• Battle over medical marijuana

    Court ruling and government policy fail to fix systemic problems
    Editorial Opinion
    The Toronto Star (Canada)
    Monday, February 11, 2013

    More than a decade ago, after several court rulings, the federal government was forced to create regulations allowing people with legitimate needs to possess or grow cannabis for personal medical use without facing criminal charges. Yet it seems Canadians will have to wait longer for a truly workable system that ensures access. Unfortunately, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected the latest constitutional challenge to the current marijuana medical access regulations (MMAR).

  • Denver City Council to vote in April whether to opt out on marijuana

    The Denver Post (US)
    Monday, February 11, 2013

    amendment64-winsThe Denver City Council will vote in April on whether the state's largest city will opt out of licensing recreational marijuana sales — a move that could dramatically affect legalization efforts in Colorado. City leaders are wrestling with how to implement Amendment 64, which legalized recreational use and possession, cultivation and distribution of limited quantities of marijuana.

  • How the Latin American drug war will end

    Ending the drug war will necessitate a hemispheric-wide effort and it is here where South America must play a more important role
    Nikolas Kozloff
    The Huffington Post (US web)
    Monday, February 11, 2013

    As the underlying rationale for the war on drugs falls apart, some may wonder whether Latin America is really prepared to push back against Washington's militaristic approach toward marijuana trafficking. While such a prospect would have been unheard of just a few years ago, recent developments in the U.S. suggest that change could come fast at the hemispheric level. Indeed, successful pushes for marijuana legalization in Washington state and Colorado brought together some unusual political constituencies.

  • The U.S. drug czar weighs in on Canada’s pot habit

    Gil Kerlikowske on the perils of pot legalization, and how Canada creates drug problems for the U.S.
    Macleans (Canada)
    Monday, February 11, 2013

    kerlikowske3Kerlikowske: "I think a patchwork of policies would create real difficulties. We still have federal law that places marijuana as being illegal. The administration has not done a particularly good job of, one, talking about marijuana as a public health issue, and number two, talking about what can be done and where we should be headed on our drug policy." (See also: Gil Kerlikowske, White House Drug Czar, says Administration hasn't done 'good job' on marijuana)

  • Two letters expose rift over new pot law

    Dueling letters highlight the acrimony and politics brewing as Washington begins to write its laws controlling legal marijuana
    The Seattle Times (US)
    Thursday, February 7, 2013

    alison-holcombA handful of legislators recently drew up a letter raising questions and concerns about the law, including whether it can be implemented by December as required under voter-approved Initiative 502. Alison Holcomb, drug-policy director for the ACLU of Washington and one of the law’s sponsors, defended it in a point-by-point response to the letter. Holcomb also implied that some of Hurst’s concerns could lead to a “Big Marijuana” industry whose advertising targets young people.

  • Pot plans: Efforts surge in Congress to reform marijuana laws

    Time Magazine (US)
    Wednesday, February 6, 2013

    passing-joint3Driven by a groundswell of public opinion, Colorado and Washington State last November became the first states in the U.S. to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. That wave of support, it now seems clear, has echoed through the U.S. Congress, which formally questioned the federal government’s prohibitionist drug policy in the form of marijuana-reform bills. (See also: Legalization hits the Hill)

  • FARC proposes drug legalization at peace talks

    InSight Crime
    Wednesday, February 6, 2013

    At peace talks in Cuba, Colombian guerrilla group the FARC outlined a proposal to legalize drug consumption and cultivation, complementing reforms that are about to be tabled by the Colombian government. Chief negotiator Marquez called for "an end to policies of criminalization and persecution, [and] the suspension of aerial fumigation and other forms of eradication that are generating negative socio-environmental and economic impacts." (See also: Colombia's Farc proposes legal coca and marijuana crops)

  • California high court seems inclined to uphold bans on pot shops

    Justices are weighing the legality of Riverside's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries
    Los Angeles Times (US)
    Wednesday, February 6, 2013

    The California Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold municipal bans against medical marijuana dispensaries. Meeting for oral arguments, the state high court considered the legality of a ban on dispensaries by the city of Riverside. Several justices noted that the state Constitution gives cities wide policing power over land use and suggested that the state's medical marijuana laws have not undercut that authority. (See also: Marijuana dispensary curbs likely to stand)

  • Medical marijuana is greenlit

    Concerns over pricing, insurance coverage remain as bill passes through Senate
    The Prague Post (Czech Republic)
    Wednesday, February 6, 2013

    cannabis-smoker-czechMedical marijuana may soon be legally sold and available via doctors' prescriptions, with senators overwhelmingly approving the legislation in a 60-7 vote Jan. 30. The bill, which now awaits a presidential signature, marks a major step toward official acceptance of marijuana use in the country, after the Cabinet of Prime Minister Jan Fischer decriminalized possession of "small amounts" of marijuana for personal use in 2009.

  • Federal marijuana tax and regulate bills introduced in Congress

    The Daily Chronic (US web)
    Tuesday, February 5, 2013

    Members of Congress introduced bills to end marijuana prohibition and start regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol at the federal level. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013, which would remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and establish a system in which marijuana is regulated similarly to alcohol at the federal level. It would also remove marijuana from the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). (See also: Colorado Rep. Jared Polis seeks to legalize marijuana at federal level)

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