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New York Governor Signs Needle Exchange Bill
While New York has long had needle exchange programs, their participants faced hassles from the cops for carrying needles and residues. That will be illegal now.
State & Local Legislatures
Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts Approves Some Drug Sentencing Reforms
The Massachusetts legislature passed, and the governor signed, legislation to reform some mandatory minimum sentences. But the final version omitted some important provisions originally endorsed by the Senate.
ACLU ready to challenge local marijuana ordinances
Officials in the Michigan cities of Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills prohibited the dispensing of medical marijuana by creating laws that state it is "unlawful for any person or business to engage in any activity, conduct, use or venture in the city that is contrary to federal, state, or local laws or ordinances." Medical marijuana is still considered a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, thus it would now be illegal to use in those cities even though 63 percent of voters statewide voted the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) into law. The ACLU sent letters to both cities challenging the ordinances, which the ACLU claims violate the rights of medical marijuana users.
US Capitol
Medical Marijuana Now Legal in DC
More than a decade after District voters approved it, medical marijuana is now legal in the nation's capital. But operating dispensaries are still months away.
Sacramento cannabis kumbaya: Marijuana shops get reprieve
Good news for Sacramento's patients! After long tumultuous debate, the Sacramento City Council voted to pursue the most liberal of three options for permitting and governing dispensaries. In the end, all 39 dispensaries that registered with the city by last summer have a chance to obtain special permits to stay in operation.
Final vote clears way for large-scale indoor medical marijuana growing in Oakland
Oakland is set to become the first city to allow large-scale pot growing for medical use â and the standard-setter for the lucrative and largely uncharted territory of industrial-scale medical marijuana businesses.
Steve Deangelo and James Anthony, Oakland City Council Meeting
Oakland Okays Indoor Medical Marijuana Mega-Farms (FEATURE)
The city of Oakland is about to take medical marijuana production to a new level. It just passed an ordinance that will allow for four city-permitted industrial-scale cultivation operations. Small- and medium-scale growers have not been included in the scheme yet, and while council members have said they will address that, the community is concerned and speaking out about it.
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CA Marijuana Init Worth Hundreds of Millions Yearly, State Analysts Say
California cities and counties are laying off firefighters and police officers as they face a seemingly never-ending budget crisis. A new report from the state Legislative Analyst's Office says they could gain "hundreds of millions of dollars a year" if Proposition 19 passes. Hmmmm...
Press Release -- Montel Williams to NY Legislators: Pass Medical Marijuana Now
PUBLIC STRATEGIES, LLC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
JUNE 29, 2010
Montel Williams to NY Legislators: Pass Medical Marijuana Now
Former Talk Show Host, MS Patient Urges Albany Lawmakers to Act Without Delay
CONTACT: Vince Marrone â¦â¦â¦ 914-912-0526 or [email protected]
ALBANY, NEW YORK â At a press conference in Albany on Tuesday, former talk show host, U.S. Navy officer and New York City resident Montel Williams urged New York Governor David Paterson and members of the Legislature to act quickly in order to pass New Yorkâs medical marijuana bill.Â
           The New York bill would create one of the best-regulated systems in the country for providing seriously ill patients with safe and effective access to medical marijuana. Mr. Williams suffers from multiple sclerosis, and uses medical marijuana to help ease the effects of his condition.
           âNew York needs to act now to make marijuana legally available for medical use. Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state,â Williams said.
           âThousands of New Yorkers suffer from serious medical conditions that could benefit from the medical use of marijuana,â said Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and sponsor of the Assembly medical marijuana bill. âIf the patient and the doctor agree that the most effective medicine is marijuana, the government should not stand in the way. It is cruel to turn suffering patients into criminals when they are following what their doctor recommends.â
           âMedical use of marijuana for patients with acute conditions like HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma relieves chronic pain and nausea and increases appetite,â said Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former New York City police captain. âWhen our fellow humans are burdened by the dire effects of life-threatening illnesses, we must not allow insubstantial ideological arguments to increase their suffering. The proposed medical marijuana legislation contains the critical safeguards needed to guard against diversion or abuse and establish access for patients in need. It is our moral and ethical duty to alleviate misery in our fellow human beings. Any other substance shown to have such beneficial effect would already be in the arsenal of medical practitioners. I wholeheartedly urge passage of this legislation.â
           Also joining Mr. Williams was Craig Burridge, executive director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY). PSSNY recently came out in support of New Yorkâs medical marijuana bill.
           âNew York has the opportunity to provide a model on how to mainstream medical marijuana to those patients who so desperately need it,â Burridge said. âFor those of us who have seen the suffering of a loved one, passage is long overdue.â
The New York bill would:
 * Allow patients facing serious, life-threatening or debilitating illnesses to get marijuana upon the recommendation of their physician.
 * Limit patient possession to no more than 2.5 ounces.
 * Grant the Department of Health the authority to license medical marijuana producers and dispensers, consistent with rules mirroring the state Controlled Substances Act.
 * Allow the Department of Health to establish fees sufficient to cover the cost of administering the program.
 * Allow state-licensed organizations, including pharmacies, to dispense medical marijuana to qualified patients.
 * Allow state-licensed organizations to produce marijuana for sale to dispensers only.
           Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed medical marijuana laws. More than a dozen state legislatures considered the issue this year, and in November, citizens of Arizona and South Dakota will vote on medical marijuana ballot initiatives. Under New Yorkâs bill, the state department of health would play an active role in regulating pharmacies and dispensaries that would be licensed to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients.
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Phil Smith
Oakland Okays Mega-Pot Farms
At about 11:15 Pacific time Tuesday night, the Oakland City Council passed an ordinance that would allow for four permitted industrial-scale medical marijuana cultivation facilities. In response to widespread concerns among the medical marijuana community, it also vowed to work on permitting medium-sized grows in the fall and to defer any crackdown on medium-sized grows until after the first large-scale permits are issued in January. Patients can still grow up to 32 square feet and to three-person collectives can still grow up to 96 square feet without permits. Look for a Chronicle feature story on this historic vote to be posted in the morning.