News

MONONA (WKOW) -- The city of Monona's Public Safety commission will meet on Wednesday to discuss whether to ease up penalties for marijuana possession in certain situations.

Right now, someone caught with 25 grams or less of marijuana in a public or private place-- like a home-- can face a fine of up to $313. Officials in Monona are now considering a proposal to eliminate fines for adults who have small amounts of marijuana at home and only issue a $1 fine if caught with marijuana in public. 

Alderman Brian Holmquist says the meeting is just the preliminary discussion on the proposal. 

"Really this is a look at our current ordinance," Holmquist says. "Look at if there are changes that we look to do or keep it the same as it is."

Read More:http://www.wkow.com/story/31276893/2016/02/21/monona-considers-change-to-marijuana-laws

While some states have made the move in recent years to reduce the number of non-violent drug offenders the system locks away behind bars, the Indiana Legislature is considering a bill this session that aims to increase the penalties for those caught in possession of specific controlled substances, but not marijuana.

The bill – HB 1235 – would shred a law approved by the state two years ago reducing the sentences for drug-related offenses, and impose a new set of rules that would reinforce the mandatory minimum sentences imposed against people busted for drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. Representative Greg Steuerwald, who introduced the legislation, believes it would assist in alleviating the drug problem in the Hoosier state by forcing repeat offenders to serve out the full span of a mandatory jail term instead of giving them their freedom after serving only 75 percent of their sentence.

Read More:http://www.hightimes.com/read/indiana-wants-increase-drug-penalties-not-marijuana-offenders

Hemp Industries Association (HIA), the non-profit North American hemp trade association, has published its statement in response to recent warning letters sent by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manufacturers of CBD products, regarding mis-labeling of drug claims on said products.  Available on the FDA website, the letters explain that per the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, CBD products may not be marketed as drugs, meaning manufacturers cannot make claims regarding CBD products’ efficacy in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease. Furthermore, the FDA asserts that cannabidiol products may not be marketed as supplements, because ‘new drug’ consideration is currently pending for CBD. To view these letters in their entirety, dated February 4, 2016, please visit:http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/#browse.

It is the position of the HIA that legal hemp products containing CBD were marketed as foods and dietary supplements long before cannabidiol formulations were submitted to the FDA for testing as a ‘new drug.’ As such, CBD products are exempt from laws that preclude CBDs from product status as dietary supplements pending ‘new drug’ approval by the FDA. Though none of the companies in receipt of these warning letters are current or former HIA members, the HIA urges these CBD product manufacturers to revise their product labeling and marketing such that no medical claims are made.

“There is great potential for the CBD market to expand in the U.S., but we need to move forward as an industry on a path that defines cannabidiol products as dietary supplements, much like multi-vitamins and herbal products,” said Eric Steenstra, Executive Director of the Hemp Industries Association.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/hemp-industries-association-fda-warning-letters-mislabeling-cannabidiol-cbd-products/

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa State University administrators are appealing a federal judge's ruling that they violated the free speech rights of student members of a pro-marijuana group by barring them from using the university logos on T-shirts.

Attorneys for ISU President Steven Leath, Senior Vice President Warren Madden and two other administrators notified the court Wednesday of their appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge James Gritzner had issued an order on Jan. 22 granting members of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws a permanent injunction blocking university administrators from using a trademark policy to prevent the group from printing shirts depicting the school mascot and a marijuana leaf.

Read More:http://www.hightimes.com/read/iowa-state-executives-appeal-free-speech-marijuana-logo-case

Bans, restrictions and government red tape in states that have legalized medical and recreational marijuana are, in many cases, undermining the industry, resulting in the continuation of an active and profitable black market. This was not meant to be.

By burying the incipient pot industry under piles of regulations, high taxes and harassment of growers and dispensaries, governments seem to be attempting to appease the pot opponents by essentially sitting on the fence while creating obstacles.

The result is that these unreasonable restrictions on the burgeoning legal marijuana market are enabling illegal dealers to continue doing what they do best—operate on the black market.

Read More:http://www.hightimes.com/read/red-tape-legal-pot-states-pushing-industry-and-market-corner

A large majority of South Carolina presidential primary voters across party lines support ending mass incarceration, and a substantial majority support decriminalizing drug possession outright, according to a new poll released by the Drug Policy Alliance.

70 percent of voters in the upcoming first Southern state primary consider substantially reducing the number of Americans in prison an important issue, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. In fact, more than a third of primary voters (37 percent) would be more inclined to support a presidential candidate who promised to prioritize downsizing prison populations.

Moreover, 59 percent of primary voters support decriminalizing drug possession, asserting that someone caught with a small amount of any illegal drug for personal use should be offered treatment but not be arrested, let alone face jail time. A commanding 65 percent of South Carolina primary voters believe drug abuse should be treated primarily as a health problem, including strong majorities of Republicans and Independents across all age groups.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/south-carolina-voters-mass-incarceration-decriminalizing-drug-possession-drugs-health-issue/