pursue serious crime. But drug abuse soared, so the country reversed course. Today, Sweden and its neighbors have some of the world's toughest drug laws, including tough marijuana laws. [continues 406 words]
Part 2: GOVERNMENT FUNDING, LACK OF RESTRICTIONS SLOW PROGRESS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH Responding to questions about research spending, Mahmoud ElSohly, the director of NIDA's marijuana program, said that NIDA's job is to fund abuse and addiction research and that other NIH branches should be funding other kinds of research. "It's not that NIDA would take it upon itself to investigate the medical aspects of cannabis," ElSohly said. "It's not the charge of NIDA. It's the charge of other institutes within the NIH to investigate the use of cannabis." [continues 1090 words]
GOVERNMENT FUNDING, LACK OF RESTRICTIONS SLOW PROGRESS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH Research on marijuana's potential for medicinal use has been hampered for years by federal restrictions, even though nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana in some form. An analysis by News21 shows that $1.1 billion of the $1.4 billion that the National Institute of Health spent on marijuana research from 2008 to 2014 went toward research on marijuana abuse and addiction. Only $297 million was spent on its effects on the brain and potential medical benefits for those suffering from conditions like chronic pain. [continues 755 words]
TUCSON - Heather McNeeley already had spent one birthday behind bars for using drugs, and she was looking at another 3.5 years in prison for possessing and trying to sell heroin in 2012. Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, however, gave McNeeley a chance to stay out of the pokey. McNeeley was allowed to enroll in the county's Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program - the only one of its kind in Arizona. LaWall said DTAP, started in 2010 and funded mostly by federal grants, costs less than half of what it takes to send a non-violent drug offender to prison. LaWall, a prosecutor for nearly 40 years, added that the state could save millions of dollars if it shifted money to drug treatment instead of adding more private prison beds. [continues 1016 words]
While marijuana advocates look to legalize in Arizona, concerns remain about medical marijuana program By Jayson Chesler, Lex Talamo and Sean Logan Whether he's advocating for marijuana or gathering petitions for a ballot initiative, it's tough to miss Dave Wisniewski, chairman of Safer Arizona, a political action committee. His rigid 6-foot-4-inch stature makes him easy to notice. His giant "Marijuana is safer than alcohol" sign helps, too. Wisniewski said he uses medical marijuana to treat his back pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. He supported marijuana legalization well before his time in the military, but the conditions he developed while serving overseas in the Army showed him the drug's medical benefits compared to the four pharmaceutical drugs doctors prescribed him after his combat service. [continues 1679 words]
I agree with the headline of Joe Adam Diaz' Sunday letter: "Don't blame Mexico for our drug problem." However, it's not drug use that causes crime and corruption but rather the criminalization of drugs. How much crime and corruption do we have related to the drug caffeine? None. None whatsoever. If we were to criminalize products containing caffeine the situation would soon change. - - Kirk Muse, Mesa [end]
The United States consumes more illegal narcotics by far than any other nation in the world. This country sends billions of dollars to Mexico and other countries south of our border for narcotics. Drug cartels were necessary to manage the volume. It is simple supply and demand. Mexico gets blamed for the U.S. drug problem, but it's the insatiable and ever-increasing desire for dope in this country that keeps illegal drugs flowing north from Mexico. Nearly all guns used in Mexican drug wars originate in the United States. Some of those guns have been traced back to U.S. government agencies. Despite drug wars fought over the U.S. dope market, the murder rate in the United States far overshadows that of Mexico. Mexico is not to blame for the drug problem in the United States. There would be no drug cartels or drug traffic if not for the demand for dope from the United States. - - Joe Adam Diaz, Phoenix [end]
Kyle Catlin and His Attorney Say He Did Nothing Wrong, and Are Counting on Arizona's Medical Marijuana Law's Ambiguity to Prevent Him From Life in Prison The thought of possibly spending close to 100 years in prison terrifies Kyle Catlin. But he's mostly concerned about his mom. She's not in the best of health. If something were to happen to her, "I may not even be allowed to leave prison to go to my mom's funeral, and that's super fucked up," he says. "I'm probably not gonna see her, except for behind glass for the rest of my life. It hurts so much to think about that I try not to think about it and move on with my day." [continues 2254 words]
Judith Ray (Thursday letters) claims, "we all know that there is a serious drug problem in our schools with the legalization of medical marijuana," yet she does not cite any scientific studies to substantiate this myth. A study recently published in Lancet Psychiatry found "no hint of an increase (in teenage use) at all" in states that legalized medical marijuana. This study, by Dr. Deborah Hasin of Columbia University, was based on surveys of more than 1 million adolescents in 48 states. [continues 99 words]
I recently moved to Arizona from Denver, where I served as the metro Denver coordinator for The Salvation Army. While there, I witnessed the unintended consequences of legalized marijuana for which neither the city nor the state were prepared. Our organization provided an emergency shelter in downtown Denver. When I arrived three years ago the shelter was averaging 200 men per night. When I left in May, the shelter was averaging 600 per night and every shelter in the city was full to overflowing. [continues 93 words]
Marijuana is either a harmless recreational high or a valuable medicine. Or both. Or neither. We don't really know. But we are being asked to make major policy choices anyway. A proposal to add to the list of approved uses for medical marijuana includes eight new conditions, from arthritis and Autism to Tourette's syndrome and traumatic brain injury. Why stop there? Let's just say it's a tonic for whatever ails you. OK. Some people may benefit from medical marijuana, but official numbers on who uses it make me skeptical. [continues 478 words]
Schools superintendent Diane Douglas blasted an effort to legalize marijuana in Arizona in a statement to the Insider, saying the use of "drug money" to fund schools would be "evil and hypocritical." If approved by voters, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would set up a system where consumers could openly buy marijuana. A tax on the cannabis would help fund K-12 education and, according to the campaign's estimates, could raise more than $40 million the first year for schools. [continues 117 words]
With a federal ban on marijuana, states are left to craft their own medical pot rules-whether they work or not After waiting in line for hours at a booth during a medical marijuana convention in San Francisco, Jeff Harrington needed only a two-minute consultation and a written recommendation to become a medical marijuana patient in California. He now can legally purchase and possess marijuana from any one of thousands of marijuana businesses in the state. Across the country in Connecticut, an established physician-patient relationship is required before patients are deemed qualified for medical marijuana, and only licensed pharmacists can own and operate dispensaries. [continues 961 words]
Regarding the Saturday letter asking marijuana advocates to "own their passion," I, for one, am absolutely willing to own it. I want marijuana legalized because I enjoy the feeling I get after I smoke it. I couldn't care less how much tax revenue it could potentially raise for schools, how much more money it would save in enforcement and incarceration costs, or even how much more rope or paper an acre of hemp yields versus an acre of trees. I just want to smoke a bowl in the privacy of my own home. [continues 73 words]
Advocates for legalizing recreational marijuana in Arizona say it could provide $40 million for education. Reaping $40 million in marijuana taxes sounds good until you consider all the costs. Extrapolating from a Rand Corporation study, Arizona spends $20 million each year for schizophrenia hospitalizations caused by marijuana. That comes out of the state budget. Then consider the cost of drugged driving arrests and injuries, increased need for drug treatment, and policing underage use. That $40 million gets eaten up fast and the state ends up in the red. Just like alcohol and tobacco, legal marijuana would drain state coffers. - - Prescott [end]
When I was 9 years old, a few older playmates from my fourth-through-sixth grade class started disappearing at lunchtime recesses. It took a long time before I found out what they were doing, somewhere off school grounds. They were smoking pot. This came to mind last week when proponents of Arizona's main marijuana-legalization effort pledged to provide $40 million per year in marijuana tax revenue for education if their initiative passes. Even though I'm an instinctive advocate of legalization, I agreed when Arizona's Republican Party chairman, Robert Graham, called the pro-legalization event a "pathetic display." What's pathetic is the suggestion that $40 million means anything significant to a state public school system that spends around $4.7 billion of state money every year. [continues 969 words]
The Arizona Republic's Friday editorial questioning marijuana-legalization proponents' claim that $40 million would go to schools may be correct. There are other factors that should be considered. In the same issue it was reported that DPS apprehend smugglers on I-17 and I-40 and recovered primarily marijuana. These smugglers are likely bound for an Arizona prison at an absurd expense. Additional expenses include the resources expended on the officer's time, the prosecutors and the courts. Avoiding these expenses would free up money for schools [continues 126 words]
Experts and Users Warn of the Risks of Casual Smoking. Elisabeth Davies smoked marijuana to escape. To ease anxiety. To decompress and forget about life's responsibilities. Davies started as a social smoker at 17. Years would go by, and she wouldn't smoke pot. "It made me feel better," said Davies, a life coach, counselor and author in Peoria. "It took away my anxiety and stress. It made my emotions more tolerable." But when her father died 10 years ago, her casual use became an addiction. She smoked every day after work to escape the grief. [continues 1457 words]
Thursday's Arizona Republic shares with us the latest smoke screen from the pro-legalized marijuana crowd. It includes the mandatory fake check made out to Arizona Schools and the catchy "Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol" label. Who would not support that all-American approach? It would be nice if those smoking their proposed legal product would be honest about what they want. This isn't about the schools or about comparisons to alcohol. This is about their specific desire to make something currently illegal legal. Period. [continues 66 words]
How not to launch a campaign: with a lie. Yet that's what one set of advocates for legalized marijuana did this week. They staged an elaborate event on the state Capitol lawn to claim that taxing marijuana sales would pump $40 million into education. They even had a massive check made out to "Arizona Schools" for that amount. (Here's hoping no one was puffing enough to try to deposit that thing.) The campaign's chairman, J.P. Holyoak, asserted that legalizing marijuana would be "for the benefit of education and public-health care." What bunk. That $40 million figure is pulled out of thin air. It is belied by the experience of states that jumped into this ill-begotten experiment. The Colorado initiative that legalized pot, for instance, promises the first $40 million each year will help pay for school construction. The tax generated $13.3 million last year, and might - might - reach $20 million this year. [continues 175 words]
I need to get something straight before I make a rash decision. I can't be the only one who is confused by this issue! We're being asked to support the legalization of marijuana. And the sterling reason to do this would be to use the gazillions of dollars in revenue from taxes to fund our education system. So far so good! But I think I'm missing something here. Any scientist worth his salt (who is not smoking marijuana) will tell you that marijuana causes loss and or damage to brain cells. [continues 69 words]
Most Native American tribes are opting not to legalize marijuana, though at least two are poised to try it just six months after a U.J. Justice Department memo indicated federal authorities likely would not interfere with growing marijuana on tribal lands if other federal crimes were not committed. Many tribes exploring their options said that as U.S. citizens and sovereign nations, they deserve the right to choose to legalize as states have done. However, tribes continue to balk at the vague language of the Justice Department's so-called "Cole Memorandum" and the fear of federal prosecution. [continues 636 words]
Group: Initiative Would Help Underfunded Schools Legalizing and taxing marijuana could raise an additional $40 million a year for education, according to estimates by the campaign to legalize the drug in Arizona. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is gathering signatures to qualify for the 2016 ballot, would establish a network of licensed cannabis shops where sales of the drug would be taxed. J.P. Holyoak, campaign chairman, said at a news conference at the state Capitol, "We have a choice: We can either tax and regulate marijuana for the benefit of education and public-health care, or we can keep it illegal for the benefit of illegal drug cartels." [continues 821 words]
Prominent liberals and libertarians have joined to advocate "sentencing reform," code words for reduced prison sentences for a variety of so-called nonviolent offenses such as drug dealing and quantity possession. This is naive or outright dishonest. Illicit drug peddling and consumption is a non-violent crime if you discount murders induced by drug rage or gang wars over drug-sales territory. It's non-violent if you ignore the many people permanently injured or killed by drug use, even those who have great resources. Do I hear Elvis Presley, Len Bias, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and her daughter, among many of our famous entertainers and athletes? [continues 376 words]
Radical public policy reform should not be based on a guess. But lately, the marijuana lobby has been telling Arizonans they should legalize marijuana "just like alcohol," trying to persuade Arizonans to radically reverse decades of policy in everything from health care to criminal justice to education policy. And it's all based on guesswork. Their pitch: legalization will save money and improve education. But Arizonans should not pass a law to find out what's in it. Supposedly, the initiative allows for limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. But what the initiative actually permits is possession of one ounce of marijuana and an additional 12 marijuana plants per household. [continues 482 words]
Four Reasons Why Law Enforcement Should Support Legalizing Law enforcement was designed to protect our communities, but marijuana prohibition=ADand the drug war as a whole=ADhas become an overbearing distraction towards the maintaining of public safety. Prohibition contributes to an overall decrease in public safety and misuse of valuable resources. Here's why law enforcement across the country and around the world are pushing for marijuana legalization: 1. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION FUNDS CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Criminalizing a high-demand commodity only creates an illegal marketplace that generates wealth for individuals seeking to profit. If legalized, marijuana would create a legal marketplace and diminish illegal operations. Marijuana is often called the =93cash crop=94 by Mexican cartels, and legalizing medical marijuana access and recreational access in only a few states has already begun to weaken their cash flow. Nationwide marijuana legalization would devastate the enormous and lethal underground networks brought about by prohibition. [continues 278 words]
PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says officials are not allowed to use public resources to campaign for or against ballot measures. The revised opinion issued Thursday replaces one issued in May but yanked after it was criticized. It said officials could "educate" the public about ballot measures but can't urge that people vote in a particular matter. The original opinion was requested by Maricopa and Yavapai County prosecutors who oppose a marijuana legalization proposal. Critics said officials might view the opinion as opening the door for them to seek to change the outcome of elections by influencing voters. The new opinion outlines a two-part legal test to determine if campaigning by public officials is allowed. It is designed to balance their free speech rights with bans electioneering using public money. [end]
MMJ vs. Legalization It is a sad but true fact in the world today that politics, lobbying, and action take money, lots and lots of money. This means that to enforce the will of popular opinion we must band together as a cohesive force and make our voices one. There has been a long history of infighting in the cannabis industry. If NORML and other groups of their day had worked together in the 1970s this conversation might be long over. This didn't happen. [continues 684 words]
Three Medical-Marijuana Companies Hope to Tap into City's Wealth of Patients Three medical-marijuana companies are eyeing the Scottsdale Airpark for new dispensary locations as they look to tap into one of Arizona's highest concentrations of patients authorized to use the drug. Two proposed dispensaries are on the south side of the airport's runways, while a third is planned near the Scottsdale Quarter office and shopping complex, according to city records. The latter has already been approved for a permit, while a City Council vote is likely coming for the others. [continues 910 words]
(AP) - Arizona courts appear at odds over the possible impact of legalized medical marijuana on the ability of police to conduct searches prompted solely by officers smelling the drug. In one case, a three judge panel of the state Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that a police search of a man's car during a traffic stop was permissible because an officer smelled burnt marijuana. The panel rejected a defense argument that legalized medical marijuana means police must assume that any marijuana they smell or see is lawful until shown otherwise. [continues 104 words]
The Arizona Department of Health Services has announced that it will accept petitions from July 27-July 31 to add new debilitating conditions to those already approved by the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. The AMMA itself calls for open application periods twice a year, but the rules surrounding the process and the specific standards by which these conditions are approved or denied are largely left up to the DHS administration and these rules can be changed. [continues 610 words]
ACLU Says Profits From Seized Goods Are Put into Slush Fund Pinal County attorneys and sheriff's officials are accused of funneling profits gleaned by seized property into a slush fund to bankroll personnel costs, retirement benefits and County Attorney Lando Voyles' personal home-security system, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday. The suit, filed by attorneys from Perkins Coie and the American Civil Liberties Union, alleges Voyles, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and court officials have exploited Arizona's forfeiture laws and violated citizens' constitutional rights to due process. [continues 538 words]
The wording in the complaint filed in federal court is blunt. "This racket has to stop," write attorneys from the ACLU, the ACLU of Arizona and the firm of Perkins Coie. They aim to shut down a statewide operation that each year confiscates millions of dollars in property from Arizona residents and keeps the money for itself. "We expect a fight," attorney Jean-Jacques Cabou said. "There is a lot at stake here for very powerful people." That's especially true knowing the people running this so-called "racket" are prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies. [continues 401 words]
Colorado Is Giving Businesses Another Way to Bring Marijuana to the Table Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and attorney Brian Vicente are two of the champions of the 2012 Amendment 64 (The Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol Act) which legalized and regulated the use and sale of recreational marijuana in Colorado. Now the dynamic duo's new ballot measure, The Limited Social Marijuana Consumption Initiative, is intended to allow private businesses to allow adults to use marijuana at designated establishments, such as bars, restaurants and hotels. [continues 131 words]
An EJ Montini piece about vaccinations contains noteworthy quotes.: "Science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children. The science is sound." . "Parental choice can't allow one parent to put another parent's child at risk." I volunteer in substance abuse education and prevention. I noted these quotes because people give the risks of marijuana use a pass on this same line of reasoning. Yet, science is clear that marijuana is harmful, especially to children. The science is sound. Parental choice to legalize and use marijuana puts other parents' children at risk. [continues 96 words]
SAN LUIS, Ariz. - Having gained the city council's approval this week, a medical marijuana dispensary could open sometime in 2016, pending the OK from the state. Finding no legal reasons to block the venture, the San Luis City Council on Wednesday approved two conditional use permits sought by Choice Cannabis, one to operate the dispensary on Archibald Street, next to the border, and the second to cultivate marijuana in an industrial building located along Highway 95 on the city's north side. [continues 802 words]
MMJ Is Here to Stay and Is Legal, but It Depends on What Public Agency You Talk to and That Needs to Change Friday, July 10 will go down in history but not for the same reasons I would have wished. There was a state of the art social event planned that had to be cancelled, well not entirely cancelled, just the state of the art part. Counter Culture Events AZ planned and promoted the Fire and Ice 7/10 dab party. For those who don't know July 10 is the new 4/20. The reason is if you turn 710 upsidedown and backwards it spells OIL. Hash oil is one name for some of the popular and potent cannabis extracts in the market these days. The event features three local bands including Alter Der Ruine who is about to embark on a nationwide tour opening for Haujobb, other local acts Mother's Lament and Intertwine, who have a Native American radio station, will also play. [continues 464 words]
Last week, Oregon's new law legalizing recreational marijuana came into effect, -making it the fourth state to legalize, following Alaska, Washington and Colorado. Recreational marijuana is also legal in the District of Columbia. Thousands of Oregonian growers, dispensary owners and marijuana enthusiasts gathered at the Weed the People event to celebrate what many called a historic moment. The main impetus for the event was a result of people seeing green-and I'm not talking about marijuana. As free doobies were passed around the event, so were business cards among the "ganjapreneurs" who gathered there to network. These eager capitalists are hoping to be ahead of the market when retail cannabis sales begin, likely next fall. [continues 722 words]
Groundbreaking Program Was Quietly Ended Last Year Phoenix police pioneered an antidoping policy that took hold in police agencies across the country when the department implemented random steroid testing nine years ago, but the agency suddenly and quietly shut the program down last year. Frank Lloyd Wright (left), Hilla Rebay and Solomon R. Guggenheim, with a model of the latter's namesake museum. Department administrators cited excessive costs and test results that were muddled by the prevalence of legal supplements and testosterone that was legally prescribed to officers. [continues 661 words]
TUCSON (AP) - Authorities in the border city of Nogales, Arizona, believe smugglers were using an international sewage line to transport drugs into the U.S. from Mexico when the pipe became clogged, sending gallons of waste through an illegal tunnel and into a house and local businesses. City officials discovered waste coming out of the house near the border with Mexico on Sunday. City Manager Shane Dille said there was so much waste that it was oozing from the front door and side of the house. [continues 232 words]
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities in the Arizona border city of Nogales believe smugglers were using an international sewage line to transport drugs into the U.S. from Mexico when the pipe became clogged, sending gallons of waste through an illegal tunnel and into a house and local businesses. City officials discovered waste coming out of the house near the border with Mexico on Sunday. City Manager Shane Dille said there was so much waste that it was oozing from the front door and side of the house. [continues 89 words]
Let me start by saying that I was an investigator who headed up the juvenile narcotic bureau for a major city in northern California. In 1960, I was assigned to work drug abuse problems that was occurring in our local school district. In my 20 plus years of working with countless amounts of juveniles and parents whose sons or daughters were involved in drug use, I saw on a daily basis how marijuana affected the juvenile, as well as the effects it had on the family. In my experience, I see marijuana as a gateway drug. The user is introduced to other people involved in the drug culture, who want to turn these stoners on to other drugs. [continues 250 words]
Marijuana causes kids to kill themselves! It makes IQs drop!! If children accidentally eat edibles, they will be poisoned!!! OK, now that I have your attention, I just want to say that none of the above is proven to be true. But Sheila Polk, Yavapai County attorney, and her anti-drug MATForce group has spread such propaganda in statewide programs and billboards. As legalization spreads across this country, many of the early biased studies requiring a negative end result to obtain funding are being disproven. For instance, the assertion that marijuana impacts IQ has been shown untrue by a long-term Australian study and a recent Harvard University report. The Harvard study shows the impact of heavy marijuana use on learning and memory disappears within 28 days of stopping use. Heavy alcohol users, by comparison, have memory deficits for months, or even years. [continues 533 words]
Inside Arizona
