MJ News for 08/14/2014

[7greeneyes]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/le...are-more-flocking-washington-colorado-n176636

Marijuana Tourists: Are More Flocking to Washington and Colorado?​

Are more tourists headed to Washington and Colorado to enjoy a legal toke? The answer’s hazy.

Seattle on Friday will host its annual Hempfest — a pot-a-palooza weekend known to attract a quarter million people — yet city officials say legal weed in Washington has yet to lure sightseers across state borders.

In the Mile High City, some 30,000 people crammed an open-air expo during 4/20 weekend to sample strains vying for the 2014 Cannabis Cup. But Denver officials maintain there’s no proof that legal pot in Colorado is enticing visitors from other states.

To the civic-hawking pros charged with charming far-flung consumers to enjoy the best of Washington and Colorado, marijuana tourism remains a myth.

Duly noted. But according to experts at travel websites that track the habits of American vacationers, the two states where voters approved recreational pot each have witnessed an uptick in curious journeyers since those laws were enacted.

“We've seen that searches for both destinations have spiked dramatically,” said Taylor Cole, who handles public relations for Hotels.com North America.

Year-over-year, there was a 73 percent traffic increase at Hotels.com among shoppers hunting for Denver rooms during the 4/20 festivities — and a 68 percent bump among travelers scouting for Seattle rooms during July, the first month of legal weed sales there, the site reports.

At Hopper.com, an airfare comparison site, there’s been a 10 percent rise in the “interest” among users checking out flights to Spokane, Washington, for September to November of this year when compared to the same months during 2013. There's been a corresponding 3 percent hike for Seattle during the same time frame, said Virginia Nicholson, a data analyst with the site.

So, assuming there is a layer of reality to the concept of marijuana tourism, which state is winning over more weed travelers?

There is an early victor.

“Our search data does show that Denver and Colorado have seen more significant search increases in the first seven months of the year,” said Cole of Hotels.com.

From Jan. 1 — when legal weed sales began in Colorado — to July 31, year-over-year room searches at Hotels.com were up by 37 percent for Denver and by 17 percent for all Colorado, reports Hotels.com.

In Washington, where medical marijuana has been sold throughout 2014 — and where recreational pot fans awaited the July 1 dawn of that new law — year-over-year room searches were up by 29 percent for Seattle and by 11 percent for all of Washington through the first seven months, reports Hotels.com.

At Hopper.com, a similar Colorado-favoring trend has been noted.

While autumn-timed flight searches at Hopper.com are edging higher this year for Seattle and Tacoma, those numbers pale when compared to folks who have booked or are planning 2014 Denver trips — a 20 percent year-over-year jump since Jan. 1, according to Nicholson’s analysis.

“Marijuana tourism is not as strong in Washington state,” Hopper.com reports, adding: “Travelers have not been flocking to Seattle the way they did to Denver.”

And Colorado’s edge is likely not fueled by the Rocky Mountain State’s six-month head start on recreational pot.

Washington has suffered a more sluggish pot-tourism launch “due to the threat of a recreational weed shortage,” as only 79 dispensaries of the more than 2,600 that applied for licenses in that state were approved to start growing, Nicholson said.

What's more, tougher controls on advertising and public displays, and "limited supplies at very high prices," may reduce legal pot shops in Seattle to "a tourist novelty," the New York Times opined Aug. 2.

et that debate rage. But entrepreneurs in both states are trying to court any marijuana-minded travelers.

In Seattle, Canna Bus touts itself as a “rolling sanctuary,” hauling visitors to “the epicenter of Seattle’s exploding cannabis culture.” That includes a stop at a recreational marijuana store “after which you can enjoy your purchases … during a sight-seeing tour of the Emerald City.” Tickets are $50.

In Denver, So Mile High offers “marijuana expeditions” to dispensaries, glass shops and live growing operations. The site also suggests the “Top 3 Munchie Destinations” in town and “the best marijuana friendly” bed-and-breakfast.

Still, tourism officials in both markets remain unconvinced that legal toking is sucking in out-of-staters.

“It’s interesting to me, we’ve had fairly low amounts of consumer interest through our visitor information channels, our visitor centers and phones, even as retail sales opened here last month,” said David Blandford, spokesman for Visit Seattle.

Deborah Park, spokeswoman for Visit Denver, told NBC News in April: “We’re not Amsterdam.” She stands by those words.

“We still don’t have any numbers that support that marijuana tourism exists,” Park said Friday. “When people come into the city, they will go to a recreational marijuana location. But it’s like shopping — one of those things they do while they’re here. They’re not making their trip around it.”

A leading marijuana advocate asserts that in Colorado, where Gov. John Hickenlooper opposed recreational pot, tourism officials are simply voicing the party line.

“I believe (Park’s) remarks are more wishful thinking than reality,” said David Rheins, CEO of the Seattle-based Marijuana Business Association, considered the cannabis industry’s chamber of commerce. “Colorado has enjoyed huge sales of recreational marijuana, driven in large part by out of state tourists. While they may not have many places to legally smoke out — you can’t consume on the street, in cabs, parks or most hotel rooms — but apparently they are finding a way.

“I do believe,” he added, “that Washington will embrace pot tourism, and that you will see more travel agencies, hotels and events come online.”

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...uana-news-banking-moratoriums-taxes/14008947/

Banking, moratoriums and taxes​

A federal document shows 105 banks and credit unions are working with marijuana businesses in 23 states, according to VOX. Growers, store owners and processors say they are more vulnerable to thieves if they can't deposit their cash.

In February, the Obama administration assured banks and credit unions they would not be subject to money laundering charges if they worked with marijuana businesses, providing they met certain requirements. Still, the marijuana friendly institutions represent less than 1 percent of all banks and credit unions in the U.S., according to VOX.

Washington sees green

Washington state earned more than $1 million in taxes from the first month of legal sales, according to The Washington Times.

The state's liquor control board, which oversees the retail system, called it a healthy start given that only 18 of the 40 licensed stores were operational in July.

Medical marijuana gains traction in Costa Rica

A Costa Rican lawmaker wants to make his country the first in Central American to legalize medical marijuana, according to The Tico Times.

Lawmaker Marvin Atencio said he believes cannabis can help treat certain medical conditions like cancer and epilepsy. And he think taxing marijuana products at 7 percent could generate $20 million a year for his country's coffers.

Washington town continues to wait

As Seattle and Vancouver begin selling recreational marijuana, other Washington cities like Sunnyside are waiting and watching, according to the Yakima Herald Republic.

City officials in Sunnyside have extended their moratorium on marijuana businesses for six months, saying they hope to have a better picture of what legalization looks like and to see how lawsuits brought by other cities against the state law play out.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/okla...esting-a-form-of-medical-marijuana-1407963913

Oklahoma Governor Shows Support for Testing a Form of Medical Marijuana​

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to allow medical trials exploring the use of cannabidiol oil, a nonpsychoactive component of marijuana, for treating disorders that cause seizures and strokes in young children.

If lawmakers back the Republican governor's effort, Oklahoma would join a string of conservative-leaning states that have recently sanctioned limited use of cannabidiol oil, or CBD. Ten states, including Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi, legalized some form of CBD this year.

The governor said she is still opposed to legalizing pot for recreational and most medical uses.

In February, the Epilepsy Foundation applauded states that allowed clinical trials of CBD, noting that animal studies and anecdotal reports have pointed to some effectiveness. The nonprofit organization said more research is needed.

A 2014 study published by the Cochrane Collaboration, a nonprofit network of health-care academics, said no reliable conclusions can yet be drawn on cannabinoids as a treatment for epilepsy.

Still, legalizing CBD trials is growing in popularity, allowing states to respond to demand from some constituents without passing comprehensive medical marijuana laws, said Karmen Hanson, medical marijuana policy expert for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Cases of "cannabis refugees" from Oklahoma—families who move to different states to seek medical marijuana treatments for their children—have made headlines this past year.

In the 2013 legislative session, a bill aiming to legalize medical marijuana failed in the Oklahoma state senate's Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by state Sen. Brian Crain, a Republican.

Mr. Crain on Wednesday voiced support for limited trials of CBD.

"We have children who are suffering seizures, and if there's something we can do for them, without increasing the risk for substance abuse, we have to try all the options," he said. But Mr. Crain said he would continue to oppose broader marijuana-legalization efforts.

This week, an activist group is winding up a campaign to get a measure legalizing medical marijuana on Oklahoma's general election ballot in November. Oklahomans for Health has registered more than 24,000 new voters in the process, founder Chip Paul said.

"It's clear that there's a giant disconnect between the people of Oklahoma and the politicians" when it comes to support for medical marijuana, said Mr. Paul.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-possession-has-more-than-tripled-since-1991/

The share of arrests for marijuana possession has more than tripled since 1991​

Skyrocketing incarceration rates for nonviolent drug offenders have come to symbolize the futility of the national "war on drugs." Even the most ardent drug legalization opponents are beginning to view drug use through the lens of public health, rather than criminal justice.

This shift in focus is evident at the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, which for decades has been the command center of the federal war on drugs. The ONDCP now emphasizes "balance" as a key component of federal drug strategy. "Drug addiction is not a moral failing but rather a disease of the brain that can be prevented and treated," the agency states on its website. "Drug policy is a public health issue, not just a criminal justice issue."

That said, it doesn't seem that the nation's law enforcement agencies have embraced the new approach. While the number of arrests for all offenses has declined nationally since 1991, the share of arrests related to simple marijuana possession has more than tripled over the same time period.

In absolute terms the number of marijuana possession arrests has more than doubled since 1991, although it has subsided slightly in recent years. But the percent of all arrests related to marijuana possession has steadily risen even as public attitudes toward the drug have shifted, states have relaxed their marijuana laws, and new research has come to light thoroughly debunking the Reefer Madness mindset of earlier decades.

At least 658,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession in 2012, accounting for 42 percent of all drug arrests and 5.4 percent of all arrests for any offense, according to FBI data. The actual numbers are likely even higher, since a handful of states either don't report arrest data to the FBI, or only do so on a limited basis.

But the focus on marijuana arrests varies considerably by state. In New York, an astonishing one out of every eight arrests - 12.7 percent - are for simple marijuana possession. But across the state line in Massachusetts, fewer than one out of every 100 arrests are for marijuana possession.

Both states decriminalized marijuana possession - New York in 1977, and Massachusetts in 2009. But in New York, a loophole in the decriminalization law allows arrests for marijuana that is in possession "in public view." If a police officer can trick an unsuspecting person into emptying their pockets - say, during a "stop and frisk" - any marijuana in those pockets is now in public view. Out come the cuffs.

The overall picture is similar if you look at the number of marijuana arrests per 1,000 marijuana users in a given state. Those figures show that Nebraska and Louisiana are the riskiest states to smoke marijuana in, with roughly 50 arrests per 1,000 users. In contrast, a marijuana user is about 40 times less likely to get arrested in Massachusetts, where there are 1.3 possession arrests per 1,000 users.

The state-level data underscore the inconsistency of prohibitionist marijuana policy. New York devotes considerable man-hours and dollars to marijuana possession enforcement compared to Massachusetts, but usage rates are roughly the same in both states: 8.2 percent of New Yorkers admitted using marijuana in the past month, compared to 9.4 percent of Massachusetts residents. So what return, exactly, is New York seeing on its investment in marijuana policing?

The costs of this kind of overzealous drug policing are considerable. The ACLU estimates that in 2010, states spent a total of $3.6 billion on marijuana possession enforcement. But the costs born by the people arrested are even greater. FBI's crime data doesn't track whether arrests lead to convictions, but an arrest in an of itself can be a huge burden, financial or otherwise.

It may cost thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight a marijuana arrest. Some offenders are given the option of attending a drug treatment program in exchange for leniency. But rehab makes little sense for a recreational marijuana user, and these programs can also be prohibitively expensive. Moreover the arrest itself, regardless of conviction, can show up in background checks for job applications.

Fortunately, the trend toward full legalization appears to be a durable one, at least judging by the public opinion numbers. As more states move toward legalization, law enforcement agencies will be able to allocate that $3.6 billion elsewhere. A good place to start might be the 53 percent of violent crimes that went unsolved in 2012.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28767270

Cannabis and Canada: Why has drug policy changed?​

Canadian Marc Emery's arrest in 2005 was hailed by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a significant blow to the legalisation movement. Now, after a five-year stint in a US jail, Canada's "Prince of Pot" returns to a completely different cannabis landscape.

Marc Emery's voice is filled with an inescapable joy the day after he returned home to his native Canada after spending nearly five years in a US federal prison.

"The transition was surreal - I was in leg irons with a chain iron around my stomach, driving 12 hours from the jail in Louisiana," says Mr Emery, 56, speaking to the BBC from Toronto.

"Then, all of a sudden you're released and you're choosing your own food - it's a lovely feeling."

In 2005 Mr Emery was arrested and in 2010 he was extradited to the US for selling nearly $3m (£1.8m) worth of marijuana plant seeds from his cannabis store to US buyers.

Most of that money, Mr Emery says - nearly $2.1m of it - was donated to legalisation efforts in the US.

That was why, at the time of his arrest, the DEA crowed that jailing him would halt efforts to legalise marijuana in the US and Canada.

"Drug legalisation lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on," the DEA said at the time.

Now, visibly paler and with a few more grey hairs, Mr Emery says he was heartened to find out that the millions of dollars he had donated to legalisation efforts in the US had an impact.

But, what he calls the "rich irony" of his situation - for instance, the Washington State prosecutor who put him in jail later ended up working with Mr Emery's wife, Jodie, to write Washington's recreational marijuana laws - has not escaped him.

"The silence is deafening in Canada and the cowardice not to discuss marijuana legalisation is really peculiar," he says, especially given how a refusal to legalise cannabis could be hurting the once vibrant British Columbian weed, or "BC Bud", economy.

Role reversal
For some, it is more than just peculiar.

In a reversal that few would have predicted, in the nearly five years that Mr Emery has been in jail, the US has taken the lead in the effort to legalise cannabis, stunning many observers who had long believed that Canada would be first.

"It's ironic isn't it?" says Robert Gordon, a professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

"We used to be bleating here in Canada that our drug policy was being regulated by the US and that the DEA and other US agencies would never allow Canada to shift to a more liberal regime in terms of drug regulation.

"Then, all of a sudden in the matter of a year, the roles reversed and certain states in the US are adopting the liberal regulation that many of us wanted in Canada," he says.

Canada's cannabis laws

* Canadian flag that has a marijuana leaf instead of a maple leaf

* Cannabis is a Schedule II drug - that means growing, possessing, distributing and selling it is illegal

* Possession can result in up to five years in jail

* Production can result in up to seven years in jail

* Trafficking can result in life imprisonment

* Using cannabis for medicinal reasons is legal everywhere in Canada and run by a federal agency, Health Canada

* According to recent statistics, 37,884 Canadians are authorised to possess dried cannabis

Unlike in the US, where a piecemeal approach to legalisation has resulted in several successes for legalisation advocates, in Canada - where medicinal marijuana is regulated on the federal, not provincial, level - legalisation efforts have stalled and, in some cases, got more strict.

Many have said that this is a result of the current Canadian government - controlled by the Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has said marijuana should remain illegal to keep it away from children.

"In Canada, you've seen a significant increase in terms of marijuana possession arrests - they've been really aggressive on this," says Clayton Mosher, a professor at Washington State University, who notes that the arrests have not been evenly distributed.

But there has been a silver lining: in keeping marijuana legislation at a federal level, investors have been more keen to invest in medicinal marijuana growers in Canada, where at least the laws are more black and white.

'Winning the lottery'

And further south, the tightening in Canada has has been a boon to those hoping to cash in on the "green rush".

John Evich says he was convinced to invest in Top Shelf Cannabis, one of the first legal recreational marijuana stores to open in Bellingham, Washington, after running into a friend at the post office who asked him if he would join him in business if he "won the lotto" for a cannabis store licence.

Now, Mr Evich says he has barely slept since the store opened on 6 July to hundreds of customers - over 10% of whom were Canadians who drove just an hour south to see what was happening.

Demand was so strong in the first few days - and supply so scarce - that Mr Evich and his business partners were forced on several occasions to temporarily close the shop and turn away customers,

Now Mr Evich has been reduced to stalking potential legal suppliers, looking for a few dozen pounds here, a few pounds there - all in order to keep up with demand, which was once directed northwards, at the estimated $4bn "BC Bud" industry.

"It's odd to me to see the huge change - there were thousands of pounds [of marijuana] a month coming down from BC to here and now we're getting all of them [the Canadians] coming down here," he says.

Need for green

Mr Emery says that he hopes his return to Vancouver will help restart the legalisation debate in Canada.

His wife Jodie has said she plans to run for elected office as part of Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, which has stated support for legalisation efforts, in the next nationwide elections, expected sometime in 2015.

But for Mr Emery, the matter is more than political: he is returning to his business, the Cannabis Culture store.

"We need to earn some money - I owe back taxes," he says.

In some ways, like almost every other Canadian cannabis-related business, Mr Emery is now struggling to keep customers in Canada.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...e-of-a-third-of-citys-145-cannabis-clubs.html

Barcelona orders closure of a third of city's 145 "cannabis clubs"​

Barcelona City Hall has ordered the closure of almost 50 cannabis clubs in a bid to stem an industry that has the Catalan capital rivalling Amsterdam as a “potheads’ paradise”.

Authorities, concerned about Barcelona’s fast-growing reputation as a weed smokers’ haven, ordered the closures after an inspection of 145 cannabis clubs in the city found a third of them had “deficiencies” in their management.

The clubs facing closure are accused of various violations, among them selling cannabis illegally, attempting to attract non-members onto the premises and poor ventilation.

The number of cannabis clubs in Spain has soared over the past few years, ballooning from an estimated 40 associations in 2010 to more than 700 across the nation, according to estimates by smokers’ groups.

Barcelona is home to more than half of these clubs, which vary from elegant cocktail-style bars to sparsely furnished basement rooms in apartment blocks.

They have sprung into existence because of a legal loophole which allows marijuana to be cultivated and distributed among members forming a not-for-profit association. Members must pay an annual subscription plus a variable fee to cover the cost of cultivating the cannabis they consume.

Without clear regulations in place, however, some clubs have ventured beyond the spirit of the law and actively encourage tourists by allowing them to sign up for club membership online ahead of their arrival in the city and to buy drugs when they visit.

Barcelona now tops the rankings on WeBeHigh, a travel advice website for soft drug users, beating traditional stoners’ favourite Amsterdam.

Earlier this year Barcelona’s city hall imposed a year moratorium on associations opening premises for smoking the drug and regional authorities also want new rules on cannabis.

Recent figures show that in Catalonia alone there are 165,000 registered members of cannabis clubs bringing in an estimated 5 milion euros (£4 million) in revenue each month.

City Hall announced plans in June to tighten control of the cannabis clubs, which include ensuring that they do not open premises near schools and that they are well ventilated. Authorities are also seeking to control opening hours of club premises and set maximum membership numbers.

The associations themselves have also called for better regulations to be introduced to avoid malpractice such as leafleting on the street to lure in new members and dealing in black market cannabis rather than produce homegrown specifically for use by the association.

Martin Barriuso, the spokesman for the Spanish Federation of Cannabis Associations, acknowledged that some “bad practices” have emerged.

“We have reported them,” he told AFP last month. “But it is hard to control without a clear regulation that separates the wheat from the chaff.”

Following the closures on Wednesday, the Catalan federation of cannabis associations, CatFAC, appealed for dialogue between the authorities and the clubs.

“We are aware that the administration does its job well and ensures the common good but this situation would be easier if, before it acts, it set clear rules for all cannabis associations,” it said in a statement.

The more reputable clubs have doctors on hand to advise those who may be using marijuana for medicinal purposes, such as easing the side effects of chemotherapy.

Catalonia’s Ministry of Health will in September present a draft law to the regional parliament calling for the regulation of cannabis consumption.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://whotv.com/2014/08/13/public-meetings-set-on-cannabis-oil-rules/

(Iowa) Public Meetings Set on Cannabis Oil Rules​

DES MOINES, Iowa — On July 1st, Iowa lawmakers legalized a form of medical marijuana, but patients still can’t get the drug.

The Iowa Department of Health is still coming up with rules on how to administer the law. Under the law, cannabis oil can only be used by patients suffering from a severe form of epilepsy.

In order to legally possess the oil, patients must first receive a recommendation from a neurologist who has treated the patient for at least six months. The patient would then have to apply for a cannabis registration card.

Finally, because the state did not legalize the sale of the cannabis oil, the patient would have to find an out-of-state supplier.

Those rules will be the focus of a series of public meetings in a couple of weeks. All of these meetings will take place on the same day, August 26th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the following locations:

Ottumwa Regional Health Center, 1001 E. Pennsylvania, Ottumwa

North Iowa Area Community College, 500 College Drive, Mason City

Iowa Western Community College, 2700 College Road, Council Bluffs

Sioux City Public Library, 529 Pierce Street, Sioux City

Davenport Public Library, 321 Main, Davenport

Lucas State Office Building, Sixth Floor, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines