Number of Financial Institutions Willing to Handle Pot Money Rise SALEM, Ore. (AP) - In a once-empty office in Oregon's Department of Revenue headquarters, officials have created a mini-fortress. Recently hired workers sit behind bulletproof glass at a window inaccessible to the public. Police officers brought out of retirement roam the building with handguns on their hips. Security cameras monitor the hallways. The changes, paid for with a $3.5 million budget and prompted by the state's newly legal marijuana industry, are similar to those that Colorado and Washington made for accepting huge cash payments of pot taxes from businesses historically blocked from banking. [continues 763 words]
The opening of a local marijuana shop brings up some interesting issues surrounding the sale of the drug in the state. Yakima resident John Larson recently opened Sticky's Pot Shop in Hazel Dell, which is an unincorporated portion of Clark County. This violates the county's moratorium upon marijuana businesses, which were approved statewide by voters with passage of Initiative 502 in 2012. Larson, who previously had lost a court challenge against the county's moratorium, applied for a certificate of occupancy for a store that would sell "novelties, crafts, collectibles and general merchandise." There was no mention of marijuana on the application. [continues 477 words]
With Voodoo doughnuts in hand, some Portlanders got their first taste of legal, recreational, purchased-in-Oregon weed early Thursday morning. With cheaper taxes, legal home grow and a regulated medical marijuana system, some in the Washington pot industry worry the state will struggle to compete once Oregon's market gets running at full speed. Here's how Oregon's law compares: Possession In Washington, people 21 and older can possess up to an ounce of marijuana. An ounce is the equivalent of about 60 average-size joints. [continues 415 words]
Here's A Look at Marijuana's Role in Traffic Fatalities, Quality-Of-Life Issues, Crime When recreational marijuana was legalized, Washington entered the unknown, triggering questions - and predictions - about what might happen. Would drug dealers hang around the pot shops? Would it bring riffraff into the neighborhood and make shops easy crime targets? Would people abuse the drug? Or smoke and drive, putting others in harm's way? As is evident by millions of dollars in sales each month at Vancouver's retail stores, people certainly use marijuana. And it has had some consequences on the community, but there's apparently no evidence of major behavioral shifts. [continues 2090 words]
It's Relatively Stable, From County Juvenile Court's Standpoint Misdemeanor marijuana-related crimes have plummeted for adults following legalization, but for minors, marijuana is still very much illegal. Marijuana use among children is relatively flat, though children referred to court on suspicion of possessing marijuana went up slightly from 2013 to 2014. "I wouldn't put a cause and effect there," said Eric Gilman, program manager at Clark County Juvenile Court. The numbers are small to begin with - a couple hundred offenses - making it difficult to discern a trend. Over the past decade, there's been a decline in crimes such as minor in possession of marijuana or alcohol. Then again, referrals to juvenile court have been going down across the nation since 1999, Gilman said. In 2009, Clark County Juvenile Court received 3,089 referrals. Over the next five years, the number of referrals went down about 37 percent. [continues 918 words]
Clark County Marijuana Growers, Retail Shops Turn to Tourism, Increasing Presence at Community Events to Attract Customers to Their Products and Facilities With the sun rising and roosters crowing, Josh Miller rolls out of a bed tucked in a greenhouse full of lush marijuana plants and lights up a joint. That's how the Seattle attorney starts his day every time he stays at Tom Lauerman's organic marijuana farm, named the Garden of the Green Sun, in Vancouver. "It's wonderful," Miller said one day last week at the greenhouse. "I do my morning routine. Listen to music, and well, smoke a joint and whatever else comes to me." [continues 973 words]
After Minor Accident on Assignment, She Had to Take Drug Test and Failed PORTLAND (AP) - An Oregon television anchor has turned into a marijuana activist after being fired for testing positive for the drug. Cyd Maurer, a morning weekend anchor at Eugene's ABC affiliate KEZI-TV, said she was fired in May after getting into a minor accident while on assignment. In a video posted online, Maurer said that after the accident, she was forced to take a drug test per company policy and failed it. [continues 487 words]
Legislative action reconciling marijuana markets too new to appeal, modify In addition to a slate of candidates for local offices, it's likely that Washington voters this fall will decide two citizen initiatives. One, sponsored by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, would ban trafficking of endangered species and their parts. The other, from initiative king Tim Eyman, deals with his favorite subject: taxes. What voters won't see on the ballot is Referendum 76, which would have overturned Washington's new medical marijuana law. The proponents notified the secretary of state's office this week that they wouldn't be submitting signatures to get it on the ballot. That clears the way for the law to go into effect Friday. [continues 483 words]
Howard Wooldridge, a Washington lobbyist, is a former detective and forever Texan on an important mission - trying to persuade the 535 members of Congress to end the federal war on marijuana. Liberals tend to be an easier sell than conservatives. With liberals, Wooldridge dwells on the grossly racist way the war on drugs has been prosecuted. "The war on drugs," he tells them, "has been the most immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow." Conservatives hear a different argument, but one that Wooldridge holds every bit as dear: "Give it back to the states." [continues 514 words]
In November 2012, Washington state voters approved Initiative 502 legalizing recreational marijuana. Part of the appeal of legalization was the potential of a new revenue source for cities. To date, Washington has brought in over $31 million in excise tax revenue from marijuana sales, expected to reach over $362 million by 2019. Yet none of the excise tax revenue is shared with cities, and only a small portion of retail sales tax is retained by cities. Washington state relies on local cities to enforce marijuana laws. Cities need to receive a share of the excise tax revenue to help deal with the additional impacts created by the legalization and sale of marijuana, including enforcing regulations and increased demands on our police. [continues 85 words]
Looks like our neighbors in California are taking measures to conserve one of our most valuable resources - water. What are we doing here in the "Pothead State" to conserve our water, I ask? Now that we have an official "Cannabis Chronicles" column in our newspaper I am hoping the leaders of this revolution will answer the problems of where and how the newly appointed czars of the dope agri-business will get their supply of our invaluable moisture. As a taxpayer, I don't intend to share one drop with them nor do I want to pay one extra penny for water so that their businesses might share. The water problem could necessitate sharing on a "priority basis" with other farmers and legitimate growers but I will never consider marijuana a legitimate business since there are many medicines that alleviate pain prescribed by doctors. It's obvious that this horrendous business has no legitimate function except to make some greedy persons rich. [continues 74 words]
It is with "awwwww" that I read The Columbian newspaper. Pot stores have a strong impact on our news reporting. In the March 5 issue: a huge picture and story, "Gorge town gets into pot business," about a new city-owned pot store opening in North Bonneville; it's not only on most of the front page but continues on about two-thirds of the following page. Also, there's a March 4 story, "Main Street's 'marijuana traffic' packs the parking," about how parking in downtown Vancouver is causing problems because of the pot stores. I realize I am old and boring and these are different times than when I grew up ... but, really? I just do not understand the concept of "front page news." Dot Naten La Center [end]
Man With Pancreatic Cancer Won't Face Charges, but Friend, Family Members Not Off Hook SPOKANE (AP) - The Justice Department has dropped its case against a 71-year-old man charged in a northeastern Washington marijuana bust because he was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Larry Harvey faced federal charges - as did his wife, two other relatives and a family friend - after they were caught two years ago growing about 70 pot plants on their rural, mountainous property near Kettle Falls. Harvey said he used the marijuana to ease pain from gout, but the government argued that the family's operation did not comply with the state's medical marijuana law, and marijuana remains illegal under federal law. [continues 332 words]
New Jersey's system of medical marijuana regulation, which requires all patients obtain a state-issued patient identification card to possess and purchase medical marijuana, in tracked sales, is unconstitutional. Federal law still criminalizes marijuana. New Jersey medical marijuana patients must not be forced to incriminate themselves federally in order to obtain their medicine and be protected from prosecution under state medical marijuana statutes. In 1969, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 on the grounds that payment of the tax was a violation of the constitutional right against self-incrimination (Leary v. United States). [continues 115 words]
Duane Abbott, accused in the vehicular homicide of 7-year-old Cadence Boyer on Halloween night, was allegedly under the influence of marijuana at the time, according to prosecutors. Four nights later, the people of Oregon voted to approve the recreational use of marijuana, joining Washington and Colorado. Brad Reed, spokesman for Oregon's Yes on 91 campaign, is quoted as saying "We feel the people .. took a close look at what prohibition was doing and made a good decision." It is my guess that the grieving family and friends of Cadence Boyer would disagree wholeheartedly. Scott Rainey Vancouver [end]
I am irritated by the use of the term "recreational marijuana" for its legalization. There has always been a need for over-the-counter medications that don't require a doctor's prescription, such as cough medicine. I believe that many people are finding the use of easily and legally available marijuana for medicinal purposes as extremely beneficial. To define its legalization as strictly for purposes of "recreational" use is very misleading. Donald Leonard Vancouver [end]
When I was a child living on a farm in Bowman, N.D., my father would notice an animal out in our pasture running around and acting crazy. My dad would go out and look to see if loco weed was growing in our pasture. He would find it, dig it up and destroy it. Dad told me it was a marijuana weed, which grows in every state in the continental U.S. (I don't know about Alaska and Hawaii.) It was called loco weed back then because animals who eat it can go loco. It was usually our horses. [continues 87 words]
In a Los Angeles Times article appearing in The Columbian on July 29, "Pot: U.S. sees profound cultural shift," Stuart Gitlow, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is quoted thusly: "When you look back at Prohibition, what you see is that per-capita use of alcohol dropped by more than 50 percent; as a result of that, alcohol-related deaths dropped considerably as well. Prohibition was an enormous public health success." This is where the adage about not believing everything you read fits. [continues 117 words]
By keeping the state marijuana grow canopy minuscule, the Washington Liquor Control Board can keep marijuana prices high, which will help to maximize the total tax the state will collect from sales. The liquor control board has allocated 2 million square feet of marijuana grow canopy for the entire state, which is equal to 46 acres. If the state only allowed 46 acres statewide to grow apples on, we would be paying more than $1,000 for an apple. The marijuana excise taxes collected by the state will increase as the price per gram for marijuana increases. The amount of taxes the state will collect at $20 a gram will be twice the taxes that the state would collect if the same gram of marijuana was sold for $10. [continues 98 words]
Quality of Product Is Improving; Prices Still High Prices haven't dropped much since Main Street Marijuana shut its doors last week in protest of price gouging, but at least the quality is improving, said Ramsey Hamide, a manager. The store, 2314 Main St., closed last Wednesday after getting an overpriced shipment of product with lots of stems and leaves, rather than the desired plant buds, from a grower that had promised high quality material. After reopening on Monday, Hamide admitted the prices are still a bit excessive, but the shipments he got over the weekend from Monkey Grass Farms and Farmer J's are at least far better quality, he said. [continues 933 words]
