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You know, the real problem here is the fact that this woman and her friends are incredibly boring – pot or not. Don’t go blaming the weed.

The captions become increasingly funny though. They include:

“Do marijuana smoking men make good husbands? Are they reliable? Responsible?”
“While many claim to function well on grass, outside observers disagree.”
“Marijuana can be a gateway to other drugs, such as mescaline.” [Really? Mescaline? Who can get their hands on that stuff?]

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:

Opensalon.com

Silly Lists of Nothingness

The Most Boring Blog Ever

12/8/2011 – It seems that student government is ahead of the state legislature in New Jersey. Seventy-five percent of Rowan University student senators voted to support a state bill to reduce penalties for adults possessing cannabis.

The bill to decriminalize possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana, A4252, was introduced in Trenton this summer. A4252 came out strong with eighteen bi-partisan co-sponsors in the Assembly, but a companion bill has not been introduced in the state Senate.

A4252 would make possession an “infraction” instead of a “misdemeanor” and create a tiered set of fines for those over the age of 21 ranging from $150-$500. Those under 21 would also need to attend an education class.

The Rowan University Student Government is the first in the state to formally support the bill. The final vote among the student senators was 70 in favor, 20 against and 2 abstentions

There are over 26,000 arrests every year in New Jersey for marijuana, about 85% of those arrests are for possession of less than 50 grams.

New York State decriminalized marijuana possession in 1979 and Connecticut passed a decrim law earlier this year. There are 14 states that have reduced penalties for adults possesing cannabis. NORML Decrim map

The Rowan senators can count on public support as well. A Rutgers-Eagleton poll on November 30, 2011 found that 58% of New Jersey residents favor decriminalizing marijuana for adults.

Rowan student senator Phillip Simmons, who is also president of the campus chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), said, “I am happy that the Rowan Senate voted in favor of this bill because it means that the student body recognizes the unfair, unjust, and crippling effects of the current law.”

Rowan Student Government Supports NJ Bill No. A4252 An Act to decriminalize possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana. from Phil Simmons on Vimeo.

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]

4/12/2011 – The nascent medical marijuana program in New Jersey may change the laboratory research landscape for cannabis. Several of the first six Alternative Treatment Centers are planning heavy investments (tens of millions of dollars) into lab equipment and manpower. Although explained away as regulatory compliance the long-term profits from this type of science could be substantial.

In other states the legal medical marijuana industry consists of small businesses using a holistic model of care. The Garden State is  exploring a centralized system modeled on corporate health care instead. This could be the biggest change yet for the domestic medical cannabis market.

The result could be a disaster for patients like Sandy Faiola in Asbury Park, NJ and Charles Kwiatkowski in Hazlet who both live with Multiple Sclerosis. They joined well-known MS patient Montel Williams on a recent Dr. Oz Show. All three use raw Cannabis flowers to treat their symptoms and they all must access the underground market for relief.

New Jersey’s draft regulations – set to be finalized in May – call for each licensed facility to grow just three strains of cannabis, all of them less than 10 percent THC. Patients would only be allowed two ounces per month. The soviet-style regulated supply will be inadequate for Chuck and Sandy. They may continue to face arrest even though they have supporting physicians and would fully qualify for the program because they will need to find better quality pot on the street.

The dust never really settled in NJ for the medical marijuana debate, the battle lines only shifted. Governor Chris Christie, a conservative Republican with national presence, has been right in the middle since his first day in office. While bulldozing through a difficult budget, the characteristically aggressive Governor also rolled his heavy tracks over local AIDS and cancer patients. He successfully delayed the implementation of the compassionate use law for over a year, now Christie is pushing forward a set of regulations for therapeutic cannabis have their roots in deepest bedrock of big-money politics.

Half of the first six Alternative Treatment Centers were awarded to groups who have close ties right back to the Christie Administration. Democrats suddenly got a green thumb too; another licensed ATC has the Deputy Majority Leader in the State Assembly, Thomas Giblin, on the medical advisory board.

Then the two top officials at the Department of Health and Senior Services who have overseen the NJ medical marijuana program for over a year, Dr. Poonam Alaigh and Dr. Susan Walsh,  resigned just after the ATC awards. It was a strange and still unexplained twist, but somehow par for the course in NJ.

Now, even the most politically connected marijuana production centers in the country are still complaining about Governor Christie’s very unscientific ‘ten-percent cap’ on THC potency. Because of federal prohibitions cannabis research in the United States is very limited. By exploiting the current conflict between state and federal law the ATCs in New Jersey could be used to study marijuana and its component cannabinoids for pharmaceutical endeavors years down the road. Limiting THC might interfere with the super-lab concept.

But Sandy, Chuck and Montel don’t need research or something years away. Thousands like them risk arrest every day as Governor Christie demonizes medical marijuana programs in other states while select politicos are awarded the pot futures. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act had a model to bring sick and terminal patients out of the underground marijuana market. It was not passed as a plan to turn marijuana into a processed pharmaceutical.

Thankfully the Legislature is ready to act. Senator Nicholas Scutari has introduced SCR151, a resolution that would invalidate the worst parts of Governor Christie’s proposed regulations. The rare legislative maneuver is meant to maintain the integrity of the compassionate use law and the state Constitution.  If successful, the move could re-focus the regulations on the patients instead of business interests. The Senate and the Assembly have already passed similar resolutions and it would not require the Governor’s signature.

Still, the fact that health insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufactures, mainstream political players and hospital groups now actually own most of New Jersey’s regulated marijuana market is a major sea-change for the issue. The debate is no longer centered on whether medical cannabis should be legal or not but who makes the money.

Seriously ill and terminal residents use marijuana safely every day. Humans have used it for thousands of years and American medical cannabis is already turning a healthy profit.  But the big green bubble of the US cannabis economy is inflated only by federal policy; the current cost for high-grade medical cannabis is simply the price of prohibition. The mainstream corporate interests looking to farm some of that cash have found fertile ground in the Garden State.

Birdwatcher and troublemaker Robin Brown of Hollywood, Florida, was arrested after Broward County Sheriffs found her in possession…of sage, which they suspected was marijuana. And get this: the field kit that the police used tested positive for narcotics. Now she is suing over the wrongful arrest.

So much for sage clearing away negative energy.

 

Just because you’re buzzed doesn’t mean life stops being annoying. In a perfect world, we’d beam ourselves to a hassle-free planet and ride unicorns and eat marshmallow pies all day.

Until then, we must deal with these 10 buzz kills:

1. Cops

The uniform, the car, the militaristic attitude…goodbye buzz, hello “Can you step out of the vehicle?” (If you’re lucky, it’s a stripper cop and it’s all a great big joke with a sexy ending.)

2. Losing Stuff

My friend Lisa had a rule of thumb: get everything ready before you get stoned. Everything. If you wait until after, you will search endlessly for your keys, phone or general purpose in life. And never find it…never find it.

3. Frigid Temperatures

When I was a flannel-wearing teen lass, I used to hang out at an arcade in South Jersey. Our long-haired gang would pop into the woods on an icy winter’s night to light up. We’d all wonder why we didn’t feel high…until we went back into the arcade and our high would thaw out, just like magic! Head magic.

4. The Rambler

Nothing can be more deadly to a perfectly good high than the Rambler, who starts a story with no intentions of ending it. And because you’re high, you can’t muster up the energy to interject. So instead, you get sucked in, deeper and deeper. Soon your buzz has been bored right the hell out of you, never to return. (The Lecturer has a similar effect.)

5. Your Mother

Okay, some of you get high with your mom and she’s so cool and blah, blah, blah. But parents are similar to cops; you feel like you’ve done something wrong by merely being in their presence. They’re judging, watching all the time. And don’t you forget it.

6.  A Blow to the Head

Once during a party I got hit on the head by a lamp while pulling my coat out of the closet. Boom – high completely gone. Fucking lamp.

7. Monsters

They’re fun in the movies but when they are in your living room, they are unpredictable, angry and messy (because of the green goo). They also will eat your weed and projectile vomit it back up, which isn’t pleasant and a waste of perfectly good weed.

8. Dental Work

I thought it would be a good idea to smoke a little prior to some extensive dental work I had years back. Unfortunately, it just heightened the torturous sensations. Pretty soon, I thought the dentist had it out for me like Olivier in Marathon Man. My buzz was literally drilled out of my head.

9. Existential Angst

There is no god. You are all alone. The people are laughing at you and you look ridiculous. The world feels dry, chalky and desolate and you’re the only scrap of humanity left. The best you can do is listen to some Pink Floyd and embrace the painful truth. Cheetos may help but I make no guarantees.

10. Alien Abduction

I know, it depend on the alien, of course. Some aliens are totally down for a good time but others are into naval probing and mind melding. I find the smaller, ET-style aliens are much more easy going than the ones with the two rows of teeth.

So watch out for buzz kills. Life is short and highs aren’t cheap. Remember: you can always just walk away…even from the cops. Especially from the cops. Go do your own thing. Create your own world. Screw everyone else. Marshmallow pies await you, my friend.

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

4/2/2011 – My friend lives in a co-op building in Brooklyn, where the tenants dictate how the place is run. During a recent board meeting, they discussed a scent-related issue: pot smoke. A couple that lives in one of the downstairs apartments lights up frequently. Tenants and guests are often greeted, when they enter the lobby, with a strong scent of weed. The collective wasn’t sure how to approach this couple.

My friend, a green-friendly gal who knows the couple, volunteered.

“What am I supposed to say to them? I mean, I smoke weed in my apartment,” she asked me.

“And what do you do?”

“I turn on the overhead fan, burn a little incense, open the window. Plus, I smoke weed from a little one hitter…it’s not like giant bong hits or something.”

“Well, that’s what you may want to convey to them. If they plan on smoking weed in a close quarter building, they may want to consider how to manage their smoke better.”

So here’s some “smoke management” pointers for people living in close quarters (that don’t include blowing smoke into toilet paper rolls and dryer sheets because that’s just weird). If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment:

• Smoke with awareness. If you want to remain off of the radar, reconsider that bong the size of a small child in the middle of your studio apartment. Unfortunately, it’s still an illegal substance and needs to be treated in that manner. In short, don’t be too casual.

• Revisit how you smoke weed – your smoking accoutrement, in other words. Vaporizers obviously generate less scent. One hitters are less smoky. Bongs might be better left in locations where others are not likely to be affected the smoke it creates.

• Circulation and ventilation is key. Blowing out windows isn’t always such a smart idea (you never know who is downwind). Running a fan and opening windows disperses the smoke in a gradual manner.

• Burn a little sage instead of incense. Most incense is cheaply made crap (other than companies like Fred Soll, who produce amazing, truly all-natural sticks.) Sage dissipates into the air quickly, while removing overpowering scents (and bad mojo, according to Native American tradition). Incense can be noxious and perfumey.

• Create a safe space. Out here in the suburbs, many weed-friendly folk have something akin to a clubhouse for weed. It’s usually in the form of a shed or a garage. Neighbors are none the wiser. (And it fosters a secret kid’s club feeling that many of us appreciate at this juncture of our adult lives.)

• Be considerate. Remember, smoke is smoke. Some people don’t like it. Cigarette smoke is highly offensive to many pot smokers. But for others, any kind of smoke or strong scent can be an annoyance.

My friend spoke with the couple downstairs who now use their overhead fan and place a rolled-up towel under their door when partaking (there’s a substantial amount of space between their front door and the floor). These small changes seem to have made the difference. (Though several people, including myself, have complained that they don’t smell pot smoke in the lobby anymore.)

Smoke Rising Photo Source: Guiri R. Reyes

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Notorious Marijuana Smuggler Returning to Philadelphia

WHEN: April 8, 2011 — 7:00PM-10:00PM

WHERE: Bridgett Foy’s — 200 South Street, Philadelphia

EVENT: Welcome Home Dinner for Robert Platshorn “Bobby Tuna”

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 and Freedomisgreen.com are holding a homecoming dinner for Bob and his family on Friday April 8th. The event at 200 South Street is open to the public and the media.

Platshorn will have copies of his autobiography Black Tuna Diaries: The Story of America’s Most Notorious Marijuana Smuggle.

Bobby’s real skill was as a salesman and a deal-maker. 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.

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.

The April 8th dinner at Bridgett Foy’s is pay-as-you-go on separate checks in one of Philly’s fun and friendly South St venues. A $10 donation is suggested, going directly towards changing local marijuana laws.

CONTACT: Chris Goldstein 267 702 3731

chris {at} freedomisgreen.com

WHAT: Press conference and vigil in Trenton – No More Drug War

WHERE: State House steps, Trenton, New Jersey

WHEN: FRIDAY JUNE 17, 2011 —-  12:00PM to 1:00PM

CONTACT: Chris Goldstein 267 702 3731 [email protected]

President Nixon signed an Executive Order on June 17, 1971 declaring a “war on drugs.” Forty years later this failed policy has destroyed our communities and sent millions to prison. Marijuana activism groups in New Jersey are holding a press conference and vigil in Trenton. The event seeks to remember the victims of this tragic war and bring attention to new solutions for drug policy, especially for cannabis.

There are almost 60,000 drug related arrests in New Jersey each year. More than 28,000 of those arrests are for marijuana. Medical marijuana patients are caught in the crossfire all too often, with examples like NJ patients David Barnes and John Wilson.

Chris Goldstein will speak at the event, he serves on the Boards of Directors at several non-profit groups working to change marijuana laws.

“Governor Christie said last night that he is personally holding back legal access to marijuana for seriously ill residents. Coldly ignoring the clear intent of the legislature, our governor won’t even call off the drug war against AIDS and cancer patients. At this point the best way to protect medical cannabis patients is to fully decriminalize marijuana possession for all adults. ”

Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut are among fourteen states that treat marijuana possession as a civil rather than criminal offense. A civil fine is similar to a traffic ticket and does not require an arrest or jail. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora stated yesterday that he plans to introduce marijuana decrim legislation next week.

Goldstein is supportive of that possibility, “Arrests in New Jersey for marijuana violations increase every year, costing the state and municipal authorities millions of dollars. There is no better time to save our money and craft a better policy. It’s pretty simple: Do we want schools and fire departments or do we want to bust people for pot?”

“Ending the drug war is the most important social justice and economic policy change we need to make today. That change will need to start with cannabis. After 40 years of failure it is time to try something new.”

CONTACT: Chris Goldstein 267 702 3731 [email protected]

3/28/13 by Chris Goldstein – Scores of people from around the globe have been denied legal entry into the United States because they admitted to smoking marijuana – but not Britain’s Prince Harry.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie guaranteed that Harry will remain fully clothed during an upcoming Frankenstorm Tour visit. But before he was topless (and bottomless) in Vegas the red-haired Prince was famous for being the only known stoner in such direct succession to the throne.

In 2002 word got back to Daddy (Prince Charles) that young Harry (16 at the time) was smoking cannabis. Harry was never arrested but the family made him spend one day in a gritty London rehab clinic.

Apparently the Prince of Wales hasn’t had any intimacy with MaryJane since.

But authorities, namely the US Border Patrol, have been notoriously denying entry to the United States to anyone who says they smoked marijuana – and we’re not talking about toking on the day they are trying to cross the border … but EVER.

Sometimes those who are questioned at the border checkpoints are asked if they have used illicit drugs at some point in their lifetime. An honest answer about smoking weed (again: just one single toke at a party) can get you banned from America.

This very questionable practice seems to happen most frequently to citizens of the British Commonwealth: Canadians.

A story from Vancouver BC this week highlights what happens to the serfs:

Elevator mechanic James Sward was interrogated about his drug history during a recent trip to Washington State, and decided to admit the truth: he was busted carrying pot as a teenager, though he was never charged.

But the real trouble came when he confessed he had smoked the drug. Sward’s entry was immediately denied and he found himself banned from the country for life. full article

So how does Harry, the guy with Plantagenet in his blood and cannabis in his past, keep getting past the scrutiny of our borders?

Likely for the same reason that more than 80% of the marijuana arrests in Philadelphia are young black men:  Prohibition is not equally enforced.

Laws against pot are used with tremendous discretion especially by authorities at the street level. This is why white women are rarely arrested for weed in Philly and Harry visits when he pleases.

More than seventy years of prohibition has never been an actual deterrent to marijuana use or the underground cannabis market. Instead, these laws have had institutional biases of race and class built into enforcement since the day they were put on the books.

The truth is that recreational consumers smoke cannabis in the pursuit of happiness – exercising a basic and uniquely American civil right.

Until cannabis is completely removed from the federal Controlled Substances Act it will be working-class people of color who will continue to bear the burden of these discriminatory and unjust prohibition laws.

Only when marijuana is fully legalized can we extend the same welcome that Prince Harry enjoys to the rest of the world’s sometime cannabis consumers.

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

6/21/2011 Update 1:45PM ET – The medical marijuana program in Maine is set to become easier to utilize by seriously ill individuals. The Maine legislature passed LD 1296 on June 16th after hearing extensive testimony from patients and advocates. Governor LePage is expected to sign the measure into law. The new procedures could offer the most privacy protections for patients compared to any other US state.

LD 1296 was passed with the intention of shielding Maine residents using medical marijuana from undue interference. The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Deborah Sanderson and some of the changes include:

– Making the patient registry voluntary
– Increasing the amount patients my possess to from 2.5 to 10 ounces.*
– Allows physicians to recommend marijuana for any ailment he or she believes will benefit from marijuana therapy
– Stops counties or municipalities from creating local regulations more strict than the state law

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.”

Maine voters approved the compassionate use law on a ballot measure in 1999. The model followed a plan for small-plot cultivation by patients and caregivers. A decade later voters went to the polls again and expanded the law to include medical cannabis dispensaries.

Jonathan Leavitt who represents medical marijuana interests under the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine trade association spoke with freedomisgreen.com today.

“We are glad that the Maine legislature worked with us to return the law closer to the original initiative’s language,” said Leavitt as he waited for the governor’s signature. “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.”

Below is the full executive summary*. The long list includes many details that are outlined in a state law for the first time.

SUMMARY
This bill amends the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act to protect patient privacy. The bill provides for expanded access and optional registration under the Act. The bill does the following:
1. It allows a physician to determine whether a condition requires the use of medical marijuana.
2. It amends the definition of “enclosed, locked facility.”
3. It defines “mature marijuana plant.”
4. It clarifies the definition of “qualifying patient” and removes the requirement of registration for certain authorized conduct of the patient.
5. It creates a definition for “primary caregiver.”
6. It allows patients who cultivate their own marijuana to possess, beyond 6 mature marijuana plants, other marijuana plants in various stages of cultivation or processing.
7. It allows a primary caregiver to possess, beyond 6 mature marijuana plants for each of 5 qualifying patients of the caregiver, other marijuana plants in various stages of cultivation or processing.
8. It requires the use of an enclosed, locked facility only if marijuana is grown for 3 or more qualifying patients.
9. It allows a primary caregiver to sell excess marijuana to a marijuana dispensary and for dispensaries to contract out marijuana cultivation.
10. It removes the requirement that a patient who cultivates marijuana plants keep the plants in an enclosed, locked facility.
11. It removes the registration requirements for a hospice provider or nursing facility named as a patient’s primary caregiver.
12. It removes the registration requirements for visiting qualifying patients.
13. It clarifies that a person may not be subject to arrest or prosecution for engaging in conduct authorized by the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.
14. It prohibits a law enforcement officer, law enforcement department, state agency or employee of the State from seizing or possessing marijuana in the lawful possession of a qualifying patient, primary caregiver or dispensary.
15. It allows a business owner to prohibit smoking medical marijuana on the business’s premises.
16. It allows a sliding scale registration fee based upon a patient’s status as a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States.
17. It removes the registration requirement that the Commissioner of Health and Human Services approve the registration application.
18. It removes the requirement that registration cards contain an applicant’s address and date of birth.
19. It clarifies that possession of a written certification from a physician prescribing use of medical marijuana cannot be used as evidence of unlawful conduct or be the basis for a search of the patient.
20. It requires that the records of a patient no longer registered as a medical marijuana user be purged and requires that the patient be notified of the purge of information.
21. It removes the requirement of listing the nature of the debilitating conditions of registered patients in the annual report of the registration process by the Department of Health and Human Services to the Legislature.
22. It clarifies that registration is voluntary and failure to register does not affect the authorized conduct for a qualifying patient or primary caregiver.
23. It allows for a civil penalty for a person making a fraudulent representation relating to the possession or medical use of marijuana under the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.
24. It allows a marijuana dispensary to obtain and possess up to 5 ounces of marijuana for each patient of the dispensary.
25. It removes the registration requirement of listing the name, address and date of birth for each principal officer, board member and employee of a marijuana dispensary or issuing registration cards to those individuals.
26. It provides for immunity for marijuana dispensaries and their principal officers, board members and employees.
27. It prohibits a political subdivision of the State from enacting any law or ordinance concerning use of medical marijuana other than reasonable rules concerning the locations of marijuana dispensaries.
28. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to amend rules to retain at least 8 marijuana dispensaries throughout the State.
29. It requires a written certification by a physician recommending use of medical marijuana to be written on tamper-resistant paper.
30. It allows a primary caregiver to assist a qualifying patient in the preparation of marijuana.
31. It exempts from the definition of “food establishment” a primary caregiver who prepares medical marijuana for use by a qualifying patient who is a family or household member of the primary caregiver.
32. It requires a designation of a primary caregiver from a qualifying patient to be in a written document signed and dated by the qualifying patient.
33. It requires a physician to advise a patient of the risks and benefits of the use of medical marijuana and that the patient may benefit from the use of medical marijuana prior to issuing a certification prescribing the use of medical marijuana.
34. It allows a patient to grow marijuana for personal use and designate a primary caregiver or registered dispensary.
35. It allows a court to permit the use of medical marijuana while imposing conditions of a criminal sentence, bail, probation, continuance or other dispositional order.
36. It includes dispensing in conduct allowed by a registered dispensary.
37. It requires a registered dispensary to display its certificate issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in a publicly visible location in the dispensary.
38. It clarifies that physicians are protected for conduct authorized by the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.
39. It requires a qualifying patient or primary caregiver to provide, upon request by a law enforcement officer, official proof of identification and the original copy of the physician’s certification or qualifying patient’s designation of primary caregiver.
40. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain a log of requests to view registration information, including the name and agency of the requestor, and allows a person whose information is subject to an information request to copy or receive copies of portions of the log relating to that request.

Grassroots link: http://mmcmonline.org/

*Our original post linked to an out of date summary – this is the current 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]