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By Chris Conrad
WCL News — La Asociación Canadiense de Jefes de Policía ha recomendado que la tenencia de marihuana debería ser reducido a un delito de citación que no conduzca a un arresto. De acuerdo con 20 de agosto, 2013, CACP comunicado de prensa de agosto de sus miembros votó en su reunión general anual de Winnipeg a ratificar la Resolución # 04-2013 recomendando que las opciones de aplicación debería ampliarse para aumentar la discrecionalidad policial cuando se enfrenta a la posesión ilícita de cannabis. La asociación representa a más del 90% de la comunidad policial en Canadá que incluyen federales, las Primeras Naciones, provinciales, regionales y municipales, el transporte y los líderes de la policía militar.
“El actual proceso de envío de todos los casos de simple posesión de marihuana bajo la controlada de fármacos y sustancias actúan a la corte criminal está poniendo una carga significativa para
Read More: Jefes de Policía Canadiense ha recomendado que la tenencia de marihuana debería ser reducido a un delito de citación
By Miguel Angel Bifari, en Argentina
WCL News — Las reformas a las leyes de cannabis están cambiando rápidamente la historia en toda América del sur. Uruguay es un pequeño país situado entre los dos grandes gigantes de la economía Argentina y Brasil, con sólo tres millones de habitantes, pero situado en una esquina estratégica de este gran continente.
Este pequeño país está a punto de convertirse en el primer país en legalizar la marihuana en casa jardines cultivados, así como clubes de cannabis, la producción, el comercio y distribution. En 31 de julio 2013 la Cámara Baja del Congreso aprobó la nueva ley sobre cannabis 50 votos a favor y 46 en contra. La cámara superior debe hacer lo mismo.
Esto está teniendo un gran impacto en toda la región. A pesar de que Uruguay se está presionado bu las Naciones Unidas, muchos presidentes actuales y ex presidentes
Read More: Uruguay cambia la historia del cannabis en america el sur
By Chris Conrad, WestCoastLeaf.com
WCL News – The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has recommended that marijuana possession should be reduced to a citation offense that does not lead to an arrest. According to an August 20, 2013 CACP press release, its membership voted at its annual General Meeting in Winnipeg to ratify Resolution #04 – 2013 recommending that enforcement options should be expanded to increase police discretion when confronting the illicit possession of cannabis. The association represents more than 90% of the police community in Canada which include federal, First Nations, provincial, regional and municipal, transportation and military police leaders.
“The current process of sending all simple possession of cannabis cases under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act to criminal court is placing a significant burden on the entire Justice system from an economic and resource utilization perspective,” stated CACP President Chief Constable Jim Chu. “The CACP is
Read More: Canada’s police chiefs want possession reduced to a ticket citation
The Emerald City of Seattle is more green than ever since Washington voters passed I-502. Photos by Chris Conrad.
By Chris Conrad
WCL News — Seattle police made peace with the world’s largest “protestival” for cannabis reform, the Seattle Hempfest by passing out 1,000 packs of Doritos to festival goers August 16 to 18, 2013. Each bag contained a greeting and a message to alert people to the new legalization law and the policy of the city’s police department.
This year’s annual event, which draws well over 100,000 attendees to the Emerald City, was the first since voters approved I-502. The initiative, which legalized adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, was controversial at last year’s event because of its tight restrictions, including a ban on cultivation and an arbitrary (and probably much-too-low) per se limit of 0.5 ng/ml of THC in the blood for drivers.
Read More: Seattle HempFest takes bite out of prohibition
By Gaynell Rogers
WCL News — On the heels of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s endorsement of medical cannabis and Eric Holder’s speech advocating Drug War reform, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency informed US security and armored car services on Aug. 22, 2013, that they can no longer render services to state-legal cannabis providers. The announcement poses grave risks to medical cannabis patients and the general public alike, according to experts in the field.
“We need to provide financial institutions certainty they can make their own business decisions related to legal, financial transactions without fear of regulatory penalties,” said Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. He cited “public safety, crime and lost tax revenue” concerns in an Aug. 29 statement. “Currently, under federal banking laws, many legal, regulated legitimate marijuana businesses operating legally according to state law are prevented from maintaining bank accounts and
Read More: Feds tell security, armored car companies not to serve cannabis industry
By Julie Patterson, WestCoastLeaf.com
WCL News —With Illinois becoming the 20th medical marijuana state in 2013 and broader legalization on the forefront of US news, data is being studied that explores what effects the drug may have on communities as a whole, with some surprising results. Analysts of health related behavior claim that in states where medical marijuana has been legalized, road fatalities experience a dip in numbers, from around 11% in the first year of legalization. This could be good news for the states that are pressing for medical legalization laws to be passed.
The team of economists is careful about their claims, stressing that due diligence should always be taken when driving and that no one should drive under the influence of drink or drugs, however, these findings are more significant in revealing the effects of marijuana on society as a whole.
The Study
Led by Daniel Rees, an
Read More: Legal marijuana may improve roadway safety
By Jeremy Daw, WestCoastLeaf.com
WCL News — The UN policy on cannabis has been rattled by events in South America. A bill to legalize small cannabis collectives, allow pharmacies to sell medical marijuana and direct the national government of Uruguay to become one of the world’s largest cannabis distributors passed its most difficult political hurdle when the small South American country’s House of Representatives approved it July 31, 2013 by a vote of 50 to 46. The measure, which has been enthusiastically endorsed by President Jose Mujica, is expected to pass easily in the Senate.
If the legalization bill becomes law, Uruguayan citizens 21 and older would have the right to form small collectives of up to six people to distribute the herb amongst themselves. Pharmacies would become the premiere destination for medical marijuana, exacting strict testing and labeling standards. Most significantly, the government itself would become directly involved in
Read More: Uruguay poised to legalize cannabis before end of year 2013
Rev. Roger Christie is fighting for his religious belief in sacramental cannabis use and the right to share with his congregants. Photos courtesy of Share Christie.
By Chris Conrad, WestCoastLeaf.com
WCL News — The THC Ministry church became the second non-Rastafarian church recognized by a US court to use cannabis as a sacrament on Aug. 5, 2013, when a federal judge in Hawai’i held that its founder was entitled to a defense in federal court under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The RFRA was adopted by Congress in the 1990s, then partially struck down as being unconstitutionally restrictive on state authorities. However, it remains in effect regarding federal prosecutors.
Rev. Roger Christie, 64, has been held without bail in the Honolulu Federal Detention Center since July 8, 2010, fighting for his First Amendment religious freedom defense, ever
Read More: Federal court recognizes sacramental use of cannabis
Salerno, left, with attorney Levinsohn
By Ron Mullins, The Human Solution
WCL News — A Yuba County CA jury acquitted medical marijuana patient Eric Salerno Aug. 9, 2013, who had been arrested in a Marysville fast food restaurant parking lot April 22, 2011 with $3500, a scale, several pounds of marijuana and another valid patient. Both patients showed their physician recommendations to the police, however, when the other patient cut a deal in exchange for testifying against him, the prosecution moved forward.
Salerno and his wife, Desiree, raise their two young sons Lorenzo and Andreas in the Yuba County foothills. The first judge in his case, Judge James F. Dawson, denied Salerno his medical marijuana defense. Allison Margolin’s law office filed a writ of mandamus to the third district appellate court, which issued a stay of the proceedings and allowed Salerno’s medical defense to be reinstated.
The trial courtroom
Read More: Patient beats marijuana sales charge in Marysville
By Julie Patterson, Business Correspondent
US Representatives Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Denny Heck (D-WA), and 16 cosponsors introduced The Marijuana Business Banking Act, HR 2652, in Congress July 10 to address the multiple concerns cited by financial institutions when denying or revoking the accounts of state-legal marijuana businesses and owners. Stronger measures will ultimately need to be taken to fully support legalization so that cannabis can be sold without compromising federal law, but many entrepreneurs already see ground-floor opportunities in the industry.
Investors seek to develop marijuana brands
With the latest legalization strides gaining headline news in the media across the US, investors are beginning to show interest in developing cannabis as a commercial brand. Jamen Shively, who headed up Microsoft’s corporate strategy department for six years, is seeking investment to the tune of $10 million to develop a successful cannabis brand in Washington State. Shively is hoping to build a
Read More: Microsoft tycoon seeks to legalize, legitimize
By Lanny Zwerdlow, browniemaryclub.org
The Democratic Party Club was named for "Brownie" Mary Rathbun
The California Democratic Party passed two marijuana reform resolutions at its Executive Board meeting in Costa Mesa on July 21, 2013, including a call to end raids against lawful medical marijuana providers. These are official positions of the state party set into a form that will hold sway with Democratic elected officials and candidates and they also add a new level of mainstream approval for medical use and cannabis law reform.
The first resolution calls on President Obama to respect Colorado and Washington voters and not allow any federal interference in the enactment of state marijuana legalization initiatives, to end federal raids on patients and providers in medical use states and to appoint a commission to study national marijuana law reform.
The second calls on the state legislature to enact statewide guidelines for medical marijuana
Read More: California Dems call on state to stand up, Feds to stand down
A new start for hemp?
The US House of Representatives has approved a version of the farm bill which includes hemp reform to allow for states to authorize hemp research. It does not authorize large-scale hemp farming, which is essential to making the US competitive in the global industrial hemp markets. The bill now heads to the Senate, which must approve the measure to send it to the President for approval. This is the first time since the 1950s that a hemp authorization bill has cleared Congress.
For over 75 years, federal law has banned the cultivation of every strain of cannabis, regardless of its psychoactivity, despite a long heritage of industrial hemp farming in US history. The amendment to the approved farm bill would allow universities to grow non-psychoactive hemp strains for research purposes, ending a blanket prohibition which has been in place in de-facto form since 1937
Read More: US House passes hemp reform in federal Farm Bill
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