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The Golden Goat strain serves to remind us how nature can still surprise us, no matter how hard we try to control it. Some time ago, in Kansas, a male hybrid plant accidentally fertilized a female Island Sweet Skunk. The result was a sweet and smooth Sativa-heavy strain, which quickly found its way to dispensaries across the United States and into our hearts. It got its name after old aluminum can recycling machines, which smell like soda syrup in the summer.

Since the Golden Goat strain remains popular mostly in California, people assumed it’s just another crazy Cali strain. However, I’d like to point out its Midwestern heritage, which definitely left its mark on today’s versions. Unfortunately, its creators remain anonymous to this day.

Golden Goat Strain Review

Appearance and Aroma

Starting with the looks, Golden Goat usually comes in medium-sized light green buds, with a lot of orange pistils. The trichomes range from milky off-white to golden. Once in a while, I find an almost pink-looking Golden Goat bud. The pistils look more red than orange, and the trichomes make it look pinkish.

Personally, I love Golden Goat’s aroma. It’s sweet, smooth, and not too pungent. Unlike some Sativa strains, such as Cheese or Diesel, it doesn’t tickle your nose or make you cough. However, I can single out a slight citrus flavor among the sweetness, sort of like lemon zest, which is refreshing.

Effects

Much like the aroma, the Golden Goat strain provides you with a strong but quite manageable high. It comes on slow and steady, rather than hitting you hard and mellowing out later on. Even though it has mostly Sativa genetics, I can feel much of its Indica influences. Not so much that it makes me sit down, but just enough to relieve any pain and muscle tension I may have. In addition, it has a decently high CBD percentage, which explains the pain-relieving properties.

On the other hand, the anxiety-prone among you should be careful with the amount of Golden Goat you take at a time. Don’t let its smoothness fool you into believing it’s not strong.

Growing Suitability

Unfortunately, the Golden Goat strain’s accidental genetics make it impossible to fertilize. Since the male plant doesn’t exist, we only have two options — cross-breeding and cloning.

If you want, you can find Golden Goat cuttings to grow into a full plant. However, you have to do it indoors, preferably using the hydroponic method. Oxygenated water is perfect for promoting root growth. You can also enrich the water using some kind of root-growth hormone. And once it starts growing, your part of the job is pretty much done. The plant is bushy by nature, so it requires no topping or bending.

Conclusion

A happy accident, the Golden Goat strain found its home in California, far away from its Kansas birthplace. Much like a scruffy kid from the Midwest making it big in Hollywood, Golden Goat packs a stronger punch than you’d think at first. However, when you get used to it, you’ll grow to appreciate the uplifting, racy, but smooth high it provides you. I know I did!

The Northern Lights strain has only recently begun to spread in the U.S. market. Its exact origins are unknown, but it is believed to be a descendant of Thai and Afghani strains. However, the Northern Lights strain as we know it today wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t for Dutch scientists who perfected it.

Today, Northern Lights is in high demand, and it can be seen in most dispensaries in the United States, especially along the West Coast. It’s one of the purest, most Indica-dominant strains I’ve ever seen. In other words, it can have strong sedative effects, so you might want to consume it in the evenings or before bed. Naturally, it’s also quite potent, and it can contain more than 20% of THC. It’s also one of my personal favorites, so I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Northern Lights Strain Review

Appearance and Aroma

The leaves of the Northern Lights strain are resinous, big, and dark green. Frosted with white trichomes and purple streaks, this strain resembles a gorgeous Aurora borealis, much like its name suggests.

Still, in my opinion, the most captivating thing about this strain is the aroma. It has a piney, fresh smell, but it tastes kind of sweet. It’s quite opulent, and it will probably leave you wanting more. Most people simply go for snacks, though.

Effects

Like I said, Northern Lights will make you want to munch on everything you have in the house. That’s why many people with anorexia use it to increase their appetite and gain weight. However, it can sometimes cause dry mouth, so you’ll need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Aside from the munchies, this strain can turn anyone into a couch potato. After smoking Northern Lights, I have an instant urge to sit down, and I begin to despise the sheer thought of getting off the sofa. Of course, those with nine-to-five jobs should definitely avoid this strain during the day. On the other hand, it’s perfect for those evenings when you just want to relax, unwind, and shut off for a bit.

Growing

If you’re a beginner at growing cannabis, Northern Lights is an excellent choice for you. Thanks to its resistance to pests, mold, and disease, this strain is incredibly easy to cultivate. In addition, it grows quite quickly — the indoor flowering time is only about six to eight weeks. Also, you don’t have to do much work, as the plant grows in a single cola. One plant will yield about 100g of the product.

Conclusion

Although some experienced tokers claim that they feel focused and euphoric after smoking Northern Lights, that’s not usually the case. I found myself becoming sleepy and lazy from it. As it’s an Indica-heavy strain, you will get the most of it if you consume it before bed. Some people even say that it enhances their dreams — I know it did mine.

I’ll admit, the Northern Lights strain is not for everyone, but it can undoubtedly do wonders for people who have trouble sleeping or struggle with anorexia. And even if you don’t have a medical issue, Northern lights can help you get a good night’s sleep!

With the rise in cannabis consumption across America, numerous drug screening tests have emerged. They range from standard urine tests to slightly less common blood and hair tests. But in recent years, the go-to screening method is testing the saliva for the cannabis compound residue. Advancements in technology have made saliva drug tests the quickest and the least invasive method for both administers and test-takers. They are widely used for testing anyone from suspected drug users to job applicants and existing employees. If you enjoy using cannabis every now and then and you worry about an upcoming screening, here are my tips on how to pass a saliva drug test.

How a Saliva Drug Test Works and How Reliable It Is

The saliva drug test, aka oral fluid test or simply a mouth swab, is incredibly easy to administer, which has contributed to its popularity. It can be done on the spot, doesn’t require a professional medical examiner, and produces immediate results. Once you take the test, it’s practically impossible to interfere with the results. That means it can be performed without notice, for example, by your employer or police officers when they pull you off the road.

As opposed to traditional urine, hair, and blood drug tests, a mouth swab screens for THC residue on the lining of your mouth rather than its presence in your organism. Many people are in favor of saliva tests because they supposedly give the most accurate results. But, luckily for test-takers, they have a very narrow window for picking up the traces of THC, usually around 24 hours. That means that if we abstain from using cannabis for a day or so, we are likely to get away with the test. The cannabis compounds will become metabolized in our system and disappear from the mouth.

How to Pass a Saliva Drug Test — Here’s What You Can Do

Owing to such a short testing span, we can take the necessary precautions to ensure we pass the test. That is handy if we know in advance that we will need to undergo a drug mouth swab. Even if you have to take the test without prior notice, some of my tips on how to pass a saliva drug test may come in useful.

Refrain From Smoking for at Least a Day or Two

A tolerance break is a foolproof way to go. If you wait for 24 hours or more, if you can help it, the chances are that all THC will be absorbed in your metabolism, and none will remain inside your mouth. If you don’t want to risk failing the test, try to hold out on smoking weed for longer. A couple of days will undoubtedly put you in the safe zone. The same applies if you are a heavy user. It may be challenging, but it trumps suffering the consequences of a positive test result. If you have to use marijuana for some reason, give edibles a go in the days leading to your test. It’s easier to get rid of their trace, which is exactly what I explain in the tip that follows.

Wash Your Mouth Meticulously

Make sure that you brush and floss your teeth thoroughly and clean your gums with care. If you remove residue of food and drink from your mouth, the test will have fewer traces of cannabis to pick up on. In addition, you could use a mouthwash or an antiseptic, like hydrogen peroxide or Listerine. Use them right before you take the test, if possible, as their effect lasts for about 30 minutes. This tip could particularly come in handy if you need to take a surprise test.

Swirl Water in Your Mouth

Drinking excessive amounts of water can lower the risk of flunking the urine drug test, so logic has it that water can help rid your mouth of pot residue as well. No need to drink an ocean to fool a swab test, fortunately. What should work is swishing the water in your mouth as if it were mouthwash. Some would recommend adding ice to the mix too. Either way, repeat several times. Hopefully, the water will dilute the THC in your saliva so that the test would yield a negative result.

Abstain From CBD

Although cutting down on CBD is more relevant for urine tests, I suggest sticking to this tip as well. CBD products contain trace amounts of THC (less than 0.3%, but it’s there), so ditching them prior to your mouth swab will eliminate the risk of testing positive.

Bottom Line

Since they are on the rise, it’s useful to know the tips on how to pass a saliva drug test. Keep in mind that the best way to go is avoiding smoking pot at least a day before your screening. If you are caught unalert, cleaning your mouth with mouthwash, an antiseptic, or plain ol’ water might do the trick as well.

As you may know, marijuana is still not totally legal everywhere. You might find yourself asking the (in)famous question — where is marijuana legal by state? Before I answer this question, you should learn a bit of history. Ever since the United States crack down on cannabis by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, marijuana remains illegal for possession, sale, use, and growing under federal law. So what happened?

The law, mostly in place to villainize the counterculture and hippie movement of the 1960s, stated that cannabis provides no potential for medical use, along with a high potential for abuse. However, after decades of prohibition, state governments realized that the law failed to hinder widespread marijuana use. Therefore, they either decriminalized cannabis for medical use or outright legalized both it and recreational use.

Where Is Marijuana Legal By State?

The Free States

So far, eleven states legalized the possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis for both medical and recreational use. California and Colorado pioneered the cannabis legalization movement. California did it first and actually declared cannabis possession a misdemeanor all the way back in 1975. Later, it legalized medical use in 1996. Then, Colorado started the revolution in 2012, signing the Colorado Amendment 64. Besides the pioneers, cannabis is entirely legal in:

• Alaska
• Maine
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Michigan
• Washington

Marijuana is also allowed in a few other places. For instance, it’s legal in D.C., but selling it is prohibited. Moreover, you can find legal cannabis in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and all the Native American reservations.

The Gray Area

Here’s where the waters get murky. In the following states, both medical and recreational use is decriminalized and widely tolerated:

• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Connecticut
• Maryland
• New Hampshire
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• New York
• North Dakota
• New Mexico
• Ohio
• Rhode Island

The next few states allow medical use, but recreational use is illegal. In other words, if you have a prescription, you can buy marijuana in these states:

• Arizona
• Montana
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Florida
• Utah
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

No-Tolerance States

Finally, we’ve come to the states where cannabis still remains mostly illegal. However, in some cases, CBD oil and low-THC strains are exempt for medical use. In addition, some states tolerate recreational cannabis use, or they’ve bumped it down to a misdemeanor. Anyhow, you should still be careful if you’re in:

• Wisconsin
• Mississippi
• Alabama
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Kansas
• Wyoming
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Nebraska
• South Dakota
• Iowa
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia

Conclusion

Thanks to the brave states of California and Colorado, the list of places where marijuana is legal keeps growing by the day. Even though it still contradicts the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, cannabis use is tolerated in more than half of the U.S. In addition, what used to be a huge criminal enterprise, sending a huge number of otherwise law-abiding citizens to prison, is becoming a booming industry creating jobs and income for hundreds of Americans.

In my opinion, marijuana will soon be legal everywhere in the U.S. Until that happens, I hope this updated ‘where is marijuana legal by state?’ list helps you navigate.

The two officials at the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) who were in charge of the new medical marijuana program have resigned. Dr. Poonam Alaigh and Dr. Susan Walsh made the surprise announcements last week just after they helped issue permits to first six Alternative Treatment Centers for supplying cannabis.

The New Jersey Senate and Assembly have declared that regulations proposed by DHSS for the medical marijuana program do not follow the intent of the law. Doctors Alaigh and Walsh oversaw the creation of the contentious rules.

Filling the recent vacancies at the moment are Mary O’Dowd (Commissioner) and Dr. Christina Tan (Deputy Commissioner). O’Dowd’s husband currently works on the staff of Governor Christie’s Chief Counsel. A physician must hold one of the two positions at NJ DHSS.

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ) issued a statement today about the resignations:

It is our hope the new DHSS officials in charge of the Medicinal Marijuana Program will uphold the intent of the law, unlike their predecessors. CMMNJ suggests the following:

– The DHSS Commissioner and Deputies must commit themselves to understanding and openly stating that marijuana is medicine, since that is what the law declares.

– DHSS should be responsive to the concerns of marijuana experts and patients. Previous public hearings have elicited hundreds of impassioned pleas from patients, advocates and potential ATC operators that have been uniformly ignored by DHSS.
READ FULL RELEASE

What a wonderful and weird morning. I’m sitting in a garage at the Jersey shore, getting my brake pads fixed (stay with me. The story gets better, I swear.) I bring my old laptop and check my email. And I see an email from Jil Staszewski of the NORML Women’s Alliance telling me that Patricia Spottedcrow responded to our letters. Wow. I opened the PDF of her letter and what an overwhelming feeling. It felt as if I knew her that much better just by seeing her sweet handwriting. It was like a virtual handshake or hug. Click on it below.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out our Write to Women Behind Bars for Marijuana campaign. All you need to do is send an email and we’ll forward it to one of many women behind bars, serving needlessly long terms for marijuana possession.

Please take a moment to sign the Change.org petition for a pardon –  https://www.change.org/petitions/ask-oklahomas-governor-to-commute-10-year-sentence-for-3100-marijuana-sale

[Please take a moment to sign the Change.org petition for a pardon –  https://www.change.org/petitions/ask-oklahomas-governor-to-commute-10-year-sentence-for-3100-marijuana-sale ]

7/29/2011 – The Brewer Public Housing Authority passed a ban on medical marijuana this week. Maine residents with qualifying medical conditions have accessed cannabis though home cultivation or caregivers since 2000. Voters approved an expansion of the law in 2009 that allows eight dispensaries. The first four opened this year. But it will be impossible for seriously ill Brewer Public Housing tenants to participate in the state’s compassionate use program.

The Bangor Daily News reported:

“No resident can use medical marijuana in our projects [and] if they do they will be evicted,” Executive Director Gordon Stitham said.

The ban covers both public housing units and privately owned properties that fall under the federally funded Section 8 housing program, he said.

“Any landlord or any tenant receiving public assistance under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program will not be able to use medical marijuana in their units,” Stitham said. read full

This could mean that those patients already in the program who wish to keep their housing must use the therapy and store their supply away from home.

But wait, there’s more. Here’s the most chilling part of the BHPA decision:

“You can have it, but you’re not going to bring it into our projects,” Stitham said, adding that applications for housing from medical marijuana patients will automatically be rejected.

“We’re not going to be able to serve you because of the medical marijuana,” he said. read full

Unfortunately, Brewer is not alone. Housing authorities around the country have made the same move to create a hard policy of denying any applications from registered medical marijuana patients. Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon have issued similar bans.

Kris Hermes is the spokesperson at Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a national lobbying group for medical marijuana. They also have an impressive record of successful lawsuits protecting people’s civil rights. He said they frequently hear from patients who are affected by these policies.

“This is definitely a common complaint,” said Hermes. “People report to ASA that they are being discriminated against by landlords and housing authorities.”

These new policies seem like clear cases of discrimination against low-income individuals dealing with a major illness, such as cancer or HIV. But because of the close tie-ins with federal funding, especially Section 8, the local managers tend to defer to the fed.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) did issue a memo in January 2011 to address this issue. HUD pointed out that marijuana remains illegal under federal law, therefore no accommodations are required for patients in state programs.

But Keith Stroup Esq. at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) pointed out that HUD left the policy decision up to housing managers. “The impression we had is that the local authorities have the discretion,” said Stroup today.

Memos from the US Department of Justice have also made clear that federal authorities should not interfere with individual medical marijuana patients. Local housing boards may need to take the DOJ position into consideration as well as HUD’s comments when deciding on a policy.

Some states, like Rhode Island, have stronger language in their compassionate use laws that may serve to protect patient housing. But the only way to really gain those protections is to get a court ruling to strike down a local ban.

In Brewer, Maine, the blanket opposition to medical marijuana seems to be standard operating procedure. A moratorium was passed in 2010 to make sure none of the state-regulated dispensaries could locate in the town. Regardless, enforcing the new housing policy may be extremely difficult. New provisions were enacted by Maine’s Legislature this year that expand privacy protections for those in the medical cannabis program. Patients are no longer required to be part of the state registry.

Kris Hermes at Americans for Safe Access said, “It is unconscionable in this age to be preventing poor medical marijuana patients from participating in public housing.”

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

6/3/2011 – Regulating cannabis for adults could help the world take a public health approach to addiction. That was the message from several members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy who gathered in New York City on June 2, 2011.

The former Presidents of Switzerland, Colombia and Brazil joined Sir Richard Branson at a crowded news conference to discuss their new report calling for an end to the war on drugs.

Cannabis was a central theme, in two languages. Freedomisgreen.com covered the landmark event.

“For cannabis…Countries should be able to experiment with regulation,” said Fernanado Henrique Cardoso, the former President of Brazil.

Cesar Gaviria, the former President of Colombia, discussed treating cannabis like alcohol and tobacco, “When it comes to someone smoking some marijuana, people should not be sent to a jail,“ Gaviria said.

He repeated his calls for “marijuana” regulation in Spanish for the international press.

Ruth Dreifuss, the former President of Switzerland, discussed public health approaches to heroin and other addictions that have seen success in Europe. Her country attempted to regulate the cannabis market last year.

“I don’t believe in ideology,” said Dreifuss discussing the uphill battle for the issue,”I believe in results.”

Showing courageous solidarity in the formal report and the live news conference, the Commission calls the current US policy of prohibition a “failure” by any measure. The group of respected dignitaries seemed to be addressing one person: US President Barack Obama.

The speakers, especially Cardoso and Gaviria, hinted that the United States will need to move first to regulate marijuana so that other countries have the chance to consider the option. The UN Single Convention Treaty on Narcotic Drugs was amended in concert with the creation of the US Controlled Substances Act in 1971; this is essentially why American-style marijuana prohibition is enforced around the world.

International businessman Sir Richard Branson addressed the big picture, “It is time to re-write the rules,” Branson said at the news conference, adding, “It is time we move towards policies that end prohibition.”

The Commission is also getting a tremendous boost of public support. Ricken Patel, director of the organizing website Avaaz.org spoke about how impressed, if not downright shocked, he was by the public response to an online petition. Patel reported that almost 600,000 signatures had already been gathered to support the Commission’s efforts.

Although they were looking to break taboo about drug policy there was one word that the panel seemed somewhat shy of using: legalization. The term ‘decriminalization’ was more comfortable for the group of practiced diplomats.

Cardoso said towards the end, “It’s not that we don’t have the courage to say ‘legalize’ it is just that we need the right moment.”

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy quickly condemned the report. But Gaviria pointed out that President Obama on the ONDCP have already started to eliminate ‘war on drugs’ as part of the common policy rhetoric. Gaviria suggested they go a step further than language.

Branson said that the world needed to press for top-level leadership, saying, “We just need brave politicians to get on and do what’s right for their people.”

The Global Commission on Drug Policy will present their 24-page report and the Avaaz.org petition to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday June 3, 2011.

Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in New York advises the Global Commission and closed the news conference by saying, “The great hope here is that we start a debate nationally and internationally.”

Hundreds of news outlets are covering the report so the Commission has successfully given some momentum to the issue. What remains to be seen is whether the most powerful voice, the United States, will discuss these concepts at all.

There has never been such concentrated pressure from international leaders on a US President and Congress to begin a serious policy debate about regulating domestic marijuana sales to adults.

Legalizing marijuana in America is clearly an issue of global importance.

More photos from the news conference – http://tinyurl.com/4y9mmvl

Video news report:

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

Most of our readers here at Freedom is Green have heard about Patricia Spottedcrow’s story of the heavy-handed sentence delivered to this first-time offender for marijuana possession. Here at Freedom is Green, we contribute to a letter-writing campaign so you can reach out to Patricia directly. Here’s the most recent news on her “reduced” sentence:

A Kingfisher County judge did the right thing last week when he suspended the final four years of the 12-year sentence of Patricia M. Spottedcrow, a first offender convicted of selling $31 worth of marijuana to a police informant.

That’s damning Associate District Judge Robert Davis with faint praise. What he should have done is cut this ridiculous sentence down to size. The punishment clearly does not fit the crime. Spottedcrow is only a year into her sentence and is not eligible for parole until maybe 2014, meaning that she will serve several years for her two-bit offenses.

In fairness to Davis, he did not hand down the original sentence assessed a year ago by now-retired Associate District Judge Susie Pritchett. But judging from his order, Davis did not find much fault with Pritchett’s reasoning. Davis also describes Spottedcrow’s crimes as “serious,” said that she had engaged in a “pattern of behavior, and that there was no reason to believe that she would not have continued this criminal behavior.”

In an apparent reference to the widespread support Spottedcrow has received, Davis’ order said that Spottedcrow “minimized the seriousness of the actions of selling drugs in the presence of her children and minimized the overall criminal behavior that she exhibited much the same as her numerous followers.”

Read more at Tulsa World

5/29/2011 – The Department of Justice is making one thing clear: individual medical marijuana patients are not a priority, at least for the moment.  So how are they supposed to acquire cannabis? What is now emerging seems to be an expectation from DOJ that seriously ill Americans will engage in home cultivation or find a caregiver to grow for them.

This is a proven technique but it will be an uncomfortable point for much of the existing multi-billion dollar medical marijuana industry. There are also major implications for New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia because their compassionate use laws force patients into centralized cannabis dispensary systems.

A set of interviews last week with US Attorneys Michel Ormsby in Washington and Dennis Burke in Arizona have added significant depth to a debate that has national importance.  They were among eight federal prosecutors who sent letters to state officials about their medical marijuana policies.

After a lead-up in a National Public Radio interview, Ormsby went a step further with the reporter:

” In 2009, the Department of Justice indicated that it would be a low priority to prosecute anyone who was complying with state medical marijuana laws,” Jay Rorty of the American Civil Liberties Union explains. He says the 2009 memo from then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden made advocates think the federal government wouldn’t interfere with state medical marijuana stores.

U.S. Attorney Michael Ormsby from Washington state disagrees with that interpretation. “I think the ACLU takes that statement out of context,” he says. According to him, the memo means the federal government won’t go after patients who are growing their own marijuana — but retail stores were never part of that exception. read full

Still, the letter moved Governor Chris Gregoire to veto a marijuana dispensary bill that was passed by the Washington Legislature. That letter implied that state employees could risk of federal prosecution; a unique point among all of the recent communications.

Three thousand miles away the WA letter caused Governor Chris Christie in New Jersey to suspend full implementation of his state’s compassionate use law.

New Jersey’s Attorney General Paula Dow sent her own letter to the Department of Justice in April. It seeks clarification about Garden State employees. But there has been no reply from the DOJ or the local US Attorney. Governor Christie is waiting for a response until the six cannabis facilities (approved by the state in March) will be allowed to proceed.

But why were the employees mentioned at all? An article published at a local Arizona news source, Awatukee.com, sheds some light:

“The Washington law had state employees involved in a number of different inspections and grading functions,’’ Ormsby said, with workers actually handling the drug. And Ormsby pointed out that the letter sent by Gov. Christine Gregoire to him and Jenny Durkan, the other U.S. attorney in that state, specifically asked how those provisions of the law would put state workers at risk. read full

Governor Jan Brewer in Arizona has also been speaking loudly to the media about her perceived threat to state employees based on the same Washington state letter. However, the federal prosecutor in AZ was left baffled:

But Burke, in an interview with Capitol Media Services, said his letter simply spelled out the priorities his office has in going after those who sell, transport or use marijuana. More to the point, he said that letter never mentioned state workers.

“It’s fair to read into my letter what I included and what I didn’t,’’ he said. “And if I didn’t include state employees, I think that’s telling in itself.’’

And Burke said there was a simple way of dealing with the question.

“You would think that a letter back from [AZ] Attorney General Horne, as opposed to ‘I’m going to file a lawsuit and have a press conference,’ might have been a better course of action,’’ he said. read full

As a guide to all of their communications about medical marijuana the US Attorneys turn to a now infamous memo from Deputy Attorney General David Ogden.  The Department of Justice published it the same day it was released back in October 2009, right on their very own blog.  (Yes, DOJ has a blog and even a Twitter feed.)  Here is the section of interest:

For example, prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources. On the other hand, prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the Department. (read the Ogden memo in full)

Again, all of the eight letters from US Attorneys seem to reiterate the point that individual patients are the lowest priority.  And the Ogden memo does seem to lean towards home cultivation.

Burke is also comfortable allowing medical marijuana patients in Arizona to continue registering with the state:

More significant, [AZ US Attorney] Burke said that Humble [AZ Health Director], after reading that May 2 letter, was not alarmed about it or even worried about how it would affect his staffers who are processing the permits for those who want to use marijuana as well as those who want to operate dispensaries or even cultivate the drug.

“Humble blogged about it and seemed to read through the lines in my letter and say, ‘We’re going to keep proceeding,’ ’’ Burke said.

In fact, Humble told Capitol Media Services at the time his agency intends to continue issuing I.D. cards allowing those with a doctor’s recommendation to possess and smoke marijuana. As of this week, about 4,000 applications had been processed. read full

All of the Arizona patients will presumably start home gardens, find a caregiver or access the underground market.

Delaware, New Jersey and Washington DC may need to re-evaluate their compassionate use laws based on the current federal stance. They included no provisions for private cultivation.

The New Jersey law seems to allow legal protections only if registered patients acquire cannabis from an approved facility. Six medical marijuana Alternative Treatment Centers are meant to serve NJ’s dense population of about 9 million residents. These are just the kind of big-money operations that the Fed does not like.

Federal prosecutors and some governors are now walking a razor’s edge between Constitutions in the battle over medical marijuana. Parties on both sides are attempting to spin the conflict between state laws and federal law to their advantage.

There has been much more than a rattling of paper sabers. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has conducted hundreds of raids on state medical marijuana businesses.  Recent DEA raids also seem to have been timed for political current events. In Washington and Montana fully armed federal agents stormed dispensaries just as legislation was being considered by elected officials.

But not every state with a compassionate use law has seen federal activity. One thing that has become painfully obvious in the recent flap is that these laws are enforced through the discretion of a just few powerful individuals based on their personal political views. Seriously ill Americans who need cannabis therapy remain caught in the crossfire. This fact will add to the already heavy pressure on Congress and President Obama to address the medical marijuana issue.

Until a truly consistent policy is crafted state officials can immediately employ two methods to protect their residents from federal interference: 1) Allow patients or caregivers to grow medical cannabis in private homes and 2) Stop arresting and/or prosecuting any patient who is possession of a state authorized amount of cannabis.

Commentary by Editor Chris Goldstein

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]