Marijuana Industry News October 11, 2013
Majority of Texas Voters Want to Legalize Marijuana…
A majority supporting marijuana legalization in some areas no longer even makes the news. Then there is Texas, a place many outsiders may not guess to be a marijuana friendly state. From a legal standpoint it may still not be friendly, but a new poll shows residents may feel otherwise. Public Policy Polling recent found that 58% of of Texas voters supported recreational marijuana legalization and 61% were in favor if decriminalization. Currently any marijuana possession charge can result in one year of jail time and $2000. Rob Kampia of Marijuana Policy Project commented on the poll by saying “Most Texans agree that marijuana sales should be conducted by legitimate businesses instead of drug cartels in the underground market.” Residents in Texas have an up close view of cartel violence just across even on the American side of the border.
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TSA May Ease Stance on Marijuana…
Traveling for marijuana patients is often a difficult situation. For those traveling in state by car can present their medical card to state authorities. Traveling by airplane, a federal zone, presents major hurdles. Some patients may grin and bare some pain and discomfort while others cannot even consider that option. There are many patients who cannot even hold down meals without medicating. On the TSA website, the agency mentions marijuana and states “Whether or not marijuana is considered ‘medical marijuana’ under local law is not relevant to TSA screening because TSA is governed by federal law and federal law provides no basis to treat medical marijuana any differently than non-medical marijuana.” However, despite the tough language there are many stories of patients not having an issue if they present a valid state prescription card. Keith Stroup of NORML commented on those stories and said “I’m delighted to hear that because I think it shows that TSA primarily is acting as it was intended when it was established, to protect all of us when we travel on the airlines and to thwart terrorists. It is not supposed to be an anti-drug agency.” TSA was recently contacted by ABC news regarding whether or not they would revise their policy now that 20 states have legalized medical marijuana. The agency released the following statement: “TSA’s screening procedures, which are governed by federal law, are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. If during the security screening procedures an officer discovers a item that may violate the law, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement. Law enforcement officials will determine whether to initiate a criminal investigation. TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers.”
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White House Attempts Last Ditch Effort to Mislead on Marijuana…
Last month activists were happy to hear that the DOJ indicated they would respect state marijuana laws. Just when most thought the White House was poised to be more realistic and truthful on marijuana, they took a step backwards. This week the White House released a new set of fear mongering bullet points that almost felt like it was from 40 years ago. The points range from silly to outright lies. One of points claims that legalization would create more if a burden for the criminal justice system. There is simply no way that can be true, and it would most likely cause less of a burden on the system and taxpayers if non violent marijuana’s users were not thrown into jail. In another statement they compare marijuana to Oxycontin. It is difficult to envision what the White House hopes to gain as they prepare for a regulated marijuana industry on one hand, and still try and spread propaganda on the other.
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Colorado mayor really wants to stop pot free gifts – Colorado Publish Colorado mayor really wants to stop public pot smoking – KKCO-TV