Colorado may impose a legal THC level for driving
The surge of medical marijuana use in Colorado has started another debate in the state Legislature: What constitutes driving while high?
Lawmakers are considering setting a DUI blood-content threshold for marijuana that would make Colorado one of three states with such a provision in statute - and one of the most liberal, according to Rep. Claire Levy, one of the bill's sponsors.
Under the proposal, drivers who test positive for 5 nanograms or more of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, would be considered too impaired to drive if the substance is present in their blood at the time they're pulled over or within two hours.
Levy, a Democrat from Boulder, said she's gotten resistance from medical marijuana advocates who fear it will restrict patients from using the drug.
"What I've tried to assure the patient advocates is that we're not talking about sobriety checkpoints, we're not talking about dragnets and massive stops," she said. "They're not going to be stopped if they're driving appropriately."
While it's already illegal to drive while impaired by drugs, states have taken different approaches to the issue. Twelve states, including Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Rhode Island, have a zero-tolerance policy for driving with any presence of an illegal substance, said Anne Teigen, policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Minnesota has the same policy but exempts marijuana.
The IRS is starting to audit California marijuana dispensaries
The IRS is auditing marijuana dispensaries in California, and advocates have called for a change in federal laws.
The sale of medical marijuana is legal under state law, but illegal under federal law, and cannabis collectives say there is a problem because of the way they are being treated by the IRS.
Tax code 280-E does not allow drug trafficking organizations to deduct business expenses.
"If 280-E were applied strictly, we would not be allowed to deduct our rent, our payroll or any of the other normal and usual expenses that other businesses deduct," said Steve DeAngelo, Harborside Health Center.
Attorney Henry Wykowski is representing various dispensaries that are being audited, and he said 280-E was created in the 80s to go after drug lords, and it should be updated.
Medical Marijuana Clinics Quietly Take Root in Oregon
Since 1998, when medical marijuana use became legal in Oregon, the number of cardholders in the state has swelled.
As of last month, there are over 38,000 legal patients, and the number grows every day.
It's always been and will continue to be a controversial medicine.
But it may be gaining ground, especially in our historically conservative part of the state.
Case in point: Within the past three months, Central Oregon has seen at least five medical marijuana clinics or clubs set up shop here.
And as we found, there was at first, outcry, then indifference -- and now, it seems, acceptance.
Montana House votes to repeal medical marijuana
State lawmakers are halfway to repealing Montana's medical marijuana law. By a vote of 62-to-37, legislators voted to advance the bill out of the House to the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Milburn says law enforcement can't control the sudden growth of the multi-million dollar industry and its rampant proliferation.
"It's going well beyond what people in Montana thought they were voting for," said Milburn, (R-Cascade). "Lots of support from the community, from the schools, from the law enforcement agencies, even from out of state law enforcement, that you can't control it. You can't put sideboards on it. You can't regulate it when it's gone this far."
Montana Poll: Leave cannabis law in place
This week’s Question of the Week received a heavy turnout in our unscientific online poll and no shortage of thoughtful comments on both sides of the issue. We asked whether the Legislature should overturn Montana’s medical marijuana law, which was approved by a ballot initiative in 2004.
Among more than 4,000 votes cast as of late Friday afternoon, 2,417 said the lawmakers should leave the law in place, while 1,666 votes came in in favor of repeal. Here’s a sampling of some of the comments from those who took the time to write:
- “The Republican manufactured hysteria is completely at odds with reality. They ignore many well-established statistics, such as high school pot use being down 27 percent, in favor of an anecdote or two. Anecdotes like kids are prostituting themselves for pot, our schoolyards are knee-deep in pot, and Montana, as a new drug central, now deserves mention in the same breath as Mexico and South America. I’m getting very tired of uninformed Repub’s catering to the religious right, and telling me how I must live my life. I wonder how many of these same Repub’s are getting big campaign donations from the alcohol industry?”
Marijuana smokers: Establish legal limit for THC-blood level
If people are allowed to drive after drinking — provided their blood-alcohol level is under the legal limit — then why shouldn't people be allowed to drive after smoking marijuana? That seems to be the question raised by a bill in the Colorado state legislature, which would set a legal limit of under five nanograms per milimeter of THC in a person's bloodstream.
As long as a driver's THC-blood level is under five nanograms, he would legally be allowed to drive. While some are in support of the current zero-tolerance policy, we agree with the idea of establishing a legal limit. If used responsibly, marijuana does not significantly impair a person's ability to drive. A 2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study shows that marijuana, if used responsibly, does not significantly impair a person's ability to drive.
Indiana may reassess medical marijuana laws
Indiana may not currently have much in common with California, but that could change due to recent legislation that would place the Hoosier state one step closer to
decriminalizing marijuana.
Senate Bill 192 successfully passed through the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters on Tuesday with a vote of 5-3.
The bill would require an existing committee to research the effects of marijuana’s current illegal status.
According to the Indiana General Assembly’s website, the Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee would study marijuana’s possible medicinal usage, its effect on the Indiana justice system and whether or not it should be controlled and regulated like alcohol.
Poll: Michigan voters would back medical marijuana law again
A recent poll showed that Michigan voters would again approve the state's medical marijuana law.
The poll, conducted by Marketing Resource Group, Inc., showed that 59 percent of voters would approve the law, while 35 percent would not. Two percent leaned toward approving, while 2-percent leaned against.
The poll results were announced by Marijuana Policy Project, which helped draft the law. In November 2008, 63-percent of voters approved medical use of marijuana.
Flint, Michigan stops medical marijuana dispensaries for now
Flint is taking action on medical marijuana businesses.
The City Council passed a moratorium on dispensaries Monday night.
The moratorium temporarily bans any new dispensary from opening its doors in the city. It does not mean current dispensaries cannot do business.
This is a move many cities and townships have made over the past few months, as officials try to figure out how to regulate the Michigan Medical Marijuana act passed by voters.
Last night's council vote on the 180-day moratorium was unanimous. This gives the city time to establish a zoning ordinance for dispensaries.
Former New Mexico Governor says: Yes, It Is time for Pot Legalization, Mr. President
The Web is humming with stories and discussion from the aftermath of President Obama's response to questions about drug legalization during last Thursday's YouTube forum. While his words this time around are a bit more encouraging than previous signals from the administration, I would strongly suggest that we all, including the president, cut through the platitudes and get to the truth about marijuana prohibition.
If, as the president suggests, it is time for a "serious debate" about legalization, let's get to it, starting with a few questions that beg for truth:
Texas State Representative wants to end jail time for possession of small amount of marijuana
While some lawmakers are calling for the prohibition of synthetic marijuana derivatives marketed as incense, state Rep. Harold Dutton Jr. (D-Houston) wants to relax penalties on the real deal.
As he has in past sessions, Dutton filed legislation to reduce punishment for possession of relatively small amounts of marijuana. His House Bill 458 would reclassify possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a Class B Misdemeanor to a Class C Misdemeanor (the same level as a parking ticket).
A Class B Misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine and/or six months in jail, while a Class C Misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine. Currently, possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is a Class B Misdemeanor.
