Making a difference one patient at a time
At Alternative Care Clinics we believe in serving our patients in a safe, comfortable and professional environment. Patients can be evaluated by a reliable, qualified and compassionate CA licensed physician to see if medical marijuana is right for them. Our goal is to provide patients with access to alternative therapies and accurate information regarding medical marijuana.
November 2011
Don’t Worry; MMJ Patients in CA are Still Protected
You may have heard that federal prosecutors recently announced that the government would aggressively crack down on California medical marijuana dispensaries. They are targeting dispensaries located near schools, playgrounds, parks and sports fields where children are likely to congregate. They also went a step further to send letters to the landlords of dispensaries warning them that renting to dispensaries is illegal and that they are at risk of having their properties seized. Essentially dispensaries have 45 days to close their doors or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law. So what does that mean for medical marijuana patients in California? Other than making it harder for the average patient to obtain their medicine, patients should have nothing to worry about. The federal government has always claimed that the selling of marijuana for profit is illegal. They have also made statements repeatedly that they are not interested in busting patients or small time personal growers. Your medical marijuana recommendation is valid under state law and that’s not going to change. You still have the right to grow, consume and carry marijuana as your medicine. Patients still need to protect themselves and the best way to do that is with a letter of recommendation from Alternative Care Clinics.
The letter of recommendation not only allows for the use of medical marijuana as medicine but also allows our doctors to discuss a treatment plan that’s best for you. Our patients often leave the clinic enlightened about alternative medicine and their treatment.
You may also be surprised at how many unethical doctors are out there. These doctors are only out there to make a quick buck. Many doctors are now offering Skype evaluations, a practice that is prohibited by the California Medical Board. Some clinics are using Physician Assistants to conduct evaluations in lieu of a real doctor, another practice that is frowned upon by the medical board. California Health and Safety Code specifies that to recommend cannabis, an individual must possess “a license in good standing to practice medicine or osteopathy issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California.”
What patients really have to worry about is finding out that their medical marijuana recommendation is worthless because their doctor did not follow the proper protocol, state laws, and Medical Board guidelines. Without a valid recommendation from a doctor that followed the proper protocols, patients are open to both federal and state prosecution. As far as the dispensaries goes, only time will tell. The federal government has made these threats before. What we do know is that patients should continue to protect themselves with a letter of recommendation from a qualified physician that follows the Medical Board guidelines and the regulations and statutes set forth by the Compassionate Use Act and SB 420.
Although many WARNING letters have gone out to dispensaries and some landlords of dispensaries, the changes legislators have made have left not only patients confused on the next steps to be taken, but law enforcement as well.
There will be a statewide protest at the federal courthouse in Sacramento, as well as other federal courthouses on November 9. Local demonstrations have already taken place in San Francisco and San Diego, with more scheduled around the state.
With all this going on patients still need to protect themselves. With an Alternative Care Clinics doctor’s recommendation, you as a patient are still protected under Prop. 215 to CARRY, CONSUME, AND GROW medical marijuana in the state of California.
A San Diego court has ruled recently that marijuana dispensaries are not permitted within the city limits, citing ‘the municipal code does not permit the operation of marijuana dispensaries in any zone in the city of San Diego.’ Again, our patients in the San Diego area are still protected under the Compassionate Use Act to CARRY, CONSUME, AND GROW in the state of California.
By LISA LEFF 
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on some pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law.
In an escalation of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the nation’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry, at least 16 pot shops or their landlords received letters this week stating they are violating federal drug laws, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The state’s four U.S. attorneys were scheduled Friday to announce a broader coordinated crackdown.
- Image via Wikipedia
By Adrienne Lu
Inquirer Trenton Bureau
TRENTON – Patients seeking legal access to medical marijuana might have to wait 90 more days under legislation being drafted in response to a request from the Christie administration.
Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D., Union), a prime sponsor of the medical-marijuana law, said Wednesday he intends to introduce legislation Monday to grant the state an additional 90 days to implement the law, which was supposed to go into effect in July with marijuana distribution to start by October.
Christie had sought a postponement of six to 12 months to ensure that proper regulations and controls could be put in place.
Scutari said he was convinced that the health commissioner has been working on the issue and added: “I want to help them get this together so we can have a successful program without the snafus.”
“I want to be reasonable. I want to give the administration the opportunity to promulgate the rules and enact a bill in a good manner, and I’m hopeful we’ll continue to make progress.”
The governor’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said, “We appreciate [Scutari's] support to our request.”
But medical-marijuana proponents argued against a postponement.
“We really don’t think any delay is necessary,” said Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana in New Jersey. “We have regulations that we could suggest that are ready to go July 1, so we still don’t think that a delay is necessary to implement this law.”
San Diego News
By: Dave Good
Posted on Fri, Jun 11th, 2010
Last month,Joseph Nunes became the first casualty of the district attorney’s crackdown on medical marijuana distributors in San Diego, when he was sentenced to one year in prison and three years probation.
Nunes operated the Green Kross collective on Mission Boulevard. He was arrested in September of last year as part of a DEA-assisted raid by local authorities on hometown medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries. In all, 14 such dispensaries were raided.
Local law enforcement’s crackdown was due in part to a sudden proliferation of marijuana storefronts in neighborhoods countywide (and elsewhere in California) after the Obama administration, in the evidence of growing public pressure to legalize marijuana, announced that they would cease to prosecute medical marijuana collectives and their customers.
But in spite of Obama’s moratorium, pot to this day remains a Class One controlled substance. And since passing a measure to legalize, the state government’s direction has been to leave regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries up to individual jurisdictions. California pot law is a patchwork quilt of confusion.
Still, marijuana is said to be the nation’s number-one cash crop, surpassing corn and other commodities. So, some lawyers are gearing up to guide what, by all accounts, will continue to be a growth industry.
Lee Burdick is a San Diego Port Commissioner, and an attorney at Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, specializing in regulated industries. She sees no reason why the marijuana business as a whole should not become regulated along the same lines as alcohol beverages.
“My approach is, let me help [cooperatives and growers] become a legitimate business that participates in a legitimate industry,” says Burdick,”and help them take control of their own stake, not just of individual compliance, but also in participating in the development of a new industry.”
In 1996, California became the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana cultivation and possession for medical patients with the passage of Prop 215. Afterward, voters in 13 states passed referendums to legalize medical marijuana. But, not everyone was happy about it.
In Billings, Montana, two medical marijuana storefronts were firebombed recently in separate incidents. And crackdowns by law enforcement continue. Tacoma’s North End Club 420 was raided earlier this month, even though Washington legalized medical pot in 1998.
In San Diego, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis formed the Narcotics Task Force which has been in large part responsible for medical marijuana arrests.
“The District Attorney,” says Alex Kreit, chair of the city council’s medical marijuana task force, “has unfortunately taken a very restrictive view of what the state allows for.” Kreit’s outlook for the future is not optimistic. “You will probably see more criminal work on medical marijuana issues in San Diego County than in other parts of the state.”
The larger problem, as Burdick sees it, lies in keeping her clients compliant in what is essentially a very large gray area created by the lack of any firm direction by either state or federal governments.
“At what point,” she asks, “do you exceed what is legally allowed under Prop 215 and become a drug lord?”
Burdick has plans to help guide the business of marijuana cultivation and distribution into a respectable business. “Once Prohibition was overturned, it didn’t become a free for all for alcohol,” she says. “It became a highly regulated industry.”
She sees a day when medical marijuana cooperatives would be treated as legitimate businesses with full voting rights and privileges. But first, she says, “They need to take control of their own fate and to be able to participate in those processes openly and without fear of retribution.”
But that is not a likely scenario in today’s climate, says David Speckman, a San Diego attorney in private practice who represents more than a dozen such medical marijuana collectives.
“As long as possession of marijuana is illegal at the federal level,” he says, “then you’re not going to see the type of organized structure and regulation that you would find with alcoholic beverage control at the state level.”
Federal law trumps state and local laws, says Speckman, and the hard facts are that the possession of marijuana is a crime.
“What [the feds] are saying is that for purposes of medical marijuana, they are going to defer to the states but with a very important caveat: that one may believe that they are in full compliance with state law and still run amiss of the federal law.”
Speckman says his goal is to help his clients to operate as close to legal compliance as they can, but admits that there is a fear factor among them. “There is,” he says. “And there should be.”
- Image by KayVee.INC via Flickr
June 8, 2010
SAN DIEGO — San Diego County‘s citizen grand jury is calling for better guidelines for medical marijuana dispensaries. The panel wants to see an end to the confusion surrounding the issue.
The citizen panel said medical marijuana dispensaries should be regulated. The report urges municipalities to approve clear rules that decide where and how many storefronts can operate. The report suggests there should be a ban on new medical marijuana storefronts until a city can pass those rules.
Victoria Stubblefield, panel leader, said law enforcement could do a lot to clear the air about medical marijuana.
“The report is recommending that if the district attorney and the sheriff‘s department would create guidelines, then it would educate legitimate people, how they can go about doing their business,” Stubblefield said.
Stubblefield says the grand jury took on the issue because qualified medical marijuana patients say they’re not sure what’s legal and what’s not.
See original posting : http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/jun/08/citizen-panel-calls-medical-marijuana-dispensary-r/
Related articles by Zemanta
- It’s OK To Light Up That Joint, Montel (lewrockwell.com)
- L.A. Can Shut Down Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Judge Says (laist.com)
- D-Day for Most Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (laist.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7ad306d9-74f8-497b-bce9-6f685d3e0751)
- Image via Wikipedia
June 6th, 2010 By: Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director
Supreme Court: Suspects must say they want to be silent
June 1, 2010
——————–
The Supreme Court says suspects must explicitly tell police they want to be silent to invoke their Miranda protection during interrogations.
A right to remain silent and a right to a lawyer are the first of the Miranda rights warnings, which police recite to suspects during arrests and interrogations. But the justices said Tuesday suspects must tell police they are going to remain silent to stop an interrogation, just as they must tell police that they want a lawyer.
The ruling comes in a case where a suspect remained mostly silent for a three-hour police interrogation before implicating himself in a murder. He appealed his conviction, saying that he invoked his Miranda right to remain silent by remaining silent.
For more information about the case, read the New York Times reportage.
In the wake of this week’s SCOTUS ruling, NORML recommends all cannabis consumers download and possess NORML’s ‘Freedom Card’ to present to law enforcement during any interaction where police may seek a criminal charge.
Forewarned is forearmed: In the face of a Supreme Court decision that appears to favor the government over citizens, citizens must assert their constitutional rights to maximize legal protections against the government.
Keith Stroup, Esq.
NORML Legal Counsel
legal@norml.org
Partial text of the card
THE NORML FOUNDATION FREEDOM CARD
The U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from interfering with your right to remain silent, to consult with an attorney, and to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by law enforcement. However, it is up to you to assert these rights. This NORML Foundation Freedom Card will help you do so effectively.If you are confronted by a police officer, remain calm. Be courteous and provide your identification. Politely refuse to answer any further questions. Ask to talk to an attorney. Do not consent to any search of your person, your property, your residence or your vehicle. Tell the officer you would like to give him or her this card, which is a statement of the constitutional rights you wish to invoke. Do not reach for this card until you have obtained the officer’s permission to do so.
If the officer fails to honor your rights, remain calm and polite, ask for the officer’s identifying information and ask him or her to note your objection in the report. Do not attempt to physically resist an unlawful arrest, search or seizure. If necessary, you may point out the violations to a judge at a later time.
THE NORML FOUNDATION
1600 K Street, NW, Suite 501
Washington, DC 20006-2832
www.norml.org / 202-483-5500See original posting: link- http://blog.norml.org/2010/06/06/norml-freedom-card-self-preservation-still-needed-during-marijuana-prohibition/
Related articles by Zemanta
- November Ballot Picture Shaping Up To Be Historic In The Struggle To End Marijuana Prohibition (marijuanaevaluations.wordpress.com)
- Marijuana use by seniors goes up as boomers age (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- U.S. marijuana use by seniors up as boomers age (ctv.ca)
- Senior Citizens Are Starting Medical Marijuana Businesses to Replace Lost Retirement Funds. (prweb.com)
- Senior tokers turn to pot as they age (msnbc.msn.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9fd8499b-066f-403d-85ec-bfed5ad3bfd3)
Tagged with: Aspirin Drug Comparsions Marijuana
When Bayer introduced aspirin in 1899, cannabis was America’s number one painkiller. Until marijuana prohibition began in 1937, the US Pharmacopoeia listed cannabis as the primary medicine for over 100 diseases. Cannabis was such an effective analgesic that the American Medical Association (AMA) argued against prohibition on behalf of medical progress. Since the herb is extremely potent and essentially non-toxic, the AMA considered it a potential wonder drug.
Instead, the invention of aspirin gave birth to the modern pharmaceutical industry and Americans switched away from cannabis in the name of “progress.” But was it really progress? There can be no doubt that aspirin has a long history as the drug of choice for the self-treatment of migraines, arthritis, and other chronic pain. It is cheap and effective. But is it as safe as cannabis?
History:
- Marijuana has been used for over 5,000 years.
- No one has ever overdosed on marijuana.
- Aspirin has been used for 108 years.
- Approximately 500 people die every year by taking aspirin
The Law:
- Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning the US government believes it is extremely dangerous, highly addictive, and of no medical value.
- Aspirin is available for pennies and can be purchased by children at any drug, grocery, or convenience store. Often they are just handed out free by people with no medical education.
Marijuana side effects and dangers:
- The dangers of marijuana include possible respiratory problems caused by the deposition of burnt plant material on the lungs. This danger can be eliminated with alternate forms of consumption such as eating or vaporizing the medicine.
- For two to four hours, marijuana causes short-term memory loss, a slight reduction in reaction time, and a reduction in cognitive ability. (It makes you stupid for a little while.)These conditions DO NOT persist after the herb wears off.
- Hunger
- Paranoia
- Depression
- Laughter
- Introspection
- Creative Impulse
- Euphoria
- Tiredness
- Forgetfulness
Aspirin side effects and dangers:
- When taken with alcohol, aspirin can cause stomach bleeding.
- Reye Syndrome in children: fat begins to develop around the liver and other organs of the child, eventually putting severe pressure on the brain. Death is common within a few days.
- People with hemophilia can die.
- People with hyperthyroidism suffer elevated T4 levels.
- Stomach problems include dyspepsia, heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcers with gross bleeding, and internal bleeding leading to anemia.
- Dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, vertigo, vision disturbances, and headaches.
- Heavy sweating
- Irreversible liver damage
- Inflamation and gradual destruction of the kidneys
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Lethargy
- Hyperthermia
- Dyspepsia: a gnawing or burning stomach pain accompanied by bloating, heartburn, nausea, vomiting and burping.
- Tachypnea: Abnormally fast breathing
- Respiratory Alkalosis: a condition where the amount of carbon dioxide found in the blood drops to a level below normal range brought on by abnormally fast breathing.
- Cerebral Edema: Water accumulates on the brain. Symptoms include headaches, decreased level of consciousness, loss of eyesight, hallucinations, psychotic behavior, memory loss and coma. If left untreated, it can lead to death.
- Hallucinations, confusion, and seizure.
- Prolonged bleeding after operations or post-trauma for up to 10 days after last aspirin.
- Aspirin can interact with some other drugs, such as diabetes medication. Aspirin changes the way the body handles these drugs and can lead to a drug overdose and death.
If you think that cannabis is actually safer than aspirin, you are not alone. In October 2000, Dr. Leslie Iversen of the Oxford University Department of Pharmacology said the same thing.
In her book, ‘The Science of Marijuana,’ Dr. Iversen presents the scientific evidence that cannabis is, by-and-large, a safe drug. Dr. Iversen found cannabis had “an impressive record” when compared to tobacco, alcohol, or even aspirin.
“Tetrahydrocannabinol is a very safe drug,” she said. “Even such apparently innocuous medicines as aspirin and related steroidal anti-inflammatory compunds are not safe.”
So if safety is your concern, cannabis is clearly a much better choice than aspirin. If you eat it or vaporize it, it just might be the safest painkiller the world has ever known.
Dependence: How difficult it is for the user to quit, the relapse rate, the percentage of people who eventually become dependent, the rating users give their own need for the substance and the degree to which the substance will be used in the face of evidence that it causes harm.
Withdrawal: Presence and severity of characteristic withdrawal symptoms.
Tolerance: How much of the substance is needed to satisfy increasing cravings for it, and the level of stable need that is eventually reached.
Reinforcement: A measure of the substance’s ability, in human and animal tests, to get users to take it again and again, and in preference to other substances.
Intoxication: Though not usually counted as a measure of addiction in itself, the level of intoxication is associated with addiction and increases the personal and social damage a substance may do.
This chart originally appeared on DrugWarFacts.org.
Source: On Marijuana
See original posting here Link :http://www.onmarijuana.com/2007/03/24/marijuana-is-safer-than-aspirin/
Related articles by Zemanta
- Medical Marijuana Use in the United States (public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com)
- How Marijuana Could Help Glaucoma (livescience.com)
- MDs, patients back marijuana compassion clubs (cbc.ca)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5bfa7d46-39d6-4b23-8365-3774c49474d4)
November Ballot Picture Shaping Up To Be Historic In The Struggle To End Marijuana Prohibition
November Ballot Picture Shaping Up To Be Historic In The Struggle To End Marijuana Prohibition
June 3rd, 2010 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
The November election is shaping up to be one of the most important in modern history as it pertains to the struggle to end marijuana prohibition.
Voters in several states will have the opportunity this fall to decide on ballot measures to significantly reform their state or municipal marijuana laws. To date, the following initiatives have been certified to appear on the November ballot:
California: In what is arguably the most significant marijuana law reform measure in several decades, California voters will decide on The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. The measure would allow adults 21 years or older to possess, share or transport up to one ounce of cannabis for personal consumption, and to cultivate the plant in an area of not more than twenty-five square feet per private residence. (Read the full text here.) The act would also permit local governments to authorize the retail sale of marijuana or the commercial cultivation of cannabis to adults and to impose taxes on such sales. Personal marijuana cultivation or not-for-profit sales of marijuana would not be taxed under the measure, nor would it alter or amend any aspect of the California Health and Safety code pertaining to the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
According to the most recent statewide poll on the issue, Californians support the measure 49 percent to 41 percent.
South Dakota: South Dakota voters will decide this November on Measure 13, The South Dakota Safe Access Act — which would exempt state criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana or six plants by authorized patients. (Read the full text here.) If enacted, South Dakota would become the fifteenth state since 1996 to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
Oregon: Voters are anticipated to decide this November on a statewide measure to authorize the creation of non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries, which would be legally able to distribute cannabis provided by private growers. (Read the full text here.) Proponents of the measure turned in over 110,000 signatures in favor of the act to the Secretary of State Elections Division in May, and are awaiting certification.
In 2009, Maine voters became the first to approve a ballot measure authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries. Oregon voters initially approved the legalization of medical marijuana in 1998.
Arizona: Election officials on Tuesday affirmed that proponents of a statewide ballot measure to allow for authorized patients to possess and purchase medical cannabis from state-licensed facilities has qualified for the 2010 November ballot. (Read the full text here.) Under the proposed measure, state-registered patients would be permitted to obtain cannabis legally from licensed dispensaries. Authorized patients who do not have a facility in their local area (defined as within 25 miles of their residence) would be permitted under the law to cultivate their own cannabis for medicinal purposes. Other patients would not be allowed to grow their own marijuana.
The ballot measure is sponsored by the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, an affiliate of the Marijuana Policy Project.
Detroit, Michigan: Detroit citizens are expected vote this November on a municipal measure to prohibit the criminal prosecution of adults who possess minor amounts of marijuana. If enacted, the measure would amend the Detroit City Code to remove criminal penalties for “the use or possession of less then one ounce of marijuana, on private property, by anyone who has attained the age of 21 years.” Voters have previously enacted similar municipal measures in several other cities, including Denver, Colorado.
Washington: Sensible Washington proponents continue to collect signatures in favor of I-1068, which would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. (Read the full text here.) To qualify the act for the November ballot, supporters must turn over 241,000 valid signatures by July 2, 2010.
According to a poll of 1,252 registered voters conducted last week, 52 percent of adults support the measure, and only 35 percent oppose it.
Oregon: Proponents of The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) must turn in over 110,000 signatures by July 2 to qualify the measure for the November 2010 ballot. OCTA seeks to permit the state-licensed production and sale of marijuana to adults. Oregon NORML is sponsoring the campaign, and is seeking volunteers here.
NORML will continue to keep you updated as additional statewide or municipal ballot proposals qualify to the November ballot.
<!– COMMENTED BY RUSS BELVILLE, REPLACED BY SHARE THIS PLUG-IN Share this Article 
END OF COMMENTED-OUT SECTION –>See original posting at http://blog.norml.org/2010/06/03/november-ballot-picture-shaping-up-to-be-historic-in-the-struggle-to-end-marijuana-prohibition/
Related articles by Zemanta
- Washington State Favors Marijuana Legalization 52% to 35% (elections.firedoglake.com)
- The Pot Bloc (slog.thestranger.com)
- Californians to vote on de-criminalization of marijuana (stillisstillmoving.com)
- DC Council Passes Medical Marijuana Law (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=272eed2f-09b6-467d-b203-207b872934c6)
Hempfest founder, former Weekly writer, others push to decriminalize marijuana in Washington
By Sam Kettering
Published: Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Updated: Saturday, June 5, 2010
 "Photo: Matthew Brady | The Spectator")
Matthew Brady | The Spectator
Skyler Farmer holds up a sign supporting I-1068, an initiative that would remove state penalties for marijuana. He collected signatures in Westlake this weekend to put the measure on the ballot.
A voter initiative authored by several Seattle activists could effectively legalize marijuana in the state of Washington. However I-1068 must first make it onto the November ballot via more than 200,000 petition signatures.
I-1068 aims to decriminalize the use, possession, distribution, transport and growth of marijuana in Washington for people ages 18 and older by removing the state’s authority to enforce civil or criminal penalties. It would remain illegal for Washington minors to use, possess, distribute, transport and grow the plant.
The initiative was written by public defender Douglass Hiatt, attorney Jeffrey Steinborn, Seattle Hempfest founder Vivian McPeak, medicinal marijuana patient Ric Smith and former Seattle Weekly writer Philip Dawdy.
I-1068’s main sponsor is a group called Sensible Washington, which Dawdy cofounded earlier this year. Sensible Washington focuses on collecting the 241,153 valid signatures necessary to put the initiative on November’s ballot. As of May 26, volunteers have collected more than 100,000 signatures.
According to Dawdy, there are a number of reasons to support I-1068. One of the most important, he says, is that marijuana is not a dangerous drug.
“It’s time for society to stop treating it like something naughty,” he said. “If marijuana was evil and scary, Seattle would have ceased to function a long time ago.”
Although Washington’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union supports the legalization of marijuana, the group opposes I-1068 on the grounds that it lacks a workable regulatory system.
“Marijuana should be placed under controls that not only remove criminal penalties for adult marijuana use but also address the public’s concerns about health and safety,” said the ACLU of Washington in a Feb. 25 statement.
Initial plans for I-1068 began in January when Dawdy and Hiatt were concerned by two other pieces of marijuana legislation, House Bill 1177 and its companion Senate Bill 5615. Both bills would turn the possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana by a legal adult into a civil infraction punishable by a $100 fine.
While Dawdy and Hiatt agreed with the reasoning behind HB 1177 and SB 5615, they didn’t think either bill did enough to protect those in need of medicinal marijuana as well as those who grew, transported and distributed the plant for medical purposes.
“The legislature has neither the votes nor the will to pass this,” Dawdy said. “An initiative is the appropriate way to handle this.”
Under Washington state law, I-1068 can only seek to decriminalize activities related to marijuana consumption. It does not make provisions for the state’s government to tax marijuana, which the ACLU also takes issue with.
In the same Feb. 25 statement, the ACLU of Washington explained many people in Washington seem open to removing criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana, but fewer voters support full legalization of marijuana.
“Those who do support full legalization understand that legalization means treating marijuana similarly to alcohol, taxing and regulating it,” the ACLU said in the statement.
The group also wrote that voters would be less likely to pass a law disallowing the taxation of marijuana. If voters fail to pass I-1068 in November, then it would become more difficult for pro-marijuana legislation to be passed in the future.
Dawdy remains confident that Sensible Washington voters will collect the necessary signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.
Despite the rain, volunteers hit the pavement last weekend at the Northwest Folklife Festival. By 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, they collected roughly 9,000 signatures.
“We’ll get it done,” Dawdy said.
Sam can be reached at skettering@su-spectator.com
Related articles by Zemanta
- Seattle Channel hosts discussion on marijuana Wednesday (seattlepi.com)
- Marijuana Legalization is On The Way (marijuanaevaluations.wordpress.com)
- Marijuana legalization is on the way (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Grass roots efforts to legalize marijuana (seattlepi.com)
- VIDEO: Seattle Channel’s marijuana discussion (seattlepi.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=78f4e8f8-52da-465a-b3e8-f05a5463b150)
