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From Arizona to Washington, the DEA is cracking down on medical marijuana and dispensaries everywhere. They have done everything from write threatening letters to politicians to kicking in caregiver’s door; and they did all this while licensing 55 large name pharmaceutical companies to grow the herb to produce generic versions of the THC pill Marinol.

A little hypocritical to say the least?  On top of all that, patients claim that THC-only Marinol didn’t provide the same relief they received from smoking marijuana. “They’ve got to realize, as a political issue, this is going to raise a red flag. Here we have companies cultivating marijuana on a mass scale to produce generic Marinol. It’s going to force the government to answer more questions than it wants to,” says Kris Hermes, t he spokesperson for Americans for Safe Access.

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Edith Wolffe, An American Tourist traveling to Bermuda, was arrested in mid May for attempting to smuggle in marijuana. Wolffe possessed a medical marijuana card from the state of California, and needed the herb to treat her Meniere’s disease. Airport Security found more than 35 grams of marijuana hidden within her suitcase after Wolffe was chosen for a random security check.

The judge in her hearing said the prescription had no validity in Bermuda, and Wolffe was originally sentenced to a month in jail along with $3,000 in fines. Wolffe’s lawyer, Mark Pettingill filed an appeal with the Bermuda Supreme court and late Friday night Wolffe was released until an appeal may be heard. A date for the appeal hearing has not been set.

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According to MCSO Administrative services manager Norm Thurston, the money coming into Mendocino county California for growers permits has more than doubled in the last month.

An analysis of the permits account on 4/20/11 showed the program had pulled in $152,000 in revenue but by Friday, the account showed more than $300,000.  This total includes zip-tie revenue, permit revenue, and $45,450 from a restitution program put in place by the District Attorney for growers who didn’t comply with the program.

Thurston has received more than 40 applications, and says he is on pace to meet the county goal of 100 permits. If this goal is met, it will mean no layoffs within the Mendocino County government, and the current amount is enough to avoid the most current round of layoffs in the sheriff’s department.
 

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The city of San Francisco is trying to compile a list and keep records of all medical marijuana suppliers in the area; something that has many marijuana caregivers fearing for their safety.

What we do is federally illegal. As long as The City is offering patients no protection, it’s just absurd,” said one local delivery service. If a list is compiled and made public dispensaries will be sitting targets for the feds as well as local criminals.

“The department’s overarching aim is to steer [medical cannabis dispensary] practices towards conformity with California and San Francisco law. In this way, we reduced the likelihood for MCDs of community concerns and criminal prosecution,” said the Director of Environmental Health regarding the recent policy changes.

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On Friday the Netherlands government announced that it would ban tourists from purchasing marijuana from the famed coffee shops of Amsterdam. The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, is known world- wide for its lenient drug policies and over 220 coffee shops, has become a popular attraction and critics fear this change in policy would kill the tourist industry.

This change is set to take effect by the end of the year. The new policies still allow for Dutch residents to purchase marijuana, but they must register for a one-year membership, and each shop will be allowed a maximum of 1,500 members.

The coalition government that came into power more than a year ago hopes the marijuana crackdown will fight crime and promote health. "In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," said Dutch health and justice ministers. Many fear that this initiative will simply push drugs to the black market and in fact increase crime in the country.

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A Nova Scotia couple has filed a lawsuit against the government claiming they are too poor to purchase the necessary equipment to produce medical marijuana, and they want the government to pay for it.

Both Tanya and Sam have licenses to grow marijuana for their own use, but run out quite often. "We can't keep up on the amount that we need to grow," says Sam. Sam has been diagnosed with glaucoma and a blood disorder, while Tanya suffers debilitating pain from a car accident.

The Couple is requesting that the providence covers a one-time set up fee of $2,500 and another $100.00 every three months for chemical supplies.  According to the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, over $200,000 as already been spent fighting the couples request.

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