Tax Revenues Part Of Medical Pot Debate Nov 18, 2009
-- While other cities on the Central Coast discuss taxing medical marijuana dispensaries directly, the city of Santa Cruz is content with just the sales tax revenue it receives from its pot clinics -- for now. Like all businesses in Santa Cruz, the two existing nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries pay a 9 ... And while Santa Cruz city leaders are looking into new regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, the plans do not currently include implementing any new taxes on the clinics. (KSBW 8, CA)
First Marijuana Cafe Opens in Portland Nov 17, 2009
The Cannabis Cafe in Portland, Oregon, is the first to give certified medical marijuana users a place to get hold of the drug and smoke it -- as long as they are out of public view -- despite a federal ban ... The cafe -- in a two-story building which formerly housed a speak-easy and adult erotic club Rumpspankers -- is technically a private club, but is open to any Oregon residents who are NORML members and hold an official medical marijuana card ... About a dozen states, including Oregon,... (Newsmax)
Mountlake Terrace Rejects Plans For Marijuana Shop Nov 17, 2009
-- Two men are threatening to sue Mountlake Terrace after the city rejected their request to open a medical marijuana dispensary ... The city maintains that Washington's medical marijuana law doesn't allow storefront dispensaries. (KIRO TV, WA)
State’s medical marijuana law stirs dilemma Nov 17, 2009
State s medical marijuana law stirs dilemma ... Registered caregiver Chris Williams was making deliveries to medical marijuana patients recently when he was pulled over by a law enforcement officer ... But he and Williams are two of the owners of Montana Cannabis, a company that grows medical marijuana in the Helena area for clients, and they want to be up front about their business. (Havre Daily News, MT)
Gilroy Wants Medical Marijuana Store To Close Nov 17, 2009
Medileaf Opens Without Proper Permit. POSTED: 11:48 pm PST November 16, 2009UPDATED: 11:53 pm PST November 16, 2009. (KSBW 8, CA)
Wisconsin Democrats support medical marijuana Nov 17, 2009
MADISON Legalizing medical marijuana will ease the cancer patients pain and help others who are suffering, supporters of legalization argued Monday ... They pointed to Gov. Jim Doyle s comments last month in support of legalizing medical marijuana for people who have a doctor s prescription ... Rickert, 58, has lobbied more than a decade to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
New Jobs for Pot Heads, Dead HeadsNew jobs open up at Grateful Dead archive and medical marijuana industry. Nov 17, 2009
Denver's alternative newspaper Westward is hiring a pot reviewer to write a column, "Marijuana Highs and Lows," about the medical marijuana scene. (Aaron Thackeray). (ABC News -- Business)
Helena facility hopes to make medical marijuana more legitimate Nov 17, 2009
The tour ends in the walk-in safe, where six bins hold dozens of bags of dried buds, vacuum-sealed in half-ounce and 1-ounce baggies that are ready for sale to medical marijuana patients ... And even though voters overwhelmingly passed a law in Montana in 2004 that made medical marijuana legal, it's still an under-the-radar business for most providers ... The Montana Medical Marijuana Act says patients with certain. (Montana Standard, MT)
Budding enterprise Nov 17, 2009
This is the quiet, professional atmosphere that Liddick an Illinois native says he planned for Butte's first storefront catering to medical marijuana patients ... His mother suffers from multiple sclerosis, he said, and moved to Montana because she can legally use medical marijuana to alleviate pain ... He's also accepting new patients with medical marijuana licenses. (Montana Standard, MT)
LA council may vote on medical marijuana ord... Nov 17, 2009
LA council may vote on medical marijuana ordinance ... LA council may vote on medical marijuana ordinance ... LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles City Council may vote on a long-awaited medical marijuana ordinance on Wednesday that could force hundreds of dispensaries to close. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
They restrict tobacco but loosen up on pot? Nov 17, 2009
Editor s note: According to news reports, a second medical marijuana smoking lounge is opening in Portland. The first opened last month after the federal government said it would not take enforcement action against patients using medical marijuana or their suppliers. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Medical pot can be taxed Nov 17, 2009
Medical marijuana can be taxed, says Colorado attorney general Suthers - Denver Business Journal ... Medical marijuana can be taxed, says Colorado attorney general Suthers ... Colorado law is clear: Medical marijuana, in most instances, should be subject to state and local sales taxes, Suthers said. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
DOES MARIJUANA HAVE MEDICAL USES? Nov 15, 2009
I suspect the Obama Administration will look more favorably on the issue of medical marijuana than previous administrations. Although there is a strong suggestion that marijuana is effective in the treatment of chronic pain, spasticity and severe nausea, there are virtually no studies on its medical effectiveness. (Pine Bluff Commercial, AR)
Cannabis farmers upend rural tranquility in Calif. Nov 15, 2009
This Northern California town has become a hotbed for medical marijuana farming ... Drawn by the sunny, cool climate - and a local ordinance permissive of medical marijuana farming and possession - big- city refugees have brought a decidedly urban edge to hamlets such as Hayfork, about 250 miles north of San Francisco ... The arrangement has allowed her to acquire medicine affordably, said Patterson, who moved in 2007 from Missouri, where medical marijuana is illegal. (Boston Globe)
Check facts on pot Nov 15, 2009
Medical marijuana debate enters Visalia City Council. The contentious medical marijuana issue reared its head in Visalia ... Bryan Ruiz tried for months to get a city permit to open his Central Cali Caregivers medical marijuana dispensary on East Center Avenue. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
US gets its first marijuana cafe Nov 15, 2009
The Cannabis Cafe in Portland, Oregon, is the first to give certified medical marijuana users a place to get hold of the drug and smoke it, as long as they are out of public view, despite a federal ban. This club represents personal freedom, finally, for our members, said Madeline Martinez, Oregons executive director of NORML, a group pushing for marijuana legalization. (India Times)
Foreclosure King operator lacked license Nov 14, 2009
Medical marijuana shops abound in California. A surge in medical marijuana in California has left communities trying to regulate or ban the drug ... Medical marijuana shops abound in California. (Fresno Bee)
Allow seriously ill to use medical marijuana Nov 14, 2009
Numerous prestigious medical organizations support legal medical marijuana access for the seriously ill, including the American Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association, the Illinois Nurses Association, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Studies have shown that marijuana relieves debilitating symptoms including nausea, appetite loss and severe pain. (The Pantagraph newspaper)
An economy gone to pot Nov 13, 2009
In the age of easily accessible medical marijuana and decriminalization, Commissioner Aaronson made his case on the basis of cold, hard cash. Palm Beach County, he said, pays too much to lock up nonviolent offenders. (The Palm Beach Post)
Arrests following missing man at Calif. pot garden Nov 13, 2009
Medical marijuana creates workplace dilemma. Steven Karapandza says his use of prescription marijuana to help ease the pain of daily migraine headaches is none of his boss's business. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Medical marijuana business is growing ... up Nov 13, 2009
Medical marijuana business is growing ... Medical marijuana business is growing ... In California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana sales and use in 1996, State Attorney General Jerry Brown issued guidelines to try to rein in the hundreds if not thousands of for-profit dispensaries. (MSNBC -- Business)
Drugs: Virtually legal Nov 13, 2009
Three states New Mexico, Rhode Island and Massachusetts license non-profit corporations to grow medical marijuana. Most radically, some states are considering legalising the drug completely. (The Economist)
Medical center allows docs to prescribe marijuana Nov 13, 2009
Pete Johnson, CEO of North Bend Medical Centers, said the facility does not have any policy regarding prescriptions for medical marijuana. We don t tell physicians what to prescribe or what not to prescribe, he said. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Sheetz begins petition drive for beer sales in Pa. Nov 13, 2009
The Sentinel Online : News State : Sheetz begins petition drive for beer sales in Pa. Today Most Popular Stories. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
Big marijuana bust in Mandan Nov 13, 2009
R.Sandstrom wrote on Nov 8, 2009 9:16 AM:" Conservative medical Doctor Ron Paul said that drug use was stupid and the war on drugs is more stupid. Many cops are wanting an end to it (on web at leap.cc) as the law causes more harm than the drugs. Those who want drug treatment get denied for NO FUNDING yet look at the cost of this war on drugs! Maine voters just made their ten year old medical marijuana law more liberal! ". Post a comment. (Wahpeton Daily News, ND)
Two plead not guilty to drug charges Nov 12, 2009
Walkingbird wrote on Nov 11, 2009 10:29 AM:" I'm glad to see these idiots off the streets, finally, our drug dollars are spent where they should be, instead of arresting sick people withe medical marijuana. ". holy wrote on Nov 11, 2009 10:20 AM:" A 4 Million dollar fine? WOW ". (Montana Standard, MT)
Gilroy Pot Clinic Gets Cease-And-Desist Order Nov 12, 2009
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opened Monday ... Not only was the medical marijuana dispensary operating without a permit, but it was also violating zoning laws, city officials said. (KSBW 8, CA)
Workers say the darndest things Nov 12, 2009
Request a special smoking area for medical marijuana. Request that the HR person wear nicer shoes. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
AMA Opposes Military Gay Policy Nov 12, 2009
In other action Tuesday, the AMA moved closer to supporting medical marijuana, adopting a measure urging a federal review of marijuana's status as a controlled substance. That would make it easier to do research, which the AMA said could lead to development of marijuana-based medications that don't require smoking. (Newsmax)
Tulare Co. targets medical pot shops Nov 11, 2009
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder formally directed federal prosecutors in California and 13 other states that allow medical marijuana to refocus investigations on heftier targets ... Fresno is taking a new approach in its effort to keep medical marijuana dispensaries from opening up in the city: going after the landlords ... A judge on Friday ordered nine medical marijuana dispensaries in Fresno to close in response to lawsuits filed by the city. (Fresno Bee)
Gilroy Pot Store Opening Root Of Controversy 2hr Nov 11, 2009
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens Without City Permit ... -- A medical marijuana dispensary that opened in Gilroy without city permission is causing controversy. (KSBW 8, CA)
D.C. Councilmember Advocates Marriage Equality Nov 11, 2009
And it has happened with everything from medical marijuana, to domestic partnerships, to needle exchange. So in any event, I think we are well positioned and out to defend the bill before Congress, although there are no guarantees. (The Hoya, Washington DC)
The Medical Marijuana Business Matures Nov 11, 2009
The U.S. Justice Dept., at the direction of the Obama Administration, last month announced that it would no longer direct federal investigative resources to pursue criminal charges against medical marijuana clinics, providing they are operating lawfully. The policy represents a major shift in tactics from the Bush Administration, which had federal agents raiding medical marijuana distributors on the basis of violating federal statutes (federal law outlaws marijuana possession under the... (BusinessWeek)
Graves to vote no on Health Care Bill Nov 10, 2009
Zod wrote on Nov 9, 2009 10:27 AM:" Oh and don't vote for Sam Graves, he doesn't support Medical Marijuana because he is a jackass. ". Not Impressed wrote on Nov 9, 2009 12:27 PM:" I am against the healthcare bill for ONLY one reason -- the government will require me to buy health insurance or else pay an annual penalty. The government should have NO say if I decide to pay my own healthcare expenses instead of paying thousands of dollars insurance premiums. I do not want more government control... (Cameron Observer, MO)
Should Pot Be Legal? Nov 10, 2009
Part 2 Of Point-Counterpoint Between Judge James Gray and Drug Free America Foundation's David Evans. Highlights of Presidents and Presidential Candidates addressing the marijuana question. (CBS News)
Read the 'Cost of Freedom' recap Nov 10, 2009
The states are so broke you're going to see states get into not just the medical marijuana business, the all-around marijuana business and it's a matter of time and I don't think it's a bad idea because it doesn't hurt the economy. You're not taxing ordinary businesses that are already being overtaxed anyway. (Fox News)
Let's Bail Out the Pot Dealers! Nov 9, 2009
The drug warriors were right that medical marijuana would lead to pro forma legalization. But they were wrong about every other consequence, like the coming wave of donations from pot dealers to the next presidential candidate willing to criminalize medical marijuana. (Time.com)
Homeless Idaho residents sue city over camping law Nov 9, 2009
A judge said Thursday he needed more time before deciding whether to shut down nine medical marijuana dispensaries that opened in Fresno this year. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Alan Simpson issued a tentative ruling Wednesday that he would shut down the dispensaries. (Fresno Bee -- State)
No comments posted. Nov 9, 2009
Medical marijuana shops abound in California ... (AP) -- A surge in medical marijuana in California has left communities trying to regulate or ban the drug ... "I think Los Angeles has made this more difficult by not having acted sooner," said Joe Elford, chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access, a pro-medical marijuana group. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
It's doesn't have to be a SAD season Nov 9, 2009
rs5 wrote on Nov 8, 2009 12:27 PM:" I never get that way. Wonder if the 290,000 lumens that my grow lights put out has anything to do with it. Another cure due to medical marijuana. ". Garianne wrote on Nov 8, 2009 12:43 PM:" Good for you Barbara! I hope that it continues to work for u, and be a solution for others. ". (Longview Daily News, WA)
Click to read:Should Pot Be Legal? Nov 9, 2009
Canada has up to 400,000 users of medical marijuana. If each user buys C$1,000 (US $765) worth of marijuana a year, annual sales could reach C$40 million. (CBS News)
Medical marijuana: Area interest grows Nov 8, 2009
Gibbons, 44, is part of the growing number of people in the Butte area participating either as a grower or patient in Montana's medical marijuana program ... In an effort to further understand and ensure compliance, some Butte police are attending an upcoming training in Billings on the state's medical marijuana laws, he said ... "I think the challenge for prosecutors is to determine whether you have sufficient evidence that someone is abusing the medical marijuana law because it's fairly new,"... (Montana Standard, MT)
200 pounds seized in Oregon medical marijuana raid Nov 8, 2009
The Nevada couple did not hold medical marijuana cards and told police they bought the marijuana with cash and in exchange for labor to prune plants. Grants Pass police Detective Ray Myers said the 200 pounds seized in the raid was about 180 pounds more than allowed by law for the 13 medical marijuana patients who got their marijuana from the growing operation. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Changes blowing in wind Nov 8, 2009
The manner in which California dispenses medical marijuana does not make sense. My problem is all about how our state wants to dispense the marijuana. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Patients flock to California doctors practicing pot medicine Nov 8, 2009
Doctors argue over whether the recommendations, costing anywhere from $50 to $250 each, go to patients who truly need medical marijuana or help facilitate recreational drug users and provide hefty profits for the doctors writing the notes ... The newfound visibility of the medical marijuana trade is pronounced on the eclectic boardwalk of Venice Beach in Los Angeles. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Calif. medical pot shops abound, despite order Nov 7, 2009
The lone medical marijuana dispensary in this Northern California wine country enclave has become such a pot destination that it has more patients on its rolls than the town has people ... - A surge in medical marijuana in California has left communities trying to regulate or ban the drug ... "I think Los Angeles has made this more difficult by not having acted sooner," said Joe Elford, chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access, a pro-medical marijuana group. (MSNBC -- Health)
Way to go, fear and homophobia! Nov 7, 2009
And then we shall light up some legal medical marijuana -- which, ironically, Maine just approved for dispensin', becoming the fifth state in the union to do so -- and chillax. Meanwhile, there was a glimmer of good news up in the state of Washington, where they , sort of, only they didn't actually call it marriage because That Would Be Wrong, given how we all know "marriage" is a registered trademark of the Bible and cannot be modified, adjusted, or allowed to evolve in the slightest, so sayeth... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Many Iowans back medical marijuana, but action unlikely Nov 7, 2009
Joe Bolkcom, an Iowa City Democrat who backs medical marijuana. The big issue facing lawmakers when they convene in January will be a budget shortfall of up to 900 million. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
Los Angeles moves to ban declawing of cats Nov 7, 2009
town bans medical marijuana shops. A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents say will bring lawsuits ... A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents says will bring lawsuits. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
State lawmaker takes aim at medical pot Nov 7, 2009
A Republican state senator said Friday that he planned to introduce legislation to tighten regulation of the medical marijuana industry in Colorado ... But the Obama administration s less-stringent federal enforcement policies have turned medical marijuana into a burgeoning business in Colorado ... In 2007, fewer than 2,000 people were licensed to use medical marijuana in Colorado, White said. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Odd News: Salem man charged with DUII after reporting marijuana stolenTold dispatchers his truck had been broken into Nov 7, 2009
Medical marijuana is legal in Oregon, where nearly 21,000 people have permits for use. It was not immediately clear if Hoover had such a permit. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Drug consistency needed Nov 6, 2009
I think it is ridiculous that the government is so concerned with medical marijuana usage when prescription drugs are one of the biggest threats facing society ... The government would rather medical marijuana patients support big prescription drug companies that give millions of dollars of special interest money to elected leaders each year ... Medical marijuana creates workplace dilemma. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Housing authorities ban indoor smoking Nov 6, 2009
nojob wrote on Nov 5, 2009 2:27 PM:I sure hope this ban doesn't apply to medical marijuana. clairecat wrote on Nov 5, 2009 1:11 PM:Every logical tax payer knows that we have to cut back on our own personal spending during tough times. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Denver immigrant asylum center latest to close Nov 6, 2009
A judge on Friday ordered nine medical marijuana dispensaries in Fresno to close in response to lawsuits filed by the city. The order by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Alan M. Simpson came two days after he issued a tentative ruling to propose the shutdowns, and one day after he postponed a final decision when challenged by the businesses' lawyers. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Opinion: Bias in pot laws' enforcement Nov 6, 2009
The Obama administration recently announced it would defer to state medical marijuana laws and stop federal prosecutions of patients and providers who comply with them. In California, the tanking economy inspired Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to call for debating marijuana taxation and regulation, a bill was introduced in Sacramento to do just that, and four separate ballot initiatives are circulating to allow voters the chance to decide the issue for themselves. (CNN)
Medical marijuana shops abound The surge in medical marijuana in California has left many communities scrambling to regulate the free-for-all. Nov 6, 2009
Medical marijuana shops abound ... Medical marijuana shops abound ... The lone medical marijuana dispensary in this Northern California wine country enclave has become such a pot destination that it has more patients on its rolls than the town has people. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum cited for marijuana possession after traffic stop near Hazel Dell Nov 6, 2009
westender wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:03 PM:" With the amount of energy that an athlete puts out, they have to experience a lot of muscle pain and joint stress even at 25 yrs old. Perfect example of someone that probably should be getting medical marijuana. ". Louie wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:07 PM:" He should have been going the speed limit. Maybe he didn't realize that is a 60 MPH zone not 70. ". (Longview Daily News, WA)
Stolen marijuana call to police leads to DUII arrest in Salem Nov 6, 2009
04:45 PM PST on Thursday, November 5, 2009. A suspected drunk driver was arrested in Salem early Tuesday morning after deputies said he called to report that his marijuana had been stolen. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR)
Medical Marijuana Hearing Wraps Up In Iowa Nov 5, 2009
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- The Iowa Board of Pharmacy held its final hearing Wednesday about medical marijuana, with advocates on both sides of the issue offering opinions ... Terry Mitchell supports the use of medical marijuana ... Maine on Tuesday became the fifth state to allow medical marijuana. (7 KETV Omaha)
University Teaches People To Grow Pot Nov 5, 2009
-- Medical marijuana advocates have opened a to manage illness, KPTV in Portland, Ore. reported. (KIRO TV, WA)
Gun laws, medical-marijuana laws at odds in Oregon Nov 5, 2009
Advocates for the state's medical marijuana law countered Wednesday in the Oregon Court of Appeals that the sheriffs simply don't like the program and are looking for ways to undermine it ... He also noted that the Obama administration in recent weeks has signaled that federal prosecutors will not go after people in those states who use medical marijuana legally ... Lower courts had twice ordered the two sheriffs to give weapons permits to people who had lost them because they are medical... (Longview Daily News, WA)
Should Oregon let medical marijuana users carry guns? Nov 5, 2009
Should Oregon let medical marijuana users carry guns ... Should Oregon let medical marijuana users carry guns ... (AP) -- Should Oregon let medical marijuana users obtain concealed handgun permits. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR)
Authorities: Huge jump in Calif. pot plants seized Nov 5, 2009
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder formally directed federal prosecutors in California and 13 other states that allow medical marijuana to refocus investigations on heftier targets. SAN FRANCISCO -- Authorities reported a staggering jump in the number of marijuana plants seized in California's eradication effort, claiming a more than 50 percent jump over the previous year. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Maine Voters Reject Gay-Marriage Law Nov 5, 2009
It is a follow-up to a 1999 measure that legalized medical marijuana but did not set up a distribution system. The Colorado ski town of Breckenridge voted overwhelmingly to allow adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana. (Newsmax)
Calif. town bans medical marijuana shops Nov 5, 2009
town bans medical marijuana shops - Life- msnbc ... town bans medical marijuana shops ... - A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents say will bring lawsuits. (MSNBC -- Crime)
