Are you a medical marijuana patient in one of the 16 states that CURRENTLY allows for the use of medical cannabis, or in one of the 6 states with pending medical cannabis laws on the books? Do you have an event that you would like help getting the word out for? Send your info to... TeamWeedMaps
As the many eyes of the country - particularly the feds - watch to see how Colorado's lawmakers cultivate their new recreational marijuana rules and regs. More than a few politicians count themselves among the skeptical, that CO's current regulators can handle the task at hand.
Anna Panoka -- On Thursday the panel reversed an earlier decision to consolidate recreational and medical marijuana under the current enforcement division, after a scathing audit described the office as mismanaged and underfunded.
Committee Chair Dan Pabon [D-Denver] wants answers on what the Division is doing to fix those issues and how soon.
“We need to have the select committee ask for hard numbers from the Department of Revenue about what is needed to fully enforce to protect the public safety, protect children’s access, enforce packaging and labeling and purchasing requirements,” Pabon said after the committee meeting.
Pabon says once the committee has hard numbers, it needs to figure out how to finance enforcement to avoid some of the problems auditors found at the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division. Part of that may depend on voters approving high taxes on the product in November.
The committee is pushing back its deadline and has four more meetings to work out what will be in the final package of legislation. Pabon insists the bill or bills will be introduced early enough to avoid any need for a special session after the legislature adjourns.
What a long, strange trip life can be … The one time host of MSNBC's Fast Money – Dylan Ratigan has turned on, tuned in, and dropped out of the hired liar business. Instead he has taken up a much more honorable trade, hydroponic gardening. As such, Dylan reached out and acknowledged the great work done by comedian Tommy Chong for promoting marijuana legalization, as well as today's marijuana cultivators, for taking hydroponic technology to a whole new level of efficiency and production.
“I’d like to issue a letter of gratitude to Tommy and all the hydroponic marijuana growers in the world,” he said on The Young Turks. “Much as porn made the Internet, the cutting edge of hydroponic lighting and water flow and nutrient film technique that really has been been perfect as a result of the marijuana industry is the very techniques that we are now benefiting from to yield incredibly nutritious kale, bok choy, swiss chard, basil, bell peppers — you pick it. So, Tommy, thank you.”
After ending his three-year run at MSNBC, Ratigan moved to southern California to pursue a career as an organic, hydroponic farmer. He claimed the farm he now works on uses 90 percent less water, yet produces three times the amount of food compared to traditional farms.
“Because of the incredible investment from the marijuana industry over the past couple of decades, the available technology for hydroponic kale farmers and basil farmers like myself is absolutely stunning, and because of the legalization of marijuana in so many places, while marijuana prices are declining, kale prices are rising,” he added.
“Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla in the 1970s, has argued that legalizing the commerce in marijuana would weaken drug smuggling gangs and fight petty crime.”
And he should know…
It seems like a lifetime since Uruguay’s president announced his groundbreaking idea of legalizing the business of marijuana cultivation and sales. But after an overwhelming majority of Uruguayans expressed their potential reservation of a ‘Uruguayan OG’ hitting the open market, Jose Mujica was forced to reevaluate his position.
At least for a little while.
Philip Smith – Last fall, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica proposed legalizing marijuana commerce and cultivation (marijuana possession has never been a crime there), but shortly thereafter postponed action on the proposed legislation in the face of public opposition. Now he’s ready for the country to have a discussion about it.
In December, Mujica postponed action on the bill, even though his party and its allies control the legislature. He cited polling that showed 64% of the public had reservations about allowing pot sales and cultivation.
Mujica continues to support the bill, but wanted to slow the process down to educate the public. Now, that process is beginning. Starting on April 4, a nationwide dialog on the bill is set to get underway. The three-month public debate will feature round tables, seminars, and conferences across the country and, Mujica hopes, bring public opinion around.
Mujica, a former leftist guerrilla in the 1970s, has argued that legalizing the commerce in marijuana would weaken drug smuggling gangs and fight petty crime. Uruguay is one of the safest Latin American nations, but has been scarred by criminal violence associated with the drug trade.
The bill would create a National Cannabis Institute to regulate commercial marijuana production and distribution. But unlike reports from last fall, it will not create state marijuana stores. The Institute would also come up with penalties for rule-breakers and help design programs to warn of the risks of pot smoking. For private households, the bill would allow the cultivation of up to six plants and the possession of up to 17 ounces.
It will take more states moving in the direction Washington and Colorado have before there’s a sufficient pressure on (Congress) to change the law
Approximately 10 US congressmen and a hand full of House members have have sparked an effort to toss out the ill-conceived federal ban on cannabis. Noting that they’re in it for the long haul, and are prepared to keep stoking the flames of common sense, regardless of how long it takes. While its true that the liberal Democrats are doing most of the heavy lifting right now, preparing pro marijuana bills that will provide a legislative trail of pot seeds — should the Republican-controlled House — fail to act as expected during this session of Congress.
Raju Chebium— Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said it’s time to end the federal ban because 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana and many other states are exploring that option in response to growing public pressure.
“Maybe next year, maybe next Congress, but this is going to change. And the federal government will get out of the way,” he said. “I’m very patient. I’ve been working on this one way or another for 40 years, and I think the likelihood of something happening in the next four or five years is greater than ever.”
Peter Bensinger, a former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, urged lawmakers to keep the ban despite the pressure to legalize pot.
Advocacy groups, which have spent a lot of money over the years to push legalization, gloss over the negative effects of marijuana though studies show people do get hooked and smoking pot impairs judgment and could cause cancer like cigarettes, he said.
“Legalizing it is going to cost lives, money, addiction, dependency,” Bensinger warned in an interview Wednesday.
A number of lawmakers share that view, which is why previous congressional attempts to decriminalize marijuana went nowhere.
Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., acknowledged that getting any marijuana bill through a bitterly divided Congress — which is consumed by debates over spending, gun regulations and other matters — won’t be easy.
“It will take more states moving in the direction Washington and Colorado have before there’s a sufficient pressure on (Congress) to change the law,” he said. “It’s harder to get the attention of members of Congress from states where the legal status has not been changed because it’s simply not a relevant issue for their constituents.”
In February, Polis and Blumenauer introduced bills against federal marijuana policy, which makes it illegal to grow, use, possess or distribute pot.
Polis’ measure seeks to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. Blumenauer’s bill would allow the government to tax marijuana like tobacco and alcohol. If both bills become law, states would decide whether to legalize marijuana, not Uncle Sam, and state lawmakers would have Washington’s blessing to impose taxes on pot.
More proposals are likely in the coming months. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., is writing a bill that would create a commission to study whether marijuana has medicinal value.
Though legalization advocates argue pot has proven benefits such as relieving chronic pain and is not addictive, the federal government cites other studies showing pot has no medical benefits and acts as a “gateway,” leading users to try even more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
According to a 2011 federal survey, about 18 million people over the age of 12 have used marijuana at some point in their lives, making pot the country’s most-popular illegal drug under federal law. That means 7% of the nation’s 12-and-over population has used pot at some point.
The legalization push in the House has very little bipartisan support.
“You’d have to undo the federal law, you’d have to have the Congress be willing to pay no attention to the supremacy clause, and you’d have to break an international treaty,” he said. “This is uphill sledding.”
In an interview with the Denver Post, published this week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke about the marijuana legalization initiatives passed in Colorado and Washington in November.
When asked, “What are the measures in Washington (DC) that might address states that legalize marijuana and what is your view of federal policy?,” Minority Leader Pelosi expressed her support of state laws regarding marijuana and encouraged a tax and regulate policy:
L.A. Medical Marijuana Collectives
Ca. Medical Marijuana Cards
Medical Cannabis, How, Where, Why?
San Diego Medical Marijuana Doctor
Oakland Medical Marijuana Doctor
San Jose Medical Marijuana Doctor
West L.A. Medical Marijuana Doctor
![[IMG]](http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l505/SteveCooley310/ScreenShot2013-03-14at111755AM_zps29aca55f.png)
