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Oregon Passes Hemp Bill-Becomes Sixth State in 2009 to Take Action
State Pressure to Grow Hemp Continues to Mount as Business Booms June 30, 2009 – SALEM, Ore., — Yesterday, by a vote of 46 to 11, the Oregon House passed SB 676, a bill that permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products. “I am glad that Oregon…
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Rhode Island Sets Good Example With Pot Law
June 30th, 2009 – Those of us who have seen the suffering of sick friends or family members relieved by smoking marijuana remain mystified at Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s opposition to a medical marijuana law. But perhaps she will be inspired by Rhode Island’s example. The Ocean State’s legislature has expanded a 2006 medical marijuana…
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Mexico on the Verge of Decriminalizing Drug Possession
June 22, 2009 – The Mexican legislature has quietly approved a bill, supported by President Felipe Calderon, that will decriminalize possession of illegal drugs in small amounts. Calderon’s predecessor, Vicente Fox, planned to sign a similar bill until pressure from the Bush administration led him to reconsider. The Obama administration apparently has not raised a…
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Oregon – Roadblocks to Growing Industrial Hemp Removed in Bipartisan Senate Vote
June 20th, 2009 – (SALEM, Ore.) – In a bipartisan vote, the Oregon Senate voted to join 15 other states today by passing legislation that outlines state practices for the growth and sale of industrial hemp. SB 676 authorizes the production, possession and commerce in industrial hemp commodities and products. “Senate Bill 676 will allow…
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Criminalizing marijuana carries a high cost
Desperate times require Americans to rethink the nation’s never-ending war on drugs and its effects. June 16th, 2009 – If you believe a pothead could never amount to anything, think again. President Barack Obama, Michael Phelps and Bill Gates were all potheads. While some potheads amount to nothing, others grow up to become president. Yet…
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Rhode Island compassion centers legislation on governor's desk!
June 14, 2009 – Medical marijuana patients in Rhode Island are on the verge of having safe access to their medicine legally under state law. The House and Senate have each overwhelmingly passed the twin bills to allow the non-profit distribution of medical marijuana, with the Senate most recently approving the House bill in a…
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Pot advocates want California to vote on legalization
June 13th, 2009 – SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Californians could legally possess up to one ounce of pot and cities could sell and tax the drug under an initiative marijuana advocates want to place on the state’s 2010 ballot. The Control, Regulate and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 is being pushed by pot activists who…
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RI governor vetoes bill allowing marijuana sales
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri has vetoed legislation allowing stores to sell marijuana to medical patients. The proposal would have made Rhode Island the third state in the nation to adopt such a policy. In a letter Friday, Carcieri said permitting the manufacture and sale of drugs illegal under federal law…
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A Toke and a Tax – If governments legalize marijuana, how much revenue can they raise from it?
June 10, 2009 – The worse the economy gets, the better marijuana looks—not necessarily for its psychedelic properties, but for its revenue potential. As more cities and states face budget deficits, the idea that legal, regulated marijuana could reel in a bounty of taxes is gaining traction. This development has confounded legalization advocates, rendering their…