Marijuana

Daily Iowegian, 23 Apr 2013 - I can only speak from my own experience. In my opinion marijuana should not be legalized. The last thing we need is another get-high drug with questionable medical benefits. This is my experience: I smoked a lot of pot. I used it as an alternative to alcohol which had disastrous effects on me. I found that with pot I didn't have black outs, I didn't have hangovers and I could get high without getting in trouble. No problem.

Timaru Herald, 23 Apr 2013 - A Timaru professional man smokes a joint most evenings and does not think it affects his work. John believes the locally grown marijuana he buys is safer than synthetic cannabis which is sold legally.

A bill that would establish a National Commission on Marijuana Policy was introduced in the US Congress last week. Filed by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), House Bill 1635 seeks a commission that would undertake a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of current federal marijuana prohibition, as well as examining how federal policy should interact with state laws that have either approved medical marijuana or legalized marijuana outright.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Cohen's proposal is inspired by the 1971 Shafer Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, which was commissioned by President Richard Nixon but then shelved when it recommended decriminalizing marijuana. The commission report resulted in decriminalization in a handful of states in the 1970s, before marijuana reform went into the deep freeze during the Reagan era.

"Regardless of your views on marijuana, it's important that we understand the impact of current federal policy and address the conflict with those state laws that allow for medicinal or personal use of marijuana," said Congressman Cohen. "This conflict is only going to continue to grow over the next few years and we must provide certainty to the millions of individuals and businesses that remain caught in a web of incompatible laws. A national commission would provide us with the information we need to create sensible policy going forward."

Joining Cohen in backing the bill are cosponsors Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Sam Farr (D-CA), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Jared Polis (D-CO).

"The Obama administration has repeatedly stated that a national conversation is needed when it comes to our country’s marijuana policies, but so far that conversation has been largely one sided," said Erik Altieri, communications director for NORML, which worked with Cohen on drafting the bill. "It is time for federal lawmakers to listen to the voice of the majority of Americans who want to see change to our nation’s marijuana laws and for them to take part in that dialogue."

"We have clearly reached a point where the American people want marijuana prohibition to end," said Steve Fox, national political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "The states have been taking the lead, but the federal government must catch up. It is no longer a question of whether the federal government should allow states to enact their own marijuana policies. Of course, it should. The question now is how to reconcile state and federal laws. This commission bill proposes a study and a discussion that is long overdue."

The proposed commission would consist of 13 members: five appointed by the president; two appointed by the Speaker of the House; two appointed by the House minority leader; two appointed by the Senate majority leader; and two appointed by the Senate minority leader.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow patients with qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with recommendations from their physicians. In November, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved measures making marijuana legal for adults 21 and older and directing state regulatory bodies to create regulations for businesses to cultivate and sell marijuana to adults.

The Tribune, 22 Apr 2013 - Kelly "Kush" Kirby sees it as a holiday. April 20, also known as 4/20 among pro-marijuana enthusiasts, isn't just a day to toke up, she said. "We have to get the word out about marijuana," she said. "It's not just about getting high. It's medication for a lot of people."

The Peterborough Examiner, 22 Apr 2013 - The weather may have been a little cool but it didn't keep people away from attending a pro-marijuana rally in Victoria Park in front of the courthouse on Saturday afternoon. For about five hours, an estimated 230 people came out to offer their support that pot should be legalized. It also included a 30-minute sidewalk march covering about a six-block radius.

The Alton Telegraph, 22 Apr 2013 - Illinois seems poised to join the growing trend of states legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. Last week, the Illinois House approved House Bill 1, which would allow physicians to prescribe up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana to patients with specific medical conditions, including serious illnesses.

Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr 2013 - Three rival initiatives on May 21 ballot have divided L.A.'S medical marijuana industry. Dozens of medical marijuana activists rallied outside Los Angeles City Hall last week, declaring war on an enemy.

The Herald, 21 Apr 2013 - SAN FRANCISCO - As more states embrace legalized marijuana, the drug's growing medicinal use has highlighted a disturbing fact for doctors: scant research exists to support marijuana's health benefits. Smoked, eaten or brewed as a tea, marijuana has been used as a medication for centuries, including in the United States, where Eli Lilly sold it until 1915. The drug was declared illegal in 1937, though its long history has provided ample anecdotal evidence of the plant's potential medicinal use. Still, modern scientific studies are lacking.

Commercial Appeal, 21 Apr 2013 - Keoka Washington, 25, said she started smoking weed at 11 a.m. Saturday to "get a head start" on celebrating the counterculture holiday 4/20. She and nine of her closest friends revel in the holiday that marijuana users refer to as "smokeout day" by firing up a blunt and eating. "You can bite and smoke at the same time," Washington said. "We pass it. We're a group. Sharing is caring."

Edmonton Sun, 21 Apr 2013 - At 4:20 p.m. Saturday, after a countdown reminiscent of New Year's Eve, a plume of smoke rose from the grounds of the Alberta legislature as a sea of people gathered in a national day of support for the decriminalization of marijuana. Dave Mallett, one of the organizers of the event said they had planned to have guest speakers and bands to entertain the supporters.

Ottawa Sun, 21 Apr 2013 - As the clock struck 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, a haze of smoke enveloped Parliament Hill, cheers erupted and a pungent smell wafted over downtown. For at least a few hours on a cold April afternoon, some 9,000 people welcomed the opportunity to puff on a joint without legal hassle, getting stoned while speaking out in support of legalizing marijuana.

The Post, 20 Apr 2013 - In addition to the typical brownie sale, Students for Liberty celebrated April 20 by addressing the effects drug prohibition has on society. Students for Liberty, Ohio University's Libertarian organization, hosted three speakers from the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws to argue for the legalization of marijuana for 4/20.

Globe and Mail, 20 Apr 2013 - Here's something you won't see happen on Saturday: Christy Clark or Adrian Dix's campaign buses rolling up to the north lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery to the cheers of thousands of marijuana activists. Neither Mr. Dix nor Ms. Clark will push their way through the happy crowds and skunk-scented smoke, glad-handing potential voters. It is even less likely that either will make their way to the stage brandishing a freshly rolled spliff, spark it up and declare 4/20 officially "on." Neither will inhale deeply, nor extol the virtues of weed, nor pass the dutchie to the left-hand side. And you certainly won't hear them making speeches calling for the decriminalization, legalization, or the regulation and taxation of pot.

Ottawa Sun, 20 Apr 2013 - With nearly 15,000 people expected converge on Parliament Hill Saturday for cannabis reform, Parliament Hill may look like it's going up in smoke - pot smoke. With regulations surrounding marijuana usage appearing too lax, organizers of the Fill the Hill 2013 are hoping they're getting closer to realizing their dream to one day smoke legally in Canada.

Wall Street Journal, 20 Apr 2013 - DENVER - Like any farmer, Elliott Klug understands the highs and lows of living off the land. But his crop requires a rigorous effort. To keep output going, it is harvested every week. It is also grown only indoors. And though you won't find this tip in the Farmer's Almanac, his workers believe that blaring Grateful Dead songs boosts productivity.

Vancouver 24hours, 19 Apr 2013 - A Vancouver School Board trustee is warning students not to attend the annual 4/20 marijuana celebration in downtown Saturday, citing the health and safety concerns of minors in spite of growing support revealed in new polls to support the drug. On Thursday, trustee Ken Denike noted marijuana is still a "banned substance." He warned parents it's very unlikely children who attend the celebration in front of Vancouver Art Gallery would emerge untouched by the billowing clouds of smoke and weed offered for sale.

The Observer, 19 Apr 2013 - SARNIA - If you ask local public high school teachers what their top concern is for student wellness, the answer may be different than what you'd expect to hear. Substance use has been ranked the top socio-emotional concern for local students, according to a recent survey of Lambton Kent District School Board high school teachers.

Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr 2013 - Public Safety Compacts Reduce Sentences for MD. Inmates Who Commit to Treatment We have a great capacity for placing people into categories and minimizing their humanity. One such category is "felons" and another is "drug addicts." We can easily forget that men and women who have been convicted of crimes or are suffering from substance abuse issues are the same as the rest of us at the core - fallible but resolutely hopeful.

Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr 2013 - Those who claim there always are legal alternatives to medical marijuana are not dealing from personal experience. Twenty years ago, my dad suffered from esophageal cancer and emphysema. The nausea from his treatment was severe and the list of medications prescribed for it ineffective.

Globe and Mail, 18 Apr 2013 - It's not the "did you inhale" question many politicians have been asked, but a lobby group will be questioning want-to-be politicians on their position over a regulated marijuana market in British Columbia. Stop the Violence BC - a coalition of police, doctors, lawyers, politicians and academics - argues a regulated and taxed marijuana market could choke the flow of funds going to organized crime, reduce the proliferation of illegal grow-ops in B.C. and fund drug awareness and harm prevention campaigns.