Denver to Become First U.S. City to Legalize Social Marijuana Use

By Reuters | November 15, 2016
A measure that would make Denver the first city in the United States to legalize the use of marijuana in such venues as clubs, bars and restaurants is expected to get enough votes to pass, backers and opponents of the initiative said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes amid a string of victories for proponents of medical and recreational marijuana use, with voters in California and Massachusetts approving ballot initiatives legalizing recreational use of the drug last week.

The Colorado measure will permit private businesses to allow marijuana use by adults in designated areas with certain exceptions. Backers of the initiative said it would make Denver the first city in the country where cannabis enthusiasts can enjoy the drug socially without fear of arrest.

“This is a victory for cannabis consumers who, like alcohol consumers, simply want the option to enjoy cannabis in social settings,” Kayvan Khalatbari, a Denver businessman and lead proponent of the so-called I-300 measure, said in a statement on Tuesday.

While other states have authorized similar plans, Khalatbari said Denver would be the first to actually implement them. He said businesses in the city could start opening their doors to pot users as soon as late January.

Approval for Denver’s initiative was leading in preliminary vote totals from last week’s election. While the city’s elections agency said they would not certify results until next Tuesday, campaigns that supported and opposed the measure both agreed it had passed.

Rachel O’Bryan, the campaign manager for the opposition group Protect Denver’s Atmosphere, said by phone there did not appear to be enough outstanding ballots for the measure to fail. - Full Article

Christie Signs Bill Approving Marijuana for PTSD Treatment

By 69 News | September 14, 2016
Veterans and others in New Jersey can now legally treat their post-traumatic stress disorder with marijuana.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed a measure Wednesday that allows people to use marijuana if their PTSD isn’t treatable with conventional therapy. But Christie also directed the state’s health commissioner to promulgate additional regulations that provide “clear objective criteria” regarding the drug’s use for PTSD.

Veterans and others in New Jersey can now legally treat their post-traumatic stress disorder with marijuana. Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed a measure Wednesday that allows people to use marijuana if their PTSD isn’t treatable with conventional therapy. But Christie also directed the state’s health commissioner to promulgate additional regulations that provide “clear objective criteria” regarding the drug’s use for PTSD. - Full Article

Stanford Engineers Develop ‘Potalyzer’ Test

By Mercury NewsSeptember 12, 2016
A “potalyzer” that can detect whether a driver is under the influence by marijuana is being perfected by Stanford University researchers.

Magnetic biosensors on the mobile device developed by materials science and engineering professor Shan Wang and her team can detect the presence of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in saliva, according to a Stanford news release.

Like a breathalyzer is used in alcohol impairment cases, police would be able to use a cotton swab to collect a spit sample and results would be available on a smart phone or laptop in three minutes.

News of the Stanford team’s development comes as California voters prepare to decide in the November election whether to legalize recreational marijuana.

If the measure passes, anyone 21 and older would be allowed to buy an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use. California was the first nationwide to legalize medical marijuana. - Full Article

Canada Will Ask the US to Rethink a ‘Ludicrous’ Marijuana Policy

By Business Insider | September 10, 2016
Canada will press the US to alter a border policy that has barred Canadians who admit to having used marijuana from traveling to the US, given that Canada plans to legalize pot, a government spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

The case of a Canadian man barred from US travel because he admitted to having smoked pot recreationally has stirred debate over US border agents invoking a federal law against marijuana use, even though pot use is legal in several states and soon to be legal in Canada.

British Columbia resident Matthew Harvey was stopped at a US border crossing in Washington state in 2014 and asked about recreational marijuana use.

When Harvey, 37 at the time and who had a permit to use medical marijuana, said he had smoked pot recreationally, he was detained and questioned for six hours before being denied entry and barred from future entry.

“They said that I was inadmissible because I admitted to smoking marijuana after the age of 18 and before I’d received my medical marijuana licence,” Harvey said, according to the CBC. - Full Article

Potency in Pot will be Regulated Under New Medical (Recreational) Cannabis Law

By Sacramento Bee | August 26, 2016
Sam Quinones makes an impassioned plea for state regulation of legal cannabis potency levels to safeguard children and to protect responsible adult cannabis users in his story, “Regulate potency in pot before legalizing it” (Forum, Aug. 21).

I agree, and it is exactly why I, along with a bipartisan coalition of legislators, authored the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year and provides California’s first comprehensive regulations for medical cannabis to protect patients, promote public safety and preserve the environment.

Under this legislation, California regulators, including the new Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation and the Department of Public Health, will require full disclosure of medical cannabis potency and have the authority to impose scientifically appropriate limits on the potency levels of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products. - Full Article

U.S. Prosecutors Dealt Setback in Medical Marijuana Cases

By Reuters Yahoo | August 16, 2016
The U.S. Department of Justice cannot spend money to prosecute federal marijuana cases if the defendants comply with state guidelines that permit the drug’s sale for medical purposes, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

The ruling, from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, comes as voters in nine more states will consider allowing the recreational use of marijuana this November.

Twenty-five U.S. states currently allow for medical marijuana. While the sale of the drug is still illegal under federal law, Congress in 2014 passed a budget rule which prohibits the DOJ from using federal funds to interfere in the implementation of state marijuana regulations.

Due to this rule, defendants in 10 cases in California and Washington argued that their federal charges should be dismissed. The 9th Circuit in San Francisco, which covers nine Western states, ruled on Tuesday that the DOJ could not spend money as long as those defendants “strictly complied” with all state regulations.

The appeals court sent the cases back to lower courts to determine if the defendants had complied with state law.

A Justice Department spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

In November California and eight other states will consider whether to allow marijuana for recreational use. Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, as well as the District of Columbia, already permit it.

The unanimous 9th Circuit ruling on Tuesday was issued by a three-judge panel, two of whom are Republican appointees with a history of pro-law enforcement opinions. - Full Article