Chronicle AM: Reps Challenge DOJ on Dispensary Prosecutions, CO Harm Reduction Bills, More (4/3/15)

A pair of congressmen reject the Justice Department's stance that it can still prosecute California dispensaries, an Alaska marijuana regulation bill moves, a Mississippi legalization initiative gets a boost, two Colorado harm reduction bills become law, and more.

Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) says DOJ is wrong to say it can still prosecute California dispensaries. (congress.gov)

Alaska House Passes Marijuana Regulation Bill. The House Thursday gave final approval to House Bill 75, which clarifies the ability of localities to ban or regulate commercial pot businesses. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Florida Activist Will Help Pay for Mississippi Legalization Initiative Signatures. Jeremy Bufford, president of Florida's Medical Marijuana United, has announced he will pay $1 for each valid signature gathered for Ballot Initiative 48, the Mississippi marijuana legalization initiative. He said he would pay $2 per signature in some areas of the state where people have been reluctant to sign. The initiative campaign needs 107,216 valid voter signatures to qualify for the 2016 ballot.

Medical Marijuana

Congressmen Reject DOJ Claim It Can Still Prosecute California Dispensaries. Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), authors of the successful congressional budget amendment protecting medical marijuana in states where it is legal, have rejected Justice Department claims that it can still go after dispensaries in California. "The Justice Department's interpretation of the amendment defies logic," Farr said. "No reasonable person thinks prosecuting patients doesn't interfere with a state's medical marijuana laws. Lawyers can try to mince words but Congress was clear: Stop going after patients and dispensaries." A Rohrabacher spokesman added that "the congressman believes the amendment's language is perfectly clear and that the DOJ's self-referential interpretation is emphatically wrong."

Idaho Senate Passes CBD Cannabis Oil Bill. The bill was killed in committee on Monday, but brought back to life Thursday and passed the Senate today. Senate Bill 1146 would allow for the use of CBD for "intractable seizure disorder." It won the support of all seven Democratic state senators and 15 of 27 Republican state senators.

Harm Reduction

Colorado Governor Signs Harm Reduction Bills. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) today signed into law two harm reduction bills: SB 15-53, which expands access to the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone, and SB 15-116, under which people carrying needles would not be subject to arrest if they reveal they have them prior to being searched by police.

International

Indian Maoists Fund Their Fight With Marijuana. Officials in Orisha state say that Maoist militants known as Naxalites are relying on marijuana cultivation as a major source of funding. The Naxalite rebellion has festered in parts of the country for decades.