Pot
Colorado Residents Appear Ready To Legalize Marijuana
Many states have now joined the marijuana reform movement and it appears more on the way. At one point, certainly 12 years ago, passing legislation to allow for the use of medical marijuana was a much more controversial move. With only a handful of states previously legalizing medical cannabis, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 and officially altered the state’s constitution.
This November, Colorado residents will have another controversial choice when they enter the voting centers. Thanks to the efforts of many residents and groups such as Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Colorado residents may take the next logical step in providing relief and adopting new progressive strategies for a struggling economy and new age safety measures. If residents pass amendment 64, they will effective legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana even for recreational use. While the usual detractors have and will continue to dust off the same decades old talking points memo, many want to see a different approach. Amendment 64 even has the support of many parents who would rather see safety mechanisms in place to prevent their teens from purchasing marijuana as opposed to just hoping they do not seek out street vendors.
A similar bill was voted on in 2006 and narrowly failed. However, in the previous six years Colorado has seen its demographics change considerably. While this can be measured by Census figures, it only takes a copy of the 2008 electoral map, and current polling data to show Colorado has changed drastically in the political arena and now appears to be a lean Democrat or at the very least a toss-up state. Other than Bill Clinton in 1996, no Democrat has won Colorado in a modern election besides Obama. A new poll seems to highlight the shift and now shows that Colorado residents are leaning heavily toward enacting Amendment 64. The poll was conducted by The Denver Post and shows that Colorado residents are in favor of the bill by a margin of 51-40% (with 8% undecided).
Even if passed it does not guarantee that Federal agents will not interfere. However, now many more tax dollars and jobs will be at stake should the Feds decide to demonstrate their legal authority. However, if that fear governed Colorado residents before, they would not have persevered through the last 12 years. With more national support that ever, and certainly than in 2000, Colorado residents again seem poised to bring about major change.
Rough Election For Paul Ryan
The race for the U.S. presidency can consume and spit out candidates. The young boy wonder Paul Ryan has been a rising star in the GOP and Congress for almost 14 years. However, joining Mitt Romney in the race for the White House may drive down his stock considerably. Already responding to criticisms of misstatements after his address at the RNC regarding welfare and Medicare, the news just has not been great for Ryan.
Clearly Ryan and Romney are not on the same page. Romney selected a man known as a budget hawk, but has not embraced what Ryan believes. In fact Mitt Romney seems to be running from his record. Recently Mitt Romeny told “Meet The Press” that President Obama and the GOP (lead by Ryan on the issue) were wrong to vote to cut military spending. The lack of unity was on display recently as Paul Ryan told a group of voters in Colorado that he felt marijuana laws should be left up to the states to decide. This was soon followed by a statement from the Romney campaign that indicated that Ryan agreed with Mitt Romney 100% and that marijuana should never be legalized.
We do not want to pick on Paul Ryan specifically, but so far he is the only one who has dared engage on the issue of marijuana. Even though marijuana legalization offers the potential to satisfy Paul Ryan’s desire to cut spending and the size of government, we were still surprised to hear him support the issue. We were NOT surprised to see the Romney campaign recant a statement. They seem to have made an art of this.
The Paul Ryan statement that seemed to come from left field motivated marijuana.net to dig a little deeper into Paul Ryan’s view on marijuana. The digging did not require much effort and we were able to figure out that as recently as May of this year, Paul Ryan voted against a bill that would have defunded the DEA’s ability conduct medical marijuana raids. Not exactly a pro state rights view is it?
Colorado Study Shows Need For Regulation and Marijuana Testing
As the election season continues we are pretty much ensured that the political conversation will remain within the narrow scope of only a handful of issues being discussed until January. While healthcare will be part of the next two months, it will only likely find its way in the campaign through the lens of Obamacare vs. Romneycare.
For many patients who only find relief with marijuana, this will be yet another election where their concerns will not be addressed. Ignoring and tolerating medical marijuana to some extent is no longer going to be acceptable. Medication needs to be safe and with a far less rate of addiction and side effects in comparison to opiates and other medication, cannabis already satisfies much of the criteria for useful medicine. However, with it’s legal status constantly in limbo, cannabis has suffered from a lack of regulation and required testing as many elected officials hope that 75% of the country soon changes its mind and stops supporting medical marijuana. That seems highly unlikely and our elected officials have chosen to ignore the safety of Americans in favor of outdated talking points and rhetoric. Simply put, marijuana is here to stay, and providing safe medicine must be a concern.
Shedding more light on the problem is a recent study conducted in Colorado. Dr. John Martyny of the National Jewish Health studied the findings from 30 grow operations in the Larimer and Denver areas. The research indicated that certain grows had mold levels about 100 times higher than what is considered safe. In some growing operations, the mold levels were too high to for their instruments to properly measure. Dr. Martyny said “These are extremely high levels that we would consider dangerous.” Fortunately, none of the growing operations studied were legal, giving at least some hope that Colorado medical marijuana patients are not breathing in high levels of mold.
However, there is evidence that even legal growers are not taking the proper precautions in preventing high levels of mold. The Werc Shop also finds similar problems when conducting laboratory analysis, but unlike Dr. Martyny they DO test cannabis from legal dispensaries. In a recent conversation with marijuana.net, Dr. Jeffrey C. Raber of the Los Angeles area lab said “We have had numerous secret shoppers find instances of mold and bacteria present at unacceptable, sometimes alarmingly high levels.” The Werc Shop is one of the most well regarded testing laboratories and was responsible for much of the screening for the 2012 High Times Los Angeles Cannabis Cup.
Research shows that we may only be hitting the tip of the iceberg in regards to just how much potential medical marijuana holds. However, as with any consumable product, improper testing and screening invites devastating side effects. The high levels of mold found by both Dr. Martyny and Dr. Raber only highlight the need for regulation and testing. The products created by large Pharmaceutical companies have to abide by FDA standards and a lack of regulation would not be accepted even for over the counter medicines. As the national campaigns ignores this problem, it is up to patients and activists to demand for regulation, testing, and safety.
Attorney General Eric Holder Pressured by Ex-DEA Officials To Oppose State Marijuana Laws
After years of foreign wars, the Patriot Act, and an unpopular healthcare mandate, voters are weary of big government proposals. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are quick to point out that they want to reduce the size and scale of government, even if their actions betray this sentiment. The idea of letting states decide many issues has gained traction, with one major exception. Marijuana.
Approximately 75% of Americans support a physician’s right to prescribe medical marijuana. Even more interestingly, is that now over half of the country supports legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana even for recreational use. Three states, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon will have residents in their states voting to enact such plans. Of course we all know the people simply passing the law may not end the ongoing feud between federal and state authorities. The problem the White House faces is that they have tried to make the case that they will not use any federal resources to circumvent state law. This leaves them with trying to apply federal law only when a dispensary is in violation of state law, as confusing as that sounds.
This approach is being challenged by 9 former heads of the DEA. Attorney General Eric Holder has not publicly indicated how the federal government would handle a situation where states operate legal marijuana sales. His silence has drawn the ire of those who feel the federal government needs to take a more definitive stand and send out a message that federal law trumps state law. Holder has spoken out on previous legalization initiatives. He indicated that he would enforce federal law in California in 2010 if residents voted to legalize marijuana. In the letter, obtained by news outlet Reuters, the group said that “To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives.”
Of course taking a stand against laws voted on and enacted by the people offers its own set of “dangerous initiatives”. No administration wants to be known as the White House crushed state laws and the will of the people. The old system has failed and while many of us understand that federal authorities have to carry out the law, there is a chance of overreaching here. A war between residents and the federal government on this issue could be one of the highest profile examples of the government ignoring the will of the people. Even those who do not support marijuana legalization may be outraged at such large scale intervention. With most Americans feeling the war on drugs is a failure, spending more money and resources to keep the antiquated approach alive could be a disaster as small government fans, fiscal hawks, civil rights groups, and medical supporters could all find themselves coming together over the issue.
Paul Ryan Almost Gives Hope For Reform Advocates
The prospects of marijuana becoming a campaign issue seemed dim for most of the presidential race. President Obama has avoided the issue when engaging in online forums and Mitt Romney had recently told a college crowd he would fight medical marijuana “tooth and nail”. Whether intentional or not, medical marijuana was front and center, even if for a brief time.
Mitt Romney has been running for president since 2007 with Biden and Obama now holding office for almost 4 years. Paul Ryan represents the only fresh face Americans may not be as familiar with. In a move that most likely upset Romney campaign organizers, Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan recently stated that he felt marijuana should be a state issue. He told a local television network in Colorado, KRDO TV, that “it’s up to Coloradans to decide.” Before activists get their hopes up he also added that medical marijuana “is something that is not a high priority of ours.” The stance makes sense as a growing wing of the Republican Party is seeking to promote state rights, smaller government, and fiscal responsibility.
Campaign officials for Romney/Ryan were quick to change the tone. They later released a statement that Paul Ryan agrees with Mitt Romney that marijuana should never be legalized. This is not the first time the two have not seen eye to eye. Mitt Romney has been attacked on many items in Paul Ryan’s controversial proposed budget which would make deep cuts to many social programs. The two also differ on abortion as Paul Ryan does not believe in exceptions even for incest, rape, or when a mother’s health is compromised. Additionally, last night on “Meet The Press” Mitt Romney said Republicans were wrong to vote to cut defense spending, even as it was brought to Mr. Romney’s attention that GOP leadership (including Ryan) voted for the cuts. This has seriously brought into question by analysts as to exactly why Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his vice presidential candidate being that the two seem to differ substantially on issues.
Perhaps they are worried about their conservative base, a base that has not fully embraced Mitt Romney. However, it is always interesting when a candidate says something in plain language only to have a spokesperson take it back later. Are they trying to have their cake and eat it too by having Ryan curry favor with reform advocates, then turning around and appeasing the “tough on drugs” crowd? Even if Paul Ryan truly does support state rights in this instance, just putting toe in the water is not good enough. Patients have felt mislead by the President so a simple statement alone will not win over this community. The Romney/Ryan ticket had a chance to win over disenfranchised patients, but instead chose to do what Romney has been famous for, sending conflicting messages.
Gary Johnson in Charlotte During DNC
As the Democratic National Convention occupied most of the headlines this week, another candidate for President was also in Charlotte. Gary Johnson attended several events in the Charlotte area which included a NORML demonstration and a Tea Party event about a half hour away from the DNC. The marijuana reform advocate seemed to enjoy his status as a third party candidate and possible spoiler for either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. Johnson said “I really do wish I was known as a spoiler on both sides, that the notion that people really do care about the fact that we are in endless wars, the fact that we do care about civil liberties, that we have a growing police state.” While third party candidates have little chance of winning the presidency they can bring attention to their cause. Many feel that Ralph Nader and Pat Buccanan had a significant impact on the 2000 election. Both candidates should probably be fearful but Mitt Romney his campaign in particular seem worried about Johnson upsetting their chances for the White House. Attorneys for the Romney campaign have been filing legal challenges in many states including important swing states such as Virginia, which could be the key to the election. Mr. Johnson is a former Republican and may still have support from voters in the party who are not energized by Mitt Romney.
For more on Gary Johnson and his upcoming appearances click here
Farmer Accidentally Grows Marijuana
If someone plants tulips instead of roses they may be disappointed at the results. However, one would not likely be subjected to police scrutiny and possible criminal prosecution. A man in Germany made a more serious mistake with his planting. An elderly farmer planted marijuana seeds instead of sunflowers. He was very surprised to see the plants grow to 10 feet tall so quickly but did not seem to know they were marijuana plants. Locals noticed the plants and notified authorities. Police came and made the man plough the field. Officials believed that the cannabis was weak and would not have led to “addiction”. Authorities are still trying to determine whether or not to press charges. Under German law it is illegal to “knowingly” grow marijuana. It would seem the 74 year old farmer easily fits the description of unknowingly growing the cannabis plants.
For more on this story click here
Medical Marijuana Industry News September 7, 2012
More and More Evidence Supporting Marijuana’s Ability to Fight Cancer…
Marijuana.net has extensively covered the constant updates on the ability of cannabis to provide medical relief. One of the most promising areas of marijuana medicine is in its potential to reduce and fight cancer. Many simply cannot believe this as the propaganda machine has told a very different story. However, research and even a government study has indicated that marijuana and hemp oils may be the future of cancer medication. A new article on Daily Beast, highlights many of the marijuana medical breakthroughs over the course of the last 15 years, especially in cancer research. The article avoids political talking points and tired discussion, rather, opting to describe studies and research conducted at prestigious educational institutions including Harvard and Lancaster University and research printed in medical journals such as British Journal of Pharmacology and Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry.
For the entire article click here
Jimmy Carter’s Drug Czar Criticizes President’s Handling of Marijuana…
Every four years both major political parties in the United States hold conventions. Jimmy Carter continuously serves as a punching bag for Republicans and a stepping stone to gush over former Ronald Reagan. Decades later, while still perhaps not viewed as a successful president, some forward thinking ideas from President Carter are gaining traction. In 1977, President Carter wrote a letter to Congress urging re-prioritized efforts to focus on heroin and barbiturates as they were accounting for 90% of narcotic related deaths. Redirecting the drug war still has not been properly done but the momentum for this 35 years later is at an all time high. Echoing this are recent statements by Peter Bourne who served as the director of the National Drug Control Policy. Mr. Bourne characterized President Obama’s approach to drug enforcement as “totally insane” and urged the president to enact executive orders if Congress was unwilling to amend laws. The president is familiar with utilizing executive orders as the partisan gridlock of Capitol Hill has prevented many new laws from being passed. The president most recently used an executive order with his new immigration directive, which will allow those who came to this country as children illegally to stay here without fear of deportation. Bourne went on to say that federal raids of marijuana dispensaries and keeping marijuana as a schedule I drug (the same classification as heroin meth and other destructive narcotics) “doesn’t make any sense at all”. Peter Bourne also praised legalization efforts such as Colorado’s Amendment 64 and Washington’s Initiative 502.
For more on this story click here
More Marijuana Doctors than Patients In New Jersey…
The soap opera that is New Jersey’s medical marijuana program continues. It has been well documented and publicized that New Jersey lawmakers have dragged their feet on the issue. Medical marijuana was passed several years ago under exiting Governor Jim Corzine. Still, there has not been one single patient served. The current Governor, Chris Christie who delivered the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention, has tried to delay the program as much as he could. Getting approved as a medical marijuana patient is extremely difficult and seems to require more vetting than becoming an approved doctor to prescribe marijuana. Currently there are 130 approved patients who will eligible to receive marijuana prescriptions when the program finally gets underway. However, there are over 160 doctors who have been approved to issue these prescriptions. Conversely in Arizona, regarded as a tough state to receive a marijuana prescription, issued 700 prescriptions in its first year and has a significantly smaller population than New Jersey. Another issue perplexing patients is even getting an appointment. Of the 160 doctors, many are not even accepting patients.
Kal Penn and Activists Respond to Obama Ad
Yesterday we reported on a new advertisement being used by Obama campaign that highlights the popular “Harold and Kumar” characters. The ad depicts the characters in their typically lazy and “stoned” mindset (though marijuana was conspicuously absent from the ad).
A day later we now are seeing a lot of buzz from the ad. Many cannabis advocates were not pleased and are accusing the president of trying to capitalize off of a group that he has turned his back on. Morgan Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project said “The fact Obama uses these characters to joke about this issue while on the other hand continuing to arrest people he’s appealing to is really disingenuous.” He also went on to say President Obama “conducts more raids on medical marijuana facilities than Bush.”
Kal Penn tried to defend President Obama’s approach toward marijuana by saying “I think that the president’s been pretty consistent with that. He’s not in favor of legalization, we should be open about something like that. But what the president has done is take a really smart look at the Department of Justice and said, given the fact that the federal government has limited resources, we should be allocating them toward violent criminals and not towards non-violent criminals. We can see that not just in things like marijuana but in things like immigration reform where he’s going after and deporting violent criminals and making sure that if you’re a Dream Act eligible student that you know that you can apply for your deferred status. Wherever the federal government has an appropriate role, I think the president’s been very consistent in that. That’s something that I think folks should know.”
Many activists will not be pacified with the remark, especially as the president has used federal resources to go after non violent marijuana dispensaries. Including the Dream Act language in the statement is odd. While the president should be applauded for his decision to help out immigrants who had no say in entering the country illegally, the two issues have little to do with each other. Kal Penn may as well include the auto bailout in his statements or any other unrelated accomplishment by the president.
Marijuana reform supporters may be upset at the feeling that they are only used for political expedience. This election certainly will not focus on the needs of marijuana patients or those impacted by the failed war on drugs. Either candidate could benefit greatly from addressing the issue as they both are eager to outline their plan to fix our economy and reduce the looming national deficit. While the Obama “Harold and Kumar” ad may upset the community, at least the tone toward marijuana still seems friendlier than Mitt Romney’s promise to fight medical marijuana “tooth and nail”.
Mitt Romney: I Will Fight Medical Marijuana Tooth and Nail
Last week the Republicans held their convention and officially nominated Mitt Romney for president. Tonight the Democratic National Convention will get underway. Similar to the RNC, the Democrats will have many high profile speakers, including former President Bill Clinton who will speak later in the week. We hope the bizarre Clint Eastwood chair incident will teach the Democrats an important lesson and stay on message, engaging the public on the issues that are important. As many issues including the economy, abortion, and foreign policy will be discussed, marijuana reform and the war on drugs are not likely to be mentioned.
On the 2008 campaign trail President Obama took a friendlier tone to medical marijuana than the recent federal raids suggests. In all fairness, we at marijuana.net have called him out on what appears to be a policy shift, or at the very least misleading. However, he does still respect patients and has vowed not to arrest any patients. He has kept that promise. While politics as usual will not be enough for patients and activists, that may be what we have here. Many analysts believe a second Obama term would see a friendlier atmosphere toward medical marijuana. Some even believe he could finally reschedule. Of course no one knows for sure what the president may or may not do.
However, we are pretty certain a Mitt Romney presidency could be disastrous for medical marijuana patients and legalization advocates. Mitt Romney infamously walked away from a wheelchair bound patient who was asking if Romney would arrest him for using medical marijuana. Romney sidestepped the question and never fully answered it. However, in an uncharacteristic move Romney stated his views on marijuana reform very directly in a video we recently uncovered. Addressing a crowd Romney utilized the typical and outdated talking points that marijuana is a gateway drug and that leads to an entrance into “the drug culture”. He went on to say that medical marijuana was an excuse to legalize totally. While many activists believe in legalization, there are many patients out there who rely on medical cannabis. Their quality of life would be severely damaged without it.
The issue may not creep up too much as the candidates will surround themselves in very scripted atmospheres. Unless one of the debate moderators decides raise the issue it is unlikely we will get to hear an exchange between Romney and Obama on the issue. While many have not been thrilled with the president’s approach, patients should be terrified of what Mitt Romney has said. Also in the video we mentioned above, is Romney swearing to fight medical marijuana “tooth and nail”. We have not heard him take a passionate stance on much or even address issues directly so it is surprising that this is the issue Romney would take his stance on.
However, can we even be sure he believes in this anti-marijuana stance, as the elastic politician has successfully secured the GOP nomination while simultaneously flipping his position on almost every relevant social issue. Perhaps marijuana will join abortion, TARP, the auto bailout, government healthcare, the stimulus, Ronald Reagan, global warming, and the many other issues Mitt Romney has altered his view on. The Mitt Romney we watched on television Thursday addressing the attendees of the Republican National Convention looks nothing like (except in hair style and choice of suit) the candidate who ran against Ted Kennedy for the US Senate in 1994, won the Massachusetts governorship in 2002, or even ran against John McCain in the 2008 primaries. The silver lining for patients is that Mitt Romney is never married to his words and clearly reads polls. With 75% of the country supporting medical marijuana, there is a good chance he will abandon an anti-marijuana policy.
You can check out the video for yourselves