Chronicle AM -- April 24, 2016

Marijuana, weed, pot, cannabis, whatever you call it, it's sure making a lot of news these days. Plus, harm reduction comes to Georgia, and Bolivia wants to shoot down drug planes. And more. Let's get to it:

Nevada Legalization Initiative Gets Underway, Aims At 2016. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Wednesday filed a petition with the Nevada Secretary of State to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the Silver State. The group needs to get 101,667 signatures by November 11 to move the process forward. If the signatures are collected on time, the initiative would then go before the state legislature in 2015. The legislature can approve it or vote it down, but if it is voted down, it would go before the voters in the 2016 general election.

Colorado Edibles Regulation Bill Passes House. A bill to tighten laws governing the sale of marijuana-infused edibles in Colorado was unanimously passed by the state House of Representatives on Tuesday after two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of cannabis products shed light on the lack of guidelines for edibles. With House Bill 1361, Colorado lawmakers are aiming to limit the amount of concentrated marijuana that can be sold through a bill requiring more specific labeling of pot-laced products, such as candies and baked goods, as well as restricting the amount of the THC chemical in edibles.

Possession Of Marijuana In Brooklyn Decriminalized In Small Quantities. Marijuana users in Brooklyn will get slapped with a mere $100 fine for possession so long as they don't have a criminal record. Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson said he will no longer be prosecuting marijuana smokers for possession provided they have no previous criminal history or have been busted for weed before. The DA said in a memo made public by the New York Post Wednesday that marijuana laws disproportionately hurt youths of color, especially those without previous records.

New York Poll Has Support for Legalization at 43%. A new Siena Poll has support for legalization in the Empire State at 43%, with 52% opposed and 5% undecided. There were majorities for legalization among Democrats, liberals, men, and people under 35. Medical marijuana fared better, with 51% backing a full medical marijuana law, 26% favoring Gov. Cuomo's (D) limited program, and only 21% opposed to any medical marijuana. Click on the link for the cross-tabs.

DC Legalization Initiative Gets Go-Ahead for Signature Gathering. The DC Board of Elections gave a green light Wednesday for campaigners to begin collecting signatures to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot. The campaign must turn in approximately 22,373 valid signatures by July 7 to score a spot on the November ballot. More than 5 percent of registered voters in five of the eight city wards must sign the petition.

Medical Marijuana

Nevada's Clark County (Las Vegas) Receives More Than 200 Applications For Medical Pot Businesses. A total of 206 applications for medical marijuana businesses were filed by 109 legal entities with the county's Business Licensing Department before yesterday's deadline. That total includes 90 applications for dispensaries, 70 applications for cultivation facilities, 45 for production facilities and one for an independent testing laboratory. Businesses who met today's deadline will have until May 2 to submit a zoning application and the accompanying $5,000 fee for the special-use permits needed to operate a medical marijuana establishment. The county commission plans to review and award a limited number of special-use permits at a June 5 public meeting. Businesses can apply for one of four license types.

Vermont House Passes Dispensary Bill, Includes Study of Legalization. The House Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a medical marijuana dispensaries bill, endorsing an amendment that calls for a study of potential tax revenue from legalizing and taxing pot. Senate Bill 247 has already passed the Senate, but have to go back for concurrence with changes made in the House.

California Medical Marijuana Regulation Bill Wins Committee Vote. A bill to impose regulation on the state's medical marijuana industry passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee Tuesday. Assembly Bill 1894, sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) would make it illegal for doctors to recommend medical marijuana for patients they have not examined, and bar prescriptions by doctors with a financial interest in a pot dispensary. It would also let the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control enforce laws regulating marijuana and develop plans to tax it beyond the sales tax now levied, while ensuring it is grown and processed safely and in ways safe for the environment. A competing bill favored by law enforcement, Senate Bill 1262 by Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), was approved a day earlier by the Senate Business Professions and Economic Development Committee. It would regulate medical marijuana through the Department of Public Health and county health departments.

Missouri House Gives First Approval to CBD Medical Marijuana Bill. The House Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would allow the use of CBD cannabis oil by people suffering from seizures. Senate Bill 951 won first round approval by a voice vote. It needs one more vote in the House.

New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program's Medical Advisory Board Recommends Adding Alzheimer's Disease to the List of Eligible Conditions. The Medical Cannabis Program's Medical Advisory Board voted unanimously Wednesday to add neurodegenerative dementia including Alzheimer's disease (AD) to the list of medical conditions eligible for the Medical Cannabis Program. The Secretary of Health will have the final decision. Medical cannabis is currently available to Alzheimer's patients in thirteen of the states that authorize its use.

Iowa CBD Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Senate. A bill that gives prosecutorial immunity to people who possess cannabidiol to treat seizures passed the Senate Thursday. Senate File 2360 would require patients or their caregivers to obtain a state-issued license to possess the drug and must have a neurologist's prescription in order to obtain the license.

Drugged Driving

California Bill Would Impose "Per Se" Drugged Driving Standard. Members of the California Assembly are considering amending legislation, Assembly Bill 2500, to impose "per se" criminal penalties to individuals who drive with trace levels (2ng/ml or above) of THC or other controlled substances in their blood -- regardless of whether he/she is behaviorally impaired. NORML and California NORML oppose this bill.

Harm Reduction

Georgia Governor Signs 911 Medical Amnesty/ Naloxone Law.Governor Nathan Deal (R) signed House Bill 965 Thursday, also known as the Georgia 911 Medical Amnesty bill. Effective immediately, the law grants limited immunity from arrest, charges, or prosecution to people who are experiencing or to those who seek help for a drug overdose in the event that law enforcement find small amounts of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia as a result of the person seeking help. The law also extends legal protections to people who call 911 to report underage drinking poisonings and to those who administer naloxone to someone experiencing a drug overdose. Georgia is the 15th state in the union to enact a 911 Medical Amnesty law and the 19th state to expand access to naloxone through legislation.

International

Bolivia Approves Downing of Drug-Smuggling Planes. A new Bolivian law authorizes the country's military to shoot down planes suspected of smuggling cocaine, though it cannot yet be put into practice because it doesn't have sufficient radar coverage. The law signed Tuesday by President Evo Morales requires that before starting the plan, Bolivia must first purchase and install radar systems, which its borders lack. Other countries in the region with similar shootdown policies include Brazil, Colombia, Honduras and Venezuela, all cocaine transit countries. Peru had a shootdown policy, but halted it after it accidentally blew a US missionary and her infant out of the sky a decade ago.

DC Event on Uruguay Marijuana Legalization Monday. The Washington Office on Latin America is hosting a discussion Monday on "Launching Uruguay's New Law to Regulate Cannabis." Speakers include Julio Calzada, general secretary of the Uruguayan National Drugs Board, and Martin Jelsma, coordinator of the Transnational Institute Drugs and Democracy Program. Click on the title link for more details.

Uruguay to Limit Marijuana Purchases to 10 Grams a Week. In an attempt to thwart illegal resales, Uruguay is limiting licensed buyers of marijuana to 10 grams a week, as the South American country attempts to write its rules for its legal market in the drug, now two weeks overdue. The Uruguayan authorities are developing fees for pot sales to match highly-taxed cigarette and alcohol sales.