Marijuana

Hudson Hub-Times, 29 May 2013 - Columbus -- Another medical marijuana initiative has been cleared for petition activity, paving the way for organizers to gain the 385,000-plus signatures they'll need to qualify for the general election ballot. It's the third proposed constitutional amendment on the issue reviewed by the attorney general and state ballot board to date, though there's little indication that the previous two were making much headway.

Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2013 - Broad Medical Marijuana Use Creates a New Risk for Children, a Study Finds As legalized marijuana appears in an increasing number of American homes, so too does evidence of a dark side: accidental ingestion of pot and pot-infused food by young children.

Seattle Times, 29 May 2013 - 'New Entity' Governor Expects Feds to Respond Over Violation of Drug Law DENVER - A set of laws to govern how recreational marijuana should be grown, sold and taxed was signed into law Tuesday in Colorado, where Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper called the measures the state's best attempt to navigate the uncharted territory of legalized recreational pot.

Toronto Sun, 28 May 2013 - Hands up if you who smoked a joint or two - or too many to count - in the past, or are doing it now. Hands up if you have tried a little - or a lot - of hashish at one time in the past, or are doing it now.

Chilliwack Progress, 28 May 2013 - The recent push from B.C. cities to ensure medical marijuana is grown in industrial zones, and not on farmland, stemmed from a motion first passed by Chilliwack city council. Federal authorities are now gearing up to remove medical pot growing from residential areas for good, to be replaced by large commercial growers.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 28 May 2013 - Increased use of medical marijuana may lead to more young children getting sick from accidentally eating food made with the drug, a Colorado study suggests. Medical marijuana items include yummy-looking gummy candies, cookies and other treats that may entice young children. Fourteen children were treated at Colorado Children's Hospital in the two years after a 2009 federal policy change led to a surge in medical marijuana use, the study found. That's when federal authorities said they would not prosecute legal users.

Norwalk Reflector, 28 May 2013 - Amendment would leave many decisions to new bipartisan Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control on dispensing medical marijuana and the Department of Agriculture on hemp production. Backers of the third attempt in less than two years to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio insist the latest effort will take root as it did in Michigan.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 28 May 2013 - Latin American presidents who support decriminalization of marijuana won a big diplomatic victory in recent days when the 34-country Organization of American States issued a report that considers that option as one of several policies that might help reduce the region's drug-related violence. The 400-page OAS report, titled "The Drug Problem in the Americas," had been commissioned by Latin American countries at last year's Summit of the Americas attended by President Barack Obama in Cartagena.

Sun-Sentinel, 27 May 2013 - After Father's Experience, John Morgan Backs Petition Drive to Amend Florida Constitution John Morgan already has the battle cry for his upcoming fight to change Florida's constitution to legalize medical marijuana.

The Blade, 27 May 2013 - COLUMBUS - Backers of the third attempt in less than two years to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio insist the latest effort will take root as it did in Michigan. "There's far more interest in people backing this one, particularly those who want to bring people into the political arena in 2014," said Bob Fitrakis, a member of the Ohio Rights Group behind the latest effort.

Manawatu Standard, 27 May 2013 - Lees- Galloway May Not Represent the Views on Drugs of the People in His Electorate. When Palmerston North MP Iain Lees- Galloway started his speech in Parliament last month concerning the Psychoactive Substances Bill, there was an interjection.

Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2013 - In his first interview with a national news outlet, Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti said he wouldn't have any problems if California voters decided to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. During a short interview with Univision's Jorge Ramos on Sunday, Garcetti was asked if he thought pot use should be legalized for casual use.

Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2013 - Colorado Sees Opportunities, Consequences; in Illinois, Quinn Considers a More Restrictive Law DENVER - At Leela European Cafe, a quirky, 24-hour coffee shop and bar in the heart of downtown, a bartender was quick with her thoughts on Colorado's experience with the legal sale of medical marijuana.

The Blade, 26 May 2013 - Ohio Would Benefit From a Carefully Regulated Experiment With Legalized Medical Marijuana Now that voters in Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana in their states, it's a matter of time before the issue reaches Ohio. If our state is not prepared to take that big a leap all at once, it still ought to look favorably at joining the 18 states - including Michigan - that authorize the growth, sale, and use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Washington Post, 26 May 2013 - For young people denied jobs, crime and public assistance become far more enticing. Marijuana laws create a permanent underclass unable to join the legitimate workforce. In a little office on the third floor of Metropolitan Police Headquarters on Indiana Avenue NW is a small window to the future - open to some, closed to many. This is where you get your D.C. "police clearance."

Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 2013 - Bill Clinton never inhaled; Jack Layton said he never exhaled. Pierre Trudeau is believed to have done it, and so did another prime minister, Kim Campbell. Jean Chretien said he'll spark one up when it's legal. "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Manawatu Standard, 25 May 2013 - If the movement to legalise cannabis had a theme song, and it's surprising that it doesn't, the old pub anthem Tumthumping would be apt. " I get knocked down/ But I get up again/ You're never going to keep me down." Every few years proponents of pot are taken a little more seriously, and the reasoning for decriminalisation or legalisation sounds a little less radical.

Toronto Star, 25 May 2013 - Doug Ford said there is no truth to newly published allegations that he was involved in selling hashish in the 1980s. As fresh allegations involving the Ford family and drugs emerged Saturday, Councillor Doug Ford kicked into defence mode, calling reports that he was once an accomplished hashish dealer "disgusting" and an "outright lie" and accusing the media of attempting to "go after our family's character."

Globe and Mail, 25 May 2013 - Long before the current controversy at Toronto City Hall, The Globe and Mail set out to trace the Ford brothers' rise to prominence. What reporters Greg McArthur and Shannon Kari discovered: siblings with former ties to drug trafficking, a charge of physical assault, and brushes with the law In the 1980s, anyone wanting to buy hashish had to know where to go. And in central Etobicoke, the wealthy Toronto suburb where Mayor Rob Ford grew up, one of those places was James Gardens. In the evening, the sports cars often wound along Edenbridge Drive, past the gated homes and the lawn-bowling pitches, until they reached the U-shaped parking lot. By nightfall, the public park was a hash drive-thru. One former street dealer, whom we will call "Justin," described the scene as "an assembly line."

The Tribune, 25 May 2013 - WELLAND - Eileen Santoro arrived at her Division St. business Tuesday morning to find a decorative concrete finial had been broken off of the sign it once adorned, left on the grass beside it. It was just another day of running a business in downtown Welland, dealing with a problem that's far too common, she says.