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Tag: marijuana policy

  • Cannabis Reform May Be Right Around The Corner

    Cannabis Reform May Be Right Around The Corner

    “It would not be shocking to see the end of federal marijuana prohibition signed into law this year,” said Tom Angell, a marijuana reform advocate.

    The influx of new members in the U.S. House of Representatives and the ousting of certain key anti-marijuana figures from the federal government could herald the approach of a “green tide,” according to a recent report released by Politico.

    Along with the many Democrats who claimed seats in the House, new governors from both parties appear to be significantly more cannabis-friendly as well, as more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana.

    The departure of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions could also pave the way to federal legalization, or at least a change from marijuana’s current status as a Schedule I substance—a federal designation reserved for the most dangerous substances including heroin. 

    Although the attorney general was seen as a serious obstacle to pro-cannabis legislation, Smoke Wallin, president of the cannabis company Vertical, was much more concerned about U.S. Representative Pete Sessions.

    This past November, Rep. Sessions lost his bid for re-election. As chairman of the House Rules Committee, he was active in blocking any legislation involving cannabis from reaching the House floor.

    With Rep. Sessions gone, cannabis experts are expecting that the backlog of bills will soon be addressed, and members of Congress are reportedly “lining up” to file new pro-cannabis bills.

    Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) have reintroduced the CARERS Act, which would “expand marijuana research, allow VA doctors to discuss pot with veteran patients and prevent the federal government from meddling with state-legal programs,” Politico reports. However, the bill would keep the Schedule I designation for cannabis.

    The appropriately-named HR 420, also known as the Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol Act, would “de-schedule” marijuana so that it is no longer treated as a dangerous substance and allow it to be regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

    With the Senate still under Republican control, led by Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been hesitant to support pro-cannabis legislation in the past, it may remain difficult to make change through the Senate. However, experts are encouraged by the recent legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill.

    “It would not be shocking to see the end of federal marijuana prohibition signed into law this year,” said Tom Angell of Marijuana Moment. “This is the first time that actually seems achievable.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Confusing Law Led to Marijuana Arrests In California

    Confusing Law Led to Marijuana Arrests In California

    A recent high-profile stop has led to a lawsuit by two former highway patrol officers who now operate a cannabis transportation business. 

    Recreational cannabis may be legal in California, but complex laws in the state mean officers are still regularly pulling people over and seizing marijuana. In fact, in 2018, California Highway Patrol officers seized more cannabis than they had any other year since 2014. 

    According to The Sacramento Bee, a recent high-profile stop has led to a lawsuit by two former highway patrol officers who now operate a cannabis transportation business, Wild Rivers Transport. Rick Barry, 48, and Brian Clemann, 47, were stopped and their car was searched after a canine indicated the scent of marijuana. Although the two didn’t have cannabis in the car, they did have $257,000 in cash, which officers took and turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. 

    Now Barry and Clemann are suing the highway patrol, hoping a judge will rule that local and state law enforcement can’t interfere in the legal transport of marijuana. 

    “It appears the [California Highway Patrol] will stop at nothing to disrupt the lawful and legal transport of items involved in the medicinal cannabis industry,” they said in a press release. “Although all our invoices, licenses, and required paperwork were in order, the [California Highway Patrol] spent several hours trying to come up with charges for our lawful activity.”

    In California, the Bureau of Cannabis Control announced Jan. 16 that marijuana deliveries and transports can take cannabis anywhere in the state, “provided that such delivery is conducted in compliance with all delivery provisions of this division.”

    The specifics of California’s marijuana laws — which have the potential to influence a massive industry — have taken time to work out. 

    “These approved regulations are the culmination of more than two years of hard work by California’s cannabis licensing authorities,” Bureau Chief Lori Ajax said in a press release. “Public feedback was invaluable in helping us develop clear regulations for cannabis businesses and ensuring public safety.”

    Law enforcement was not pleased with the decision, according to David Swing, president of the California Police Chiefs Association.

    “We are deeply concerned with the adoption of the new cannabis regulations, which allow for the delivery of cannabis anywhere in the state. We are already having trouble enforcing a new and complex industry, and this allowance will only make enforcement even more difficult,” he said.

    A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol said that agencies need to be able to stop black-market transports. 

    “In order to legally transport cannabis in California for commercial purposes, a person must possess the appropriate (Bureau of Cannabis Control) license and comply with the [Bureau of Cannabis Control] administrative regulations,” the spokesperson said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Attorney General Nom William Barr Says He Won’t Go After Legal Pot

    Attorney General Nom William Barr Says He Won’t Go After Legal Pot

    Despite the fact that Barr would respect state laws in regards to marijuana, some drug policy advocates argued that he should not be made attorney general.

    As the Senate conducted confirmation hearings with President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, most questions were focused on how William Barr would steer investigations into possible collusion between the administration and Russia.

    However, during the confirmation hearings, Barr discussed the need for changing marijuana laws and said that he would not go after states that allow the legal sale of cannabis, a marked change in policy from that of previous Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 

    “I’m not going to go after companies that have relied on the Cole memoranda,” Barr said during the hearings, according to Rolling Stone. “My approach to this would be not to upset settled expectations.”

    The Cole Memorandum was signed in 2013 under President Obama. In it, United States Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole directed federal attorneys not to prosecute marijuana crimes in states that had legalized use. In essence, the memo meant that the federal ban on marijuana would not be enforced in states that had laws legalizing cannabis. However, the memo was rescinded last year by Sessions, who took a hardline stance on cannabis and wanted to stop recreational use in the states. 

    During his hearing, Barr said that it is time for the country to have a more consistent marijuana policy. 

    “I think the current situation is untenable,” he said. It’s almost like a “backdoor nullification of federal law. . . . We should either have a federal law that prohibits marijuana, everywhere, which I would support, myself. . . . If we want states to have their own laws, then let’s get there. And lets get there the right way.”

    Despite the fact that Barr would respect state laws in regards to marijuana, some drug policy advocates argued that he should not be made attorney general. Barr, in the past, has made statements against criminal justice reform and in favor of mandatory minimums that can hurt people with substance use disorder, the Drug Policy Alliance said in a press release. 

    “Trump is appointing someone who has long been a cheerleader for mass incarceration and the war on drugs. It shows the Administration’s true colors and undermines any recent criminal justice reforms,” Michael Collins, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, said. “Senators from both parties should take Barr to task for his appalling views on drug policy and criminal justice, instead of giving him an easy ride like they did with Jeff Sessions.”  

    During the hearings, Barr did acknowledge that strict enforcement of policies, like those he previously supported, “harmed the black community,” according to USA Today. 

    No matter what the outcome of the confirmation hearings, it seems likely that Barr’s policy on drug enforcement and cannabis will be overshadowed by his perspectives on the Mueller investigation, however. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Kamala Harris Pushes For Marijuana Legalization In New Book

    Kamala Harris Pushes For Marijuana Legalization In New Book

    The California senator discusses her stance on prohibition, de-scheduling and the need for the war on drugs to be dismantled in her new book.

    More and more democratic politicians are getting on board with marijuana legalization, according to Forbes. 

    Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is one of them, as she discusses the topic in her new book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey.

    “Something else it’s past time we get done is dismantling the failed war on drugs—starting with legalizing marijuana,” Harris writes in the book. 

    “We need to legalize marijuana and regulate it,” she adds. “And we need to expunge nonviolent marijuana-related offenses from the records of millions of people who have been arrested and incarcerated so they can get on with their lives.”

    Though she is for marijuana legalization, Harris says that legalization should be done with caution. Because of the Schedule I status of the drug, she states, there has not been enough research on the effects. She also states that some solution needs to be put in place when it comes to driving under the influence of marijuana.

    Harris also touches on other drugs as a whole, writing, “”We also need to stop treating drug addiction like a public safety crisis instead of what it is: a public health crisis.” 

    “When someone is suffering from addiction, their situation is made worse, not better, by involvement in the criminal justice system,” she adds.

    Despite her support now, Harris has not always been supportive of marijuana legalization. According to Forbes, Harris laughed during a 2014 interview when a journalist raised a question about legalization.

    Two years later, in 2016, she also refused to support California’s cannabis legalization ballot measure. 

    However, with a possible presidential run on the horizon, Harris has gotten behind legalization. In May 2018, according to Forbes, Harris agreed to co-sponsor a bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act as well as withhold federal funding from states with “discriminatory cannabis enforcement.”

    “Right now in this country people are being arrested, being prosecuted, and end up spending time in jail or prison all because of their use of a drug that otherwise should be considered legal,” she said at that point.

    According to The Washington Examiner, at that time she also added that race plays a role when it comes to consequences of marijuana use.

    “It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the right thing to do. And I know this as a former prosecutor. I know it as a senator,” Harris said. “The fact is marijuana laws are not applied and enforced the same way for all people. African-Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate as whites, but are approximately four times more likely to be arrested for possession. That’s just not fair.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana

    Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana

    Analysts say that more politicians are getting behind marijuana legalization as their constituents express their support. 

    With two-thirds of Americans saying that they are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, advocates for cannabis reform say that the time is right for making major changes to United States drug policy. 

    “The train has left the station,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer told NBC News. “I see all the pieces coming together… It’s the same arc we saw two generations ago with the prohibitions of alcohol.”

    According to a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month, 66% of Americans support legalizing marijuana. This was consistent throughout all regions of the country.

    Young Americans are the most likely to support legalization, with 78% of 18- to 34-year-olds in favor—but even among older adults, support is high, with 59% of Americans over 55 supporting legalization. 

    There are some political differences, however. While 75% of Democrats and 71% of independents are in favor of marijuana legalization, only 53% of Republicans support legalization. Still, support is growing in the party and this is the first year that a majority of Republicans are in favor. 

    “Like support for gay marriage—and in prior years, interracial marriage—support for marijuana legalization has generally only expanded, even if slowly, over the course of multiple decades—raising the question of where the ceiling in support might be,” the Gallup poll concluded. “As the percentage of Americans who favor legalizing pot has continued to grow, so has the number of states that have taken up legislation to allow residents to use the substance recreationally.”

    This November, residents in four more states will vote on changes to marijuana policy. Michigan and North Dakota residents are considering legalizing recreational cannabis, while Utah voters are considering whether to legalize medical marijuana. In Missouri, residents will vote on three different measures to allow medical marijuana. 

    Analysts say that more politicians are getting behind marijuana legalization as their constituents express their support. 

    “The tipping point probably passed one or two election cycles ago,” said Tom Angell, founder of the news site Marijuana Moment. “It keeps becoming more and more apparent that it will be impossible for prohibitionists to reverse our gains. And as a result, more mainstream politicians are getting on board.”

    Last week, Canada became the second country to fully legalize marijuana, after experiencing a similar change in public opinion toward the drug. 

    “Politicians embraced it because it’s actually good politics,” said Blumenauer. “They can read the polls.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Marijuana Is Now Legal In Canada

    Marijuana Is Now Legal In Canada

    While cannabis enthusiasts rejoiced, policymakers cautioned that the legalization effort would have unpredictable, wide-ranging effects.

    While the United States has dabbled in legalizing marijuana in piecemeal legislation passed through the states, our neighbors to the north have fully ended the prohibition on cannabis, becoming just the second country in the world to legalize marijuana. 

    The new law took effect Wednesday at midnight, with Canadians from coast to coast hosting parties to smoke in freedom, according to The New York Times. The legalization fulfilled a campaign promise by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

    “The fact that we are moving away from a Prohibition model is a victory for human rights and social justice, an economic windfall for the Canadian economy and a sign of social progress,” said Adam Greenblatt, a director at Canopy Growth, a producer that has been valued at more than $10 billion, told the Times. 

    While cannabis enthusiasts rejoiced, policymakers cautioned that the legalization effort would have wide-ranging effects, some of which would be hard to predict. 

    “Legalization of cannabis is the largest public policy shift this country has experienced in the past five decades,” said Mike Farnworth, British Columbia’s minister of public safety. “It’s an octopus with many tentacles, and there are many unknowns. I don’t think that when the federal government decided to legalize marijuana, it thought through all of the implications.”

    The Canadian Medical Association Journal took a strong stance against the move, calling the legalization plan an “uncontrolled experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are squarely pitched against the health of Canadians.”

    Under the new law, Canadian adults can possess up to 30 grams of marijuana and have up to four plants growing at home. The logistics of the legislation—like setting up marketplaces—was left up to municipalities, meaning that it will vary across the country. The federal government will also be examining how to adjust the criminal records of people with marijuana-related offenses. 

    To deal with intoxicated driving, the number of police certified in sobriety tests will double over the next few years. However, other than keeping risky drivers off the road, the police did not seem too concerned with the change in the law. 

    “Fentanyl kills 11 Canadians a day,” Adam Palmer, Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department and the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said. “Marijuana does not.”

    While many people celebrated legalization, some cannabis consumers said that it was just a way for the government and big business to get their hands into the pot industry, which was estimated to be worth $5.6 billion in Canada last year. 

    “People don’t want to buy government-approved joints,” said Jodie Emery, a leading cannabis activist in Vancouver. “Legalization is little more than the whitewashing of cannabis culture.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Is The White House Waging A "Secret War" On Marijuana?

    Is The White House Waging A "Secret War" On Marijuana?

    The administration’s Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee may be responsible for hindering marijuana legalization. 

    Trump has said in the past that he supports states’ rights to establish their own marijuana policies—yet according to a report by BuzzFeed News, administration officials are waging a “secret war on weed” to push back on support of marijuana legalization across the country.

    Rolling Stone says the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) confirmed the existence of the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, but “stopped short of confirming” that the goal of the coalition of federal agencies was to shed a negative light on marijuana legalization.

    Members of Congress confirm that the White House’s actions contradict what Trump has said about marijuana policy—leading them to wonder: “Is there someone within the Trump administration directing a negative marijuana message?” as a senior congressional staffer put it.

    “Every time I speak to someone in the administration, despite what the president has said, they tell me it isn’t happening. My question is, who is in charge over there? It borders on ridiculous,” Rep. Tom Garrett of Virginia told Rolling Stone.

    On multiple occasions, Trump has said that he supports a state’s right to choose how it handles marijuana policy. “In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state,” he said at a 2015 campaign rally in Sparks, Nevada.

    “The president is right on this issue,” said Garrett. “The gatekeepers need to do their job, not undermine good policy.”

    Some point to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions as the main force within the administration that’s fighting marijuana policy reform. “I’ve discussed marijuana policy with senior White House officials, cabinet members and the president,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. “My personal assessment is that the attorney general is the problem.”

    Jeff Sessions is notoriously anti-marijuana. The 71-year-old former senator from Alabama—who once said “Good people don’t smoke marijuana”—has made it a point to enforce, and enhance, the federal prohibition of marijuana.

    “I don’t think America is going to be a better place when people of all ages, and particularly young people, are smoking pot,” the attorney general said in February 2017. “I believe it’s an unhealthy practice, and current levels of THC in marijuana are very high compared to what they were a few years ago, and we’re seeing real violence around that.”

    In response to Sessions’ renewed “war on drugs,” bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate to protect state marijuana policy.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can You Really Fly Out Of LAX With Weed?

    Can You Really Fly Out Of LAX With Weed?

    A high-minded new California law makes LAX the first major airport to take a pro-pot stance. 

    The friendly skies just got a little friendlier if you’re flying out of Los Angeles. 

    The City of Angels’ bustling airport recently moved to allow passengers to pack their pot in carry-on luggage, according to an announcement posted on the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) website.

    The high-minded move comes on the heels of California’s passage of a marijuana legalization measure that went into effect at the start of the year. 

    “While federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana (inclusive of federal airspace,) California’s passage of proposition 64, effective January 1, 2018, allows for individuals 21 years of age or older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana for personal consumption,” LAX wrote in the notice. 

    “In accordance with Proposition 64, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana.”

    But, there’s one big caveat: If pot is illegal at your destination, you can still get arrested when you land. 

    And aside from that, marijuana is still banned under federal law, so it may still raise red flags with the TSA—even though it’s not their top priority. 

    “TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers,” agency spokeswoman Lorie Dankers told Los Angeles-based KABC-TV. “Whether or not the passenger is allowed to travel with marijuana is up to law enforcement’s discretion.”

    And when the law enforcement in question is Los Angeles police, their new move will be to turn down the arrest. 

    LAX appears to be the first big airport to take a pro-pot on planes stance. San Diego International doesn’t have an official policy, according to KABC. And in the Denver airport, marijuana is prohibited—mainly because it’s still illegal under federal law.

    Even so, local police aren’t necessarily racking up collars over Colorado’s pot-friendly flyers.

    “If it’s a small amount the TSA and the Denver Police Department will ask that person to dispose of it,” airport spokesman Emily Williams told the TV station. “If that person is willing to do that, they move through.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • New York Takes Big Step Towards Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

    New York Takes Big Step Towards Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

    Governor Cuomo’s big move could pave the way for New York to become the 10th US state to legalize recreational marijuana.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo made a big step towards legalizing marijuana for adult use on Thursday as he pulled together a group to write the bill, Vox reports.

    The proposal is based on the recommendations of New York’s Department of Health regarding the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

    “As we work to implement the report’s recommendations through legislation, we must thoroughly consider all aspects of a regulated marijuana program, including its impact on public health, criminal justice and State revenue, and mitigate any potential risks associated with it,” wrote Cuomo in a statement.

    Heading up the group writing the bill is Alphonso David, counsel to the governor, who is getting feedback from officials as well as a panel including public safety, public health, and economic experts. If the state’s legislature is satisfied with the resulting bill, they will sign it into law and make New York officially the tenth state to legalize recreational marijuana.

    Cuomo’s proposal is a welcome one to the New York Health Department. In a 75-page report, the department concluded that legalization would be a net positive.

    “Numerous [New York state] agencies and subject matter experts in the fields of public health, mental health, substance use, public safety, transportation, and economics worked in developing this assessment,” officials wrote in the report. “No insurmountable obstacles to regulation of marijuana were raised.”

    The report also backed up key points that marijuana legalization advocates have extolled for decades: the criminalization of marijuana has done nothing to stem its use, marijuana law disproportionately targets “low-income communities of color,” and that the state would not only be able to protect consumers with regulations but reap huge tax revenues as well. The report estimates this amount to be anywhere from $248.1 million to $677.7 million a year.

    However, the report also makes sure to mention the precautions the state should take in legalizing, including remaining vigilant of the effects of usage among its citizens.

    “A regulated marijuana program should monitor and document patterns of use to evaluate the impact of legalization on use,” the report outlined.

    It also warned of the risks of marijuana, including addiction and driving while impaired.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Vets Turn To Medical Pot, Despite The VA's Policy

    Vets Turn To Medical Pot, Despite The VA's Policy

    The VA remains focused on studying the drug’s “problems of use” instead of its “therapeutic potential.”

    Once a month, the veterans’ hall in Santa Cruz, California, is home to an unlikely meeting, where dozens of former service members line up to receive a voucher for free cannabis products from local distributors. 

    “I never touched the stuff in Vietnam,” William Horne, 76, a retired firefighter, told The New York Times. “It was only a few years ago I realized how useful it could be.” 

    The VA medical system does not allow providers to discuss or prescribe medical marijuana, since the drug remained banned under federal law, which governs the VA.

    However, up to a million veterans who get healthcare through the system have taken matters into their own hands, using marijuana to relieve symptoms of PTSD, pain and other medical condition associated with combat. 

    “We have a disconnect in care,” said Marcel Bonn-Miller, a psychologist who worked for years at the veterans hospital in Palo Alto, California, and now teaches at the University of Pennsylvania medical school. “The VA has funded lots of marijuana studies, but not of therapeutic potential. All the work has been related to problems of use.” 

    This means that veterans like those in Santa Cruz can end up self-medicating with cannabis without any medical oversight. 

    A bill proposed this spring would mandate that the VA study cannabis for treating PTSD and chronic pain. 

    “I talk to so many vets who claim they get benefits, but we need research,” said Representative Tim Walz, a Democrat from Minnesota, who introduced the bill along with Phil Roe, a doctor and Republican from Tennessee. “You may be a big advocate of medical marijuana, you may feel it has no value. Either way, you should want the evidence to prove it, and there is no better system to do that research than the VA.” 

    Still, VA spokesperson Curt Cashour said the bill is not enough to change the department’s policies. 

    “The opportunities for VA to conduct marijuana research are limited because of the restrictions imposed by federal law,” he said. “If Congress wants to facilitate more federal research into Schedule 1 controlled substances such as marijuana, it can always choose to eliminate these restrictions.” 

    Former Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs David J. Shulkin said that it’s time the system looked into the potential benefits of cannabis. 

    “We have an opioid crisis, a mental health crisis, and we have limited options with how to address them, so we should be looking at everything possible,” he said. Although two small studies are currently being done at the VA, Shulkin would like to see more. 

    “In a system as big as ours, that’s not much, certainly not enough,” he said.

    View the original article at thefix.com