Great-Grandmother, 74, Arrested For Selling Marijuana

A great-grandmother in Sydney, Australia, has been arrested by police as a drug dealer.

Noelene Edwards, 74, said she’s just a grieving widow, struggling with the recent loss of her husband, reports Clementine Cuneo at The Daily Telegraph.

The Surry Hills woman said she had been on her way into the city to pay for her husband’s funeral on Tuesday when a police dog allegedly detected that she was carrying cannabis.

Police claim a search of Mrs. Edwards’ handbag turned up 40 bags containing marijuana. (No word on how much pot was in each of the “40 bags.”)

Massachusetts the Nations Role Model in Cannabis?

What’s good, in this article I’m gonna fill you in on all the wonderful things happening in Massachusetts with House Bill 1371. If passed, this will make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to control and regulate sales of marijuana to adults over the age of 21. Although this would demand licensing requirements and create taxes on the for-profit retail sale of cannabis, Massachusetts will become a role model for the rest of the 49 states. This measure is also being referred to as the “Joint Committee of the Judiciary,” I believe there was no pun intended. For the full story click here.

“House Bill 1371 proposes to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to enact a rational public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana. Please show your support for this measure by contacting your state elected officials and urging them to support these common sense proposals.”

Please don’t read over this and shrug away, do your part! It might not seem like it, but every email and letter sent in is a step in the right direction. If not for our country, but do it for our lovely lady Mary Jane.

California Medical Marijuana Cooperatives And Collectives Could Get Zoned Out

The California Assembly Committee on Local Government will vote on a bill that will make it much more difficult to establish a legal medical cannabis patients’ cooperative or collective on Tuesday, June 29. Senator Lou Correa’s (D-Santa Ana) SB 847 will require that all cooperatives and collectives be located at least 600 feet from residential zones or use – effectively excluding vast portions of most California cities. This would be on top of the existing requirement that facilities be located 600 feet from schools.

We need to stop this bad bill before it reaches the Assembly floor. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is calling on medical cannabis patients and supporters to oppose SB 847 today. ASA’s Online Action Center makes it easy to find your state Assemblymember and send a message right now.

SB 847 is burdensome. It is already hard enough for patients to organize and operate legal cooperatives and collectives. This new rule may make it almost impossible in some cities. Most medical cannabis patients rely on cooperatives and collectives for access to medicine, so onerous restrictions like this serve to choke off safe access. That is not what voters intended when they approved Proposition 215 calling on lawmakers “to implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.”

SB 847 is unnecessary. Research conducted by ASA and more than fifteen years of experience with medical cannabis in California have taught us that sensible local regulations reduce crime and complaints. We do not need to usurp local control on medical cannabis. Instead, legislators should be cooperating with local government and other stake holders to adopt state laws that facilitate safe, reliable, and legal access to medicine.

Email your California Assemblymember today and ask him or her to vote no on SB 847.

Thank you for helping!

Sincerely,

Don Duncan
California Director

P.S. – ASA needs your help to keep fighting for safe access in California and Washington, DC. Please make a special contribution to support our work today.

http://www.theweedblog.com

California Assemblyman Wants To Let Cities Control Medical Marijuana

Bill lets Calif. cities control medical marijuana

The state Assembly has voted to give more power to California cities to regulate medical marijuana according to AP reports.

Democratic state Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield says claims confusion over who has final authority over medical marijuana dispensaries has led to higher crime and illegal sales, although their is no statistics to back up these claims. Assemblyman Blumenfield also happens to be from Los Angelas, which has spent most of the last year closing dispensaries through local regulation.

This bill could be very harmful, as it gives local government the ability to close dispensaries, which could send patients to the streets to find their medicine of choice.

Democratic Assemblyman and medical marijuana supporter Tom Ammiano of San Francisco objected saying he wanted the bill to include the term “dispensaries.” His logic was to help legitimize dispensaries which have been often the target of federal raids.

AB1300 was introduced with the intent let cities and other local governments make decisions about how to best regulate medical marijuana. Locations, crime prevention policy, licensing, taxation, hours and other rules related to the regulation of medical marijuana would be regulated locally. The bill was approved 53-1 Friday and now goes to the Senate.

Here is a copy of the bill.