#NORML #News Source: @norml Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Wed, 07 Aug 2013 04:20:21 PST
Marijuana Sales Finally Underway In Nation's Capital
Washington, DC: Qualified District residents this week began legally purchasing cannabis for therapeutic purposes. So far, fewer than a dozen patients are registered participants in the nascent municipal program, which allows qualified persons with a doctor's recommendation and authorization from the DC Department of Health to obtain cannabis from DC-licensed dispensaries.
The District of Columbia joins 20 states that have enacted legislation allowing for the physician-authorized consumption of cannabis, including Illinois - which enacted legislation on Thursday, August 1 to establish a medical marijuana pilot program. More than ten states now license (or are in the process of licensing) producers to legally grow and dispense the plant.
Some 70 percent of District residents initially approved a municipal initiative in 1998 authorizing qualified patients to possess and consume the plant. However, Congress blocked city officials from implementing the voter-approved law until 2009. In 2010, members of the DC City Council amended the 1998 initiative to permit the tightly regulated production and sales of cannabis by licensed facilities. Members of Congress allowed the amended measure to become law without federal inference in July of 2010.
After numerous delays, DC regulators have finally begun authorizing physicians, patients, and dispensaries to begin participating in the city's medical marijuana program. The first District-authorized marijuana sales took place on Tuesday.
Under the DC law, qualified patients must obtain cannabis at a licensed dispensary. They are not permitted to cultivate their own cannabis or possess cannabis from some other supply source. Permitted dispensaries must acquire the cannabis they sell through licensed producers of the plant.
In addition to the District of Columbia, Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont have licensed medical cannabis dispensaries up and running. (California dispensaries are not licensed by the state.) Similar dispensary outlets are in the process of opening in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Nevada and New Hampshire. Legislation to establish state-licensed dispensaries in Oregon is awaiting action from the Governor.
California: Law Change Leads To Dramatic Decline In Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests
Sacramento, CA: The annual number of misdemeanor drug arrests has fallen by nearly 50 percent in California in five years, largely due to the imposition of a 2010 law reducing minor marijuana possession offenses to a civil infraction.
According to figures released this week in the 2012 California Crime Report, statewide misdemeanor drug arrests fell from an estimated 133,000 in 2007 to some 72,000 in 2012. The greatest decline was reported in marijuana misdemeanor arrests, which dropped from a near-record high of 61,000 prosecutions in 2009, the year prior to the infraction law's passage, to fewer than 8,000 in 2012.
Stated Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director: "Rather than continuing to spend tens of thousands of dollars in police time and in judicial costs arresting and prosecuting tens of thousands of minor marijuana offenders, these state resources are now being reprioritized toward other, more important public safety activities."
In October 2010, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation, Senate Bill 1449, into law reclassifying the adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor to an infraction, punishable by a $100 fine - no court appearance, no court costs, and no criminal record. Possession offenses involving quantities greater than 28.5 grams remain classified as misdemeanors. The law took effect on January 1, 2011.
Several other states - including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Rhode Island - similarly classify minor marijuana possession as a noncriminal offense.
Felony drug arrests in California also fell some 15 percent over the past five years, the 2012 report found. Felony marijuana arrests totaled 13,434 in 2012, down from 14,082 reported felonies in 2011.
For more information, please visit California NORML at: https://www.canorml.org
Study: Cannabis Associated With Less Risk Of Traffic Accident Compared To Alcohol, Various Medicinal Drugs
Lyngby, Denmark: A driver's risk of being severely injured in an accident is highest after having either consumed alcohol alone, resulting in a blood/alcohol level above .08, or in combination with other psychoactive substances, according to the findings of a population-based case-controlled study published online in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
Danish researchers assessed the overall risk of a driver being severely injured in an accident after having consumed alcohol, illicit substances, or various types of pharmaceutical drugs, including opioids, benzodiazepenes, or so-called 'Z-drugs' (sedatives/sleep aids) such as Ambien. Case samples (N = 2490) were collected from severely injured drivers in selected hospitals in six European countries. Cases were matched against nearly 16,000 randomly stopped controls. Odds rations were adjusted for age, gender and country.
Investigators reported: "The highest risk of the driver being severely injured was associated with driving positive for high concentrations of alcohol (≥0.8 g/L), alone or in combination with other psychoactive substances. ...The second most risky category contained various drug-drug combinations, amphetamines and medicinal opioids. Medium increased risk was associated with medium sized BACs (at or above 0.5 g/L, below 0.8 g/L) and benzoylecgonine. The least risky drug seemed to be cannabis and benzodiazepines and Z-drugs."
They concluded, "[A]mong psychoactive substances alcohol still poses the largest problem in terms of driver risk of getting injured."
Full text of the study, "Risk of severe driver injury by driving with psychoactive substances," appears online in Accident Analysis and Prevention.
CAL Legislative Alert - Oppose Bill To Ban Vaporizers In Non-Smoking Areas (SB 648)
A bill that would ban smokeless e-cigarettes and vaporizers in non-smoking areas will be heard by the California Assembly Governmental Organization Committee on Aug. 14th (SB 648-Corbett). Scientific studies have shown that vaporizers provide valuable "harm reduction" benefits to medical marijuana patients and eliminate second-hand smoking hazards. SB 648 would make it impossible for patients to vaporize in most public or private rental spaces, conference rooms, restaurants, hotels, etc., and would encourage local governments and landlords to include vaporizers in anti-smoking rules covering private apartments and multi-unit dwellings. Tell the legislature that restricting vaporizers is harmful to consumer health.
