Chronicle AM: Vancouver Regulates Dispensaries, Albanian Pot Clashes, OR Pot Bill Advances, More (6/25/15)

You can listen in on the marijuana conversation in California, there's more Ohio pot legalization news, the Oregon House has passed a marijuana regulation bill, Vancouver decides to regulate its dispensaries, and more.

Vancouver dispensaries like the Green Panda will now be regulated by the city. (yelp.ca)

Drug Policy Alliance Releases Videos of Three Marijuana Symposia in California. In an effort to educate the public and discuss pressing issues related to the legalization of marijuana in California in 2016, the Drug Policy Alliance held three symposia, each focusing on a different aspect of marijuana regulation. Videos from those symposia are now available online to view for free. The first symposia, held in Los Angeles, addressed issues related to marijuana use and public health. The second symposia, held in Oakland, addressed the social and racial justice issues related to legalization, including the modification of criminal penalties for marijuana, and the impact that prohibition has had and legalization might have on communities typically targeted by the War on Drugs. The final symposia, held in Eureka, focused on the impact that marijuana prohibition has had on the environment, and the ways in which this damage can be addressed via the regulation of marijuana cultivation. Click on the link to see the videos.

Ohio House Approves Measure Aimed at Blocking Legalization Initiative. The House voted 81-12 Wednesday to put a question before voters this November that could derail the ResponsibleOhio legalization initiative that will likely appear on the same ballot. It now goes to the Senate. The lawmakers are pushing a constitutional amendment that would block attempts to use the state constitution to create monopolies, as was the case with a casino initiative a few years ago and is the case with the ResponsibleOhio initiative, which would limit commercial grows to 10 investors who have already paid into the campaign.

Another Ohio Legalization Initiative Approved for Signature-Gathering. A legalization initiative sponsored by Ohioans to End Prohibition has been certified by the Ohio Ballot Board and can now begin signature gathering. Petitioners will now have to gather 306,000 vote signatures to appear on the ballot, most likely next year.

Oregon House Passes Marijuana Regulation Bill. The House Wednesday sweepingly approved House Bill 3400, a 127-page bill put together by members of joint legislative marijuana committee. It would impose new limits on medical marijuana growers, make it easier for the state's conservative eastern counties to opt out of legal sales, and reduce penalties for many of the state's remaining marijuana offenses. The bill now heads to the Senate. Marijuana becomes legal in Oregon as of next week, but sales are unlikely to start until next year.

Medical Marijuana

Massachusett's First Dispensary is Open for Business. The Alternative Therapies Group has opened the state's first dispensary in Salem. It only took three years once voters approved medical marijuana in 2012.

International

Vancouver Approves Regulation of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. Ignoring the angry protests of the federal government, Vancouver city councilors voted Wednesday to regulate and license the estimated 100 dispensaries operating in the city. Dispensaries will have to pay a $30,000 license fee, and some will have to move or close because the regulations also bar them from operating within a thousand feet of schools, community centers, or other dispensaries.

Albanian Marijuana Growers in Armed Clashes With Police. At least one police officer has been killed and two wounded in fighting between police and pot growers in the town of Lazarat, known as the "cannabis kingdom" for its industrial-scale marijuana production. More than 400 police, supported by army helicopters, have surrounded the town, where they say at least 21 members of an armed group are holed up. The same thing happened last year, when police clashed with armed groups for a week before managing to take control of the town. Italian police estimate the town produces 900 tons of pot annually.