“The true essence of legalization has always been about having safe and legal access to cannabis without fear of arrest and harassment,” said Gerry Hemley, co-founder of Sensible CNMI. “[This bill] was carefully crafted to improve public health, protect children, …
Read More »Busts
80-year-old Michigan Woman’s Arrest Should Be A Rallying Cry for Medical Marijuana Patients
After 80-year-old Michigan grandmother Dolores Saltzman was arrested by a Clare County sheriff’s deputy for medicating with marijuana while having a lapsed medical marijuana card, she had a message for other marijuana patients: “Don’t be ashamed of something that’s going …
Read More »Michigan Woman in her 80s Recounts Arrest, Jailing for Smoking Medical Marijuana
Dolores Saltzman, who lives in Lake George, Michigan — population 163 — heard a knock on her door July 13, 2018. She opened it to find Clare County deputy Ashley Gorun standing there. It was 9 p.m. Gorun notified Saltzman …
Read More »Breaking Bad Laws, Albuquerque Reduces Pot Possession Penalty
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Possession of small amounts of marijuana will no longer be a criminal offense in New Mexico’s largest city. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller signed legislation Thursday, April 12, 2018, amending the city’s criminal code, making low-level pot …
Read More »Cynthia Nixon: Legalizing Marijuana is a Racial Justice Issue
By Chris Carola ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A week after telling two interviewers her support for legalizing recreational use of marijuana in New York was revenue-based, Democratic candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon said Wednesday, April 11, 2018, that it’s foremost …
Read More »After Seven Years Behind Bars for Two Joints, Bernard Noble is Free
Noble, 51, was arrested while biking in New Orleans. The cops said they found about three grams of weed on him. Because he’d been convicted of having small amounts of cocaine and weed in the past, they threw the book …
Read More »Cynthia Nixon Puts Legalizing Marijuana Front and Center of Campaign
Cynthia Nixon on Wednesday made legalizing recreational marijuana the first policy plank of her campaign for governor, framing it as a necessary step toward reducing racial inequities in the criminal justice system — and, in doing so, foregrounding an issue …
Read More »The Politics of Cannabis: A Week in Review Aug. 8, 2018
There was a lot of compelling marijuana news being reported last week – and most of it was highly encouraging: A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association indicates opioid use plummeted in states with legal access …
Read More »New Orleans Had a 1 Percent Arrest Rate for Cannabis Between 2016 and 2017
The city council enacted an ordinance fining $40 for the first offense. The fines go up in $20 increments for each additional defense, capping-off at $100. The New Orleans Police Department implemented the policy well, with officers arresting people rarely …
Read More »Federal Court Rules That Cannabis Protections Do Not Apply to Federal Land – News
This amendment, attached to every annual federal budget bill since 2014, prohibits the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute medical marijuana patients, producers, and caregivers that are legal under state law. In 2012, three men were busted …
Read More »