MJ News for 04/22/2014

hMPp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25608602/pro-marijuana-4-20-events-face-backlash-from

Pro-marijuana 4/20 events face backlash from legalization skeptics​

A national anti-marijuana group has met with Obama administration officials to encourage the federal government to reverse legalization in Colorado and Washington.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a Colorado group concerned about the impacts of legalization on children issued a statement decrying the scenes of public pot smoking in Denver on Sunday, a day marijuana enthusiasts treat as a holiday called 4/20.

Both are examples of organizations skeptical of legalization pointing to the unprecedented interest around marijuana in Denver this past week as reason to change or reverse the 16-month-old law. Scenes of open toking, cannabis commercialism and pot-fueled revelry, the groups say, run contrary to the restrained system of at-home marijuana use that voters approved in 2012.

"This is not healthy for our young people," said Gina Carbone, a spokeswoman for the group Smart Colorado. "This does not send the right message. ... We're not educating our kids to the harms of it. Instead, we're glorifying it and promoting it."

Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown likewise questioned whether the 4/20 celebrations are beneficial to Denver and said he hopes any added expense incurred by the police department as a result of the events are paid for by taxes on marijuana stores.

"It's not Denver's finest hour, let's put it that way," Brown said. "And it still comes across to me as in-your-face politics."

For the first 4/20 after history-making recreational marijuana stores opened in Colorado, Denver was awash in marijuana-centric events on Sunday — the most notable being the large pro-pot rally in Civic Center park that culminated with a mass smoke-out at 4:20 p.m. This year, Denver police issued 92 citationsfor public marijuana consumption over the two-day festival — far more than the five public-consumption tickets police issued at the one-day event in 2013 — and organizers told attendees that public consumption is illegal.

Tens of thousands still lit up in unison Sunday afternoon.

Miguel Lopez, the rally's organizer, said the event remains more of a protest than a festival, despite beefed-up security, new vendor booths and an expanded musical lineup that brought the rally closer to other annual events like A Taste of Colorado. Those who smoked in public did so as an expression of civil disobedience against laws they disagree with, Lopez said.

Lopez said the rally doesn't encourage youth marijuana use, but, "I thought it was a very positive message for our children about having safer choices when they become adults."

"If people thought it was so bad for the city's image, then why did we have so many tourists?" Lopez asked.

The tug-of-war over the impact of 4/20 began last week, when the national anti-legalization group Project SAM released a report card filled with data that the group said suggest a rise in marijuana-related problems in Colorado.

The report card shows an increase in marijuana-positive workplace drug tests at one lab in Colorado Springs. Another chart on the report card shows an increase in seizures by U.S. postal inspectors of marijuana being shipped out of state. The report card also noted two recent deaths in Colorado that may be linked to marijuana edibles.

In a conference call with reporters on Friday, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the chairman of Project SAM, said he met last week with representatives from the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy to push for the federal government to intervene in Colorado and Washington. The Justice Department has previously announced it would not block marijuana legalization in the two states as long as certain conditions were met — such as keeping marijuana away from kids and within state lines.

Indicative of the deep divisions over legalization within the Obama administration, ONDCP officials have spoken critically of marijuana legalization in the past. Kennedy did not provide a direct answer when asked whether Justice Department officials attended the meeting as well.

"The president and the attorney general, now that we're getting this new information, have a better ground to say, 'Well we gave this a chance. Now we're going to change our approach here,' " he said.

In a statement issued Monday, Smart Colorado said the marijuana industry "willfully betrayed many of their key Amendment 64 supporters" by not stopping public marijuana consumption on 4/20 or doing more to keep marijuana away from kids.

"This past weekend we saw marijuana users and folks from the industry openly flouting the laws by consuming pot in public," group spokeswoman Rachel O'Bryan said in the statement.

Marijuana industry advocates distanced themselves from the rally prior to the weekend. The Marijuana Industry Group put out a news release on Friday saying it was not connected to any of the weekend's 4/20 events. The release included reminders that public marijuana consumption and giving marijuana to minors are illegal.

"We are constantly working to help the public understand what is legal and safe," said Michael Elliott, the group's executive director.

hMPp://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/04/marijuana_legalization_push_to.html

Michigan marijuana activists to file signatures for first local legalization proposal of 2014​

LANSING, MI -- Michigan activists looking to legalize or decriminalize marijuana in at least a dozen communities this fall will spark up the effort Tuesday morning in Oak Park.

Organizers are expected to turn in some 1,600 signatures for a citywide ballot proposal that would remove criminal and civil penalties for adults who use or possess less than one ounce of marijuana on private property.

If the signatures are approved, the Oak Park legalization proposal would be the first of its kind certified for the August primary. Activists are looking to put a similar question on the primary ballot in Hazel Park.

The Safer Michigan Coalition is also working to put additional marijuana proposals on November general election ballots in at least nine other cities, and the group anticipates local action by officials in Benzie County.

Tim Beck, who helped spearhead Michigan's successful medical marijuana petition drive in 2008, said the coalition is intentionally choosing local communities with dedicated activists and a voter-base that is likely to approve the proposals.

Beyond public policy, the larger goal is to send a message to the Michigan Legislature, where bipartisan statewide decriminalization legislation was introduced last year that would make marijuana possession punishable by a fine rather than arrest.

"You don't have to spend any money to win an election when people are already convinced," Beck said, explaining that it could cost upwards of $1 million just to collect signatures for a statewide ballot proposal. "The only thing we have in our power right now is to liberate one community after another."

Ann Arbor decriminalized marijuana possession decades ago and seven other cities have followed suit in recent years. But the actual impact has varied by community as some law enforcement agencies have continued to enforce state laws that political name local ordinances.

In Flint, for instance, city officials said that voter approval of a 2012 proposal was "symbolic in nature" and did not actually decriminalize the drug.

"We're still police officers and we're still empowered to enforce the laws of the state of Michigan and the United States," Flint police chief Alvern Lock said just hours after the election. "We're still going to enforce the laws as we’ve been enforcing them."

Public safety officials in Oak Park and Oakland County did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

The Safer Michigan Coalition argues that law enforcement officials would provide a greater public service if they focused on other types of crime, and Beck suggested that cities like Grand Rapids have seen positive returns by embracing decriminalization.

"We've kept a lot of people in those communities safe and kept people from getting a criminal record," he said. "Each town has to make their own choice, but we're going to keep doing it until they cry uncle."

In addition to Oak Park and Hazel Park, the coalition is working on general election ballot proposals in Saginaw, Mt. Pleasant, East Lansing, Lapeer, Utica, Port Huron, Clare, Onaway and Harrison. Beck said there could be others in the works as well.

hMPp://www.npr.org/2014/04/21/305633547/to-keep-business-growing-vendors-rebrand-pots-stoner-image

To Keep Business Growing, Vendors Rebrand Pot's Stoner Image​

From the outside, Jan Cole's recreational marijuana store in Boulder, Colo., just feels welcoming. Big glass windows let in natural light, and the walls are painted in soothing earth tones. Cole used her background in spa management to build a "warm and inviting" pot shop that puts customers at ease.

In fact, the store's name, The Farm, is so inconspicuous, "we have a lot of people who come in think that we might be an organic food grocer or something," she says.

And that's exactly who Cole is trying to attract: the tote-bag carrying, socially conscious, natural-food crowd. She advertises her cannabis as pesticide-free, organic and, of course, locally grown.

"I don't think we'll ever be as big as Whole Foods, but Whole Foods is a good example of the type of clientele that we attract," she says.

This all reflects Cole's attempt to break away from the pack. With recreational marijuana use now legal in Colorado, marijuana businesses are finding themselves competing for customers in tight marketplaces.

About 200 recreational marijuana stores have opened in Colorado since Jan. 1. And as the market becomes more and more saturated, everyone is looking for an edge.

Reaching Beyond 'First Adopters'

Jennifer DeFalco is creative director for Cannabrand, a marketing agency named for a mashup of "cannabis" and "branding." DeFalco and her business partner are banking on Colorado's marijuana industry becoming big business — one in need of flashy logos, memorable catchphrases and eye-catching ads.

"Cannabis is here to stay. It's not going anywhere. The industry is just beginning," she says.

Because it's so new, DeFalco says that most people who have already popped into a recreational pot shop are the first adopters — people who have tried marijuana before. But the whole point of marketing is to grow a business by reaching people who are on the fence about trying marijuana.

"So part of the rebranding of cannabis is really just making the dispensaries more inviting and more welcoming," she says.

But when it comes to advertising, it's not as simple as buying ads on the TV or radio. State rules in Colorado forbid shops from advertising on media where more than 30 percent of the intended audience is younger than 21. That kind of audience data is not readily available. If challenged, it could be tough for marijuana businesses to prove kids aren't seeing a particular ad.

"One thing that is interesting and important for the industry is this question of exposure to kids," says Margaret Campbell, a marketing professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. To reach new markets, she says, the industry as a whole needs to strip away the marijuana user stigma.

"[Businesses are] going to try to go beyond their core quote-unquote 'stoner user' to expand and have it be acceptable at cocktail parties," she says.

Losing The Stoner Stigma

At a recent cocktail party at a gallery in Denver's arts district, Amy Dannemiller is trying to do just that: build a new business around removing the stoner stereotype.

Each month, Dannemiller, who uses the alter ego Jane West when planning pot gatherings, throws upscale parties where attendees bring their own marijuana and pay a $95 charge for fancy hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.

"It's just basically a big social event where everyone can enjoy cannabis like they would a glass of wine," she says.

But even the party's attendees say that, culturally and legally, marijuana isn't yet the same as a glass of wine — employers can still drug-test workers. One woman at the party, for example, declines to give her name, saying her job could be at stake.

"That's the hurdle. People can't be associated with it," she says. "Everyone does it, but they can't tell anyone about it."

That's a tricky legal hurdle that'll take a lot more than advertising and branding to overcome.

hMPp://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-cal-senate-panel-advances-medical-marijuana-regulations-20140421,0,6251226.story#axzz2zd8Hmkuy

(California) State Senate panel advances medical marijuana regulations​

SACRAMENTO -- Medical marijuana dispensaries in California would have to get state Public Health Department licenses, and doctors who recommend pot would face new standards for examining patients under legislation supported Monday by a state Senate panel.

The measure, supported by members of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, also clarifies the authority of cities and counties to prohibit pot shops within their borders.

Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) said his bill is aimed at practices such as one in the Sacramento area where patients have been issued medical marijuana cards after a few minutes talking to a doctor via Skype and with no physical exam.

“The implementation of medical marijuana laws has been marked by conflicting authorities, regulatory uncertainty, intermittent federal enforcement action and many, many lawsuits,” Correa told the panel.

California voters legalized medical marijuana in 1996. Correa's bill would require dispensaries and cultivation sites to be licensed by the state Department of Public Health. His bill would require that physicians who recommend marijuana for patients first conduct an “appropriate examination” and periodically review the treatment’s efficacy, discuss side effects with patients and maintain records. For patients under age 21, a pediatrician would have to make the recommendation and the delivery method would be non-smoking.

The bill is sponsored by the California Police Chiefs Assn. and League of California Cities and supported by officers associations from Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana. “It is not medicine for doctors to show up at concerts to give recommendation cards to anyone willing to spend the cash,” said Citrus Heights Police Chief Christopher W. Boyd, president of the chief’s association.

The California Medical Assn. opposed the bill unless amended to remove provisions it feels interferes with the practice of medicine. The group opposed a requirement that doctors recommend the type and strength of marijuana used, which could subject physicians to federal enforcement action.

Changes were also requested by Dale Gieringer, director of the California National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, who objected to the bill “interfering in medical practices” and said it is unreasonable to require pediatricians be involved when the patients are age 18 to 20.

hMPp://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/04/21/north-texans-debate-pros-cons-of-legalizing-marijuana/

Survey: 9 In 10 Texans Want Pot Decriminalized​

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The DFW chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a group that supports legalizing pot in the Lone Star State (and nationwide) has put up a billboard in support of its cause.

Some people may call it a “sign of the times,” after the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado two years ago.

Stores selling marijuana for recreational use have taken Colorado by storm. And a recent Progress Texas survey taken by 9,000 people showed 92 percent of Texans are in support of legalizing the drug.

“If you can tax it, make some revenue, seems efficient. As time goes, it keeps progressing. If it works, it works. I don’t see what’s the harm in it,” said Tessa McGlynn of Garland.

In the same survey, 93 percent of participants living in the state said they support de-criminalizing marijuana. Thus, non-violent pot users wouldn’t face jail time as they currently do.

“I do believe in the decriminalization of it. You’re holding up a lot of space that could be filled up with a lot of other people,” said Erik Gromacki of Farmers Branch.

Although many people support decriminalizing marijuana, that doesn’t mean they favor legalizing the drug. People such as Becca Crowell, who has run the Nexus Recovery Center in Dallas for women for 24 years is one of them. She said she fears legalizing pot will increase the number of addicts. Of the 2,000 addicts they treat each year, Crowell said as many as three of four started using drugs with marijuana.

“Over and over again, we hear the stories about people smoking pot and drinking, and that has to be a part of the conversation — smoking pot and drinking alcohol, before you know it, they’re full blown addicts.”
Other people who spoke to CBS 11 News echoed her sentiment.

“Does marijuana lead to other heavier drug use because if that’s the case, we probably need to stop it earlier rather than later,” said Chris Stephens of Richardson.

According to the Progress Texas survey, 98 percent of participants questioned also support legalizing marijuana in Texas for medical purposes. UT Dallas professor Robert Morris just published the first of its kind study on states that legalized medical marijuana.

“We found no increase in the crime rate on the state level for states that passed legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes,” said Morris. But now that the study’s results were released, he said it’s up to Texans to figure out how to act — if at all.

Most law enforcement groups continue to strongly oppose legalizing marijuana or any drug for any purpose.

hMPp://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/christie_not_even_casual_marijuana_use_is_ok.html

Christie: Not even 'casual' marijuana use is OK​

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie stressed once again Monday night that he will never support the legalization of marijuana in New Jersey — especially after a recent study about the detrimental effects of casual pot use.

The Republican governor has long been opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey. But a resident who called into Christie's monthly radio show argued that legal pot is inevitable and could lead to more tax revenue and even more jobs for the state.

"Let me just stop you right there," Christie said on 101.5-FM. "You say it's going to come down the road. You know when it may come down the road? When I'm gone."

Christie cited a study by the Journal of Neuroscience last week that concluded even casual marijuana use — smoking once or twice a week to get high — can alter the brain. The authors of the report said it was the first study to examine light marijuana use.

"I am not going to be the governor who is going to tell our children and our young adults that marijuana use is okay," Christie said. "Because it's not. I don't care about the tax money that may come from it."

Last month, state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) introduced a bill that would regulate the growth, possession, and sale of recreational marijuana in New Jersey in an effort to stem the illegal drug market and bring new tax revenue.

But Christie has said he opposes the measure. And he stressed during Monday night's show that anyone who thinks it's a good idea to legalize pot should look at Colorado, one of two states in the U.S. to do so.

"Go to Colorado and see if you want to live there," the governor said. "See if you want to live in a major city in Colorado, where there are headshops popping up on every corner, and people flying into your airport just to get high.

"To me, it's not the quality of life we want to have here in the state of New Jersey," he added. "And here's no tax revenue that's worth that.

hMPp://time.com/68604/god-cannabis-dispensary-jesus-medical-marijuana/

Inside a Christian Pot Shop​

This Sacramento pot shop sells weed-infused lollipops while spreading the gospel

God told Moses to go down the mountain. He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And, according to Bryan Davies, he made another commandment to a California couple circa 2005: “Open up a pot shop.”

Bryan and Lanette Davies run a medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento, Calif., which they say they opened on the advice of God. The couple sells marijuana to patients battling AIDS and insomnia and arthritic disorders. They also use their shop, called Canna Care, as a vehicle for spreading their Christian faith. Bibles lie on a table in the lobby, free for the taking. And every day at 6 o’clock, all the shop’s employees stop what they’re doing to hold hands and pray. Patrons are invited to join and often do.

“It has to do with taking care of the sick and ill,” Lanette says. “Jesus Christ made a statement that all people should care for one another, and this is our way of taking that to our community.”

The shop has also become embroiled in a case with the Internal Revenue Service that could set an important precedent for the medical marijuana industry. Because of a 1982 law, medical marijuana dispensaries are not allowed to deduct ordinary expenses—like rent or payroll or the cost of providing health benefits—which would normally be standard for a small business. This is because, in the eyes of the federal government and therefore the IRS, such businesses are technically trafficking illegal drugs, even if they’re operating legally according to state laws.

The Davies are refusing to pay a $875,000 tax bill that the IRS says they owe, and have taken the issue to court. They are currently waiting for a ruling on the matter, which they say they’ll appeal if necessary. “We pay our taxes. We are completely legal in this state,” says Lanette. Time will tell if the tax court agrees. Meanwhile, the couple plans to keep selling weed-infused lollipops and the message of Jesus Christ.

LOL, well there you have it.... Jesus for pot and Gov Christie.... I really hate gov christie... A mother with a sick child begged him to let them use cannabis for their seizure ridden child, he said no and if they bring to NJ he would take their child. IDIOCY.

not trying to insult anyone but Christie a freakin joke of a politician.

They should ask him if he could kill more ppl by closing a bridge for no reason other then political maneuverings....what an a-hat.