By Nicholas J.C. Pistor npistor@post-dispatch.com 314-436-2239
Marijuana smokers in the city may soon get a break.
Anyone caught with small amounts of marijuana could end up with a charge as insignificant as a traffic ticket. The Board of Aldermen voted 22-3 on Monday to reduce penalties for possessing small amounts of the drug.
The bill, which was championed by Alderman Shane Cohn, gives police officers the option to redistribute some marijuana cases to the municipal court system, essentially making a criminal infraction a municipal offense. Violators would typically be given a summons to appear in municipal court instead of handcuffed and put in the back of a police car. Police currently charge marijuana offenders under more harsh state laws because no local law is on the books.
Full Article:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/marijuana-penalties-reduced-in-st-louis-city/article_9336d7d9-cbc3-531a-b512-ec2325ed5ae2.html
Month: April 2013
L.A.’s simmering pot wars come to a boil on May 21
By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer
After 17 years of legal battles and uncertainty over legalized medical marijuana, some new clarity will be brought to the issue on May 21, when Los Angeles city voters will be asked to choose among three different measures regulating the growing industry.
Propositions D, E and F offer a range of new requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries, including taxes, caps on the number that can open and limits on their locations.
Full Article:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_23023832/l-s-simmering-pot-wars-come-boil-may
Etiquette for potheads
By Tom Brady (The New York Times)
Not so long ago, marijuana possession could bring a jail term in most of the United States.These days, the pervasiveness of pot smoke is hard to ignore.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California who signed a law decriminalizingsmall amounts of marijuana in 2010, said the atmosphere in Venice Beach was favorable for hismorning bike ride.
“You just inhale, and you live off everyone else,” he told The Times.
Washington and Colorado passed laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Eventhough recreational use is still technically illegal in California, pot is ubiquitous at Los Angelescocktail parties, The Times reported.
Full Article:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sunday/2013-04/14/content_16399687.htm
Around China: Hemp shoes a hit in foreign markets
English.news.cn
LANZHOU, April 13 (Xinhua) — In northwest China’s Gansu Province, hemp shoes, which used to be a must for local farmers, have made their way to the fashion world.
At the foot of the barren hills of Gangu County stand a cluster of workshops. An array of colorful hemp shoes displayed on shiny glass shelves looks out of place against the shops’ dusty surroundings.
From slippers and sandals to sneakers, the hand-made hemp shoes seem even stranger when Wang Yingwu, a workshop manager, said they were originally designed in Italy, France and Japan, even though many of the local craftsmen know little about these countries.
Hemp is widely grown in China’s northwest regions, especially in Gansu, where locals make rope with hemp fibers or weave hemp strands into sandals.
Chinese mythology says Fuxi, an ancient king born in Gansu, was the first to use hemp to make ropes and shoes. The Red Army also made and wore hemp shoes during the revolutionary era several decades ago.
“But the old-style hemp shoes don’t match today’s clothes,” said Wang. “So we try to combine traditional craftsmanship with modern design.”
“My shoes look the same as the fashionable ones in big stores. The only difference is that mine are made of hemp,” he said.
Full Article:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/13/c_132306253.htm
From slippers and sandals to sneakers, the hand-made hemp shoes seem even stranger when Wang Yingwu, a workshop manager, said they were originally designed in Italy, France and Japan, even though many of the local craftsmen know little about these countries.
Hemp is widely grown in China’s northwest regions, especially in Gansu, where locals make rope with hemp fibers or weave hemp strands into sandals.
Chinese mythology says Fuxi, an ancient king born in Gansu, was the first to use hemp to make ropes and shoes. The Red Army also made and wore hemp shoes during the revolutionary era several decades ago.
“But the old-style hemp shoes don’t match today’s clothes,” said Wang. “So we try to combine traditional craftsmanship with modern design.”
“My shoes look the same as the fashionable ones in big stores. The only difference is that mine are made of hemp,” he said.
Full Article:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/13/c_132306253.htm
Bill introduced in Congress would spare marijuana users from federal prosecution in states where pot is legal
DAVID HANDSCHUH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
A bill introduced Friday would give immunity from prosecution of federal marijuana laws in states where voters have passed laws legalizing the drug.
These are high times for states rights.
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday that would effectively tell the U.S. Justice Department to stop going after marijuana users in states where the drug has been made legal for either medical or recreational use.
Dubbed the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, H.R. 1523 would modify the federal Controlled Substances Act and grant immunity from federal prosecution to any person acting in accordance with state marijuana laws.
Full Article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bill-give-marijuana-users-protection-feds-article-1.1315540
Researchers Say Compound in Cannabis Plant Could Cure Cancer
By Ricardo Navarro
A compound found in marijuana is now gaining some attention and its not THC. Bay area researchers say CBD or Cannabidiol is showing signs of fighting cancerous cells.
Medicinal marijuana supporters believe THC helps terminally ill patients relieve pain and some have medical research to back it. But new research into a different compound found in the leafy green is said to possibly have more medical benefits than any other pharmaceutical drug in the market.
Full Article:
http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/21956443/bay-area-researchers-say-compound-in-cannibis-could-cure-cancer
Stephen Colbert on the public’s attitude toward marijuana (VIDEO)
Marijuana Supporters in the South Mobilize Legalization Efforts
By Kelly Petty
Credit: Kelly Petty
As marijuana acceptance and legalization forges ahead in the western part of the country, marijuana supporters weigh the “southern prohibition” that exists in states from Texas to Florida.
A coalition of advocacy organizations, including Peachtree NORML, 420 Nation Radio, and the Alabama Medical Marijuana Association, convened at the first Southern Cannabis Reform Conference on March 15 and 16 in Atlanta, GA to discuss how supporters could mobilize to change marijuana laws in the South.
“We as Americans have got to stop giving up our civil rights.” said Diane Goldstein of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
The South has been heavily affected by drug trafficking due to its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as a rise in meth addiction and the spread of painkillers along the I-75 corridor from Florida up to Virginia.
Organizations like LEAP believe decriminalization and legalization of marijuana are the first steps to reversing these trends in order to move toward effectively treating people ravaged by drug abuse and addiction.
James Bell, executive director of the Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education (Georgia C.A.R.E.), has worked to get Georgia lawmakers to support and develop legislation to reform the state’s marijuana laws.
His grassroots efforts have led to some strange alliances.
“I get calls from people like the Rotary Club who want to know more about marijuana legislation,” Bell said.
Working through the Georgia General Assembly, Bell asserted that he has found at least a dozen lawmakers who quietly support marijuana legislation. The goal is to get a small majority of people at the state level to get on board to take necessary steps to enact real reforms.
Full Article:
http://ivn.us/2013/04/12/marijuana-supporters-in-the-south-mobilize-legalization-efforts/
Supreme Judicial Court: Sharing marijuana cigarette not a crime
Associated Press
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Friday that sharing a marijuana cigarette isn’t a crime, but growing even small amounts of the drug is still illegal.
The Supreme Judicial Court released decisions in four cases that involved arrests made after voters in 2008 approved a law decriminalizing the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana.
Full Article:
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/sjc_sharing_marijuana_cigarette_not_a_crime
Nevada Senate committee passes medical marijuana bill
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A Senate panel has unanimously approved a bill paving the way for for-profit medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada.
The vote Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee means the bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote.
The bill sets the framework for the establishment and regulation of dispensaries in the Silver State. The facilities would be allowed to package marijuana into edible items, such as brownies.
The bill sets the framework for the establishment and regulation of dispensaries in the Silver State. The facilities would be allowed to package marijuana into edible items, such as brownies.