Medical Marijuana Patients and Advocates Call for Immediate Passage of New York’s Bill A poll released by the Siena Research Institute found that 82% of New York voters support allowing seriously and terminally ill people to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if recommended by a doctor. The poll of 623 registered voters also found that Democrats [Continue Reading]

By Michael Bachara The Illinois Senate voted 35-21 in favor of an historic bill that would allow people with certain ailments to use cannabis to ease their symptoms, if recommended by their doctor. The bill, HB 1, which would allow Illinois residents with qualifying conditions the right to obtain 2.5 ounces every two weeks from a [Continue Reading]

By Hunter Holliman, Americans for Safe Access It’s been an exciting year for the Oregon legislature with all the medical cannabis bills being considered, but the work isn’t over yet! SB 281 would add PTSD to the definition of “debilitating medical condition” for purposes of statutes authorizing medical marijuana. This means that those suffering from [Continue Reading]

Medical marijuana has been legal since Oregon voters approved it in 1998, but the dispensaries which distribute cannabis to patients have evolved in a legal gray area. Full Text of HB 3460: http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/meas…

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Former mayor and current city councilman Marion Barry -- who has supported marijuana law reform since the 1980s -- is one of two sponsors of a bill to decriminalize marijuana in the District of Columbia.

Barry (D-Ward 8) and fellow council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) are working on legislation that would reduce or eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana possession in the nation's capital city, reports the Huffington Post.

Barry said too many young African American men get criminal records because of minor marijuana possession cases. "These council members ought to stand up, and I think they will, on behalf of their constituency, who suffers mightily from this archaic situation," said Barry, who was busted for cocaine possession while serving as mayor of D.C. in 1980.

Barry said he and wells hope to get "six or seven" council members to cosponsor a decrim measure. David Grosso (I-At Large) on Wednesday pledged his support, but added that he wants to discuss outright legalization as well. Grosso was arrested at age 22 in 1993 in Florida for marijuana possession.

"It's time we enter the 21st century and stop criminalizing people... for what is not really a major crime," Wells told The Washington Post.

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By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

Governor Pat Quinn holds in his hands the fate of medical marijuana in Illinois, but so far will only say he remains "open minded" on the measure in a Monday appearance.

Quinn, a Democrat, on Monday told the City Club of Chicago he is currently reviewing the medical marijuana bill the Illinois Legislature sent to his desk last week, reports the Huffington Post. The governor would not say whether he would sign the bill into law.

The Illinois Senate on Friday passed the bill on a 35-21 vote; it had already been approved by the House.

The bill had some conservative supporters, including GOP state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Aurora, who voted for the bill after saying he was "honestly undecided about this" during the Senate floor discussion. Oberweis later told the Illinois Review he came around to supporting the bill after a strong majority of his constituents supported it in a tele-townhall (never underestimate the power of letting politicians know how you feel).

Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon also supporters the bill, as well as a majority of Illinois voters, according to polling, and a coalition of almost 250 physicians.

It is "likely" Gov. Quinn will sign the bill, according to Chicago Magazine's Whet Moser.

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Marijuana law reform is gaining some serious momentum in New York as we approach the end of this year’s legislative session.

Recent polling data released by Siena Research Institute revealed that 82% of New Yorkers support the medical use of marijuana. Fortunately for New York lawmakers, they can take action to address this issue that’s supported by an overwhelming majority of their constituents. Medical marijuana legislation is currently pending in both Houses of the New York Legislature and these measures have been gaining substantial political support. This legislation is expected to be debated by elected officials in the coming weeks. If you live in New York, click here to quickly and easily contact your state politicians and urge them to support this important legislation.

In addition to medical marijuana, it seems that full legalization will also soon be debated. State Senator Liz Krueger announced her intentions to introduce legislation that would legalize the recreational use and limited cultivation of marijuana. The measure would also allow for the commercial sale of marijuana at retail outlets regulated by the New York State Alcohol Authority.

“It is my intention as a New York State senator to soon introduce a law that would actually decriminalize, regulate and tax marijuana in New York,” stated Sen. Krueger.

NORML will update you when this legislation is introduced.

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

A new study from Colorado State University estimates that Coloradans will use more than two million ounces of marijuana in 2014.

The study, from the Colorado Futures Center at CSU, predicts that some 642,772 state residents -- about 12 percent of the population -- will buy legal marijuana next year, reports Matt Ferner at The Huffington Post.

The researchers believe that each cannabis customer will purchase about 3.5 ounces of pot during the year (seems rather conservative to us), for a grand total of 2,258,985 ounces of weed sold -- about 142,000 pounds, or 71 tons.

The study estimates each ounce of weed will cost about $185; they arrived at that figure by averaging prices at the crowd-sourced website PriceofWeed.com. Based on that price, and with estimated taxes added, Coloradans will be spending about $420 million (yeah, $420 million) on marijuana in 2014.

But that figure, like Coloradans themselves, could get substantially higher. When the data were compiled, recreational marijuana was still illegal, and PriceofWeed.com currently shows the average price of "low quality" marijuana at $222.

Voter-approved Amendment 64 also allows Coloradans to grow their own cannabis, so the numbers could go down if more residents opt to do it the smart way rather than paying retail prices.

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Medical Marijuana Patients and Advocates Call for Immediate Passage of New York’s Bill

By Steve Elliott
Hemp News

A poll released on Monday by the Siena Research Institute found that 82 percent of New York voters support allowing seriously and terminally ill people to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if recommended by a doctor.

The poll of 623 registered voters also found that Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to support medical marijuana – for both groups, support registered at 81 percent. Meanwhile, members of the Independence and other parties showed even greater support (89 percent), and even 77 percent percent of self-described conservatives were in favor.

A proposal currently pending before the New York Legislature, the Compassionate Care Act – A.6357 (Gottfried) / S.4406 (Savino) – would allow healthcare practitioners to talk to their patients about medical marijuana and certify those with serious, debilitating illnesses so that they may have access to a small amount of medical marijuana to relieve their symptoms. The bill, which would create one of the nation’s most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs, also has the support of hundreds patients and healthcare providers and dozens of organizations across the state.

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As her children were being taken away from her, Daisy Bram screamed, “My babies! My babies!” In 2011, Daisy Bram and Jayme Walsh lived with their two small children, Thor and Zeus, in Butte County, California. Like so many other people in northern California, Bram and Walsh had medical marijuana recommendations and a small cannabis [Continue Reading]

The following speech was given in Eugene, Oregon during the Global Marijuana March earlier this month. The author, Shelly Fox-Loken, gave us permission to post it. Hopefully it inspires TWB readers as much as it did to me: Hi Everyone and welcome. I want to thank you for coming out on this beautiful day to pre-celebrate [Continue Reading]

By John Payne We are pleased to announce Kick It for Cannabis, a kickball tournament hosted by Midwest Kickball to benefit Show-Me Cannabis! The tournament will be held Saturday, August 31 at Bingham Fields in south Saint Louis near the intersection of Gravois and Bingham avenues. Starting at 11:00 A.M., three pools of eight teams [Continue Reading]

Senator Liz Krueger has announced that she intends to file legislation in New York aimed at legalizing the recreational use, possession, private cultivation and state-licensed sales of marijuana for adults. The measure comes as New York’s Legislature continues to push forward a measure to legalize medical marijuana – a proposal that’s already been approved by the state’s [Continue Reading]

Moms for Marijuana’s main focus is to bring education and awareness and to create honest discussion in our communities about the cannabis plant. In doing so, we are fighting decades of lies, fear and propaganda, propagated by our government and big industries that don’t care about anything other than their huge profits. Today we need [Continue Reading]

New York Times, 20 May 2013 - THE first time I talked to Mark Kleiman, a drug policy expert at U.C.L.A., was in 2002, and he explained why legalization of marijuana was a bad idea. Sure, he said, the government should remove penalties for possession, use and cultivation of small amounts. He did not favor making outlaws of people for enjoying a drug that is less injurious than alcohol or tobacco.

The Columbian, 20 May 2013 - State Has a Long Way to Go in Deciding How Initiative 502 Will Be Implemented Even after 46 pages of initial draft rules were circulated by the state Liquor Control Board on Thursday, the path to marijuana legalization remains fraught with uncertainty. Marijuana sales could begin in Washington in early 2014 and, to its credit, the board has worked rapidly and diligently trying to steer Washington through unprecedented tasks. Staffers have spent eight months studying, deliberating and charting this course after voters approved Initiative 502 last fall. Many of the rules announced last week add bits of clarity to this confusing issue, but as cannabis lobbyist Ezra Eickmeyer was quoted in The News Tribune of Tacoma, "This is when any potential fighting actually begins."

The Patriot-News, 20 May 2013 - When he was asked to describe Pennsylvania, Washington political consultant James Carville, who helped elect Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey and U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, once declared that the state was "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between." On another occasion, he added: "Pennsylvania is two cities separated by Alabama." Carville's now famous maxim succinctly expressed the conventional wisdom--then and now: Pennsylvania is a culturally conservative state where tradition is strong, change is slow, and fundamental beliefs are enduring. In truth, that description of the state culture was probably fair for much of the 20th century.

The Mail Tribune, 20 May 2013 - Having endured a broken back and countless debilitating injuries during a 17-year career in the construction industry, Medford resident Mike Schanno can relate all too well with patients who come to him seeking help obtaining the medical marijuana that eases unbearable pain and helps them "get back to living their lives." "I've actually helped people come off of heroin, and it's a good feeling," he said.

Philadelphia Daily News, 20 May 2013 - ALUMINUM BASEBALL bats, frying pans and bullhorns made 7th and Arch streets one noisy corner yesterday, as dozens of activists gathered outside the Federal Detention Center to protest arrests they said were made at a marijuana event Saturday. "No victim, no crime," the crowd chanted on Arch Street as prisoners tapped on the narrow windows above.

New York Times, 20 May 2013 - THE first time I talked to Mark Kleiman, a drug policy expert at U.C.L.A., was in 2002, and he explained why legalization of marijuana was a bad idea. Sure, he said, the government should remove penalties for possession, use and cultivation of small amounts. He did not favor making outlaws of people for enjoying a drug that is less injurious than alcohol or tobacco.