Tracks
HIGH TIMES ReLeaf, a pullout supplement to The Colorado Springs Independent, is devoted to medical marijuana. The Rolling Paper is from Village Voice Media, a publisher of alternative weeklies. Today’s New York Times looks at how the legalization of medical marijuana has, in effect, become an advertising boon for local newspapers. Death of print my ass. (Photo via the Times)
As of next week, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs "will formally allow patients treated at its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal," according to the NY Times. Also next week, look for right-wing nutjobs to point at this as proof that the Obama administration is run by a bunch of dope-smoking, pothead liberals.
I guarantee it.
“MEDICAL,” RIIIIIIIGHT Different kinds of fertilizers line the shelves at the new iGrow Superstore in Oakland, California. iGrow, a 15,000 square foot superstore for hydroponic and medical marijuana growing supplies, is opening its doors today. The one-stop shopping center is the largest in the San Francisco area and will offer medical cannabis cards, materials for medical marijuana patients to build their own grow rooms at home as well as a “Grow Squad” that can be hired to consult and build your garden for you. (Photo: Getty via the Telegraph)
The New Jersey Senate just approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana, a week after New Jersey voted not to allow gay marriage, which means the New Jersey Senate was like, ‘Gay people getting married? What are you, like, high? No? Well, let’s get high then.’
JIMMY FALLON, Late Night
(via the New York Times)
Yesterday, my home state of New Jersey, where I grew up, passed a law legalizing medical marijuana. They did it to help ease symptoms of diseases caused by living in New Jersey.
NY TIMES: New Jersey's Legislature okays medical marijuana bill; outgoing Gov. Corzine will sign it into law
The New Jersey Legislature approved a measure on Monday that would make the state the first in the region and the 14th in the nation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
The measure, passed on the final day of the legislative session, would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, muscular dystrophymultiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana distributed through state-monitored dispensaries. and
Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign it into law before leaving office next Tuesday. Gov.-elect Christopher J. Christie, speaking at a press conference on Monday before the vote, reiterated his support for legalizing the medical use of marijuana as long as the final bill contained safeguards to ensure that it did not end up encouraging the recreational use of the drug.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat from Princeton, said the New Jersey law would be the most restrictive in the nation because it would only permit doctors to prescribe it for a list of serious chronic illnesses. The legislation would also forbid patients from growing their own marijuana and using it in public, and it would regulate the drug under the strict conditions used to track the distribution of medically prescribed opiates like Oxycontin and morphine.
“I truly believe this will become a model for other states because it balances the compassionate use of medical marijuana while limiting the number of ailments that a physician can prescribe it for,” said Mr. Gusciora, who sponsored the bill.
Mr. Christie said he wanted to make sure that New Jersey did not follow the path of other states that have legalized the medical use of marijuana.
“I think we see all what’s happened in California,” Mr. Christie said. “It’s gotten completely out of control.”
NY TIMES: New Jersey Assembly passes bill that legalizes medical marijuana; still requires approval by NJ Senate
The New Jersey Assembly approved a measure on Monday that would make the state the first in the region and the 14th in the nation to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
The measure was to be voted on by the State Senate later in the afternoon, the final day of the legislative session. If passed, it would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana distributed through state-monitored dispensaries.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign it into law before leaving office next Tuesday. Gov.-elect Chris J. Christie, speaking at a press conference on Monday before the vote, reiterated his support for legalizing the medical use of marijuana as long as the final bill contained safeguards to ensure that it did not end up encouraging the recreational use of the drug.
Yesterday, voters in the state of Maine voted no to gay marriage, but yes to medical marijuana. That’s right, people in Maine believe marriage should be a sacred institution between a really stoned man and a really stoned woman.
CONAN O’BRIEN, The Tonight Show
(via the New York Times)
USA TODAY: Feds will not seek to prosecute medical marijuana users and suppliers who conform to state laws, reversing Bush-era policy
Healthcare reform.
The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.
Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to the Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws.
The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.
Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
California is unique among those for the widespread presence of dispensaries — businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Colorado also has several dispensaries, and Rhode Island and New Mexico are in the process of licensing providers, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that promotes the decriminalization of marijuana use.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that he wanted federal law enforcement officials to pursue those who violate both federal and state law, but it has not been clear how that goal would be put into practice.
