Legalization of Marijuana

Every day you hear different stories about the fate of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in LA.:  From the city is banning them outright, to the courts upholding that dispensaries can operate in the absence of guidelines from the city council.  But one thing is for sure.  The dispensaries and access are under heavy attack. I’ve written about [...]  

Riding on the wave of President Obama’s memo to end DEA interference in states’ medical marijuana laws and an unprecedented response from the media, Oregon NORML’s Cannabis Café opens at 4:20pm on November 13, 2009 at Rumpspankers, 700 NE Dekum St, Portland, OR 97211.      A special preview of the café and press conference will be held at 2:00pm. This will be the only time that anyone from the public will be allowed inside. All media …More  

"Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it." ~ Mark TwainTwain's wisdom came to mind as I read a recent article by new Dispatch columnist John Larson (another new club member; welcome!) about medical marijuana dispensaries.Near as I can tell, Larson supports in theory patient access to medical marijuana, but opposes in practice "putting (a medical marijuana dispensary) in Gilroy."That's a...  

In the few places that allow storefront dispensaries, entrepreneurs are adopting nonprofit business models to cope with legal gray areas Medical cannabis - Drugs - Business - Health - Illegal  

4:20 PM. Friday the 13th. The opening of Portland's first private pot cafe. When I checked out a Cannabis Cafe organizational meeting two weeks ago, the cafe owners and leaders of marijuana advocacy group Oregon NORML weren't sure if they could pull off all the legal and technical legwork needed to open the cafe on time. Though no medical marijuana will actually be sold at the cafe (it's a BYOP establishment), plans involved installing odor...  

(Mon, 09 Nov 2009) Gainesville Sun, The (FL)  

The hippest joint in town, Rumpspankers, is Oregon NORML's Cannabis Café set to kick off next Friday at exactly 4:20 p.m. The special cafe for members only is an innovative gathering place for the medical cannabis community, brought to fruition by Oregon NORML, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. Madeline Martinez, Executive Director of Oregon NORML, says this cafe will fill a void that so many patients feel in their lives.  

After months during which New Mexico’s single non-profit producer of medical marijuana was unable to keep a consistent supply of medical cannabis, Department of Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil announced Monday that the state is licensing an additional four producers, enough, the department hopes, to supply the state's nearly 800 active medical cannabis patients.  

Medical pot for sale in Cherry Creek North? That’s what Denver Council member Charlie Brown told me this week as I talked to him for a Perspective piece on medical marijuana. (”A heady debate on Medical Pot,” will appear Sunday in the Post’s Perspective section) Brown, who is leading the city’s charge on regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, [...]  

'Not a change' in policy 'at all,' US attorney says Operators of medical marijuana dispensaries in California are quickly learning that, contrary to recent news headlines, federal raids of medical marijuana clubs aren't going to stop -- an assertion the US attorney for northern California is unequivocally making. Numerous news sources reported in February that the Obama [...]  

[JURIST] Voters in Maine on Tuesday approved an expansion [proposed legislation, PDF] of the state's existing medical marijuana laws by a 59 to 41 percent margin [Bangor Daily News report], with 87 percent of precincts reporting. The proposed legislation, Question 5 on the Maine ballot, will allow for increased access to medical marijuana through dispensaries, and will increase the number of  

Lawyers representing a medical marijuana patient and a caregiver say the health board didn't give enough notice that it was considering the change. One of them, Robert Corry, said he learned about it in an e-mail from the board Monday afternoon.  

Voters in Maine disappointed liberals and civil libertarians last night with a vote to repeal the state's legalization of gay marriage, but they also approved something that should make those civil libertarians happy: a provision that will allow for state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries.The medical marijuana provision passed somewhat resoundingly: 58.6 percent to 41.4 percent, as of this morning, with 93 percent of precincts reporting...  

PORTLAND, Maine -- Voters approved a referendum making Maine the fifth state to allow retail pot dispensaries, but medical marijuana advocates say it won’t become like California, where hundreds of marijuana shops have popped up and come under critical scrutiny.  

Nearly a year after voters in this economically disadvantaged state overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative approving the consumption of medicinal marijuana, a new trade school has opened its doors to educate aspiring growers.Med Grow Cannabis College, located in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, is set to graduate its first class of students later this month.