The Gazette, 10 Mar 2010 - Dear Attorney General Holder: The Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado's second largest daily newspaper, respectfully joins four Colorado politicians who wrote to ask that you rein in your Drug Enforcement Administration officers in Colorado. They've acted with disrespect for the voters of Colorado to undermine our state's constitutional right to buy, sell, produce and consume medical marijuana. Their actions have undermined sincere efforts by state and local politicians to achieve responsible medical marijuana regulation

Grand Rapids Press, 10 Mar 2010 - GRAND RAPIDS -- City commissioners adopted an ordinance Tuesday requiring medical marijuana caregivers to register as a home occupation. Before the vote, the commission amended the plan to remove a provision that would have required the caregiver's premises to be open for inspection upon request without a warrant, saying warrants would always be issued for any searches.

Times Argus, 09 Mar 2010 - MONTPELIER - A legislative effort to provide eligible patients with safe and legal access to medical marijuana could inch forward this week when a Senate committee decides whether to create state-sanctioned dispensaries for the drug. The Senate Committee on Government Operations is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would establish up to five so-called "compassion centers" at which patients could obtain medical marijuana.

USA Today, 09 Mar 2010 - States' Moves Reflect 'New Era' of Acceptance LOS ANGELES -- James Gray once saw himself as a drug warrior, a former federal prosecutor and county judge who sent people to prison for dealing pot and other drug offenses. Gradually, though, he became convinced that the ban on marijuana was making it more accessible to young people, not less.

Denver Post, 08 Mar 2010 - We question whether state lawmakers have the authority to create a dispensary system. Why not put it before the voters? Medical marijuana legislation pending in the state legislature could legitimize hundreds of dispensaries, and we don't think that honors the intent of voters who approved narrowly drawn access for sick people. While state lawmakers may believe they have the authority to create a dispensary system for medical marijuana - that is, we think, a debatable legal question - we don't think they should. That is an issue voters ought to decide.

Denver Post, 08 Mar 2010 - The divisions between the pro- and anti-marijuana crowds at the state House Judiciary Committee meeting were already clear last week when the young man who described himself as a recovering heroin addict approached the microphone. As the man spoke about marijuana use leading kids to harder drugs and fears that medical marijuana from dispensaries would make it into teenage hands, the lines became even clearer.

The Daily Sentinel, 08 Mar 2010 - Some people in Colorado, including Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, want the state Legislature to stuff the medical marijuana genie back in the hookah. Yes, Colorado voters approved Amendment 20 a decade ago to legalize medical marijuana, they say. But voters never envisioned the system that has sprung up, with medical marijuana dispensaries on seemingly every corner in many municipalities.

Summit Daily News, 08 Mar 2010 - DENVER (AP) - Colorado lawmakers trying to regulate marijuana dispensaries are asking the U.S. attorney general to stop raids of medical marijuana operations. The group e-mailed the request to Eric Holder on Monday, following up on a letter sent last week.

The Providence Journal, 08 Mar 2010 - Why decriminalize marijuana when drugs are central to many of the problems relating to gangs, teenage suicide, teenage violence and low academic achievement? Anyone close to the issue -- teachers, police officers, counselors, and parents -- can speak to this with certainty: Kids have been reaching out for guidance and direction for decades, and as a nation, we have not been able to provide an answer to the confused and sometimes hypocritical and contradictory environment they have grown up in.

Southeast Missourian, 07 Mar 2010 - I am grateful to Cape Girardeau lawyer John L. Cook for his op-ed piece against drug prohibition. It takes courage and clarity of vision. I have much respect for the Teen Challenge program and the individuals who are taking advantage of its help, as well as Dr. Jack Smart for directing the program. It takes gumption and faith. In his rebuttal to Mr. Cook, Dr. Smart was, however, substantively wrong in his assertion that this country has never been without drug prohibition.

Detroit Free Press, 07 Mar 2010 - LOS ANGELES - With a 13-year head start on Michigan, California's efforts to transform marijuana from illicit to prescription drug offers a clear lesson: It ain't easy. The conflict has flared in recent weeks with a new Los Angeles ordinance aimed at hundreds of marijuana dispensaries, many that operate more like drug dens than pharmacies. Michigan prohibits dispensaries under its 2008 voter-passed law, but communities are struggling with limits on the medical pot business.

DrugSense Weekly, 05 Mar 2010 - ************ NAO DRUGS REPORT - NO FRAMEWORK TO EVALUATE VALUE FOR MONEY. AGAIN. A report by the NAO into government action to tackle problem drug use published today has concluded that:

Seattle Times, 05 Mar 2010 - Patients who qualify for medical marijuana will be able to get prescriptions for it from a wider range of health-care professionals, under a bill that appears headed to the governor's desk. Under Senate Bill 5798, it won't just be doctors who can get sick people access to pot.

Denver Post, 05 Mar 2010 - Marijuana activists and law enforcement officials sparred Thursday as the bell rang on the fight over medical-marijuana dispensary regulations at the state Capitol. The first committee hearing on House Bill 1284 -- which would require dispensaries to be licensed by both state and local governments and is the more controversial of the two medical-marijuana bills at the Capitol -- stretched into the evening. Lawmakers said late Thursday that they would not vote on the measure until another date.

The Daily Times-Call, 04 Mar 2010 - BOULDER -- More than half of Boulder County's cities and towns have enacted moratoriums on approving any more medical marijuana businesses, as local governments wait for guidance from the Legislature. They're not alone, according to Michelle Krezek, the county commissioners' intergovernmental relations coordinator.

Merced Sun-Star, 04 Mar 2010 - Bar Owner Wants To Open Dispensary In Livingston. LIVINGSTON -- Mike Sperry Jr. is the man with the pot plan. The 38-year-old owner of Mike's Cozy Corner bar stepped out of the shadows Wednesday as the person who approached Livingston wanting to open a medical marijuana dispensary in town.

Daily Camera, 04 Mar 2010 - The Boulder City Council is currently embarking on an endeavor to create rules for medical marijuana dispensaries. In creating these regulations, let us not kill the green goose that is laying the golden egg of good jobs and increased revenue for the city. As the owner of the Village Green Society, and a member of a larger coalition of dispensaries, we support sensible regulations that will provide a foundation for the industry and the city. The Medical Marijuana Industry has already had a very positive economic and social impact on the city of Boulder and we encourage the city to strongly consider the revenue and jobs that the impact of the regulations would have. From real estate, to newspaper advertisements, to increasing sales tax receipts, we are contributing to the economic vitality of Boulder.

Charlotte Observer, 03 Mar 2010 - Hobbled by a degenerative back disease and arthritis, there were days when Perry Parks was in near constant pain. He tried Vioxx, epidural steroids and other drugs, but he said nothing seemed to work. Then the Vietnam veteran from Rockingham turned to marijuana. "The results were overwhelming," says Parks, 67. "I now live almost pain free." Tonight Parks will share his story at a town hall meeting at UNC Charlotte hosted by state Rep. Nick Mackey of Mecklenburg County. "The evidence that it benefits patients is pretty much unrefuted," Mackey said Wednesday.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 03 Mar 2010 - More Than A Dozen Fee Hikes Pass, But Bills To Raise The General Excise Tax Fail To Advance Furlough Fridays would be gone, marijuana for medical purposes would be taxed $30 an ounce and gas-powered leaf blowers would be outlawed in Hawaii as the Legislature moves to the halfway point.

Summit Daily News, 03 Mar 2010 - DENVER - Lawmakers who want to regulate the state's growing medical marijuana industry are now willing to let dispensaries advertise and operate for profit, but they want to make sure the state can keep tabs on the source of their products. The overhauled regulations, up for their first vote at the Capitol on Thursday, were worked out in negotiations with dispensaries and patient advocates after the bill was introduced a month ago by Rep. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver.