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Neill Franklin speaking in Philadelphia – by C. David Freitag

5/13/2011 – Tonight in Washington DC there was a memorial for police officers killed in the line of duty. One of those keeping vigil was Neill Franklin. He worked undercover on the streets of Baltimore but now he is one of America’s leading voices calling for an end to the war on drugs as the executive director of LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Franklin spent a career in Baltimore and then at the Maryland State Police Academy, so he has been to the event before, but in a different capacity. He attended the candlelight memorial service this year to honor his partner, Ed Toatley, who was shot during a cocaine buy in 2000 while on an FBI assignment.

Neill’s perspective is both moving and resolute. Still, this was the first time he attended Police Week as the director of LEAP.

We caught up with Neill for a telephone interview as he kept up a busy schedule.

Tell us about why you are attending the memorial event tonight?

Many years ago there was fund started to erect a police officer’s memorial in Washington DC. It’s similar to Viet Nam Memorial where the names are carved into stone. Every year the officers that die in the line of duty are engraved into the memorial with thousands of others. But during Police Week they they also have bike rides, torch runs – one from Philadelphia all the way down to DC Friday- and the vigil at 8:00pm.

It has been many years since I was at this event. The work I’m doing right now with LEAP kind of rung a bell for me …this October was 11 years since Ed Toatley’s assassination. I thought well this year I’m going back to DC for the vigil to celebrate and remember his life and try to make a stament this week that we can save officers lives by ending the war on drugs.

It’s not just police officers here in the US but many hundreds of officers are dying in Mexico, Venezuala, all over the world really. So it’s an international statement we’re making as well.

Chris I have to tell you that this is not a popular position to take among the law enforcement community.

So while I’m at the memorial yeah it’s probably going to be a little awkward if I’m in conversations with the other folks there; who are there to honor those who fallen. But if you look back at history there are so many things were never popular at the beginning – but it has to be done.

Have you seen some thawing on the part of active law enforcement that you have encountered when it comes to prohibition?

There has been more of that at the bottom of the ranks; at the patrol officer level, those out in the streets.

First of all they understand that this is a numbers game – to use the example of New York City; how can we miss that? Fifty thousand arrests! They know it’s a numbers game they see it’s a numbers game. This is how the federal funding comes into the coffers of local law enforcement agencies.

But if we at LEAP continue to do what we do, at least educate these officers to get the facts about the war on drugs – if they pause to let it sink in – they realize that this also makes their job much more dangerous than it needs to be.

When we talk about the Drug War many people many think of it in academic terms, but you experienced it right at the front of the conflict. It seems like police are given an awful job here to make war on their own communities?

This is what has happened. But because of our drug policies, over time, police have now become somewhat removed or physically separated themselves from their communities.

I’ve got to mention this – When I was growing up in Baltimore city the teenagers would all hang out at the end of my block. We weren’t the best kids … we did mischievous things. Some would smoke marijuana down there in the hood. But when the police car turned at the top of the hill no one scattered or yelled 5-0. But we walked over to the car and greeted Officer Rex. And if we were doing something that we shouldn’t be doing he would say ‘DON’T DO THAT! ‘and we stopped.

But he was part of the community. If something were to happen, if something were to go down and Officer Rex was to get in the middle of some real trouble, that community would be there to support and protect him. Let me ask you – Would that happen today?

Now that same neighborhood when the police car turns the corner the people scatter. If there is any communication at all there is no greeting.

This shift in relationship between police and community rests on the foundation of prohibition.

Back when was I was policing undercover I never carried a gun. We went out and worked our cases, many times without backup. That was the 1980s. Today it is unheard of to work without backup and firearm. That tells you how dangerous this job has become.

If the police were in fact a part of the community – which they should be because they often spend more time in the community they police than their homes – But if the police were just there to take a violent person out of the community they would have overwhelming support. That is how it should be.

So can these soldiers, our police, can they come around to get that community relationship back?

I believe so. It wouldn’t happen overnight. We have to begin by handling this huge wall that is put between them and their communities and it really is prohibition.

That’s why they go to search homes; for drugs. That’s why they search cars and search people, all looking for drugs.  If you remove prohibition you can begin to re-build that relationship.

Because of this policy police are put in an awkward position. When you have people dying among them they shut down more and more ….they expect to deal with the worst. The policy creates the criminal market and that’s what creates the violence. Why are so many guns in our community today? Prohibition is the foundation of that too.

So there’s a real need, a necessity, to breakdown this huge barrier that has been constructed over the past 40 years.

Many of us thought we would never see the Berlin Wall come down – why can’t we do that here? Let’s end the madness of prohibition so that we can reduce the overall violence in America.

Learn more: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition http://leap.cc

[Editor’s Note – Also asked Neill about the NYC undercover encounter, look for his thoughts on that in a future post.]

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.

National Park Service Police move in on the marijuana legalization protest "Smoke Down Prohibition" May 18, 2013

5/19/13 – Federal Park Rangers and Philadelphia City Police disrupted the monthly “Smoke Down Prohibition” protest at the Liberty Bell calling for marijuana legalization and made several dramatic arrests.

On Saturday May 18, 2013 a crowd about 150 gathered in front of Independence Hall.

At 4:20PM, the moment when much of the crowd participates in civil disobedience by openly smoking cannabis, dozens of law enforcement moved into the crowd.

Those on stage speaking to the crowd were targeted for detainment, including one of the organizers.

Video: http://youtu.be/NTHBC6JOc4M

There were at least five arrests, including NA Poe of the comedy crew The Panic Hour.

Also arrested were Adam Kokesh host of AdamVsTheMan and Don DeZarn a New Jersey Libertarian candidate for US Senate.

Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion was briefly detained but released. One unidentified woman was roughly carried away but also quickly released.

The protests take place in front of Independence Hall permanently reserved by the National Park Service for First Amendment activity. Despite the targeted arrests and a heavy police presence, dozens in the crowd continued the action by openly smoking marijuana from 4:20PM-4:45PM.

At four previous “Smoke Down Prohibition” events there were no arrests or citations.

NA Poe and Adam Kokesh are still being held in the Federal Detention Facility at 7th and Arch Streets. A solidarity demonstration will take place in front of the jail today starting at 2:00PM.

“What was originally a rally to highlight issues regarding cannabis prohibition has shown that our First Amendment rights are not protected by the park rangers and police,” said PhillyNORML Executive Director Kevin Clough.

The Panic Hour issued this statement: “These arrests are the beginning of a long fight we have ahead of us to end cannabis prohibition and maintain our right to free speech.”

FB Solidarity Event – https://www.facebook.com/events/194482224036867/

The N.A. Poe Defense Fund – http://fundly.com/the-n-a-poe-defense-fund

State Rep. Diane Russell of Maine (D-Portland)

Hearings were held in Maine yesterday on bills to reduce the penalties for adult marijuana possession. State Representative Diane Russell (D-Portland) is co-sponsoring the reduction but she made waves when she announced her plans to go further: Russell will introduce a bill in April that will fully legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.

This bill is unique because it handles every aspect of cannabis legalization. Along with a system to grow and sell marijuana to adults 21 and over it also includes provisions for adults to cultivate their own marijuana at home. But the strongest innovations are provisions for existing medical cannabis caregivers and for the large scale farming of industrial hemp.

Diane Russell took time today to speak with Editor Chris Goldstein. This is part one of our interview.

Tell us about the legislation that you are working on right now

There are actually a few that are in the works. We had hearings yesterday on a couple of bills that Rep. Ben Chipman a colleague of mine in Portland that would further decriminalize marijuana. The fines right now are around $1,000 and these would further reduce the fines to around $250. I am a co-sponsor of those two bills, but the bill that I am most passionate about actually legalizes marijuana, regulates it and taxes it. On that bill I am the primary sponsor. We are still finalizing it, but it should be out in the next two weeks.

What does the legalization bill do?

Essentially what it does is to provide a mechanism to bring the underground market onto the regular market and to begin actually having some oversight. One of things that most concerns me is that marijuana seems to be much easier to access for young children and teenagers than say alcohol or tobacco. And that’s because we’re sort of turning a blind eye to this market and not recognizing that it exists.

That said; I want to make sure that we are not unnecessarily turning otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals. I mean if you are an adult and you are not harming anyone by driving why is it a crime to be smoking marijuana or, as some people do, consume it though baked goods?  So this will take away any criminal aspect of marijuana.

We would tax it at 7% sales tax rate which is important because our sales tax rate for food and alcohol at restaurants is 7%. So what this does is move marijuana into a tax structure that isn’t different from everything else. The IRS and the DEA are not going to be able to say , “Oh your goods are taxed at 6.5% and there’s only one thing taxed at that rate under state law, so we know you are selling marijuana.”

We have seen the IRS begin actions against medical marijuana providers in California and Oregon. So these bills look ahead to try and protect small businesses operating legally under Maine state law.

Absolutely. But I did it actually for different reason – I like things to be as simple as possible. Other places that look at taxing it go by volume and it gets really complicated. Why can’t we just have a clean tax rate? But then I heard some folks who were concerned about having a separate tax structure for their product too.

What are some of the details about how the bill regulates marijuana?

The other piece to it is that you must be 21 years old to purchase and possess marijuana. It also allows a person to cultivate and store marijuana for personal use within 75 square feet of space and purchase seedlings from someone licensed to sell the products.

So individuals would be able to grow and store their own marijuana. Under our medical marijuana law caregivers and patients can grow up to six plants, but there is no provision if a plant produces a lot all at once there are no provisions for storing it. So we decided to go with square footage instead to trying to quantify per se exactly how much you are supposed to have at one point. It’s sort of like growing tomatoes – they go into harvest all at one time …same idea, you can’t really play with Mother Nature that much!

There is a commercial aspect. We call them growers …I don’t like that term because someone who does grow tomatoes is not a “grower” they’re a “farmer.” So I use the term farmers…So farmers could purchase one of 300 licenses – current caregivers under the medical law would be grandfathered in – and then they could have up to 2,000 square feet to raise the plants and then store the product.

There are some strict provisions in there – when you look at what happened to Prop 19 in California there were concerns about school safety and workplace safety along with concerns about different municipalities having different systems. And we addressed a lot of those. We made sure that we addressed those issues in the bill we’re putting together and that it is very clear.

We did our best to protect our children and that’s one of the reasons I want this happen, I want to get it out of the hands of children.  But I do believe that if you are an adult you have the right and responsibility that goes with that right to be able to consume things in your own home.

The other reason I did this is that, like many states, we have a major budget crisis and we have to really cut back on services that help vulnerable communities. So I want to make sure we have revenue coming that was not a new tax per se.

So this would provide new revenues but also help with community policing. We have a huge problem with cocaine in Maine, I’m not sure of people realize that. We have huge problems with opiates and prescription drugs. So let’s make sure we are channeling resources into the things that are truly dangers and marijuana is not one of those concerns. So some of that revenue would go to community policing, housing weatherizing projects also to education and some to farming and getting capital investments into farms.

So being able to raise revenue and channel them towards programs and initiatives that really help build a sustainable economy is something that is very important to me. We need to be smart about how to allocate the revenue from this, it will be critical.

The final part of the bill is that we included a provision for growing industrial hemp so that we could start allowing those farmers whose land has gone fallow to plant this in order to rejuvenates nutrients. They could raise hemp on that land because it doesn’t have the same impact as fruits and vegetables.

So the revenue will be coming from two areas with this bill, increasing the positive financial impact…

Well that’s what I’m looking for to be honest Chris is the economic impact of this. As a state lawmaker I have a fiduciary responsibility to my state. I really feel strongly that we need to build a long-term sustainable economy. I’m part of a younger generation I’m 34 and my dad always said in his thick Maine accent, “Jeez Diane we should just legalize it and tax the hell out of it.” And so I’m sort of doing this in honor of my Dad. He’s right. Why are we letting this market go to waste? We’re one of the states where marijuana is already the top cash crop… this is so basic.

More info:

Diane Russell’s Facebook page

Maine’s decriminalization bill

Visit freedomisgreen.com this weekend for the second part of this interview.

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. He enjoys old-school hip-hop, vintage airplanes and changing the world. Contact chris { at } freedomisgreen.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (if so, congratulations. It’s just safer there, isn’t it?), you know about this story. Rudy Eugene (left) committed a gruesome and heinous act in which he ate the face of Ronald Poppo in Miami over Memorial Day weekend.

What you may not know is this: the toxicology report showed no use of “bath salts” or any other psychosis-inducing drug. The only drug he tested positive for? Marijuana. Very unfortunate. Obviously, marijuana did not cause this man to go ballistic, but inherently psychological instability. Or a drug combination he was never tested for, since not all drug testing is available at every lab.

Medical examiner Dr. Bruce Hyma said in his statement, “The laboratory has tested for but not detected any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs…This includes cocaine, LSD, amphetamines (Ecstasy, Meth and others), phencyclidine (PCP or Angel Dust), heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, synthetic marijuana (Spice), and many other similar compounds.

A second forensic toxicology test conducted by a separate lab also confirmed the absence of the most comment ingredients found in bath salts, which mimic the effects of cocaine or methamphetamine and have been associated with various bizarre “zombie attack”-like crimes in recent months, and many — including Miami police officials — believed they were what caused Rudy Eugene to attack Ronald Poppo, and chew off at least 70% of his face.

“Within the limits of current technology by both laboratories,” the statement continued, “marijuana is the only drug identified in the body of Mr. Rudy Eugene.”

And this is when marijuana becomes the convenient “fall guy yet again.”

Dr. Patricia Junquera, who is an assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and is considered an expert on addictions, said she wouldn’t rule out the fact that a different “strain” of marijuana could have caused the attack.

“It could have been the strain of marijuana that increases the dopamine in the brain,” she said, adding that there are two strains of marijuana called sativa, which increases dopamine and gives you energy, and indica, which is a “sleepy high.”

“People don’t really know what the amount of either is in each little packet of marijuana,” Dr. Junquera explained. “And we can’t differentiate between the two in the blood, much less in a dead person.”

Read more: http://gossiponthis.com/2012/06/29/no-bath-salts-just-marijuana-found-miami-zombie-cannibal-face-eater-guy-after-toxicology-tests/#ixzz20oUEQ4Js

6/29/2011 – Pennsylvania recently passed a law banning some synthetic cannabinoids and New Jersey has pending legislation. These new prohibitions are intended to curb to the use of  fad drugs that are sold under hundreds of brand names but commonly referred to as “K2” or “Spice.” Users seek a high with the ability to pass a standard drug screen.

Earlier this year the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permanently prohibited six synthetic cannabinoids, including a common Spice ingredient JWH-018.

Dozens of chemicals, including some synthetic cannabinoids, are found in the products. The chemicals are sprayed on random plant material (never real marijuana) and packaged as fragrant, mood affecting incense.

Wholesale K2 suppliers have purchased advertising on websites and in magazines (even setting up booths at trade shows) that target natural marijuana consumers. But, compared to the ubiquitous market for natural cannabis these synthetics were fairly uncommon…until states started banning them.

In a predictable irony, K2 sellers have benefited greatly from the effort to ban their products. Massive advertising campaigns have appeared on billboards, in print and on television that are funded by drug prevention groups and even tax dollars. The awareness efforts have skyrocketed the drugs out of obscurity and successfully made them a household name.

Part of the problem is that prohibitionists have mislabeled the K2 fad drugs as “synthetic marijuana.” But now authorities are finding that K2 manufacturers have altered their recipe. New K2 products have ingredients that are not technically illegal. This makes the bans fully ineffective and the products continue to be sold in retail stores and online.

Another shift for the issue is that a Willow Grove, Pa. based company started marketing urine tests for synthetic cannabinoids this year.  But these tests are not widely available.

Freedomisgreen.com Editor Chris Goldstein and Science Editor Jahan Marcu have been covering the K2 story since late 2009. Below is an interview that was originally published at www.celebstoner.com

Jahan Marcu is one of the few cannabinoid scientists in America. He also serves on the medical advisory board of the national medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.

Marcu is uniquely familiar with both natural marijuana cannabinoids and these new synthetics. He published a landmark research paper proving the anti-cancer properties of THC and is considered one of the top experts in this field. I sat down with Marcu to discuss this strange new trend of people smoking laboratory chemicals.

As someone who is familiar with JWH-018 and these other synthetic cannabinoids in the lab, what is it like to see these things on the streets?

Think about the guys who invented JWH-018. This is probably the worst nightmare imaginable for a researcher to have the product of their hard work for many years, decades maybe, turned into a designer drug of abuse. Because then it gets banned and essentially your chapter in research history is over because your access to the drug vanishes. If they go systematically down the list banning all of the JWH compounds, those are less compounds we can use to enhance our knowledge of how the endo-cannabinoid system works.

What do you think of the recent bans of K2 and Spice products?

Well, I’m not a politician. I’m not a legislator and I’m not in law enforcement. And they need to do what they think is necessary to protect people. As some who’s in research and education my idea would be: Well, let’s see how dangerous these compounds are. Let’s go ahead and fund a bunch of small studies in animals. Let’s have some people who are already taking these drugs volunteer for some tests. Then we can look at them with side-by-side comparisons with alcohol and marijuana for impairment, and really get a good risk assessment. But that’s not going to happen,. There’s just going to be bans and an absence of knowledge.

From the stand point of a cannabinoid researcher, are these synthetic cannabinoid compounds something that humans should be smoking?

I would go with: No. The main reason is the animal data that is coming back is not that promising. There are a lot of JWH compounds and JWH is unique; it’s very potent at low doses. What is a little scary is that around 10 mg per kilogram in rats there was some decreased breathing. We’re talking about 1 milligram per kilogram that was able to cause catalepsy in mice.

This may indicate some off-target effects. What I mean by that is some interaction with the opioid receptors or something else. We’re seeing decreased breathing rates in rats and sort of respiratory depression from these compounds that strongly suggests that those effects are not mediated through the cannabinoid receptor system.

I have seen some rumors of people seeking the benefits of medical marijuana turning to these synthetic  compounds so they can beat their workplace drug tests. Would they have any medical benefit?

At least when you’re going to whole plant cannabis, you can look to the scientific literature and know what you’re getting. There are over 500 compounds in the cannabis plant, but we know what they are. We even know what happens when it burns. No one has done those kinds of studies on Spice. No one has hooked up a Spice cigarette to a gas chromatograph and analyzed the smoke. Those studies have been done with tobacco and marijuana for decades. We have a wealth of information about whole plant marijuana. So you know way more what you are getting into when you use a drug like cannabis.

What’s up with the new urine test for K2?

The game might be over for some of the K2 and Spice compounds. The original research article on the metabolite in Spice – what the body does with them – was published by a group in Moscow. Basically, since only a small amount of the drug is needed to produce an effect, the levels of detection must be very sensitive in order to find these JWH-018 metabolites.

The structure of JWH-018 and (natural) THC is very different. If you looked at the two compounds side-by-side you would not have to be a chemist to see that they look vastly different. The unique part of JWH is the indol ring: It’s a two-ring structure with one nitrogen; this is a common motif found in other hallucinogens like LSD, mescaline and psilocybin, but is not found in (natural) THC.

Researchers have found that the body modifies the indol ring in JWH-018 and thus have developed the drug test around that modification. I’m not sure if it’s the same thing I saw marketed in California, but that is what is in the literature right now.

Do you think these will be effective tests or because of the detection levels someone will have to smoke a lot of this stuff to show up?

You’d have to be smoking a fair amount of Spice to be found in a urinalysis. It’s unclear right now because those studies just haven’t been done yet.

How is the lab community dealing with this K2/Spice phenomenon?

It definitely puts a time crunch on things. These compounds are very important to research. It would be a great loss to the scientific community if these compounds were no longer available for research. It’s a shame that unscrupulous business practices are ruining this for the scientists.

In the end, because there is no real labeling of these products, the most dangerous things in Spice may not be the chemicals we actually know about, but what we don’t. Some have been found to have synthetic opiates, Vitamin E and even acetone.

The continued prohibition of natural marijuana seems to be the only driving force behind the emergence of these new synthetic drugs. States that have decriminalized marijuana seem to have less of an issue with the fad drugs.

To advocates, this is an additional and rather poignant public safety reason for natural marijuana to be fully legalized, right now.

Celebstoner.com: The Truth About Spice & K2

Examiner.com: Facts about new synthetic drugs K2 or Spice

Jahan Marcu’s blog

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]

7/14/2011- Tubbs and Crockett could be issuing tickets for pot possession and saving their city’s tax dollars. Popular tourist destination Miami Beach is cranking up the heat for cannabis reform. Some dedicated advocates have spent the last year gathering 9,000 signatures for a decriminalization measure. This week the petition was submitted to the Miami Beach City Commissioners.

The reduction in penalties would mean that adults caught with less than 1 ounce of cannabis would face a $100 fine and no criminal record. That would be a big change from the possible year in jail and $1000 fine currently for up to 20 grams of pot.

Some nationally prominent marijuana activists are residents of the Miami area and have given significant momentum to the cause.

Robert Platshorn served the longest sentence in history for a non-violent marijuana offense: 28 years. He is involved with the campaign and was on the scene this week: “We went in to present the 9,000 signatures and ten of us also testified. Now we’ve verified most of them [signatures]. If 6,400 are verified they have to put it on the ballot or call a special election. The only concern by Commissioners was triggering a special election in these tough economic times. That would cost the city about 250,000 dollars.”

Although concerned about the technical details the Miami Beach Commissioners, including Mayor Matti Herrera Bower, did take the issue seriously. “They were really very receptive to the petition,” Platshorn said, “where we didn’t have a sponsor on the commission; we do now. They all made statements that they were not against it. Again, we were very well received….many of the speeches got applause from the Commissioners.”

Irvin Rosenfeld is one of the few federal medical marijuana patients and garnered some of those applause. Rosenfeld’s tins of 300 cannabis cigarettes are manufactured by federal authorities under a program created in the late 1980’s.Florida saw a state medical marijuana resolution introduced earlier this year but there was no legislative action.

“I care about medicine getting to patients,” said Rosenfeld,”decriminalization helps patients because now they don’t have to worry about being arrested.”

He brought his tin of cannabis to show the Commissioners, “I asked them to hold up their hands and asked if they paid federal taxes. And they all raise their hands and then I took out my tin – I said ‘Isn’t it silly that city police would be spending time and money chasing people down for the same thing you paid for that helps me!’”

Platshorn said that he was optimistic after the meeting, “The actual outcome was as good as we could hope for. We got a realistic appraisal.”

Basically the Commissioners would rather place the ballot on the election in 2012 rather than endure the cost of a separate election just for the decrim measure. This was not lost on activists. “The whole point here is to save the city money,” said Irvin Rosenfeld.

But there is another option where the penalty reductions could simply be adopted without an election. “The City Charter says that if we get 6,400 verified signatures that they may be obliged to call a special election, “ said Platshorn, “So they were willing to consider the possibility of a resolution just to pass the change in penalties on their own.”

The massive amount of tourists in Miami Beach was part of the challenge for the petition. Signature gatherers would be mobbed at popular locations but only a few in the interested crowd would be local voters. They had to shift strategies netting a few signatures at a time with more frequent outings to places like supermarkets.

A strong base of student activism was key to the petition drive, “Miami University, FAU, Florida Central NORML chapters…it really has been terrific down here. Eric Stevens did an amazing job,” said Platshorn, adding, “Then Rakontur Films really did a wonderful thing by supporting this too.”

Platshorn’s story was told in the documentary Square Grouper from Rakontur that showcased the common trade of South Florida marijuana smuggling in the 1970s. The film company gave much needed funding to the effort.

But the same tourism that made voters hard to sift out was another reason for decriminalizing in Miami Beach. There are now sixteen states with legal medical marijuana. Irvin Rosenfeld points out that medical cannabis patients may have been avoiding the area because of the harsh prohibition laws.

“Say I’m a patient in Maine and have to go to a wedding to go to in Miami? Now it would also be safer for patients who are also tourists or here visiting family,” said Rosenfeld, ”there would at least be that security.”

It will take some time for Miami Beach to officially verify the petition signatures but the organizers are confident. Bob Platshorn was inside federal prison for three decades over marijuana, emerging with his head up to re-build his life and family. He also resolved to change the law.

“I honestly believe that Miami Beach will be the first city in Florida to decriminalize.”

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]

5/10/2011 – State Representative Diane Russell started up the testimony on LD 1453 today in front of the Criminal Justice Committee.  “We have absolutely no control whatsoever over the marijuana market today. This bill creates a regulatory structure to limit access to marijuana to those under 21. Let me ask you –  when was the last time you heard of a drug dealer carding someone?”

The committee room was overflowing with supporters. A live audio stream can be found here:  http://www.maine.gov/legis/audio/crj_cmte.html

Russell continued, “This bill, by my estimates, would bring an additional eight and a half billion dollars in tax revenue.”

LD 1453 would tax and regulate recreational marijuana sales and cultivation. The bill would also expand provision s for medical marijuana care givers.

“Right now because we have no control of this market the vast majority of the marijuana market is in the hands of criminals,” said Russell.

Representative William D Burns (D) is a former state trooper. He posed several questions to Rep. Russell.

Burns-“ Why would I want to support legalizing another drug?”

Russell – “It’s not a perfect science but it works a heck of a lot better than outing people in jail.”

Another former state trooper took a different tactic at the hearings. Jack Cole, the founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), testified in favor of the bill.

“It will save us billions of tax dollars while creating addition revenue of billions more,” said Cole.

After spending 14 years as part of an undercover narcotics team, Cole had some stark assessments.

“For 40 years we’ve fought this war with one and a third trillion dollars and ever harsher policies. We’ve made over 41 million arrests in that time of non violent drug offenders – More than half were for marijuana charges.”

The hearings will continue this afternoon in Maine. Listen live with this link: http://www.maine.gov/legis/audio/crj_cmte.html

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.

State House in Hartford, CT

Legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults is moving forward in Hartford. The Joint Judiciary Committee approved the bill on Tuesday April 12th. The proposed change in state law would allow for a $100 fine and a non-criminal citation for those caught with up to a half-ounce of cannabis. The original language called for possession of up to one ounce.

The CT Mirror reports:

“This proposal is just saying, let’s save all that hassle. These offenses do take up a lot of time and effort in the court system,” said Michael Lawlor, a senior adviser to Malloy and former chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Lawlor said the proposal will save the state “multi-millions” by not having an estimated 2,000 offenders who are caught each year with small amounts of marijuana brought into the justice system. The legislature’s non-partisan research office reported that states that have reduced penalties for possession have “significantly reduced expenses” for arrests and prosecution. read full

Former Governor Jodi Rell, a Republican, fought a similar piece of legislation in 2009. Because she loudly threatened a veto the bill never got a floor vote.

But this year the measure has seen steady progress as a leading agenda item for the newly elected Governor Daniel Malloy, a Democrat.

A Quinnipiac poll found that 65% of Connecticut residents support decriminalized marijuana possession.

Visit NORML’s Take Action Center for more information

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5/11/2011 – The number should be zero, but marijuana possession arrests in New York City have soared to over 50,000 per year. That’s almost as many pot arrests that are seen annually in New Jersey and Pennsylvania combined. A new bill has been introduced in Albany that is looking to solve this $75 million dollar problem.

SB 5187 would seek to make the Big Apple follow a 1977 New York state law that  removed the criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults. The bill makes for compelling reading as it succinctly and unequivocally reinforces cannabis decriminalization.

PURPOSE:

To standardize criminal penalties for unlawful possession of marihuana.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: This bill amends sections 221.05 and 221.10 of the penal law to standardize penalties for unlawful possession of marihuana.

JUSTIFICATION:

In 1977, the Legislature made possession of small amounts of marihuana a violation punishable by a fine, while possession in public view was made a misdemeanor. The intent behind the law was clear.

Chapter 360 of the Laws of 1977 reads: “The legislature finds that arrests, criminal prosecutions and criminal penalties are inappropriate for people who possess small quantities of marihuana for personal use. Every year, this process needlessly scars thousands of lives and waste millions of dollars in law enforcement resources, while detracting from the prosecution of serious crime.”

According to data from the Division of Criminal Justice Services, in 2010, a total of 54,813 people were arrested for this offense in New York – and fully 50,383 of these arrests took place in New York City. One out of every seven arrests in New York City is for marijuana possession, comprising 15 percent of all arrests in that city.

From 1977 -1994, few people were arrested for 221.10. But from 1997 to 2010, the New York City Police Department arrested and jailed more than 525,000 people for this offense. Those arrested were charged with the lowest level criminal offense – a misdemeanor- and nearly every person was handcuffed, placed in the back of a police car or van, and taken to the local police station, where they were photographed, fingerprinted, and then held, often for 24 hours or longer, in one of city’s jails.

The bill goes on-

Many of these arrests are the result a stop-and-frisk encounter and contribute to stark racial disparities in the criminal justice system. In 2009, for example, the NYPD stopped 574,304 individuals. Of those who were the subject of a police stop that year, nearly ninety percent were people of color; and nine of every ten persons stopped were released without any further legal action taken against them. Of the 50,383 people arrested in New York City for marijuana possession in public view, nearly eighty six percent were black and Latino, and nearly seventy percent were between the ages of 16 – 29 even though U.S. Government surveys of high school seniors show that whites use marijuana at higher rates than blacks and Latinos.

These arrests are extremely costly. According to research by Queens College professor Dr. Harry Levine, the cost of each arrest is between $1,000 and 52,000 – thus New York City spent between $50 – $100 million on marijuana possession arrests in 2010 alone. read full bill

New York is also considering a medical marijuana bill, SB 2774.

Comic Rob Cantrell was one of those busted for a small amount of pot in NYC; his story below:

Follow NY marijuana activism:  http://www.facebook.com/NYcannalliance

Read more at Freedomisgreen.com

• Maine Marijuana Legalization Bill Could Go To Voters

• ACLU Calls on US Attorney General For Cannabis Clarification
• Listen up: WNYC on the racial disparity of pot arrests

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.

4/1/2013 by Chris Goldstein – The April showers are just arriving but some May flowers have already bloomed. Tourists discovered six marijuana plants in the Rose Garden just as President Obama announced a major victory in the so-called War on Drugs.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) marijuana experts rushed to the scene this morning and estimated that each four-foot tall cannabis plant was getting ready to yield  500 pounds of pot.

“We think it’s Sour Diesel,” said one expert who declined to be named citing the ongoing investigation.

ONDCP Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowse arrived and personally eradicated the crop with a gold-plated weedwacker that he keeps in a glass case behind his desk.

“Think of the children,” said Kelikowse, “imagine what would happen to the ice cream reserves if three thousand pounds of Sour D hit Capitol Hill.”

The Czar was pulled away from a high profile “Victory on Drugs” press conference with President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

They announced that Drugs (including crack, heroine, meth, bath salts, Krispy Kreme donuts and others) were tracked to their secret hideout in Afghanistan and eliminated in a joint special operation last night.

Still images taken from combat video cameras and drones showed Drugs being shot numerous times.

Drugs were then put into a rocket and fired directly into the Sun.

Reporters immediately pointed out the distinctive sound of the Drug Czar’s 24kt cannabis eradicator just outside.

President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry seemed unsurprised, saying that the timing of the raid (4:20AM) allowed Marijuana to remain at large.

Kerry pointed out that official government scientists at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are not sure if marijuana is a Drug.

“Right now we encourage American citizens and the citizens of every country in the world to get quality health insurance,” said Kerry, “everyone needs to start taking wholesome, nutritious, US FDA approved prescription pharmaceuticals.”

The DEA said that Mexican or South American cartels were the primary suspects in the White House farming operation.

But one observer noted that staffers from Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Jared Polis (D-CO) were milling around the Rose Garden with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) looking “really bummed out.”

Filed under “Satire” updated 4:20PM April 1, 2013

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?  chris(at)freedomisgreen.com