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Robert Platshorn served the longest sentence for any non-violent marijuana offense in US history: Thirty years in federal prison with no parole. It was all for smuggling tons of pot back in the 1970’s when he went by the name Bobby Tuna. On April 9th Magnolia Pictures will bring Bobby to the Philadelphia Cine Fest for a screening of a new documentary called Square Grouper that tells his story. Platshorn grew up right on South St. and this will mark his first trip back to the area since being released from prison.

PhillyNORML is planning a homecoming for Bob and his family. Details to follow next week.

He sat down with me for a 2009 interview about his autobiography Black Tuna Diaries: The Story of America’s Most Notorious Marijuana Smuggler LISTEN HERE MP3

Bobby’s real skill was as a salesman and a dealmaker. He cut his teeth as a pitchman on the boardwalk in Atlantic City selling all kinds of wares. When he got into moving huge bails of marijuana he used boats and airplanes, but never any violence. The equally amazing story is a whole new chapter of Bobby today. He reconnected with his wife and son on a slow but steady path to re-build his life. Platshorn has also invested himself as an advocate for marijuana law reform. He has a regular column in High Times Magazine and currently works with local NORML chapters.

The next step for Bob is starting a Silver Tour to educate seniors about the benefits of cannabis. His approach has already seen some positive impact. After speaking in Florida, state Rep. Jeff Clemens recently introduced a resolution to legalize medical marijuana. Many are moved by Bob’s perspective and story along with his enduring sense of humor that is an inspiration after he served so many years in a cell for pot.

Square Grouper from Rakontur Films and directed by Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) is scheduled for a 4:20PM screening at the Ritz Theater in Philadelphia on Saturday April 9, 2011.

Check out more screenings on the East Coast –  http://www.squaregroupermovie.com/events/

4/29/2011 – The medical cannabis program enacted by the Garden State in January 2010 has not yet gone into practice. Now things have become even more complex. The first six permits for non-profit Alternative Treatments Centers were granted to groups with deep pockets and strong political influence. But that did not stop NJ Attorney General Paula Dow from sending a letter to the US Department of Justice asking for clarification.

The move last week put the nascent cannabis program in the federal government’s harsh spotlight. The April 22, 2011 letter states, in part:

As the state’s chief legal adviser to all of the departments in the Executive Branch, many of which are participating in carrying out the medical marijuana legislation, it is critical that I properly advise them as to the potential criminal and civil ramifications of their actions in carrying out their duties.

Accordingly, I ask that you provide me with clear guidance as to the enforcement position of the Department of Justice relative to New Jersey’s medical marijuana legislation and the scope of the entities and individuals who may be subject to civil suit or criminal prosecution. Read more

Medical cannabis advocates in New Jersey see the DOJ query as another hurdle thrown up by Governor Chris Christie.

“A more appropriate approach would be for the state Attorney General to insist that the federal government reschedule marijuana from its absurd Schedule I status, “ said Ken Wolski the executive director of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana NJ (CMMNJ).

”Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical uses in the U.S.  Yet New Jersey—along with 14 other states and the District of Columbia—acknowledged medical uses for marijuana through legislation.  Another dozen states are considering similar legislation, “ said Wolski, a registered nurse.

“State officials should not look to the federal government for guidance on medical marijuana,” Wolski added. “The feds are clearly locked into a position that denies current advances in science and denies the reality of an ever-growing national awareness about the medical uses of cannabis.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been conducting raids of medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington, Colorado, Montana and California. Twenty-eight raids happened in the month of March, over a dozen now in April.

No one has been arrested in any of the DEA actions that feature federal agents in paramilitary teams training automatic weapons on seriously ill patients and dispensary employees. Federal agents remove marijuana and money on the premises and then clear out the bank accounts of the businesses. New raids happened just yesterday in Spokane, WA.

The federal tactic of targeting financial assets may be particularly concerning to the medical cannabis operators in New Jersey. The six facilities are set to supply marijuana in one of the nation’s most populous states. Even with the restrictions on medical qualifications and limits of just two ounces per month for patients, the corporate-styled NJ ATCs may prove to be more expansive than the small-business models employed elsewhere.

Several of the NJ ATC groups are planning to capitalize with tens of millions of dollars.  Because these are non-profits there are no business loans, only cash. That could make them attractive targets.

New Jersey was also the first state to pass a medical marijuana law that did not allow for home cultivation. Patients must rely on the ATCs for all access to legal cannabis. When raids happen in other states they do not shut down the entire marijuana system. If similar DEA actions happened to the six NJ facilities then every single registered patient in the state would be without their medicine.

US Attorneys recently made thinly veiled threats against state employees who are tasked with the oversight of medical marijuana programs. After receiving such a letter Washington’s Governor Chris Gregoire is saying she will veto a new law authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries.

Experts urged state officials not to fold in the face of the Fed’s aggressive bluff. Hugh Spitzer, a University of Washington law professor and top constitutional scholar, sent a letter to Gregoire reported in the Spokesman-Review:

“Washington’s governor should not stand in for the federal government to frustrate the will of Washington’s voters and a legislative policy decision favoring the type of regulatory control encompassed by (the bill),” Spitzer said. Read more

Nicholas Scutari, the state Senator form New Jersey who sponsored the medical marijuana law, cut though the spin when he told the Newark Star-Ledger : “Asking the U.S. Attorney General to confirm their position appears to be merely another stall tactic by this administration,” Scutari said.

There are thousands of seriously ill New Jersey residents accessing the underground marijuana market today. After the successive delays many have already given up on the state system. They have resolved to continue risking arrest for their medication.

An AIDS patient in Burlington County, who asked not to be named, said today, “Even if they do get this thing running I’ll still go get it [marijuana] on the street. Two ounces? Right! That was never going to be enough anyway.”

The US Department of Justice has confirmed receiving the inquiry letter from New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow, but DOJ offered no time line on a response.

Questions?       [email protected]     267 702 3731

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

I receive Google alerts every day for “women and marijuana” as part of my ongoing research for Freedom is Green. It’s usually a strange compendium of criminal reports (including two women who were found pantless in their car after St. Patrick’s day. Ladies, reign it in!), political and legal issues, and scientific reports.

One thing for sure: the alerts have been increasing in size and strangeness. Today, I read about the trial of one of the biggest marijuana crop busts in Australia’s history, spearheaded by a man who planned on using the funds for a massive anti-abortion campaign (to the tune of $69 million.)

Michael Bennet Gardner Sr. argued in his defense because, apparently, he possessed certain memories that would aid his cause:

Mr Gardner told the court he was in a unique position to argue against abortion as he could remember his time in the womb.

He said women who had abortions carried demons with them for the rest of their lives and argued society was doomed for allowing them to take place.

“Abortions are an act of treason against the reasons our men fought and died on the cliffs of Gallipoli,” Mr Gardner said.

He made his submissions wearing a ragged shirt that was missing the back panel, saying it was an ancient Jewish custom for grieving people to tear their clothes.

He apparently believes in shackling his children and forcing them into hard labor as well as torturing animals. So there you go. Radical conservatism and flagrant nutjobs aren’t beyond the use of marijuana to further their cause.

The right and the left continue to collide and intermingle in Connecticut, where Connecticut voters overwhelmingly support the use of medicinal marijuana with a doctor’s prescription, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

Great news, right?

Well, this same group also strongly supports the death penalty, calling a legislative proposal to abolish it a “bad idea” by a margin of 62-31 percent.

We seem like a nation (or a world) of a fractured and mercurial belief systems that changes from day to day. No surprise.

I’ll continue to monitor and relay the varied stories…though the pantsless women types always have a special place in my heart.

Here’s a little excerpt. (Note their refusal to don pants even after instructed by the cops. Rebel.):

Two women wearing nothing but shirts were found by a Baldwin Borough police officer inside of a gray Ford Focus stuck on the railroad tracks along Streets Run Road near Route 51 at around 2:59 a.m. on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day.

When the officer approached the Focus, he smelled the strong odor of alcohol, according to his report.

The officer requested numerous times that the driver—Andrea M. Vennare, 23, of 233 Albany St. in Pittsburgh’s Ridgemont neighborhood—get dressed so that he could put her through field-sobriety tests, but Vennare refused. Eventually, Vennare failed all field-sobriety tests and a breath-analyzer test before being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Vennare said that she accidentally drove onto the railroad tracks.

Before being taken to the Baldwin police station, Vennare and the other woman in the Focus—a 22 year old who has not been charged with any offenses—both finally put on their pants.

See? Happy ending.

On April 15th the District of Columbia will move ahead with their medical cannabis system by publishing regulations in the DC Register.  But the nation’s capital is following a similar path as New Jersey: Both are attempting to provide just a handful of centralized cultivation and dispensing centers without any provisions for patients to cultivate at home. DC and NJ have also delayed the implementation of their medical marijuana laws for over a year, the extra time has seen what should be simple regulations have evolve into complex even draconian rules.

The DCist reported today:

The medical marijuana program sketched out by District officials will be more restrictive than similar programs in other states. Only five dispensaries and 10 cultivation centers will be allowed, and each will pay significant fees for licenses and registration. Only patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis will qualify, and will be limited to two ounces a month. Home cultivation will not be permitted, which has rankled advocates and raised a tough question — where exactly will cultivation centers get seeds to grow the marijuana they will then provide to dispensaries? No clear answers have yet emerged, but at a February townhall on the program, one advocate hinted that plants seized by the Metropolitan Police Department may well be a source. (There’s still the unsettled issue of how the feds will respond to the program; a recent raid in Montana and an IRS investigation into the taxes of the country’s largest dispensary in California have some local advocates worried. read more

Still, Washington DC is planning for five dispensaries in a city of approximately 600,000 residents. New Jersey is putting in just six Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) sites to serve a state with nearly 10 million people.

Applications to run the DC dispensaries are set for publication on April 17th, unless there is a federal government shutdown. The District of Columbia relies on federal funding for its municipal operations.

Read more Canna-Business news at Freedomisgreen.com

No Permit for Low Cost Marijuana Supplier in NJ

Ronda Rousey speaks out (actually shouts out, if you listen to the interview below) on medical marijuana after fellow fighter Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana. Due to his attention deficit disorder, Diaz has a medical marijuana card in California, but unfortunately, it doesn’t supersede commission policy.

Rousey fights back by saying that Diaz’s privacy is being invaded and the repercussions are severe and unfair.

“They have just as much of right to say that ‘you know what? We don’t believe that athletes should be promiscuous so we’re going to start testing for genital herpes and genital warts,’” said Rousey. “‘We’re going to start testing women for birth control because we don’t think you be having premarital sex. They don’t have a right to do it. It has nothing to do with sports.”

Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Keith Kizer disagrees.

“The drug is banned because of the damage it does to the person taking it. It could make you lethargic, slow your reflexes, and those are dangerous things in a combat sport,” Kizer told the L.A. Times in 2009.

Call me crazy but I get the distinct impression that this man’s reflexes are just fine:

Ronda Rousey’s Interview:

Source: Yahoo!Sports

 

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished artist with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can be found surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Okay, so like Miley had a birthday party last week and Kelly Osbourne (a BFF) gives her a cake with a picture of Bob Marley on it, whose like some dead Jamaican rapper or something. Which was really funny and sooo Kelly. So then like, Miley makes a joke to her friends:

“You know you’re a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake.”

And like now, everyone thinks she’s a stoner! What? Come on – that’s just SO silly.

Here’s why:

A. She worked for Disney. D-I-S-N-E-Y. They’re all about family values and friendly mouses and stuff. Next thing you’ll be telling me, Tinkerbell is a crackhead. (Which she can’t be, because they don’t make pipes that small…hello!)

B. She’s a tween role model. SO many young girls look up to her. (Not like Jamie Lynn Spears who is totally slutty with a capital S.) Do you really think Miley would ruin her image by being a stoner? Celebrities have to be smart and do the right thing or helllllooo, they’d be out of a job, people!

C. Miley smokes salvia, which is much classier than pot. It even sounds classier.

D. Miley is like an uber-brainiac and only dopes smoke weed.

Let Miley tell you in her own words:

“I almost feel like people think of me as dumb…I’m like, I’m smarter than you think. You know, I understand what you’re trying to do. It’s all a mind game and what not.”

See? What did I tell you? Right from the horse’s mouth! Hardly the words of a stoner.

Well, Kelly Osbourne (BFF) sure came to her defense on Twitter:

“U guys if @MileyCyrus is not recording/filming/touring she is works everyday how could she possible do all that if she was a stoner! #think.’ (sic).”

Hello, right? OMG, I couldn’t have said it better myself, typos and all.

So y’all, give Miley a break. Cuz like she’d SO give you a break if you said something stupid.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Other blogs:

on Opensalon.com

Hot Buttered Media

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Other blogs:

on Opensalon.com

Hot Buttered Media

After making the final four in the Miss USA competition, Alyssa Campanella answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn’t think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies. No, wait…that’s not exactly what she said.

Let’s look at her actual answer:

“Well, I understand why that question would be asked, especially with today’s economy, but I also understand that medical marijuana is very important to help those who need it medically,” she said. “I’m not sure if it should be legalized, if it would really affect, with the drug war. I mean, it’s abused today, unfortunately, so that’s the only reason why I would kind of be a little bit against it, but medically it’s OK.”

I knew this competition was about beauty and brains. I don’t care what those feminists say. That answer was the best mushy non-answer ever! I hope she runs for office soon. Maybe then she’ll find out that medical marijuana has actually been legal in California for quite some time. But I’m glad she’s okay with it.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at the local dive bar. Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com

Federal laws are not exactly fun reading that you bring to the beach. The complex language often makes them tough to understand. But we’re pretty sure everyone knows how the US federal government feels about marijuana. It is illegal – Just Say Drug War.

Perhaps they ended prohibition down in Washington DC and never told us? Just in case, the Maine Health and Human Services Committee and New Jersey’s Attorney General Paula Dow are making sure the US Department of Justice reaffirms their position on pot.

US Attorneys in several states have fired off some unsolicited letters on the issue of medical marijuana. These lay out, in excruciating detail, all of the nasty things that could befall an individual or business who grows, distributes or sells medical cannabis; all in compliance with state law.

The reaction on the ground from governors, state legislators and even the non-profit business owners has been mixed.  Rhode Island’s governor Lincoln Chafee put the only approved dispensaries (all three) on hold after receiving a hand-delivered DOJ letter.

This week Maine’s HHS Committee got their response.  It was very much the form-letter that everyone expected. Still, US Attorney Thomas Delahanty’s carefully worded reply is getting a different reaction in Maine.

State Representative Diane Russell (D-Portland), an outspoken advocate for the medical marijuana program, was not surprised.

“Everything has changed in the last few weeks,” said Russell this afternoon. “But the letter is not stirring as much controversy as it could. ”

Home cultivation was already a part of the safe access law, now Maine is opening the first regulated dispensaries in the state. The program is already off paper and into practice, so could the letter put a wrench in the works? Russell doesn’t think so, “Our program is already in place so we would have to actively shut ours down.”

Maine’s governor is Paul LePage, a Republican. Would he bow to the Fed like Gov. Chafee in RI? Again Russell thinks that Maine has a more state’s rights foundation, “He would be hard pressed to cave. If the HHS committee did that it would be a different story.”

Russell added, “The Governor is very supportive on medical marijuana.”

Maine legislators also took an interesting step to protect the privacy of medical cannabis patients: The registry is now on a volunteer basis.  Most cannabis programs are now mandating that patients register and carry a special identification card, something that is not required for pharmaceutical drugs.

New Jersey was the first compassionate use law in America to pass without any provisions to grow at home. NJ patients must access all of their marijuana at one of six Alternative Treatment Centers…after they register and get an ID card. NJ’s law was passed in January 2010 but the actual program is bogged down – not a single patient card has been issued.

Republican Governor Chris Christie, a former US Attorney, has thrown up every hurdle and legal delay he can muster. Make no mistake; in Jersey the big green marijuana buck stops right at Christie. The six ATCs are planning to capitalize at about $300 $200 million.

On April 22, 20011 New Jersey State Attorney General Paul Dow sent a letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder with some questions about medical marijuana.

Attempts to reach the NJ US Attorney Paul Fishman about any possible reply letter were referred to the press office for the Department of Justice in Washington DC. This is a very interesting move. Fishman may not join the other US Attorneys in their recent rattling of paper sabers. Instead he may be genuine in his expectation for a response from the head office and Attorney General Eric Holder.

There is already intense pressure on DOJ and Holder personally to make some definitive statement on the medical marijuana issue. While Holder seems like he’s in no hurry to talk, Fishman’s response may be a signal that something is coming down the pipe.

Jessica Smith, a spokesperson reached at the Department of Justice said, “We can confirm that the letter [from NJ AG Paul Dow] was received and is under review.”

So what should states do while they wait for DOJ or should they wait at all?

Diane Russell says that Maine is going forward. “I can’t speak for other states but our medical marijuana bill came about through voter referendum. All those Mainers went got out there and went to the polls. They understand that it’s illegal federally too! So they know it’s illegal and when they went to the voting booth they voted for it anyway.”

Russell added with some Maine accent, “We don’t really care where the feds stand.”

The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act of New Jersey also says pretty much the same thing right in the opening paragraphs:

c.     Although federal law currently prohibits the use of marijuana, the laws of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington and Montana permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and in Arizona doctors are permitted to prescribe marijuana.  New Jersey joins this effort for the health and welfare of its citizens2.;

d.    States are not required to enforce federal law or prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law; therefore, compliance with this act does not put the State of New Jersey in violation of federal law

Legislators and voters are well aware of the conflict between state and federal law for medical pot. But more important; in New Jersey the law is aware of this fact, putting Dow and Christie on shaky ground. One thing seems very clear – These medical marijuana laws are written and passed for the direct purpose of countering the federal position.

So is there an upside to all of the activity from US Attorneys? Rep. Russell is also working on a full marijuana legalization bill, LD 1453, that would tax recreational cannabis. After initial hearings before the Criminal Justice Committee the bill is still alive. LD 1453 will have to pass both houses then go to voters for approval.

“The one thing that the letter has done is start legislators asking questions,” Russell said today. “And the idea of sending it out for a referendum may actually get it some more votes over here on the hill.”

Maine is not only state on the East Coast with active legislation for fully legal cannabis; A bill was introduced in Massachusetts, HB 1371, to tax and regulate the marijuana market. There are also ballot initiatives in process for 2012 in California, Colorado and Washington.

Based on the sensitivity of the US attorneys regarding the medical cannabis programs, it seems unlikely that they will stay silent about concepts that go even further.

On the ground:

Maine – www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Massachusetts – www.masscann.org

New Jersey – www.cmmnj.org

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

logo from maine.gov

6/24/2011 – Governor Paul LePage signed a new law today expanding privacy protections for medical cannabis patients in Maine.

“I am pleased that the Legislature has voted to move the law closer to the initiated bill that was enacted by the voters,” said Governor Paul LePage in a statement today. “I am proud to a sign a bill that protects patient privacy and respects the will of the voters.”

Maine voters approved the compassionate use law on a ballot measure in 1999.

The Maine Civil Liberties Union issued a press release today with a statement from the law’s sponsor:

“Researching this program for the last 7 months has been quite an education,” said Representative Deborah Sanderson (R-Chelsea), primary sponsor of the bill.   “I’ve read countless case studies on the benefits of marijuana for many conditions.  What has been the most informative and moving however, has been speaking to the patients themselves.  Folks who suffer chronic debilitating pain and have used opiates, often for months, are seeing better pain management results without the highly addictive results that opiates often have.”

The bill makes registration optional for patients and some caregivers and eliminates the requirement that patients disclose their specific medical condition to the state.  The law also mandates more effective processes for adding approved medical conditions, improves the procedure for minor patient access and prevents municipalities from instituting regulations more restrictive than State Law.   Importantly, patients, caregivers and dispensary employees acting under the law will be protected from arrest, prosecution and discrimination.

Earlier this week we spoke with Jonathan Leavitt who represents medical marijuana interests under the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine trade association.

“This gets the state out of the business of a patient’s health and puts it back in the hands of those patients and their physicians here in Maine,” said Leavitt.

National NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano, a medical marijuana policy expert, commented, “At the same time when lawmakers in many other states are enacting impossibly restrictive measures, Maine lawmakers have elected to instead significantly open patients’ access to medical marijuana under the law.”

Here is a link to the full executive summary.

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]