Marijuana 420 News from Marijuana420.net

Marijuana legalization looks like it might be viable as a ballot measure in California this year, but the opposition campaign has secured the endorsements of big-name politicians in California, including one of its co-chairs.

The No on Prop. 19 campaign announced today that Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein will serve as co-chair of the campaign. From the press release:

"California will not see a single positive result if Proposition 19 passes," said Senator Feinstein. "It is a poorly constructed initiative that will cause harm to Californians on our roadways, and in our schools, workplaces and communities. I look forward to working with Sheriff Baca to ensure we defeat Proposition 19 in November."

SANFORD — It looks like there will not be a medical marijuana dispensary in Sanford, at least not in the foreseeable future.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services (DLRS) has selected Safe Harbor Maine, Inc. to operate a dispensary in Maine's Health District 1 of York County. Safe Harbor Maine proposes to establish a marijuana dispensary in Biddeford.

The DLRS announced Tuesday afternoon the selection of two nonprofit corporations, one in District 1 and one in District 7 (Washington and Hancock counties) to dispense marijuana under Maine's Medical Use of Marijuana Act.

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Earlier this week, a television commercial advertising medicinal marijuana was aired in California – the first ever broadcast in the U.S. The ad was shown over Fox affiliate KTXL in Sacramento, and has swirled up a nice little cloud of controversy from community members who worry about the commercial's effect on children. The ad itself features a series of testimonials from customers, all A-typical of our drug culture stereotypes: A pretty young woman claims she was diagnosed with a bone disease, while a middle-aged woman says she was hit by a drunk driver.

DURHAM, N.H. – New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana – that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults – is overblown.

Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research. In fact, the strongest predictor of whether someone will use other illicit drugs is their race/ethnicity, not whether they ever used marijuana.

Conducted by UNH associate professors of sociology Karen Van Gundy and Cesar Rebellon, the research appears in the September 2010, issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior in the article, "A Life-course Perspective on the 'Gateway Hypothesis.' "

One of the mandates of the UC Extension Master Gardener program that I joined and blogged about earlier this year is that we share our newly acquired knowledge and offer gardening advice to our communities. One noteworthy exception: marijuana. It is the one plant for which we can’t offer advice -- not for growing, propagation or problem diagnosis.

That definitive word came down last week from Pam Geisel, the statewide master gardener coordinator at UC Davis. She was passing along instructions from the office of the general counsel of the UC Regents (who oversee the master gardener and community garden programs) via their agricultural and natural resources division.

Polls are showing Proposition 19, the ballot measure that if passed, would legalize recreational marijuana in California, on the up and up. So what could stop it now? Rolling Stone’s upcoming issue includes a feature by Ari Berman, “Just Say Now,” on the marijuana legalization debate underway in California. And the piece contains some interesting predictions on how Proposition 19 will play out politically. Specifically, the piece mentions three things that might kill the measure:

You thought your medical marijuana (MMJ) card made it legal for you to smoke or ingest THC? Not really -- you can still get fired in Colorado if you fail a drug test.

Colorado passed an amendment to the state Constitution, making MMJ legal. But employers are saying that their drug policies trump Colorado law.

Would an employer be able to claim that you can get fired for having blood pressure medication in your system, or a blood thinner? Not likely.

Waterford Township -- A judge refused Tuesday to modify the bonds of 10 people arrested last week, a move that would have allowed them to use medical marijuana while they wait for their cases to proceed through the legal system.

The defendants, who appeared in 51st District Court, face felony charges that carry up to four years in prison. Most of the defendants claim they use marijuana to alleviate serious illnesses and pain, but Judge Richard Kuhn Jr. was unmoved.

Mayor Mike McGinn has a reminder for Seattle residents: It's illegal to smoke pot.

In 2003 city voters passed an initiative making the investigation, arrest and prosecution of marijuana offenses, when the drug was intended for adult personal use, the lowest law enforcement priority. The Stranger recently reported that the average number of monthly arrests for marijuana had gone up to almost 29 a month in the city, more than triple what it was when voters said they wanted to de-emphasize marijuana enforcement. However Seattlecrime.com questioned those figures.

RED BLUFF, Calif. — California wildlife officials say two men are in custody after a group of marijuana growers started to toss bags full of pot into a pickup truck belonging to game wardens they mistook for their suppliers. State Department of Fish and Game spokesman Pat Foy says two wardens in Tehama County were looking for deer poachers Monday night in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest when they heard footsteps behind them.