South Carolina bill to nullify federal hemp ban moves forward

A South Carolina bill that would nullify the federal prohibition on the cultivation of industrial hemp passed through committee and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.
S0839 would authorize the production, sale, possession, and research of industrial hemp in South Carolina, effectively nullifying a federal ban on the same. The Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources unanimously passed the bill Wednesday. It now will be voted upon by the whole Senate.
 
Full Article:
http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2014/02/south-carolina-bill-to-nullify-federal-hemp-ban-moves-forward/?doing_wp_cron=1393612662.6086380481719970703125#.UxGII-NdVac

The Epilepsy Foundation supports Alabama bill that would legalize medical marijuana oil

By Vanessa Araiza
Carly's Law is named for Carly Chandler, a toddler from Shelby County. Source: WBRC video
Carly’s Law is named for Carly Chandler, a toddler from Shelby County. Source: WBRC video
 
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) –
A national foundation announced support for laws that would make CBD, an oil derived from marijuana, legal for people suffering from seizures.
The Epilepsy Foundation announced its support for bills and laws like Carly’s Law Feb. 20. Dustin Chandler, Carly’s father, said the backing from the Epilepsy Foundation is “huge.” He’s hoping the new support will help Carly’s Law get out of the Alabama Senate and move the Alabama House.
Chandler said he’s fighting not only for his daughter Carly but for hundreds of other parents who have to watch their children take a cocktail of drugs to control their seizures.
 
Full Article:
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/24856870/the-epilepsy-foundation-supports-ala-bill-that-would-legalize-medical-marijuana-oil

Reno, Nevada Mayor Bob Cashell to push for medical marijuana dispensaries

by Anjeanette Damon
Reno Mayor Bob Cashell
Reno Mayor Bob Cashell
 
Reno Mayor Bob Cashell has executed an about face on the issue of medical marijuana, saying today he will push for the licensing and proper zoning of dispensaries in the city of Reno.
Cashell was a vocal critic of the law setting up a dispensary system for Nevada’s medical marijuana card holders when it was being considered by the Legislature last year.
But while some Nevada locales are considering an outright ban on the dispensaries, Cashell said today Reno should press ahead with licensing.
“I don’t think we are going to reject medical marijuana,” he said. “At least I’m not. I’ve seen what it does to help people. I’m going to push for it.”
Cashell said he has a family member who has benefited tremendously from  medical marijuana.
 
Full Article:
http://blogs.rgj.com/renomemo/2014/02/14/mayor-bob-cashell-to-push-for-medical-marijuana-dispensaries/

U.S. Says Banks Can Do Business with Marijuana Firms

By Dow Jones Business News
 
Federal regulators will allow banks to provide financial services to marijuana-related businesses that are legal under state laws as customers as long as financial institutions make regular reports to the Treasury Department and watch for suspicious activity.
The new guidance issued Friday is meant to address contradictory state and federal laws regarding marijuana. The drug is illegal under federal law, but 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it for certain uses. Banks are subject to federal laws against doing business with drug traffickers, which has made them reluctant to make loans and take deposits from legal pot dispensaries.
 
Full Article:
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/us-says-banks-can-do-business-with-marijuana-firms-20140214-00609

DEA’s Own Hiring Policy Admits Pot Isn’t As Bad As Other Drugs

Ryan J. Reilly ryan.reilly@huffingtonpost.com
 
Under the DEA’s hiring rules, an applicant for any agency position who admits to or is found to have used narcotics or dangerous drugs is not considered for employment. Any past use of heroin, LSD, cocaine, or even Adderall without a prescription immediately disqualifies an applicant for a job at the DEA.
The DEA’s one-and-only exception to the stringent policy? Marijuana.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/13/dea-hiring-policy-marijuana_n_4784042.html

Arizona Lawmaker: Remove felony charge for simple marijuana possession

By Moriah Costa – Cronkite News Service

Rep. Mark A. Cardenas, D-Phoenix, wants to remove felony charges for possession of marijuana without the intent to sell. “I don’t believe they should go away to prison and face hefty fines and possibly have their civil rights taken away,” he said. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Moriah Costa)
Rep. Mark A. Cardenas, D-Phoenix, wants to remove felony charges for possession of marijuana without the intent to sell. “I don’t believe they should go away to prison and face hefty fines and possibly have their civil rights taken away,” he said. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Moriah Costa)

 
PHOENIX – Saying harsh penalties for marijuana use do more harm than good, a state lawmaker wants to remove felony charges for possession without the intent to sell.
“I don’t believe they should go away to prison and face hefty fines and possibly have their civil rights taken away,” said Rep. Mark A. Cardenas, D-Phoenix. “We shouldn’t have people that are being sentenced to long prison terms for simple possession of marijuana.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.cvbugle.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=41425

Thursday: Mexico to Introduce Series of Sweeping Drug Policy Reform Bills

Drug Policy Alliance
 
Today, two bills were introduced in Mexico City that would reform drug policies in North America’s largest city and on a national level. The first bill seeks to decriminalize the possession of marijuana for personal use, removes incarceration as the first response for the possession of other illicit substances, and creates a limited mechanism for the sale of marijuana if certain requirements are met.
 
Full Article:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2014/02/thursday-mexico-introduce-series-sweeping-drug-policy-reform-bills

In an Epic 6-Minute Exchange, Oregon Congressman Eviscerates U.S. Drug Policy

By Sanders Deionne
What is more dangerous and addictive: methamphetamines and cocaine or marijuana? Ask any rational person and they will say methamphetamines and cocaine. Ask Michael Botticelli, National Drug Control Policy deputy director, however, and expect an evasive answer. This is what happened at the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee meeting last Tuesday.

“I asked which is more dangerous and you couldn’t say and you sir, represent part of the problem,” said Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-OR) to Botticelli. “Let me suggest, that your inability to answer me, whether tobacco or marijuana is more dangerous, again, is part of the problem.”

Full Article:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/81951/in-an-epic-6-minute-exchange-oregon-congressman-eviscerates-u-s-drug-policy
 


http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4483418/rep-blumenauer-questions-michael-botticelli

All Aboard! Entrepreneurs get ready to roll on the ‘cannibusiness’ Green Train

By Elizabeth Zwerling
All Aboard!
 
“Students will be able to earn a business degree with a minor in dispensary management. It’s being developed as we speak by professors that are actual real professors creating real curriculum. They need the information from us — the stoner guys. So it will be the stoners teaching the professors who teach the regular kids.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/all_aboard/12826/