Category Archives: Legal

Georgia Group Fighting to Legalization of Marijuana

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Georgia CannabisA group of people in Atlanta Georgia are trying to make a stand for legalizing marijuana.  Organizers with the Georgia Campaign for Reform Access and Education announced a campaign to change Georgia’s marijuana law.

Right now, people who carry less than an ounce of marijuana can be punished by up to a year in jail and any more than that and you could go to prison for up to 10 years. which is ridiculous considering how crowded the prison already are and how much tax money is wasted.

People with the campaign want to change that.  Support these people if you agree.

Jimmy Carter Is For Legalized Marijuana

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Jimmy CarterWho would of thought, one of our old Presidents of United States is stepping forward and saying legalizing marijuana is OK, and no it’s not Clinton.  Former President Jimmy Carter said that he favored legalizing marijuana during a panel discussion broadcast on CNN Tuesday.

I’m in favor of it. I think it’s OK,” Carter said at the forum, which was taped Friday. “I don’t think it’s going to happen in Georgia yet, but I think we can watch and see what happens in the state of Washington, for instance around Seattle, and let the American government and let the American people see does it cause a serious problem or not.”

Carter added that he thought it was appropriate to allow states like Washington and Colorado, which voted last month to legalize recreational marijuana use, to see how marijuana legalization would look.

“So I think a few places around the world is good to experiment with and also just a few states in America are good to take the initiative and try something out,” Carter said. “That’s the way our country has developed over the last 200 years. It’s about a few states being kind of experiment states. So on that basis I am in favor of it.”

He  also added that he did not think that legalizing drugs would lead to more drug users. “So I think a few places around the world is good to experiment with and also just a few states in America are good to take the initiative and try something out,” Carter said. “That’s the way our country has developed over the last 200 years. It’s about a few states being kind of experiment states. So on that basis I am in favor of it.”

The former president added that he did not think that legalizing drugs would lead to more drug users.

“When I was president, in 1979 I made my definitive speech about drugs and I called for the decriminalization of marijuana,” Carter said. “This was in 1979, not for the legalization but the decriminalization to keep people from being put in prison just because they were smoking a marijuana cigarette.”

House Busted with Over $600K of Pot Plant in Henderson Nevada

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Henderson NV PotMetro Police arrested two people Monday afternoon in connection with a organized marijuana grow operation discovered in two different Henderson homes.  Las Vegas Metro SCORE detectives seized one firearm, 47 marijuana plants and approximately 45 pounds of finished marijuana ready for sale with an estimated street value of approximately $600,000 in a drug raid on Tuesday.

SCORE stands for Southern Nevada Cannabis Operation and Regional Enforcement and is a HIDTA funded task force. SCORE is comprised of representatives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Henderson Police Department.

The LVMPD SCORE Team on Tuesday at approximately 4:30 p.m., served a narcotics search warrant at a residence in the 600 block of Black Ridge Road in Henderson, Nev.

“We received a tip a few days ago from some concerned citizens regarding unusual activity at the house,” said Metro’s Lt. Laz Chavez.

So far this year SCORE Detectives have seized 189 firearms ranging from handguns to assault rifles.

Michael Plunkett, 22, of Henderson was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.  He is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to sell; unlawful possession of a controlled substance; and possession of firearm.

Brianna Lieder, 21, of Henderson was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.  She is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to sell and unlawful possession controlled substance.

D.A.R.E Dropping Marijuana From their Anti-Drug Campaigns

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D.A.R.ED.A.R.E, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, the nation’s largest anti-drug non-profit group, has announced that after this month they will no longer indoctrinate public school elementary kids against the evils of marijuana.

D.A.R.E. has been preaching against marijuana since the just-say-no days of the 1980s, and the use of marijuana by kids is the only victory that the group claims it’s been able to deliver during that time.

That self-congratulatory claim is itself dubious, however, since several studies and government audits over the years have argued that D.A.R.E. has actually been responsible for rising rates of pot smoking among adolescents, who might not have known anything about  ganja if it wasn’t for being exposed to it by D.A.R.E. Indeed, this controversy is why D.A.R.E.’s funding in recent years has plummeted from more than $10 million per year to just third that amount, and why, hoping to reverse that trend, the group recently unveiled a new and hip anti-drug campaign called “Keeping It Real.”

D.A.R.E. will continue to agitate against recreational pot smoking to middle and high school students. The news about D.A.R.E dropping elementary school kids from its anti-pot crusade comes via Reasons magazine, which first found out that Washington State’s D.A.R.E. program was making the change on Nov. 6, the same day voters in that state and Colorado made history by legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes.

Marijuana Still Illegal on College Campuses in Legal Marijuana States

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College Campus MarijuanaEven though marijuana use is about to become legal in Washington and Colorado, that won’t mean it will be legal to use at the states’ colleges and universities. Instead, federal laws and college rules of conduct will combine to keep pot illegal on campuses.

Many young people had a hand in voting a few weeks ago to pass legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington for people over 21.  However, most universities have codes of conduct banning marijuana use, and they get millions of dollars in funding from the federal government, which still considers pot illegal.  That means, these young folks will not be able to light up on school grounds, including their own dorms.

“Everything we’ve seen is that nothing changes for us,” said Darin Watkins, a spokesman for Washington State University in Pullman.

“If you possess marijuana and are over 21, you still may face discipline under the student code of conduct,” University of Colorado police spokesman Ryan Huff said.

The federal government i funding millions to the universities and the colleges which have have codes of conduct banning marijuana use which still considers pot illegal.  The federal government doesn’t seem to be easing up on the law anytime soon either.

The laws and regulations are going to be interesting going forward on how people will regulate the legal use of pot and as always the Feds will try to fight against it.  Until the law is in full swing, you can still get cited for small amounts of marijuana both state.

A similar story proves that pot isn’t legal until everything is in place, for instance: Cops in Fort Collins, CO. continue enforcing pot laws the same as before Election Day, when Colorado voters legalized marijuana.

Two dozen citations for simple marijuana possession were issued by local agencies in the three weeks since the vote passed Nov. 6. Prosecutors and police say that’s because the law has not yet officially changed.

Legal Medical Marijuana Votes in Illinois Hit a Speed Bump

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Illinos Medical MarijuanaOn Wednesday, the Illinois General Assembly put off a vote to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes because the measure lacked the support for approval.  The voting halt came from State Rep. Lou Lang, who is for medical marijuana, but did not request a vote on his proposal because he did not want it to fail.

According to the Associated Press, Lang will wait until next weeek to call a vote on the matter, because “a whole bunch” of the votes he is counting on are “wavering.”

Illinois has been very close in the last few year in passing the law.  The proposal for a three-year pilot program would make Illinois the second most populous state in the nation after California to allow medical marijuana.

The state representative has tried several times to get the bill passed in the Legislature, barley missing the number of required votes each time. As Progress Illinois notes, the medical marijuana bill was already approved in the state Senate in 2010, but it’s the House that keeps blocking legislation from moving forward, most recently last year, and forcing supportive lawmakers to make the proposal more strict.

With approximately 60 votes already in hand, the minimum needed for approval, Lang had hoped to push the bill to vote in the House’s veto session next Wednesday.

 

Legalized Marijuana Pros and Cons

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Pros & consMany of us agree to disagree that legalizing Pot is a good idea. The pro- and anti-marijuana camps each have studies and statements from medical and government officials to back up their cases.  Below are the general pros and cons for legalizing marijuana.  Tell us what you think?

Pros:
• Pot is safer and less addictive than alcohol and cigarettes.
• There are medical benefits; it eases pain and curbs nausea.
• Regulating its sale would provide tax revenue for the state.
• Sending fewer people to jail would ease crowded court and prison systems.
• Young people who made a mistake wouldn’t have criminal records.
• Marijuana use should be a personal choice.

Cons:
• Legalization, even for medicinal purposes, undercuts the message that drugs are dangerous.
• Smoking causes cancer, whether it’s marijuana or tobacco.
• Long-term use lowers IQ and lessens motivation among young people.
• It affects memory, coordination, perception and learning.
• The long-lasting effects could affect workplace productivity or driving well after use.
• Marijuana is a gateway drug that will lead to harder drug use.

Will Legalized Marijuana in Colorado/Washington Boost Tourism?

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Colorado Pot TourismWith the great news that marijuana legalization votes passed for recreational use last week in Washington state and Colorado also sparks a new conversation about helping boost both states tourism. Not only did it show a great victory for the residents, it opens the door to out-of-state users as well.

Colorado 2nd income in the state is tourism and Washington has a decent amount of tourism as well.  Both marijuana measures make marijuana possession in small amounts OK for all adults over 21 — not just state residents but visitors, too. In Washington, this part of the new law becomes effective Dec. 6. Tourists may not be able to pack their bowls along with their bags, but as long as out-of-state tourists purchase and use the drug while in Washington or Colorado, they wouldn’t violate the marijuana measures.  This my friend is a huge reason to visit both states, after all, many people travel across the globe to Amsterdam for almost this exact reason.

Legalizing Marijuana Would put a Damper in the Cartels Business

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Mexican cartelIf only a few states legalize marijuana, would it have a impact with the Mexican drug cartels cash flow?  Yes, actually it would have a very big impact.  If voters in just Washington, Colorado and Oregon vote in favor to legalizing marijuana, reports say it is estimated that it would cut the cartels’ income by $1.37 billion, or about 23% of their revenue.

The calculation is based on a 2010 RAND Corporation estimate that legalizing marijuana in California “could cut the income of Mexican drug dealers by 20%.” That scenario, in turn, was based on the assumption that legal California pot would be exported to other states, displacing imported Mexican marijuana.

Notably, the RAND report rejected a widely cited estimate that 60 percent of the cartels’ income comes from marijuana, saying that number “should not be taken seriously.” It traced the claim to the federal government’s 2006 National Drug Control Strategy but said “there is no empirical justification for this figure that can be verified” and noted that the Office of National Drug Control Policy “publicly distanced itself from this figure” in 2010.

Either way, we do know that legalizing marijuana would have some effect on reducing the cartels power and put more money into our own economy, legally and without the unnecessary violence.

 

Detroit Preping to Vote on Marijuana Measure

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DetroitThe people of Detroit are preparing to vote on a proposal that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, The Detroit News reports.

The ballot question, known as Proposal M, would allow adults over age 21 to possess less than an ounce of marijuana on personal property without criminal prosecution. It’s one of six issues facing city voters Nov. 6.

Proponents say Detroit no longer has the police resources to go after people using small amounts of marijuana at home. Opponents say it signals the city is soft on crime. Detroit is struggling with high crime and a budget that’s led to police cutbacks.

Michigan voters in 2008 approved the use of marijuana for medical reasons, but parts of the law are being challenged in court.