Contact your elected representatives and urge them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers'. NORML Blog
Paul Armentano
Reject Obama’s Nomination of Michele Leonhart For DEA Director
As interim DEA director, Ms. Leonhart orchestrated federal raids on individuals and facilities who were compliant with the medical marijuana laws of their states — a policy that is in direct conflict with the wishes of the present administration. Further, Ms. Leonhart has inexplicably called the rising death toll of civilians attributable to the U.S./Mexican drug war “a signpost of the success” of current drug prohibition strategies. Finally, she has repeatedly acted to block clinical research into the medical properties of marijuana — actions that would appear to run contrary to this administration’s pledge to allow science, rather than rhetoric and ideology, guide public policy.
Tennessee House Committee Votes To Study Medical Marijuana Legalization
On Tuesday, April 27, members of the House Committee onHealth and Human Resources unanimously voted to establish a task force to study the issue of legalizing medical marijuana, and to report back to the legislature with recommendations. The vote came after several lawmakers on the committee expressed reservations over provisions in the Safe Access to Medical Cannabis Act, but agreed that the issue deserves study and serious consideration in 2011.
Senate Companion Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana Introduced In Pennsylvania
On Tuesday, May 4, Democrat Sen. Daylin Leach held a press conference to mark the introduction of Senate Bill 1350, The Compassionate Use Act, which seeks to make Pennsylvania the fifteenth state to legalize the physician-supervised use of marijuana. SB 1350 has been assigned to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.
Ohio Legislature Considers Medical Marijuana Reform
As introduced, House Bill 478 would allow state-authorized patients to possess and cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The bill allows patients or their designated caregivers to cultivate marijuana, but only at designated registered sites. Patients are allowed to possess up to 200 grams of usable cannabis or 12 mature plants under this proposal
Florida Legislature Considers Limiting Retail Sale of Smoking Devices
House Bill 187 is before the Florida House of Representatives, and awaits action from the Criminal & Civil Justice Policy Council. This bill aims to prohibit the sale of all pipes and other related devices in stores that receive fewer than 75% of their annual revenue from the sale of tobacco products. A similar bill, SB 366, has been introduced in the Senate. SB 366 is awaiting action by the Policy & Steering Committee on Ways and Means.
California Senate To Debate Measure Reducing Marijuana Possession To An Infraction
By making possession an infraction, the bill would spare possession offenders time in court, related court costs, or the risk of a criminal record. Instead, they would simply pay a fine. (Note: As introduced, the fine is proposed to be $250. California NORML maintains that this fine is too expensive and has assurances from the sponsor that the proposed fine will be amended to $100.)
Connecticut Considers Decriminalizing Marijuana
NORML is pleased to announce that Senate Bill 349, which seeks to reduce criminal marijuana possession penalties to an infraction, has been introduced in the Connecticut legislature and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
As introduced, this proposal would reduce the penalties for minor marijuana possession offenses (up to one ounce) from a criminal class C misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine to an infraction punishable by a fine only.
Are U.S. Pot Laws the Root Cause of Mexican Drug Violence?
It was less than one year ago when acting U.S. DEA administrator Michelle Leonhart publicly declared that the escalating violence on the U.S.-Mexico border should be viewed as a sign of the “success” of America’s drug war strategies.
“Our view is that the violence we have been seeing is a signpost of the success our very courageous Mexican counterparts are having,” said Michele Leonhart, who was recently nominated by President Obama to be the agency’s full time director. “The cartels are acting out like caged animals, because they are caged animals.”
Why Students Hold The Key To Ending Marijuana Prohibition
Start talking about how prohibition endangers young people’s health and safety because it enables teens to have easier access to pot than to legal, age-restricted intoxicants like alcohol and tobacco. Talk about how prohibition forces young people to interact and befriend pushers of other illegal, more dangerous drugs. Talk about how prohibition compels young people dismiss the educational messages they receive about the health risks posed by the use of ‘hard drugs’ and prescription pharmaceuticals because they say: “If they lied to me about pot, why wouldn’t they be lying to me about everything else too.”