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Marijuana news from around the world

Governor Andrew Cuomo

New York Public View Marijuana Law Ranked Dumbest in America

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Here at marijuana.net we have printed many articles that focus on New York state’s controversial public view marijuana law.  Even though New York decriminalized marijuana in the 1970s, lawmakers left in a key provision that takes away much of the intended progress.  If marijuana is in “plain view” then a misdemeanor charge can be brought up instead of the far less severe civil citation ticket.  Unfortunately, many officers especially in New York City have used this loophole to arrest many especially African Americans and Hispanic teens.  Officers utilized “stop and frisk”, a tactic that has police demanding residents empty their pockets.  Once this occurs then police often arrest people on the  more serious charge because the marijuana is now in plain sight.  The popular NYC newspaper, The Village Voice, recently published an article that describes how New York’s marijuana law is considered the dumbest in the nation by reason.com.  Although Governor Cuomo made an effort to fix the law, many mocked him and the problem does not seem to have any chance of being fixed anytime soon.

 

For more on the Village Voice article

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Albany Bickering Stalls Governor’s Marijuana Reform Plan

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New York City is often viewed as the center for progressive politics.  However, New York State is much more balanced politically.  When a state oversees a city on the level of New York, lawmakers often bicker as they try to represent their own constituencies.

Concerned New York City residents are finding this out the hard way.   New York has desperately needed a change in it’s “Stop and Frisk” policy.  Though possession of less than 25g of cannabis was decriminalized in New York during the 1970s it must not be used or held in public view.  “Stop and Frisk” offers a loophole for police to demand that individuals empty their pockets, leaving the cannabis in plain site.  Families are left to deal with the impact of an unnecessary arrest that could follow their child around for the rest of their lives.  As we have mentioned previously, the “Stop and Frisk” law seems to unfairly target young Black and Hispanics.  New York City residents have lobbied for years to change the controversial practice but have not succeeded.

In a move that made headlines nationally, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo attempted to change a failed policy that is costing the state money and incarcerating its youth.  While many members of the media pursued the easy story and poked fun at the governor, many were pleased to see what appears to be an evolving view for the governor.  The reform will be delayed at best and even perhaps discarded.  Some Albany Republicans lashed out against the plan in the usual silly and predictable over the top fashion.  Dean Skelos claimed he was worried about a law that allowed people to “walk around with ten joints in each ear”.  However, many who represent law enforcement welcomed a plan to get rid of the low level marijuana arrests.  NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in support of the plan (though he has defended “Stop and Frisk” previously).  Additionally, NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly also wanted to see a change in the law.  There will not be enough time during the current legislative session to bring the issue back up.

This is not unusual for Albany lawmakers.  Albany reflects the diversity of New York State, complete with lawmakers who are from opposite sides of the aisle and are not always willing to work together.  Analysts believe that Republicans are still stinging from a defeat on same sex marriage as New York became one of the few states to recognize the unions. It appears that NY Republicans are ignoring one of their key voting blocks (law enforcement officials) and are attempting to appease a base that is upset with same sex marriage and cares little for New York’s incarcerated youth.

Of course political revenge is not going to satisfy New York City residents who are tired of witnessing dysfunction among Albany politicians .  Efforts to eliminate “Stop and Frisk” will continue and lawmakers from both parties are going to have to consider the fact that they may have pursued political posturing instead of the pleas of residents.

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Medical Marijuana Industry News June 15, 2012

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Rhode Island Governor Signs Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession…

Rhode Island will follow the momentum for reform that is taking that is going on northeast.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has already proposed eliminating unintended marijuana arrests in New York’s controversial “Stop and Frisk” program.  That debate is sure to heated as Albany lawmakers are known for partisan politics.  Governor Lincoln Chafee is a step ahead of New York as he has just signed a bill that will decriminalize marijuana possession of less than one ounce.  Previously that amount would have resulted in a misdemeanor with possible jail time and a $500 fine.  Under the new law the penalty will be a civil citation and a $150 fine.  Minors would be required to complete a drug awareness program and community service.

 

For more on this story click here

 

Medical Marijuana Bill Passes New York State Assembly but tough Road Ahead…

As mentioned above New York lawmakers will consider the Governor’s proposal to eliminate or amend the plain sight provision in the “Stop and Frisk” program which has become a loophole for law enforcement officials to arrest New Yorkers on serious marijuana charges.  In another development coming out of the Empire State legislators in the state’s assembly have passed a bill that would see New York join the growing number of states that permit medical marijuana.  However the bill appears to have a tough legislative road ahead of it.  Multiple medical marijuana bills have failed in New York state in the past.  The momentum seems to be gaining as more state lawmakers are joining the 80% of residents who feel a physician should have the right to prescribe medical marijuana.  Governor Cuomo has indicated that he would likely not sign the bill.  There is hope for the future for New York patients as the governor has amended his view considerably since his 2010 campaign.


For more on this story click here

 

Imperial Beach Residents may get chance to Repeal Ban on Dispensaries…

Imperial Beach residents may get a chance to change what is considered the most restrictive marijuana laws in San Diego County.  Even those with medical licenses are not permitted to keep any cannabis plants.  There is a petition being circulated in Imperial Beach and so far the response has been very supportive of repealing the ban.  Over 15% of registered voters have signed the petition.  Eugene Davidovich of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) said “Strong regulations like the ones we’re proposing would keep medical cannabis away from children and schools, and create a safe means for those who are qualified, to have safe, reliable, local access to that medicine.”  He also went on to say . “At the same time, we’re taking into strong consideration the concerns of the neighborhood.”


For more click here

 

Marijuana.net Will be Attending the 2012 Hempcon in San Jose…

For those who plan on being in the San Jose area we encourage you to check out Marijuana.net at Hempcon this weekend.  As always, we will be providing education on patient issues, new legal developments, and the future of cannabis in the United States and rest of the world.  We will even have our staff on hand who can provide advice on what strains are appropriate for individual.  The one on one session will result in a recommendation based on several criteria including ailments to be treated and desired effects.  We will also be continuing our popular vaporizer raffle which has been a success as many previous events.  Hope to see you there!

 

Click here for event details

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Medical Marijuana Industry News June 8, 2012

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Dean Skelos and NY Republicans Oppose Governor’s Decriminalization Plan

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo made national headlines earlier this week when he announced that he was seeking to amend New York’s marijuana laws.  Though marijuana was decriminalized in the 1970s, possession of less than 25g is still a misdemeanor crime if it is in plain sight.  Police officers  often exploit a loophole by demanding that that people empty their pockets, then say the marijuana is in plain site, eliminating the possibility of the lighter civil citation ticket that would be issued.  Many New Yorkers have been outraged at the tactics that seem to target the Black and Hispanic communities.  Cuomo has expressed a desire to change the eliminate the plain sight provision and now only smoking marijuana in public would be considered a misdemeanor offense.  State Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos was joined by other New York Republicans in opposition to Cuomo’s proposal.  The Senator issued a well thought out statement and said “Being able to just walk around with 10 joints in each ear, and it only be a violation, I think that’s wrong.”  John Vlasto, Governor Cuomo’s spokesperson responded by saying “Carrying 10 joints in each ear would require some set of ears.”  Mr. Skelos did say that those keeping small amounts of marijuana should not be penalized just because they were following a policeman’s orders.

 

For more on this story click here

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Prescription Drug Abuse has become an Epidemic…

Though opiates are legal through pharmaceuticals pills, they pose a major addiction problem.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently stated that opiate addiction has become an epidemic in the United States.  Additionally, many feel that painkiller addiction is so high that a recent crackdown in opiate pills has pushed addicts to seek out illegal heroin because it contains the similar opiates found in products such as Vicodin and Oxycontin.  While this may be news to some, marijuana advocates and patients have long been aware of the dangers that many legal medications possess.

 

For more on this story click here

 

New Hampshire Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill…

New Hampshire lawmakers are attempting to make their state become the 18th state to permit medical marijuana.  This week they passed a bill that would make that happen, but many feel Governor John Lynch will not sign the bill due to fears of how it will be distributed.  In 2009 a similar scenario occurred where lawmakers passed a bill only to be vetoed by the Governor.  An override of the veto fell two votes short and state legislators fear that could happen again.  Evalyn Merrick, a state representative who attributes marijuana with helping her personal fight with cancer said “Over the years, we have convinced many legislators to support this critical reform, With support either from Gov. Lynch or from two additional senators, this bill can finally pass and patients will finally have legal access to medical marijuana.”


For more on this story click on this link

 

Marijuana Advocate and Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Appears on the Daily Show…

Getting your fair share of the political spotlight is not always easy if you are a third party candidate.  However, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has been doing well in getting his libertarian message out there.  Johnson is known for supporting progressive social issues such as same sex marriage and marijuana legalization.  This week he appeared on “The Daily Show” to talk about his approach to fixing America.  He has also been featured several times on “The Colbert Report”.  As always he was not shy about calling for an end to the failed war on drugs and continues to be an advocate of small government.

Click on the video below to see the interview

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Gary Johnson
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

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New Yorkers Reaffirm Support For Medical Marijuana

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Residents of the Empire State may not have legal medical marijuana in their state, but there certainly seems to be momentum to change that.  New Yorkers are known for speaking their mind and they certainly are not afraid to share their opinion in polls, especially when it comes to medical marijuana.

Northeast patients overall have received a great deal of good news recently.  With New Jersey finally making progress on opening dispensaries, Connecticut passing laws to permit medical marijuana, and Rhode Island also set to open marijuana dispensaries, the quality of life in the northeast should be improving for many.  While New York is the typically the trendsetter in fashion and night life, they may actually be copycats when it comes to compassionate relief.  The momentum from other states in the northeast seems to be spilling over into New York.  Recently, 74% of New Yorkers told Mason-Dixon Polling & Research pollsters that they want to see an end to federal raids on marijuana collectives and respect state laws.

This matches previous polls which show an overwhelming amount of New York residents are in favor of medical marijuana.  The message seems to have been received by lawmakers as Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to be shifting his position on the issue.  On the campaign trail for the 2010 race for governor he took a very rigid stance against medical cannabis.  He had very harsh words for proponents of medical marijuana and said “The dangers of medical marijuana outweigh the benefits.”  When asked about its potential to raise revenue candidate Cuomo said “A lot of things could raise revenues. Legalizing prostitution could raise revenues. I’m against that, too.”  Much seems to have changed since 2010 as comparing medical cannabis to prostitution may be a thing of the past.  Only months later the governor said “We’re looking at both sides of the issue if you will and we’re reviewing it, but we don’t have a final position.”  Last month his position evolved even more as Governor Cuomo stated I understand there’s more research and there’s more evidence, and it can always be re-evaluated. I don’t believe there’s going to be time this legislative session to look at that issue.

Andrew Cuomo is a seasoned second generation politician.  Perhaps he is looking ahead and unwilling to pick a fight on an issue that has the support of an overwhelming amount of some of the most outspoken voters in the country.

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