US CO: Editorial: Listen to Voters on Medical Marijuana
03/08/2010 01:00 AM

Denver Post, 08 Mar 2010 – We question whether state lawmakers have the authority to create a dispensary system. Why not put it before the voters? Medical marijuana legislation pending in the state legislature could legitimize hundreds of dispensaries, and we don’t think that honors the intent of voters who approved narrowly drawn access for sick people. While state lawmakers may believe they have the authority to create a dispensary system for medical marijuana – that is, we think, a debatable legal question – we don’t think they should. That is an issue voters ought to decide.

US NC: Sen. Albertson Writes a Ditty About Willie
03/07/2010 01:00 AM

The Free Press, 07 Mar 2010 – Legislator Says to “Leave the Man Alone” RALEIGH — North Carolina’s singing senator has recorded a song critical of the marijuana and alcohol charges filed against members of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson’s band in January.

US MO: OPED: Drug Prohibition: Just Say No
03/07/2010 01:00 AM

Southeast Missourian, 07 Mar 2010 – I am grateful to Cape Girardeau lawyer John L. Cook for his op-ed piece against drug prohibition. It takes courage and clarity of vision. I have much respect for the Teen Challenge program and the individuals who are taking advantage of its help, as well as Dr. Jack Smart for directing the program. It takes gumption and faith. In his rebuttal to Mr. Cook, Dr. Smart was, however, substantively wrong in his assertion that this country has never been without drug prohibition.

US CO: Editorial: An Open Letter to AG Eric Holder
03/10/2010 01:00 AM

The Gazette, 10 Mar 2010 – Dear Attorney General Holder: The Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado’s second largest daily newspaper, respectfully joins four Colorado politicians who wrote to ask that you rein in your Drug Enforcement Administration officers in Colorado. They’ve acted with disrespect for the voters of Colorado to undermine our state’s constitutional right to buy, sell, produce and consume medical marijuana. Their actions have undermined sincere efforts by state and local politicians to achieve responsible medical marijuana regulation

US MI: Grand Rapids Requires Medical Marijuana Caregivers to Register With City
03/10/2010 01:00 AM

Grand Rapids Press, 10 Mar 2010 – GRAND RAPIDS — City commissioners adopted an ordinance Tuesday requiring medical marijuana caregivers to register as a home occupation. Before the vote, the commission amended the plan to remove a provision that would have required the caregiver’s premises to be open for inspection upon request without a warrant, saying warrants would always be issued for any searches.

US NM: Edu: Column: War On THC Comparable To War On Apples
03/08/2010 01:00 AM

Daily Lobo, 08 Mar 2010 – Prohibition of any kind doesn’t work, and that is because prohibition is a regulation of morality. It isn’t finding justice, saving money or even keeping people from hurting themselves. Prohibition is the censorship of morality and any government body cannot be successful in that pursuit. The Temperance Movement was a religious movement to drive out the evils of America. At the time that evil was alcohol — people weren’t just opposed to alcohol but also to apples — which were almost exclusively grown to make alcohol.

US CO: Youth Factor Heats Up Medical Marijuana Debate
03/08/2010 01:00 AM

Denver Post, 08 Mar 2010 – The divisions between the pro- and anti-marijuana crowds at the state House Judiciary Committee meeting were already clear last week when the young man who described himself as a recovering heroin addict approached the microphone. As the man spoke about marijuana use leading kids to harder drugs and fears that medical marijuana from dispensaries would make it into teenage hands, the lines became even clearer.

US: Web: The New Jim Crow
03/08/2010 01:00 AM

Huffington Post, 08 Mar 2010 – How the War on Drugs Gave Birth to a Permanent American Undercaste Ever since Barack Obama lifted his right hand and took his oath of office, pledging to serve the United States as its 44th president, ordinary people and their leaders around the globe have been celebrating our nation’s “triumph over race.” Obama’s election has been touted as the final nail in the coffin of Jim Crow, the bookend placed on the history of racial caste in America.

US VT: Pot Dispensary Bill Faces Action
03/09/2010 01:00 AM

Times Argus, 09 Mar 2010 – MONTPELIER – A legislative effort to provide eligible patients with safe and legal access to medical marijuana could inch forward this week when a Senate committee decides whether to create state-sanctioned dispensaries for the drug. The Senate Committee on Government Operations is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would establish up to five so-called “compassion centers” at which patients could obtain medical marijuana.

From MAP – Cannabis