Legalization

As poll numbers show Ohioans are growing increasingly comfortable with the idea of marijuana use, a Youngstown Democrat wants to give people the chance to make the drug fully legal in Ohio.

 

Rep. Robert F. Hagan has made a few attempts over the years to persuade his colleagues to allow for the use of medical marijuana in Ohio, and each effort has died a quiet death.

 

A spokesman for Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, declined to comment on the pair of proposals Hagan introduced yesterday.

 

One is a bill that would allow patients with certain chronic conditions such as cancer or sickle-cell anemia to use marijuana for treatment. Eighteen other states have approved similar measures.

 

“In addition to the studies that show marijuana to be a valuable treatment option for chronic pain, nausea and seizure disorders, I have heard countless stories of how cannabis has made a difference in the lives of people who are sick or dying,” Hagan said.

 

His other proposal, modeled after an amendment recently passed in Colorado, would ask voters to approve allowing people 21 or older to purchase and use marijuana. The drug could be sold only by state-licensed establishments and would be subject to a 15 percent excise tax.

 

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com

DENVER (AP) -- Recreational pot taxes above 25 percent have won final approval in the House and await action in the Senate.

 

The tax vote was a party-line 37-27 without debate Tuesday. The taxes would be a 15 percent excise tax, with the money used for school construction, and a new 10 marijuana sales tax, to pay for regulation and enforcement. Those would be in addition to a statewide 2.9 percent sales tax and any local sales taxes.

 

Republicans say that the pot tax rate may be too high, and voters may reject the taxes on ballots this fall. Democrats argue that Coloradans want marijuana taxed steeply, and that the high tax rate is in line with other sin taxes such as tobacco taxes and gaming taxes.

 

Retail pot sales begin in January.

 

Read more:http://www.fox21news.com

It is time for California to decriminalize, tax and regulate marijuana and decide who sells it, who can buy it legally, and for how much. When California became the first state to approve medical marijuana, we led the nation on progressive drug policies, and now it is time to lead again.

 

Bolstered by growing public support and building on our initial leadership, Californians must renew our push for common-sense marijuana policy by developing a state level regulatory system and lead the national effort to end draconian laws that favor incarceration over education.

 

In California, San Francisco has taken the lead in reforming ineffective drug laws and changing the conversation around substance use. Medical marijuana laws, marijuana decriminalization, and the efforts to reduce the state's prison population make us a strong voice for change. But it is not enough. We stand at a time where science and common sense must trump age-old fear and propaganda.

 

San Francisco pioneered and advanced innovative programs to reduce the harms of substance misuse by using alternative adjudicative action, using drug and community courts as an alternative to the traditional criminal court system and sentencing. It involved connecting people to treatment and mental health services, housing and resources for education and training. San Francisco has invested significant local tax dollars in providing substance treatment to those who need it, but San Francisco is just one city -- and it is not enough.

 

The U.S. leads the world in the incarceration of its citizens, with less than 5 percent of the world's population but almost 25 percent of the world's incarcerated population. In 2011, 757, 969 people in the United States were arrested for a marijuana law violation and of those, 87 percent were arrested for possession only, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.

 

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Puerto Rico Senator Miguel Pereira has filed legislation which would explicitly legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. Senator Pereira is a former police chief, as well as a former federal prosecutor. Currently in Puerto Rico, those possessing even small amounts of marijuana can face up to 3 years in prison, in addition to a $5,000 fine.

 

Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, during a press conference last week, stated that he was entirely open to a debate on the issue, stating, “I don’t have a problem with an open debate about the possibilities, benefits or drawbacks of such a measure”. This is important, because if the measure passes the Senate, and then House, it would go to the governor for final approval.

 

Read more: http://www.theweedblog.com

BOULDER, Colo. - Boulder will allow adults 21 and over to smoke pot on private property, even if others can see it and smell it.

 

The city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to specify that people who are legally allowed to smoke marijuana have the right to smoke it on private property.

 

But the city -- and the state -- are still conflicted over the sale and regulation of recreational marijuana.

 

The University of Colorado - Boulder banned people from holding 4/20 rallies on campus on Saturday.

 

Retail marijuana shops can't open until next year in Boulder.

 

Longmont is already taking steps to block stores from selling recreational marijuana there.  Tuesday night they voted unanimously to start the process of banning pot shops.

 

Source: http://www.thedenverchannel.com