420 Policies and Laws

[Crow]

Local media coverage on the historic day --

[Crow]

Marc Emery, the 'prince of pot,' getting released from prison

We've missed you, Marc. May your return home to Cascadia be safe, and your reunion with Jodie be sweet.

Countless blessings to you and Jodie.

Love,
Crow

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Marc Emery is being transferred from a U.S. federal prison to a private deportation facility in Louisiana this morning, according to a message posted by his wife Jodie on Twitter this morning.

"I'm a bit excited, that's for sure. I'm showered and shaved and ready to go. Its so dark and grey outside. I hope they drive me safely there!...Call you tonight (I hope!) Your man on Release Day!" he wrote in the email, which was posted online by his wife.

The B.C. pot advocate was sentenced to five years in jail in 2010 for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana after his Vancouver-based mail order business was busted in a joint operation involving U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies in 2005.

After his paperwork is completed and a flight booked to Detroit, it is estimated he will return to Canada sometime between Aug. 10 and 25.

[Burnsey]

Vending machines.......
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/...in-new-stores/

[Crow]

Seattle’s pot store opens: It’s time to ‘free the weed’

It's time to “free the weed,” Cannabis City owner James Lathrop said before opening the doors to Seattle’s first pot store shortly after noon.

The weed isn’t free, of course. It’s going for about $20 a gram. But there are plenty of buyers ready, including some notables such as Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes and Alison Holcomb, author of the state’s legal pot law.

"Today marijuana sales became legal and I’m here to personally exercise that new freedom,” Holmes said.

Then the crowd started a countdown to “high noon,” though the store officially opened a few minutes later.

They aren’t the first buyers in the state — two stores opened at 8 a.m., including Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham.

Cale Holdsworth and Sarah Gorton of Kansas, who arrived about 4 a.m., were first in line there to buy a portion of the store’s 20-plus pounds of pot that was delivered earlier in the morning. By the time the store opened, dozens of others had joined them in line.

Store owners initially planned to sell their more-than-20 pounds of pot two grams at a time, but this morning, citing fewer people than expected, said they would allow people to buy up to an ounce, the maximum allowed under the law. A second Bellingham store had to delay its planned Tuesday morning opening late Monday because of supply issues.

In dry heat steadily climbing to a high of 101, scores of customers waited outside Altitude in Prosser for their first legal purchase.

Manager Tim Thompson and his team of 18 employees passed out water to the crowd, which began lining up around 5 a.m.

“We’re grateful to have them and keep them hydrated,” Thompson said.

Sixty customers and an hour and a half after Altitude’s doors opened at 8 a.m., the grapefruit strain was sold out, and their querkle, a hybrid indica-sativa, was almost sold out.

Altitude expects to receive new shipments every day from Fireweed Farms in Prosser.

The store will remain open until noon today and will be open the rest of the week from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We’re doing soft openings just for this week and just to get our employees adjusted and get supplies and everything up to date,” Thompson said.

Cannabis City, meanwhile, held a a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30. The line outside the Sodo shop started forming Monday afternoon.

First in line was Deborah Greene, a 65-year-old grandmother who arrived Monday afternoon with a trenta black iced tea lemonade from Starbucks, a roast beef sandwich, chips, a folding chair and a sleeping bag.

Greene, who is retired from the insurance industry, decided on a whim to wait in line to witness history.

“My old supplier just texted me, said, ‘I saw you on TV. Now I know why you’re not calling me,’” she said this morning.

Only five stores statewide are expected to open today; the other two are in Spokane and Kelso.

For more information about the state’s new legal pot market and for updates throughout the day, visit The Evergreen, The Seattle Times’ new pot blog.

[Crow]

This is by no means an endorsement, and I have absolutely no affiliation with this group. I have previously mentioned Winterlife from an article from the Seattle Times, which can be found here.

With that said, there are delivery services that are operating right now. This service has been featured on the local news and other outlets (Time Magazine, High Times, and RT) --

http://www.winterlifecoop.com

[Burnsey]

Oh man.....I'm going to be there from 7/3 - 7/8/14......I'm hoping to do some shopping??????

[Crow]

You will have to scope one of the shops out for us and let us know what it is like

Absolutely.

[Snusdog]

You will have to scope one of the shops out for us and let us know what it is like

[Crow]

I was recently asked about the current situation in Washington regarding licenced shops.............

State prepares for marijuana retail sales



OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - As Washington state prepares to issue the first licenses for marijuana retail stores, Gov. Jay Inslee and other state leaders on Tuesday announced a coordinated campaign to make sure pot stays out of the hands of minors once products start hitting store shelves next month.

"Those who have led the effort to legalize this product understand that we've got to make sure that parents' roles are respected and emphasized and that the health of our children is of our paramount concern," Inslee said. Different state agencies are working together "to make sure the public has the information they need to make healthy decisions and the tools that they need to keep our kids safe," he said.

The Liquor Control Board will issue about 20 retail licenses on July 7, and the stores that are ready can open the next day. More stores will get licensed in the following days.

During Tuesday's news conference, officials with the state Liquor Control Board, which has been overseeing the implementation of the state's recreational marijuana law, said that they are poised to adopt emergency rules Wednesday to do three things concerning edible marijuana: require all marijuana-infused products to be labeled clearly as containing marijuana; require all products to be scored in such a way that a serving size is easily identified by the consumer; and requiring marijuana-infused products to be approved by the board before sale.

Continued...

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Short answer: Twenty shops will be able to open on 8 July (two weeks from the time of writing). Subsequent waves to follow shortly.

[Crow]

Minnesota was Nr 22, and now.............

New York will likely be the 23rd state to OK medical marijuana—just don’t smoke it

[[ The east coast is ****ing up, in my opinion. Reform still greatly needed over there. ]]

New York lawmakers have reached an agreement to make theirs the 23rd state to approve marijuana for medicinal use. But there’s a significant catch: you can’t smoke it.

The most common method of marijuana ingestion is banned under the deal announced on Thursday afternoon by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and state officials. The agreement would allow those with serious conditions access to marijuana, but with registration and consumption limits. It would expire after seven years.

“Medical Marijuana has the possibility to do a lot of good for a lot of people who are in pain and who are suffering and are in desperate need of a treatment that can provide relief,” Cuomo said. “Some of these cases are the most heart wrenching cases you’ve ever heard. You’re dealing with children with epilepsy, babies, so there are certainly significant medical benefits that can be garnered.” But, he added, public health and public safety must be considered. As a result, smoking will not be allowed and only doctors will administer the program.

The patchwork of state medical marijuana laws are dramatically different in their restrictions.

Minnesota passed a restrictive medical marijuana law last month that similarly bans smoking of the drug, while Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Monday signed a very limited law, which — as in seven other states — only allows for products with low levels of its active chemical THC, according to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. (Florida and the seven others are not included in the overall count of those that allow medical marijuana.)

Continued...

[Crow]

Maryland Becomes 21st Medical Cannabis State, and 18th to Decriminalise

Yesterday morning, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law both the medical marijuana bill and the decriminalization bill, making Maryland the 21st state with an effective medical marijuana program, and the 18th state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The medical marijuana bill expands a program that, while established last year, was unable to get off the ground. The previous law relied on the participation of teaching hospitals, which understandably did not want to be involved with a substance that is still federally illegal. The law signed today will allow registered cultivators to grow medical marijuana and up to 15 licensed cultivators to provide the medicine to patients and dispensaries. This new law will finally provide real access to seriously ill Marylanders.

The decriminalization law removes the criminal penalties for possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana, and replaces them with a civil fine of up to $100 for a first offense, up to $250 for a second offense, and up to $500 for subsequent offenses. Third-time offenders and individuals under 21 years of age will be required to undergo a clinical assessment for substance abuse disorder and a drug education program. The measure will officially go into effect on October 1.

Continued...

[trebli]

Legally High, Legally Fired For Pot Use

Employers can and do test for alcohol. I'm guessing it would be legal to test for marijuana also.

Here is a recent article on the subject.




"The company had a zero tolerance policy, and drugs had never before posed a problem, she said. But managers took action after noticing a rise in worker mistakes and the occasional aroma of marijuana around the docks.

They locked down the area one day and tested the entire crew. Of 19 workers, 15 tested positive for marijuana and were fired, she said.

“They felt empowered and thought they wouldn’t get in trouble, even though we had made it very clear,” the manager said. “They knew we were drug free….we’re only going to babysit them so much."

http://www.wptv.com/news/national/le...ed-for-pot-use

[whalen]

Or Funyuns if you want to be sure.....

[whalen]

Just sprinkle oreo's outside your door.

[whalen]

I'm coming over to Illinois, or Georgia, or wherever on the next available flight, taking a taxi to your place, and I'm going to blow a thick plume of marijuana smoke in your face.

Don't worry PP! Nothing a twenty pound bag of oreo cookies won't take care of!