url: hMPp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-medical-marijuana-rules-met-20140122,0,1530419.story





Proposed medical marijuana rules: Your pot or your gun




Patients who want to qualify for medical marijuana in Illinois would have to be fingerprinted for a background check and pay $150 a year — and give up their right to own a gun, state officials proposed Tuesday.

The plan outlines how adults who have any of 41 specified medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS or complex regional pain syndrome, may apply to get a patient registry identification card to purchase medical pot.

The proposed rules are the first in a series of parameters expected to be outlined over the course of the year to govern how medical marijuana can be legally grown, sold and purchased. The Illinois Department of Public Health will take public comment on this set of rules until Feb. 7 and then submit them to a legislative panel for approval by the end of April.

Most of the rules address how a patient can qualify for an ID card to buy up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks — or more if a doctor certifies that it's necessary.

One new proposal states that a qualifying patient or caregiver may not possess a firearm, even if they have a state firearm owner's identification card or concealed carry permit, and violators may be subject to sanctions by state police.

Todd Vandermyde, lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, said the NRA takes no position on the issue but that the rule seems to be an attempt to interpret federal law. A U.S. Department of Justice firearm application form asks if the buyer is "an unlawful user" of marijuana or other controlled substances.

Illinois regulations make clear that pot possession is still prohibited by federal law, and the state denies liability for damages arising from the program, including federal prosecution.

"It presents a novel legal conundrum," Vandermyde said. "The courts are going to have to reconcile it."

The rules would allow patients to designate a caregiver who could legally purchase and carry marijuana for them. Patients and caregivers would undergo a background check by Illinois State Police and would be rejected for any felony conviction for a violent crime or for possession of a controlled substance, including marijuana or methamphetamine.

A proposed exception would be if the patient proves that a drug conviction involved "a reasonable amount (of) cannabis intended for medical use," and that the patient had a debilitating medical condition at the time.

Also, each patient must be at least 18 and have a "bona fide" relationship with a doctor who would certify the patient's medical condition.

The state would have 180 days to act on an application. A patient would need to reapply annually to maintain the certification.

The possession or use of marijuana would be banned on school grounds or school buses, in any other vehicle and at child care businesses and correctional facilities. An exception is made to transport marijuana in a vehicle if it is in an inaccessible sealed container. Smoking marijuana also would be prohibited in health care facilities, anywhere that tobacco smoking is prohibited or in "any public place where an individual could reasonably be expected to be observed by others."

The law also would prohibit use of medical marijuana by police officers, firefighters, school bus and commercial drivers, and anyone who is not a qualified patient.

On the production side, cultivation centers would need to track inventory and have 24-hour surveillance systems. They could not operate within 2,500 feet of a school, child care center or residential area and could not sell directly to the public, only to registered dispensaries.

The state Department of Agriculture still must develop rules for cultivation centers, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation still must draw up rules for dispensaries.

The proposed patient registry rules were developed by Bob Morgan, medical marijuana coordinator and legal counsel for the Department of Health, in consultation with staff members and officials from other states that have medical marijuana, agency spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

She expects tens of thousands of applicants, and many comments from the public.

Patient applications will be accepted for those whose last names start with A through L in September and October; the remainder may apply in November and December. After that, all applications will be accepted year-round.

A nine-member advisory board of health professionals and one patient advocate, all appointed by the governor, will review proposals for adding ailments to the list of qualifying conditions. The Department of Public Health director will make the final decision.

Illinois is the 20th state to allow medical marijuana. The proposed rules may be seen at mcpp.illinois.gov.

url: hMPp://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/medical_marijuana_pot_louisian.html




Louisiana lawmakers hear case for legalizing medical, recreational marijuana




In the most open debate on Louisiana's marijuana laws to date, citizens came en masse to Baton Rouge on Tuesday (Jan. 21) to tell state lawmakers why they believe the drug should be legalized for medical or recreational use. But in a state that still allows repeat offenders to be incarcerated for life for simply possessing the drug, there are few legislators who support outright legalization.

Tuesday's meeting of the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice was meant to be informational only, and was convened at the request of state Rep. Dalton Honore, D-Baton Rouge, to discuss the feasibility of legalizing marijuana for medical use.

No vote was taken and no bills were up for debate. But over the course of nearly four hours, officials, law enforcement and the public passionately portrayed their sides of the debate on legalizing the drug. By the end of the hearing, state Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, said the possibility that Louisiana lawmakers would rally behind legalization was slim.

"I'm not sure if the Legislature is ready for any kind of legalization," said Badon, who is again sponsoring a bill to lessen the penalties for those convicted on repeated charges of simple marijuana possession.

Chairman Joe Lopinto, R-Metairie, agreed. However, he said he would still be amenable to discussing medical marijuana, and thinks age makes a huge difference when it comes to responsible marijuana use.

"For a 50-year-old who smokes marijuana in his backyard, I could care less," said Lopinto, adding the caveat that there is "no right age" for responsible marijuana use.

Lopinto added if lawmakers want to legalize medical marijuana use in Louisiana, legislation would need to be passed to tweak the current statute, which already allows doctors to issue prescriptions for marijuana for certain ailments. The Louisiana Board of Pharmacies would need guidance on dispensaries, he noted.

Much of the public debate Tuesday focused on medical marijuana. Honore said it was time state lawmakers talked openly about the drug and its possible beneficial uses for those with serious illnesses.

"I'm here today not advocating the legalization of marijuana," he said. "I've requested a study and the committee has done an excellent job in gaining information for me. This state is behind on medical marijuana use. If I had my choice today, I'd say let's put it to the people of the state of Louisiana to vote on. And I would assure you it would pass."

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Assistant Secretary Rochelle Head-Dunham enumerated the potential health pitfalls of using marijuana, citing studies she said show an increased risk for schizophrenia in adolescents and heart attacks in adults.

Tulane assistant professor of clinical medicine MarkAlain Déry later criticized her remarks, noting that as the head of an HIV/AIDS clinic, he wishes he could prescribe marijuana for his patients suffering from chronic pain and nausea.

Two HIV-positive members of the public later said they have used the drug to ease the side effects of their illness, while retired firefighter and New Orleans resident Ron Hotstream said he has been using the drug since permanently injuring his back on the job.

Atasha King said she is planning a move to Colorado with her daughter, Armani, who suffers from chronic seizures. She said only there will her daughter have open access to specially-grown marijuana with low levels of the active ingredient THC and high levels of CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid shown in some studies to reduce the frequency of epileptic attacks.

But the political calculus of state lawmakers could hinge on testimony from law enforcement and the powerful state District Attorneys Association. While the latter will likely support Badon's reduced sentences legislation, the group's representative said Tuesday it was staunchly against going any further.

"lease think very carefully before you amend the current provisions," said Caddo Parish District Attorney Charles R. Scott. "You have to conclude that marijuana, that THC, has some very bad characteristics. We do not need in Louisiana our workforce to be impaired any further."

Marjorie Esman, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the ACLU, said there are other options short of legalization that could bring Louisiana's marijuana laws more in line with its regional peers. But, Badon's penalty reduction bill and others like it are only the first step, she said.

She urged lawmakers and law enforcement to look at the current rates of incarceration broken down by race for simple marijuana possession.

According to numbers given by Esman at the hearing -- and confirmed by state Department of Corrections officials -- as of June 2013, 1,372 Louisianians were serving sentences for simple marijuana possession. The average sentence is 8.4 years, with 10 people serving life sentences.

More than 78 percent of these offenders are black, while only 32.4 percent of the state population is black, according to 2012 U.S. Census numbers. This should cause pause, Esman said, because national studies have shown marijuana use is roughly equal among white and black people.

"We are arresting our friends and neighbors in racially disproportionate numbers for simple possession of marijuana," she said.

A fiscal note for Badon's 2013 legislation noted the state could save $1.6 million in the first year after the passage of such legislation. Savings would ramp up after that, with a total of $8.1 million in reduced incarceration costs predicted in subsequent years.

Lawmakers will convene the 2014 legislative session on March 10. While Badon's bill is currently the only one dealing with the subject of marijuana, other bills addressing marijuana penalties and medical use are expected to be filed.

Now this one really bothers me...

Being a hunter myself, and a fan of target practice, I have always been nervous about having firearms in my home while growing cannabis on the hush hush.

I know that penalties for possessing firearms, while also cultivating cannabis, can be pretty extreme in some states including mine.

To play it safe, I have usually moved my weapons to a different address while growing but this is not by choice, it is out of fear of the legal system and the negative repercussions that could follow if busted.

I am a veteran, I am a hunter, I am a cannabis lover,............................. HERE ME ROAR !



But to this topic specifically, not being able to possess firearms in a legal medical state,.............. THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER CRAZINESS.






peace

url: hMPp://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/Manit...-241411861.html



Manitou Springs OKs Sales Of Recreational Marijuana




The Manitou Springs City Council has approved the sale of recreational marijuana in the city.

The vote Tuesday night was 6 to 1, and makes Manitou Springs the first town in El Paso County to allow retail sale of pot. Colorado Springs voted it down last year.

Reaction in the community has been mixed. Supporters say it could help the town's economy, which has struggled since the flooding last summer.

"I think there will definitely be some tourism with it," Bill Conkling, the owner of medical marijuana shop Maggie's Farm, said.

Others saw Manitou Springs as being on the right side of history.

"It's something that's been in the making for a long time now," Eric Cook said. "History has been said today and I'm glad to be a part of it."

Detractors said they didn't feel like the city government had given them a true voice in the matter.

“I feel like most of you have not listened," one citizen said during the meeting ahead of the vote. "You are assuming that because Amendment 64 passed you assume we want the sale of marijuana for recreation in our town."

Several other voiced opposition at the meeting, which began at 7 p.m. Council members took public iut before finally voting just after 10 p.m.

"You are not representing me or my family by moving this forward," another who took to the podium said.

Those against told 11 News that they plan to fight this with a petition.

“We’re going to get enough signatures on a petition to be able to bring it to a vote in November," Renee Meyers said. "Then we’ll see what the real feeling is of all the people in the city.”

Supporters said the sales tax will be a big boost for the town, and believed that the community would be responsible about recreational marijuana.

"I'm grateful for the chance to show them they picked a good operator, a good business owner, and that we can operate responsibly."

“I’m confident that the regulatory and licensing scheme that we passed will address at least everything that we can foresee," Mayor Marc Snyder said. "We’re going to try and keep a real tight lid on this and be ready to react in case we do experience any negative consequences.”

The law takes effect in five days, but the mayor says there's still much work to be done on the details.

Once it takes effect, the owners of the two current licensed medical marijuana shops on the east end of Manitou can come in and apply to convert to a retail shop or obtain a dual license to run both medical and retail. Until July 1, these two existing medical marijuana shops are the only ones that can apply for a license.

Snyder said city council plans to have more discussion on the guidelines for public consumption.

We'll be keeping an eye on all the new developments out of Manitou Springs.

All ya have to do is watch Reefer Madness and you will see how EVIL WEED make PPL crazy. I must be true,,the Government said so.

url: hMPp://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10589706/Obama-is-wrong-to-dowlay-the-dangers-of-cannabis.html




Obama is wrong to dowlay the dangers of cannabis



Barack Obama just loves to think he's cool, doesn't he? The President trades on it, from the sharp suits that echo the style of JFK to the habit of shooting hoops.

Now he's been shooting the breeze with the New Yorker about how he used to be in a little slacker gang of his own, back in school days. "I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”

This is so familiar to those of us with parents, relatives or friends who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies. Whatever language they use, whatever caveats they issue, there's always a little figure hovering over their shoulder whispering like Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I: "Hey man, you know, dope, weed, whatever you kids call it these days, is only illegal because of some stuff that went down with big corporations way back, it's not as bad for you as alcohol, it's harmless, yeah?"

Maybe you believe that yourself. Maybe you've had cause to be grateful that your mother or father do, because it meant they took a more relaxed attitude to the spliff in your teenage bedroom. I used to believe it, wholeheartedly. That's why I took part in a campaign for the decriminalisation of cannabis, run by the newspaper I worked for at the time, The Independent on Sunday.

The campaign was run by the editor Rosie Boycott, an impressive woman, and it was well intentioned. We wanted to stop people's lives being blighted with a criminal record just for having a bit of weed, for personal use. That seemed so unfair, when you could poison your body and obliterate your brain with a bottle or two of vodka with absolutely no fear of being arrested.

The argument remains strong, as Tom Chivers has written for the Telegraph this week. He's right to say that more people die from alcohol related causes. Of course booze is easily linked to mental health problems. But there is something that bothers me deeply about Obama's old stoner story and that is the suggestion that cannabis is basically harmless. It's not.

I know this from personal experience. A few years after our campaign, my lovely cousin Douglas, aged just 15, killed himself. There were many factors that contributed to his state of mind, but one was that the cannabis he smoked in order to escape the bad feelings actually worked in his brain to make them worse.

As his father said at the time: "The drugs magnified the darkness. Smoking with friends helped him relax and come to terms with himself, but it also amplified his depression." After his death, the science began to confirm what we already knew.

Cannabis had changed. The market had been flooded with the intensively-grown super-strength version known as skunk, the active ingredient of which is five times - or more - stronger than the stuff the young Obama used to enjoy.

The figures are hotly disputed by those who won't let go of the old story, who can't quite believe what has happened to their weed. The sacrament of (mild) resistance has been taken over by The Man, man. The cannabis that makes it to the playground or the pub these days is usually the product of an industrialised, multi-national network whose efficiency would shame many of the above-board corporations that old stoners rail against.

Eighty per cent of the cannabis available in this country now is skunk.

And it's nasty stuff. Research published by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London suggested a direct link between skunk and the development of mental illness. They found that people who smoked it were 18 times more likely to suffer a psychotic episode that those who smoked old-style cannabis.

Last summer The Telegraph reported that the number of cannabis users suffering serious mental or behaviour disorders had increased by half in four years.

I'm not saying don't smoke. That's none of my business. I am saying be aware. Be very aware. My mind was changed when I realised we were living in the past. Booze is more likely to make you commit a crime, lung cancer is more deadly than a woozy head ... but people like Barack Obama are seeing reality through a fug of nostalgia if they think the joints they used to suck up are anything like the ones being passed around in the pub or playground now.

So has anyone got a mobile for the President? I tried calling the White House but the phone just rings and rings ...

url: hMPp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-21/advanced-cannabis-gets-30-million-of-credit-as-pot-stocks-rally.html




Advanced Cannabis Gets $30 Million of Credit as Pot Stocks Rally




Advanced Cannabis Solutions Inc. (CANN), whose stock has soared 447 percent this year, has obtained as much as $30 million in credit to help acquire properties that it will lease to marijuana growers.

The agreement provides the Centennial, Colorado-based company with $7.5 million through senior secured convertible notes sold to Full Circle Capital Corp, a closed-end investment company, the firms said today in a statement. The six-year obligation, which may be increased by $22.5 million, will be backed by real estate and require interest-only payments of 12 percent annually.

Investors have sent shares of marijuana-related businesses up as much as 1,700 percent since Colorado and Washington legalized sales to anyone 21 and older. Sales in Colorado began this month and Washington expects its retailers to join around June, according to Brian Smith, a spokesman for the State Liquor Control Board, which is overseeing the industry.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow medical use of the drug, and 11 permit sales through dispensaries, according to the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures. National legalization has the potential to create a business with $35 billion to $45 billion of annual revenue, according to Bloomberg Industries.

Advanced Cannabis, which leases space to producers and vendors, has climbed to $17.78 as of 1:14 p.m. in New York from $3.25 at the end of last year. The company posted a $472,000 loss in the quarter ended Sept. 30, according to a Nov. 19 regulatory filing.

The U.S. Justice Department considers marijuana a controlled substance with no medical benefits, making banks reluctant to lend to such businesses for fear of violating federal law. President Barack Obama said the drug is no more “dangerous” than alcohol in an interview with the New Yorker magazine this month.

Quote: WeatherMan wrote in post #3

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I am a veteran, I am a hunter, I am a cannabis lover,............................. HERE ME ROAR !

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Problem is,, Obama is a day late and a dollar short on his Weed might be OK thingy. He should have done that from the beginning. Hes leaving Office and has nothing to do with what the Next President(Especially if its a Republican) does about WEED,,,and he knows it.