Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 11 Mar 2014 04:20:21 PST
District Of Columbia: City Council Finalizes Vote Decriminalizing Pot Possession Offenses
Washington, DC: Members of the Washington, DC City Council gave final approval this week to legislation reducing the District's marijuana possession penalties to a fine-only violation.
District lawmakers voted 10 to 1 in favor of "The Simple Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013," which amends District law involving the possession or transfer of up to one ounce of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (punishable by up to 6 months incarceration and a maximum fine of $1,000) to a civil violation (punishable by a $25 fine, no arrest, no jail time, and no criminal record). Democrat Mayor Vincent C. Gray said that he intends to sign the measure into law.
Offenses involving the public consumption of cannabis remain classified as a criminal misdemeanor under DC law, punishable by up to six-months in jail and a $500 fine. The possession of cannabis-related paraphernalia will be re-classified as a violation, not a criminal offense.
Once signed into law, the measure faces a 60-day review period by members of Congress.
A 2012 analysis published by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland reported that the District possesses the highest percentage of marijuana possession arrests per capita in the nation.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: I Am Doubling Down On Medical Marijuana
New York, NY: CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is "doubling down" in his advocacy for patients to have legal access to cannabis as a therapeutic agent.
In commentary featured on the CNN website Wednesday, Gupta writes: "I am more convinced than ever that it is irresponsible to not provide the best care we can, care that often may involve marijuana. I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am doubling down."
Last August, Gupta authored a commentary apologizing for his past opposition to medical cannabis, stating, "We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States (in regards to cannabis), and I apologize for my own role in that."
In his most recent editorial, Gupta acknowledges, "Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, defined as (among) the most dangerous drugs with no currently accepted medical use. Neither of those statements has ever been factual." He also criticizes President Obama for acknowledging that cannabis poses less harm than alcohol while failing "to remove marijuana from the list of the most tightly controlled substances in the country."
Gupta's forthcoming documentary on the plant, entitled "Weed 2: Cannabis Madness: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports," airs at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 11.
Ohio: Majority Of Voters Back Legalizing Marijuana
Columbus, OH: Most Ohio voters support regulating the adult use of cannabis, while a super-majority endorses legalizing the plant for therapeutic purposes, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week.
Fifty-one percent of respondents support "allowing adults in Ohio to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use." Forty-four percent of respondents opposed the idea.
Respondents most likely to favor legalization include those ages 18 to 29 (72 percent), Independents (61 percent), men (59 percent), and Democrats (56 percent). Support is significantly lower among women (44 percent), Republicans (33 percent), and those over the age of 65 (31 percent).
On the issue of legalizing cannabis for therapeutic purposes, voter support rose to 87 percent - with the issue receiving super-majority support from respondents of every age and political affiliation.
The Quinnipiac poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.
New Mexico: Department Of Health To Expand State's Medical Cannabis Program
Albuquerque, NM: Representatives of the New Mexico Department of Health have announced their intentions to expand the state's medical cannabis program.
State Health Secretary Retta Ward accepted an advisory board's recommendation to expand the state's existing list of qualifying conditions for which cannabis may be recommended to include Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease.
The Department is also seeking to increase the number of plants that licensed producers may legally produce at one time from 150 total cannabis plants and seedlings to 150 mature plants and 300 seedlings.
Under present regulations, 23 individuals are licensed to produce medical cannabis. The Department is anticipated to seek applications from as many as 12 additional producers, the Associated Press reports.
The agency's plans to increase the state's supply of medical cannabis comes after the release of a 2013 Department of Health report finding that existing supply is falling well short of patients' demands.
In 2009, New Mexico became the first state to license producers of medicinal cannabis.
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