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Your Turn to Comment on Medical Marijuana in Colorado (Action Alert)
Do you care about how medical marijuana is distributed? Here's your chance to comment:
On January 27 and 28 the Colorado Dept. of Revenue is considering adopting wide-ranging rules governing medical marijuana stores and producers. The proposed rules are available HERE (in highlights). These rules embody the most comprehensive medical marijuana distribution system in history. While considering this system, it is crucial that Department officials hear from patients and advocates about the importance of maintaining patient privacy and closely guarding patient health records. Sensible Colorado and allies will be sending out suggested "talking points" on privacy and other issues soon. In the meantime, please review the proposed rules and send comments to the Department by Friday Jan. 14 at: [email protected] or Colorado Department of Revenue If you would like to attend the Hearing and have an accessibility issue, send an email to: [email protected] **Start off the New Year by supporting Sensible Colorado's quest to advocate for patients and reform marijuana laws for all adults. Click HERE to help today! |
re:Form -- Art Auction and Cocktail Reception
An art auction and cocktail party is being held in Los Angeles to benefit the Drug Policy Alliance. For more information and to register, see: http://www.reformartauction.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Poor Economy Forces Georgia to Rethink Drug Criminalization
More Than 30 Killed in Drug Prohibition Violence in Acapulco in 4 Days, Including 2 Cops Shot in Tourist Area
Will Council Grandfather Medical Marijuana Grows in Denver That Violate New Zoning Code?
Philadelphia: City Saving Time and Money with New Pot Procedure (Press Release)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2011
CONTACT: Chris Goldstein at 215-586-3483 or [email protected]
Philadelphia: City Saving Time and Money with New Pot Procedure
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office is calling a new set of procedures for minor pot cases a success and plans to continue with the Small Amount of Marijuana (SAM) program.
Last year the Pennsylvania Supreme Court worked with the new DA, Seth Williams, to make a pragmatic change in how the justice system deals with marijuana possession of 30 grams or less. A new program was created that includes a diversion court appearance, an education class and fees of $200. The major difference is that there is no longer an instant criminal prosecution. The offender pleads to a non-drug related charge that is automatically expunged from their record.
PhillyNORML's Chris Goldstein spoke with Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joe McGettigan about the new marijuana policy. McGettigan said that the SAM program is working, "Look, certainly this was a much better option than sending all these people into the criminal court last year for misdemeanors," said McGettigan.
The DA’s office provided the following figures related to the SAM program:
June 2010 to September 2010
1636 marijuana possession cases less than 30g TOTAL
339 bench warrants issued for failure to appear
1297 marijuana possession cases less than 30g are heard
1025 enter the Small Amount of Marijuana diversion program ( 79% )
81 went to trial
187 statuses continued
4 cases withdrawn
The procedural shift has eased penalties and a particularly harsh process for offenders. For the last two decades anyone in Philadelphia who was caught with a single joint on up to 30 grams was held for bail then prosecuted in a criminal court. This involves a tremendous amount of the justice system’s resources and the expensive procedure was almost unique in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
There are over 4,500 such cases in Philly every year (the largest concentration of pot arrests in PA) so minor marijuana offenses were literally clogging holding cells, bail officer, printing machines, court reporters, clerks, judges and courtrooms. The real world cost savings for the city this year by eliminating those expenses could tally into the millions.The shift also made a significant, tactile change; residents who consume marijuana and run afoul of prohibition laws have a less traumatic experience.
PhillyNORML's Chris Goldstein said, "This was a positive shift for the city. Still minor marijuana possession arrests are increasing and continue a disturbing trend of being extremely racially disparate."
An average of about 325 black men, 50 black women, 95 white men and 8 white women will be arrested every month this year in Philadelphia.
Idiot Blames Marijuana for the Tucson Shootings
As the nation mourned this weekend's tragedy in Arizona, David Frum took the opportunity to pen an early contender for dumbest blog post of the year with this shameful suggestion that the killer's actions may have resulted from marijuana use.
FOX Covers Latest Botched Drug Raid Killing
Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano is on point yet again with this coverage of the recent killing of grandfather Eurie Stamps.
Welfare Drug Testing Bill Introduced in Nebraska
Anti-Meth Laws Have Created Black Market in Cold Pills, AP Reports
Lawsuit Over Videotaping at Texas Drug Treatment Facility
A Personal Plea from Sensible Colorado
FROM THE DESK OF SENSIBLE COLORADO Dear Friends, As we begin 2011, I wanted to ask you to join me in becoming a monthly donor to Sensible Colorado. I, like many people across Colorado and the nation, have a monthly contribution deducted from my credit card-- even $5, $10, or $50 a month makes a huge impact. This allows me to benefit from a tax deduction and, more importantly, to support one of the strongest and most effective advocacy groups in the country. In solidarity, Brian Vicente Executive Director Sensible Colorado |
Tell Obama to End Federal Interference with State Medical Marijuana Laws (Action Alert)
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Meth: Tracking Laws Backfire, Create a New Illegal Market
Top 10 Marijuana Victories in 2010
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Dear Friends: I recently put together a list of the Top 10 Marijuana Victories in 2010. I wanted to take a moment to share that list with you, because through the support of our members, MPP played a significant role in half of the items on the list and provided ancillary support for another four items. This means that 90% of the major marijuana victories in 2010 were supported by MPP's members. As you look over the list, please consider joining MPP and donating today so that a year from now we can reflect back on even larger successes! Top 10 Marijuana Victories in 2010 (in no particular order)1. NEW JERSEY LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA 2010 started with a bang when New Jersey's outgoing Democratic governor signed a bill that made New Jersey the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana. (Unfortunately, the new Republican governor has conspired with his state health department to delay and subvert the new law from taking effect and -- now one year later -- patients still do not have legal access to medical marijuana.) 2. WASHINGTON, D.C. LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA Voters in our nation's capital passed a medical marijuana initiative with 69% of the vote in November 1998. After Congress blocked that law from taking effect 11 years in a row, Congress finally removed the federal ban in the fall of 2009, and in 2010 the D.C. City Council passed legislation to implement the local law. While the D.C. law is more restrictive than we'd like, five medical marijuana dispensaries will be opening up within a short cab ride of Capitol Hill by the middle of 2011. 3. ARIZONA LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA By a mere 50.13% to 49.87% margin, Arizona voters passed MPP's medical marijuana initiative in November, making Arizona the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana. As a result, approximately 125 dispensaries will open up around the state by mid-2011. This campaign was successful despite severely limited resources, with MPP spending only $0.10 for each Arizona resident. 4. CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE DEMONSTRATES RECORD SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZATION While Prop. 19 failed at the polls on Election Day, this ballot initiative still represents significant progress for our movement. First, the initiative received the highest level of support (46.54%) of any of the eight legalization initiatives ever to be placed on a statewide ballot. Second, the initiative received support from mainstream political institutions, such as the California affiliates of the NAACP and SEIU, the Latino Voters League, the National Latino Officers Association, and the National Black Police Association. Third, the initiative generated gobs of in-state and national news coverage, making marijuana legalization a respectable topic of political debate. Fourth, the campaign inspired the local governments and voters of three cities to pass laws that will automatically tax marijuana sales once they are legal under state law. 5. MARIJUANA-FRIENDLY GOVERNORS ELECTED IN THREE STATES For the first time in memory, three gubernatorial candidates who are well known to be supportive of decriminalizing marijuana and legalizing medical marijuana were elected on the same day -- Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Dan Malloy (D-CT), and Peter Shumlin (D-VT). As a result, all three states are likely to pass favorable legislation in 2011. 6. THREE STATES REGULATE/EXPAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS While state governments sometimes tweak their existing medical marijuana laws, Colorado's government did much more than that in 2010 when it passed a new law for issuing approximately 2,000 licenses to medical marijuana retailers, growers, and kitchens; as a result, medical marijuana businesses are now scattered around the state like pharmacies. Also, Maine's health department issued regulations to establish eight medical marijuana dispensaries, building on the MPP-authored ballot initiative that Mainers passed with nearly 59% of the vote in November 2009. And, to close out 2010, New Mexico's health department increased the number of dispensaries in the state to 25. 7. LOCAL INITIATIVE VICTORIES IN FOUR STATES In Massachusetts, voters in nine legislative districts passed initiatives recommending that medical marijuana be legalized on the state level; in another nine legislative districts, Massachusetts voters recommended that marijuana be legalized entirely. In Wisconsin, voters in two local jurisdictions urged their state legislature to legalize medical marijuana. In California, voters in two cities blocked dispensaries from being banned. And in Colorado, voters in 8 cities and counties voted to allow dispensaries (this overt support is significant, even though voters in another 34 Colorado municipalities decided to ban dispensaries). 8. VETERANS AFFAIRS RECOGNIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA For the first time since 1978, a federal agency recognized marijuana's therapeutic value when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a new policy in 2010, stating that veterans who use medical marijuana legally under state law would no longer be denied other prescription medications or treatments. 9. TWO GOOD COURT DECISIONS IN CALIFORNIA In the "Anaheim" case, a California appellate court found that federal law doesn't prevent cities and counties from licensing medical marijuana dispensaries. And in a separate case, a California superior court blocked an L.A. City Council ordinance that would have wiped out most dispensaries in the second largest city in the U.S. (Neither case has reached its final conclusion yet, however.) 10. CALIFORNIA IMPROVES EXISTING DECRIMINALIZATION LAW In 1975, California decriminalized marijuana, meaning that people who were apprehended with up to an ounce of marijuana could not face jail time. In 2010, the California government improved this law by changing marijuana possession from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil infraction, meaning that -- in addition to not facing jail time -- small-time marijuana offenders will no longer have to appear before a judge, pay court costs or hire a lawyer, or get stuck with a criminal record. Thank you for helping to make 2010 such a phenomenal success. We hope you can all join us in making 2011 another year of which we can be proud. Sincerely, Rob Kampia | |
To contact MPP, please click here or reply to this e-mail. Our mailing address is Marijuana Policy Project, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20002. Any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office. | |
Sixth Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens in Vancouver
Drug Truth Network 01/10/11
Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS * Time 4 Hemp
Cultural Baggage for 01/09/11 29:00 Froma Harrop, nationally syndicated columnist
LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3222
TRANSCRIPT: Monday Late
Century of Lies for 01/09/11 29:00 Russ Jones, w/40 years experience in law enforcement speaks to Rotary Club on behalf of Drug Policy Forum of Texas and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3221
TRANSCRIPT: Tue
4:20 Drug War NEWS, 01/10 to 01/16/11 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin -
Sun - Froma Harrop, 3/3
Sat - Russ Jones of LEAP 3/3
Fri - Froma Harrop, nationally syndicated journalist 2/3 Thu - Russ Jones speaks to San Antonio Rotary club 2/3 Wed - Froma Harrop, syndicated columnist 1/3 Tue - Russ Jones speaks to San Antonio Rotary club 1/3 Mon - Mary Jane Borden of Drug War Facts: "What is NAOMI?"
Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org
- Cultural Baggage Sun, 7:30 PM ET, 6:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM MT, 4:30 PM PT
- Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT
- Time 4 Hemp, NEW TIME: Fri 12:45 M ET, 11:45 AM CT, 10:45 AM MT, 9:45 AM PT at www.americanfreedomradio.com
Who's Next?": Robert Platshorn, author "Black Tuna Diaries"
Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and now at James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. http://www.bakerinstitute.org/dtn
We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates. You can tune into both our 1/2 hour programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's KPFT at http://www.kpft.org and call in your questions and concerns toll free at 1-877-9-420 420.
The two, 29:00 shows appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00 "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning at http://www.drugtruth.net . We currently have 95 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations. With a simple email request to [email protected] , your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge.
Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, DTN Producer, 713-462-7981
Drug Wars and Drug Laws: Addiction Treatment Through the Lens of Politics, Race and Culture
Featured speakers:
Cheryl Grills, PhD, Loyola Marymount University, President of the Association of Black Psychologists
Ethan Nadelmann, JD, MA, PhD, Executive Director and Founder of Drug Policy Alliance
Race, class and culture are integral aspects of any clinical treatment; they particularly impact the treatment of addictive disorders. Just recently we have seen the repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the implementation of Mental Health Parity and National Health Reform. The country is in economic crisis, and we are in the midst of political sea change.
We will examine how these issues impact drug users and problematic drug use, and how they enter into the clinical situation, especially as expressed in transference and counter-transference experience. The conference is designed to help clinicians better address issues of race, culture and politics in their work with substance users.
For more information, and to register, please visit http://www.nyspa.org/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=257&extmode=view&extid=184.
Acapulco Closes the Weekend with 27 People Killed in Less Than a Day Due to Drug Prohibition
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