Friendly Skies Even Friendlier in Oregon

Talk about traveling in style: Passengers flying within the State of Oregon may now carry small amounts of marijuana with them.

Officials at Portland International Airport announced in July that they would allow travelers to carry up to 1 ounce of cannabis when flying to another airport in Oregon. It is currently legal statewide to carry up to 1 ounce in public.

Even so, the airport was under no legal obligation to allow passengers carrying cannabis. Airports are typically municipal property subject to special security rules.

In Colorado, for example, marijuana is banned at all public airports. That means only passengers leaving private airports may carry the drug, and then only on flights that don’t cross state lines.

The new rule in Portland took effect toward the end of July. The city’s airport is the largest in the state and one of the busiest on the West Coast.

Marijuana cannot cross state lines

It remains illegal to attempt to fly with marijuana on any flight leaving Oregon. The drug is legal in Washington State, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington, D.C., but it is banned by federal laws, and transport across state lines is treated as criminal trafficking.

“For those flying to other cities in the state of Oregon, traveling with marijuana is allowable as long as that passenger meets all the other legal requirements of the state law,” said Steve Johnson, spokesman for Port of Portland, which owns and runs the airport.

Passengers traveling from Portland are free to carry cannabis through security checkpoints if they’re booked on in-state flights, Johnson said. If the cannabis is spotted by TSA agents, they will check boarding passes to ensure the drug won’t leave Oregon, and they will make sure passengers don’t try to carry more than 1 ounce.

It’s usually quite easy to walk through security carrying small amounts of marijuana, since the TSA is focused on explosives and other terrorist threats, not drugs. That said, getting caught with marijuana at an airport where it is prohibited can lead to arrest by local police.

Fully legal states have varying policies

Airports in Colorado already offer so-called “amnesty boxes” where travelers can legally dispose of cannabis before passing through security. Marijuana is effectively banned on all commercial flights originating in that state.

Washington State, by comparison, allows cannabis to leave at least one facility, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as long as it is within the state’s legal limits.

Alaska has yet to decide whether to allow traveling with marijuana. Given the state’s sheer size and its sparse population, barring the drug on in-state flights could make it harder to get.

Alaska remains undecided

“It would premature for the airport to put forth any policies or procedures until we know what rules we’re supposed to be talking about,” said John Parrot, manager of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska.

Passengers in Oregon will have to dispose of their marijuana before flying out of state. Those who bring too much to the airport must throw away anything beyond the 1 ounce limit. Travelers caught at security with too much marijuana could face both state and federal charges.

Oregon voters legalized cannabis in the November 2014 elections, as did Alaska and the District of Columbia. Washington State and Colorado legalized in 2012, the first states to do so.

Though the announcement is good news for Oregonians, Coloradans and others will likely have to live with current policies, at least in the foreseeable future.

“We don’t have any plans to reevaluate our marijuana policy,” said Laura Cole, spokeswoman for Denver International Airport.

Friendly Skies Even Friendlier in Oregon

Attitudes Toward MJ Improving Among Youths

Marijuana reform hasn’t led more young people to use the drug, but it has had a dramatic effect on their attitudes toward it.

A new study, published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in July, measured cannabis use among teens and young adults, comparing data from 2002 and 2013.

The study found that just 23 percent of youths ages 18 to 25 disapproved of marijuana use in the most recent survey – compared to 41 percent in 2002. At the same time, actual cannabis use increased by only 2 percent.

The study collected information about drug use from more than 400,000 youngsters. Roughly 100,000 of those were between ages 12 and 14, while another 100,000 were aged 15 to 17 and the remaining 200,000 fell into the 18- to 25-year-old category.

Marijuana use among youths holds steady

“What explains this?” asked Christopher Salas-Wright, an assistant professor at the University of Texas and the study’s lead author. “It is hard to know. The rise of medical marijuana, the relaxing of marijuana use laws, and increased exposure of marijuana as perhaps normative, as well as no longer immoral, may be influencing how young adults feel about others using marijuana, but not impacting beliefs about one’s own use of marijuana.”

That discovery is only good news for cannabis users and reform advocates. It means dire warnings about exploding teenage marijuana use have not come to pass, and it also means young people are making smart distinctions between the drug’s safety and its appropriateness in their lives.

Zachary Pion, a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, said he saw plenty of evidence that marijuana’s image has improved.

“I would say I’ve always had a strong opposition to marijuana usage, but seeing it so freely in my college experience, I became far less sensitized to its usage very quickly, even though it did not impact my own decision to not use the substance,” Pion said.

Changing perceptions of marijuana

Among other realities, changing perceptions toward marijuana will almost certainly translate to further reform down the road. Cannabis is now legal for any use in four states and the District of Columbia; with young voters on board, that number is only likely to grow.

Only adults are allowed to use marijuana in any of these places. Minors under age 21 can only consume it if they have legitimate medical clearance, and then it must usually be a non-intoxicating form of the drug.

Still, it remains relatively easy even for young teenagers to get their hands on cannabis. Advocates say legalization will make it harder, but Salas Wright said he wanted to explore other avenues for preventing underage use. He also wondered how legalization has affected attitudes toward marijuana use.

“Our results may suggest that recent changes in public policy, including the decriminalization, medicalization and legalization of marijuana in cities and states across the country, have not resulted in more use or greater approval of marijuana use among younger adolescents,” he said.

Attitudes Toward MJ Improving Among Youths

Obama Commutes Drug Sentences

President Barack Obama has shortened the sentences of dozens of non-violent drug offenders, the latest step in a growing movement to reform the criminal justice system.

Obama signed commutation orders for 46 federal inmates, all serving long sentences for non-violent crimes involving marijuana and other drugs. The president noted that the most of the inmates would already be free if they had been sentenced under current law.

Their long prison terms, including at least one life sentence, resulted from mandatory minimum sentencing laws enacted during the so-called War on Drugs. Critics now contend those laws are overly harsh and disproportionately punish black men.

“I am granting your application because you have demonstrated the potential to turn your life around,” Obama said in a letter to each of the prisoners. “Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity. It will not be easy, and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change. Perhaps even you are unsure of how you will adjust to your new circumstances. But remember that you have the capacity to make good choices.”

Obama first president to visit federal prison

Obama’s ruling came in late July, just days before he was scheduled to become the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. Neil Eggleston, counsel to the president, said the commutations were meant to address a disconnect between punishment and crime.

“Federal sentencing practices can, in too many instances, lead non-violent drug offenders to spend decades, if not life, in prison,” Eggleston wrote on a White House blog. “Now, don’t get me wrong, many people are justly punished for causing harm and perpetuating violence in our communities. But, in some cases, the punishment required by law far exceeded the offense. These unduly harsh sentences are one of the reasons the President is committed to using all the tools at his disposal to remedy unfairness in our criminal justice system.”

Obama’s signature dramatically increased the number of pardons and commutations he has granted, from 44 to 90. Even that is a relatively small number.

Mass amnesty may be necessary

Marijuana advocates believe mass amnesty may eventually be necessary, once cannabis is widely legal. Thousands of small-time drug offenders remain languishing in prison, typically without ever throwing a punch or drawing a gun.

The president’s decision means all 46 men and women will soon leave prison. But they will continue to carry criminal records, as Obama chose not to pardon them.

The president is the only person in the government with the unquestioned power to pardon federal inmates or commute their sentences. A commutation simply shortens or ends a prisoner’s sentence without overturning the underlying conviction.

Mass amnesty, should it ever happen, could free hundreds if not thousands of low-level drug offenders in federal prison. The last time such a grant occurred, it removed the threat of criminal penalties from thousands of young men who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.

Obama Commutes Drug Sentences

California Dispensary Sues Police Over Raid

A California medical marijuana dispensary has sued local police following a raid during which officers allegedly harassed employees and ate cannabis candy.

The officers’ antics were caught on a secret video camera, even after they dismantled the store’s official surveillance system. One officer joked about a worker’s disability, threatening to kick her in the stump of her amputated leg.

The Santa Ana Police Department has already let the officers off the hook without punishment, even though the video clearly shows one officer taking an edible item from beneath a counter, inspecting it, unwrapping it, and tossing it in his mouth.

The lawsuit claims police violated the civil rights of the dispensary and its employees. Attorney Matthew Pappas said he has obtained new video that proves the officer ate cannabis candy in violation of his legal duties.

Police chief denies the officer ate edible

Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas insisted no such video exists. Some of the officers behaved badly, he said, but he refused to acknowledge drug use or to sanction his officers for breaking the law they swore to uphold.

“We do have information that leads us to believe that they are not consuming edibles,” despite clear video evidence that proves exactly the opposite.

Rojas refused to disclose what proof the department has that officers didn’t break the law, saying the information was a confidential personnel matter.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in early July, seeking damages for the raid. It names the City of Santa Ana and its police department.

Santa Ana bans medical marijuana dispensaries

The raid occurred last month at the Sky High Collective of Santa Ana. The city bans medical marijuana dispensaries, and Sky High allegedly operated in violation of that law.

Officers were caught on tape dismantling the store’s security system after ordering employees to the ground at gunpoint and then herding them into a side room. But the officers didn’t realize there was a hidden secondary camera system.

Mary James, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, was present for the raid after she received a tip police were coming. The secret video captured one of the officers returning from the other room and saying of James, “Did you punch that one-legged old Benita?”

A second officer responds: “I was about to kick her in the fucking nub.”

“How can I respect someone like that?” James said after the raid. “It just makes your stomach turn. Maybe she doesn’t know what it’s like to have an amputation. I don’t know what was going through her head, but man that was disrespectful.”

Medical cannabis is legal in California, but many local communities, including Santa Ana, tightly restrict the stores that sell it. Dispensaries are essentially prohibited everywhere in Orange County, though the area is still home to a thriving marijuana delivery industry.

California Dispensary Sues Police Over Raid

MJ Dealer, Afraid of Cops, Gets Caught Trashing Plants

A 25-year-old Florida man, worried police might soon uncover his illegal marijuana business, made a rookie mistake that quickly brought his nightmares to life.

Christopher Stoddard was arrested in July outside a shopping mall in Bradenton, Fla., where he was allegedly trying to dump several trash bags full of marijuana trimmings into a dumpster. He was charged with growing cannabis, possessing it, and possessing it with intent to distribute it.

Police say an officer spotted Stoddard unloading a large quantity of plant trimmings into a Dumpster behind the Beachway Plaza shopping center in Bradenton. The officer saw Stoddard moving a trash can and bags from his car to the dumpster, according to a police report.

“The officer approached the vehicle and noticed a large amount of marijuana plants in the bags,” the report said.

Defendant allegedly revealed operation to police

After his arrest, Stoddard allegedly told a narcotics detective that he was growing and selling cannabis out of his home nearby. He became convinced police would soon uncover his operation, the report said.

“Mr. Stoddard stated that he was afraid that he was in danger of being discovered and decided to get rid of the evidence of the marijuana grow,” the report said. “Mr. Stoddard went on to explain that he sells the weed he grows and nets approximately $500 a week in marijuana sales.”

That suggests Stoddard may have been working on his own as a low-level dealer. When Bradenton police searched his home, they found a small amount of marijuana and a larger amount of cultivation equipment, according to the report.

Stoddard was booked at the Manatee County Jail in early July and was being held on $10,500 bond. Cannabis cultivation and possession with intent are potentially felonies in Florida, while simple possession is a misdemeanor.

Up to five years in prison

Stoddard could face up to five years in prison on the cultivation charge alone, with an even heavier sentence if more than 25 plants were involved. Police didn’t say how much marijuana they found at Stoddard’s home.

Stoddard isn’t the first Floridian to wind up in trouble over bizarre behavior involving cannabis plants. Last summer, two brothers were arrested after one of them allegedly attacked the other with a marijuana plant.

Less than two weeks later, a woman was caught on dashboard video eating a bag of cannabis while handcuffed in the back of a police squad car.

MJ Dealer, Afraid of Cops, Gets Caught Trashing Plants

Mother Charged with Feeding Kids Marijuana

Marijuana may be a relatively harmless recreational drug, but that doesn’t mean you should feed it to your kids.

A 45-year-old Maryland woman was arrested in early July after giving cannabis to three teenagers at a birthday party, police said. The woman, Tabitha Cassidy, allegedly told officers she also tried to teach a 6-year-old how to smoke the drug.

Cassidy was arrested July 2 and charged with possession of marijuana, four counts of child abuse, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was busted by St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s deputies.

Police found cannabis and paraphernalia

Officers said they arrived at Cassidy’s home in the early afternoon following a report that an adult woman had given cannabis to three teens. They searched the house and found paraphernalia and marijuana.

Cassidy allegedly told the arresting deputies she was the woman who gave the teens cannabis at her home in Lexington Park. They also learned she had tried to teach a 6-year-old child how to toke.

Police didn’t immediately disclose the ages of the other minors. They also didn’t say whether the 6-year-old or any of the teens belonged to Cassidy.

She was being held at the St. Mary’s County jail as of early July, and bail was denied. Presumably any children in her custody have been removed.

Possession remains illegal in Maryland

Medical cannabis is legal in Maryland, and the drug has been decriminalized for recreation. But recreational possession remains illegal, and in larger amounts is a crime.

It is also illegal to supply the drug to anyone under the age of 21 anywhere in the United States, including states where the drug is fully legalized. Penalties tend to be severe.

Other parents have been charged with feeding their kids marijuana in the past. Most such cases involve illegal medical cannabis, but in others parents have given the drug to kids for fun.

A Georgia couple was jailed last year and charged with forcing two underage boys to ingest marijuana. The adults lured the children with video games, then trapped them in a basement when they refused to try cannabis.

The Georgia couple were charged with multiple felonies, including corruption of a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor with risk of bodily injury, and endangering the welfare of children.

In that case, both boys fell ill after smoking the drug and were briefly hospitalized. Sheriff’s deputies in the Maryland case didn’t say whether any of the minors there were sickened.

It’s unclear exactly what effects marijuana use has on children and teenagers, as science on the subject is scarce. But the most recent studies suggest cannabis can negatively impact adolescent brain development.

Mother Charged with Feeding Kids Marijuana

Bill Would Open Banks to MJ Businesses

New legislation in Congress would make it easier for marijuana businesses to accept credit cards and use other banking services.

The bill, introduced in the U.S. Senate by three Democratic sponsors and two Republicans, would open new avenues of banking to marijuana providers, who currently must deal mostly in cash. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and the federal government oversees the banking industry, so bankers are typically unwilling to risk criminal charges by helping the legal cannabis industry.

This happened despite the fact that the Obama administration issued guidelines last year that were supposed to allow bankers to work with marijuana businesses. That move has largely failed, leaving the industry with no access to credit and other critical financial services.

That means customers are forced to buy cannabis using cash. Most businesses provide ATMs but cannot make direct credit charges. That is beginning to change, however.

Marijuana businesses can set up merchant accounts

In order to accept credit, businesses must run their charges through a so-called “merchant account.” These services process credit cards and act as go-betweens linking entrepreneurs with the banking sector.

But marijuana providers remain without widespread access to credit and banks. This makes the industry unique as one of the few legal businesses that operates only in cash.

Customers, not surprisingly, frequently find this arrangement too restrictive – and even dangerous. Cannabis shops, grow sites, and delivery drivers face substantial risks when they carry large amounts of cash, which they must do to pay bills, taxes, and salaries.

The backers of the new bill, the Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act, include Sens. Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon; Ron Wyden, also a Democrat from Oregon; Corey Gardner, Republican of Colorado; Michael Bennett, Democrat of Colorado; and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.

“The introduction of this historic bill is an important first step in gaining support in the Senate and ultimately opening the banking system to all legitimate cannabis businesses,” the National Cannabis Industry Association said in a statement praising the bill. “There is still much that needs to be done to advance this sensible policy.”

Moving in the right direction

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper called the bill a step in the right direction. Though initially opposed to legalization in his state, Hickenlooper was instrumental in the law’s successful roll-out.

“As marijuana is legalized in states across the country, the federal government has a duty to ensure that this experiment can proceed safely,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “Providing marijuana businesses access to banking will protect the safety and well-being of our residents.”

Robbery is a common worry for legal marijuana businesses. Though stick-ups are uncommon at dispensaries, drivers who carry large amounts of cash risk violence. Cannabis providers must take proactive security measures, such as changing delivery routes.

“The legal marijuana industry is worth nearly $3 billion nationwide,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “We shouldn’t be forced to carry that around in duffel bags.”

Bill Would Open Banks to MJ Businesses

Industry Pushes for Marijuana Clubs

Activists in Colorado are pushing to allow marijuana use at bars and other establishments that prohibit minors under 21.

The same advocates who fought for legalization in the state now want voters to decide whether cannabis should be allowed in public in Denver. Proponents call it “limited social marijuana consumption” at bars.

They’ll need roughly 5,000 voter signatures before they can put the issue on the citywide ballot in November. Volunteers are busy collecting the signatures, which are due in August.

Under the proposal, bars, clubs, and other over-21 businesses in Denver could allow marijuana consumption as long as they abide by clean-air laws and require users to bring their own supply. Tobacco laws would apply, so the cannabis would have to be edible or smoked on an outdoor patio shielded from public view.

“Marijuana’s now a legal product for adults in Denver, and it’s really time that we give adults a place to use it legally and socially,” said Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project. “We shouldn’t be requiring that you sit at home if you choose to use marijuana as an adult.”

Colorado law limits public marijuana consumption

Colorado voters legalized cannabis in 2012, and the drug went on sale early last year. The law prohibits users from consuming marijuana “openly and publicly or in a manner that endangers others.”

But the law leaves open the possibility of private over-21 cannabis clubs. The Denver ballot initiative would officially sanction the businesses, some of which already operate without licenses.

Consumption is banned at marijuana dispensaries, so the clubs wouldn’t be able to sell the drug. Instead, users would bring their own.

Two Colorado cities, Pueblo and Nederland, already allow private cannabis clubs, and they’re illegal but tolerated in Colorado Springs, yet the idea hasn’t caught on statewide. The vote in Denver could change that.

Model could inspire other states

The idea could provide a working model to other places with legal marijuana. Each of the four states that has legalized, along with the District of Columbia, prohibits any public use.

The Denver City Council recently voted to reject marijuana bars, but activists hope voters will feel differently. The city continues to conduct sporadic raids against underground clubs, making arrests and issuing citations for public consumption.

The crackdowns hurt the tourism industry most, marijuana proponents say. Visitors to Denver have no place to legally use the cannabis they buy.

Officials with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra tried to launch a marijuana-themed concert series in 2014, but Denver officials blocked them, declaring the events public. Organizers were forced to tightly limit admission to comply with the city’s requirements.

Jane West, the events organizer behind the concerts, was arrested and convicted of a misdemeanor last year for organizing a cannabis-friendly brunch at a local bakery. She was one of the first people to sign the Denver petition.

“An eight-person SWAT team descended on the event and shut down the brunch,” West said.

Industry Pushes for Marijuana Clubs

Farmer Offers MJ if Son Can Marry Malia Obama

The odds are worse than long and the offer is more than a little creepy, but a Jamaican marijuana farmer tried it anyway, offering 10 acres of cannabis if Malia Obama marries his son.

President Barack Obama’s older daughter turned 17 July 4. The farmer’s son is also 17. Minors as young as 16 can marry in Washington, D.C., with their parents’ consent.

No the first time this has occurred

This isn’t the first time someone has asked to wed Malia. At least two Kenyan farmers offered livestock in exchange for her hand in marriage.

Roy Chambers, a marijuana farmer in St. James, Jamaica, said his son and Malia would make the “perfect couple.” He promised to hand over his “most valuable possession” – 10 acres of cannabis plants – as a dowry.

“I tried to approach President Obama with my offer while he was in Jamaica a few months ago, but the security prevented me,” Chambers told a Jamaican website. “I have sent him a regular mail to the White House and also an email, so I hope he will reply soon.”

Malia and her younger sister, Sasha, have mostly stayed out of the spotlight since their father entered the White House in 2009. They occasionally appear at official events but rarely speak publicly.

It’s unlikely either girl will be marrying anytime soon. They still have years of education ahead of them, and American attitudes toward underage marriage are more rigid than they are in Jamaica or Kenya, to say the least.

Second farmer upped the offer

Earlier this year, the first of two Kenyan farmers offered 50 cattle, 70 sheep, and 30 goats if Malia would marry him. The second called that “a sign of bad luck and bankruptcy” and upped the offer to 500 cattle.

“I will give the Obama family 500 cows in accordance with African traditions and sell all my Maasai land in Suswa, Ewuaso Kidong, and another one at the world-famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve, just to win her,” the second farmer, Jeff 0le Kishau, told a Kenyan newspaper this spring. “I will be the happiest man in the world if the most powerful man in the world becomes my father-in-law.”

The White House hasn’t commented on any of the marriage proposals.

Jamaica officially decriminalized marijuana earlier this year, even as the country approved medical cannabis. The drug remains illegal for recreational use, but only small civil fines apply.

The island is one of the best places in the world to grow marijuana fields, with an ideal climate, good soil, and a government willing to look the other way. Cultivation is widespread and an integral part of the local economy.

Farmer Offers MJ if Son Can Marry Malia Obama

Jets DT Suspended Over Marijuana

Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle for the New York Jets, has been suspended for four games over alleged marijuana use. The incident marks the latest in a long string of penalties levied against NFL players over small amounts of cannabis.

Richardson’s suspension was announced by the league July 2. Officials were mum about the details of the case, including when and where he allegedly used the drug, but Richardson immediately expressed his regrets online.

“I apologize for letting down my family, teammates, this organization and the fans,” he said in a statement issued by the team. “However, words aren’t enough. This is something that can only be addressed by how I handle myself from this point on. I don’t want this to take away from what the team is trying to accomplish. While I won’t be there at the start of the regular season, I will do whatever I can to support my teammates until I’m able to return to the field.”

NFL marijuana regulations remain tight

The NFL is a notorious hard case when it comes to cannabis reform. Pro-marijuana advocates have pushed the league to ease its rules and stop penalizing players for low-level use, but while some testing standards have been loosened, league officials refuse to remove the harshest aspects of their marijuana rules.

Cannabis is now legal in four states, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, as well as Washington, D.C. The drug is allowed for some degree of medical use in another 34 states, with more on the way. And football players apparently smoke marijuana at much higher rates than the public.

One report estimated that upwards of half of all NFL players use cannabis. Many use it to treat chronic pain, others to medicate head injuries and physical traumas that result from the game. Players frequently use marijuana in place of powerful opium-derived painkillers.

There are good reasons to encourage that substitution, since opiates and their synthetic cousins, opioids, are dangerously potent and and highly addictive. These medicines are much more likely to cause irreparable health problems and, in many cases, death..

Not an isolated incident

The NFL is faced with a growing list of incidents like Richardson’s. Several players were arrested or disciplined over the last few years, even as league officials rejected calls to reform the rules. Any kind of illicit drug use is typically punished with multi-game suspensions.

That can deprive a player of a substantial amount of income and public exposure, often a major career setback for a pro. Cannabis activists have begun to make the NFL a major priority, targeting the league and its policies with billboards, ads, and grassroots politics.

Richardson is still eligible to practice with the Jets, but he won’t return to the game roster until Oct. 5, the NFL said. Team owner Todd Bowles said Richardson would miss games against the Browns, the Colts, and the Eagles.

“This is disappointing for Sheldon and the team,” Bowles said in a press release. “We’re going to support Sheldon and welcome him back upon his return. We will keep moving forward with our preparations for the upcoming season

Jets DT Suspended Over Marijuana

App Makes Medical Marijuana Easy

Marijuana is just a few inches from legal in California, where the drug is cheap and widely available on medical grounds, even to adults without serious health conditions.

But bureaucracy still stands in the way. Even in the Golden State, where the rules on medical cannabis are so loose tourists can get it, patients must have a doctor’s recommendation. If they want official legal protection, they must also register with the state and get an ID card.

That process could become significantly easier, though, thanks to a new app, EazeMD, that lets users seek out doctors online, apply for recommendations over the phone, and even order marijuana for delivery. What was once a multi-step process could soon move much more smoothly.

EazeMD streamlines the MMJ process

Presently, California medical marijuana patients must obtain a physician’s recommendation in person – not because the law requires it but because it’s the easiest way to get a quick exam and a recommendation. With EazeMD, however, the exam takes place by phone, patients are issued e-cards in advance of their hard IDs, and there are options for delivery within 15 minutes.

“You need to actually send a driver to deliver consumer goods, but there’s no reason you should have to actually dispatch a doctor,” said EazeMD founder Keith McCarty. “It really just streamlines the process.”

California voters legalized medical cannabis in 1996, making it the first state to do so. Under the original law, there were few hard-and-fast rules about possession, cultivation, or sale, so local communities were left to impose regulations of their own.

Industry regulations were lacking

A follow-up law, passed by the state Legislature a few years later, enacted new statewide rules but still left the industry mostly to its own devices. In the decades since, critics of marijuana reform have pointed to the relative chaos of California’s MMJ system, saying it’s too easy for non-patients to get their hands on cannabis.

Even so, the process for registering as a patient can be cumbersome and expensive. Currently patients have to spend roughly $100 to secure a doctor’s recommendation, plus the cost of medicine. For poor patients, that expense can be insurmountable.

EazeMD aims to reduce the cost of registration, even as it increases convenience. It isn’t the first cannabis delivery app on the market – Meadow, for one, got there first. But it is unique in that it offers a comprehensive approach to finding a physician, sitting an exam, applying for a card, and buying marijuana.

Critics will likely complain that services like EazeMD make it easier for non-patients to scam the system. But California state law explicitly allows medical treatment by phone, according to telehealth guidelines issued by the Medical Board of California: “There are no legal prohibitions to using technology in the practice of medicine, as long as the practice is done by a California licensed physician.”

“Telehealth is accepted across 28 states and 23 states [that] have made marijuana for medical reasons legal,” McCarty said. “It’s accepted across the California Medical Board.”

App Makes Medical Marijuana Easy

Louisiana OKs Limited Medical Marijuana

Louisiana is now the first state in the Deep South to allow full medical marijuana – at least on paper.

Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is running for president, signed legislation in late June that eases penalties on cannabis possession. It also revives the state’s decades-old MMJ program, which never got off the ground.

Sadly, the new medicinal cannabis law may not take effect for a while. The state plans to impose some of the toughest regulations in the country, if not the toughest, and it could be a long time before they hash out the rules, license providers, and make the drug available to patients.

SB 143, which started in the state Senate before passing the House and winning Jindal’s signature, makes Louisiana unique as a Southern state that has adopted “whole plant” medical marijuana. This approach allows patient to use any part of the plant as treatment, including the intoxicating chemical THC.

12 states allow limited CBD oil

More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, permit only a non-intoxicating form of cannabis known as CBD oil, and then only for patients with severe seizure disorders. Whole plant MMJ applies to a much wider range of patients and health conditions.

39 states now allow some form of medical cannabis. Fifteen of them have adopted CBD-only laws, including Texas and Oklahoma, which legalized the substance earlier this year. The other states allow whole plant medication, including the four that also have legal recreational marijuana: Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington.

Louisiana had medical marijuana law since 90s

Louisiana has had a medical marijuana law on its books for many years. The program was designed during the early 1990s, when the idea of MMJ was first gaining legs. But it never stood much chance of success, as officials made it impossible to register or buy medicine. For that reason, the system was never officially counted as real MMJ.

Jindal signed another bill in late June, this one loosening criminal penalties on marijuana offenders, especially those with only small-time offenses on their records. Cannabis remains strictly illegal in the state, and the changes won’t decriminalize or legalize the drug in any way.

Florida was the first Southern state to make a realistic attempt at passing medical marijuana. That effort failed because it didn’t reach the 60 percent public vote required, but it did surpass 50 percent, suggesting success is likely in the future.

It’s somewhat ironic that Louisiana beat Florida to the punch, at least in theory. Floridians will likely have practical access to MMJ much sooner than Louisianans, even with the head start. Still, the new laws out of Baton Rouge will open the door to future cannabis sales.

Louisiana OKs Limited Medical Marijuana

Delaware Decriminalizes

Delaware has joined a growing list of states where marijuana possession is no longer a crime.

The state Senate voted in June to approve legislation that will decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis. Rather than facing jail time or probation, offenders will pay a simple $100 civil fine.

Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill almost as soon as it reached his desk. It was sponsored by state Rep. Helene Keeley, a Democrat, and will take effect in six months.

Previously, it was a misdemeanor to possess any amount of marijuana for personal use, and the maximum sentence was six months in jail and $1,150 in fines. Those penalties will remain until the new law takes effect.

Citation will be maximum penalty for simple possession

Police will still be able to confiscate illicit marijuana, but will no longer be able to make arrests or institute any penalty beyond a citation. Currently 14 other states have similar decriminalization statutes, while another four have legalized the drug completely.

Some lawmakers wanted to amend the legislation so it would cover possession of only half as much marijuana, but that effort failed on the Senate floor. Republicans and police groups fiercely opposed the law but were unable to stop it. The bill passed along strict party lines, with no Republicans voting for it.

It is still a felony in Delaware to sell cannabis or otherwise distribute it. Possession of larger amounts, greater than 5 pounds, is treated as trafficking and is subject to enhanced prison terms.

Addressing racial disparities in arrest rates

Lawmakers pushed the bill as a solution to the disparate arrest rates of black and white cannabis users. Both races use the drug at the same rate, but blacks are arrested far more often than white users.

“The governor remains committed to reducing the number of people entering the criminal justice system and refocusing resources where they are needed most, and House Bill 39 supports these efforts,” said Kelly Bachman, Markell’s spokeswoman.

A landmark study by the ACLU, which examined racial disparities in arrest rates nationwide, found that Delaware has a particularly bad problem. Black tokers are about three times as likely as white tokers to be arrested for simple possession. They’re also more likely to do time behind bars.

Marijuana advocates, local and national, praised the new law and said it would make Delaware safer and healthier.

“Marijuana is an objectively less harmful substance than alcohol, and most Americans now agree it should be treated that way. Delaware has taken an important step toward adopting a more sensible marijuana policy,” said Robert Capecchi of the Marijuana Policy Project.

But opponents of cannabis reform said the vote will ultimately backfire. State Sen. Colin Bonini, a Republican, joined the rest of his party in voting against the bill.

“This is a vote we’re going to really, really regret,” Bonini said. “Would you want your kid smoking weed? I think the answer is overwhelmingly no.”

Though full legalization isn’t likely in Delaware anytime soon, the state’s lawmakers were clearly looking to the future on the East Coast. Legal marijuana is likely to reach Maine, Massachusetts, and possibly Rhode Island within a matter of a few years.

Delaware Decriminalizes

Marijuana Rising, Cocaine Falling: U.N.

Marijuana is on the rise, and it’s getting stronger. But cocaine is on the decline.

Those are the conclusions of a report issued in June by the United Nations. The study, which compared cannabis use statistics with previous years, found that demand for the drug has increased, especially in the United States.

Four U.S. states have legalized marijuana for any adult use, while another 33 states have adopted some form of medical cannabis law. Legalization is expected to continue its spread, making the United States a leader in reform.

Global illicit substance use remains steady

Overall, the World Drugs Report from the U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime found that use of illicit substances has remained stable around the globe. But there have been dramatic spikes and drops for certain drugs in certain places.

In Afghanistan, for example, opium is a leading commodity and is widely available. While most of this product is shipped around the world, some makes its way into local Afghan communities, and the problem is getting worse.

“It is estimated that almost a quarter billion people between the ages of 15 and 64 years used an illicit drug in 2013,” according to the report.

Marijuana remains illegal in most parts of the world. It is fully legal by statute only in Uruguay, but it is decriminalized and widely tolerated in a handful of other countries, most in Europe.

Cocaine production has fallen

The best news from the U.N. shows cocaine production has dropped substantially, especially in South America, where the coca plant is native and widely grown.

Global cocaine production dropped 10 percent between 2012 and 2013, the report found. Police seizures of the drug dropped by 9 percent between 2008 and 2013.

Cannabis, on the other hand, is booming almost everywhere. The U.N. credits this not only to increasing reform but also to “rapid advancement in cannabis plant cultivation techniques.”

Marijuana cultivation driving agricultural revolution

Those developments are having an impact not only on marijuana cultivation but on agriculture generally. Techniques used to grow high-quality cannabis could ultimately revolutionize farming.

As a result of those changes, marijuana is growing ever more potent, according to the study. The average THC concentration in cannabis increased from 3.4 percent in 1993 to 8.8 percent in 2008.

Of course, marijuana users have long had access to a much more potent product. Award-winning strains today can reach 30 percent THC, but they are merely genetic descendants of high-potency strains once popular in the 20th century.

What’s more, there is no evidence that greater potency has led to increased public health concerns, aside from a possible but negligible uptick in addiction rates.

The rapid change in the drug-trafficking landscape – legalization, decriminalization, medical marijuana, reduced cocaine production – have all hit cartels hard. the report said. Mexican drug lords have increasingly turned to heroin, driving a surge in opiate addictions, because their other options are dwindling.

“They will lose a lot of money because of law enforcement,” said Carl Meacham of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. “But it is still lucrative enough for them to do this business.”

Marijuana Rising, Cocaine Falling: U.N.

What Do Current Events Say About MJ Reform?

Not everyone who supports the legalization of marijuana also supports gay marriage – just like not everyone who supports gay marriage also backs criminal justice reform.

But these issues are far from mutually exclusive. They ride on similar currents of popular opinion, and if recent days are any indication, their time has come.

Don’t be surprised to wake up 10 years from today and find that cannabis is legal from coast to coast, or at least close enough that you could easily drive across state lines and smoke it there. Change is coming, and it will only accelarate as time passes.

On June 26 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision enshrining the right of gay couples to marry. The day before, a similarly sweeping ruling upheld President Barack Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act.

At the same time, a mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., drove political leaders across the country, left and right, to immediately and permanently pull the Confederate flag from its many official perches.

Meanwhile, a growing coalition of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is pushing a once-in-a-generation movement to overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system – to end mandatory minimum sentences, provide treatment and probation instead of incarceration, and address mental health issues in special courts instead of jails.

Such outcomes would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. But what does it all mean for marijuana?

Whatever your position on same-sex marriage, legal reforms, or Obamacare, take heart in the fact that cannabis laws will continue to change, too. There may be only a short window of time before the current pace of events slows, so it’s critical that advocates act now. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Marijuana is currently legal for medical use in 37 states, including 14 that allow only a non-intoxicating form of the drug known as CBD oil. Four states also allow the cultivation, sale, and use of cannabis for recreation: Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, and Washington State, as well as Washington, D.C.

Full legalization will likely be on the ballot in as many as 10 states next year, including California, the nation’s most populous state. Even if some of those initiatives die at the polls, others will surely pass.

There have already been setbacks. Maine lawmakers recently voted down a bill that would have legalized marijuana for personal use and created a regulated industry to grow and sell the drug.

Overall, though, the outlook for cannabis users is bright and getting brighter. It may yet take a long time to bring full reform to every corner of the country, but it is already spreading quickly, and the odds it will stop anytime soon are slim and getting slimmer.

What Do Current Events Say About MJ Reform?

Portland Cops Use Donut to Explain Carry Limits

Marijuana will soon be legal in Oregon, and cops there are having some fun with users as they prepare for the new law.

Police in Portland, Ore., recently printed a brochure to help cannabis consumers follow the rules. Those rules will allow the possession of up to 8 ounces of marijuana at home and up to 1 ounce in public.

The brochure uses images of a local delicacy, the Voodoo donut, to explain the limits of the law. A chocolate donut with swirls sits next to a pile of cannabis in a series of photos, each with a larger pile.

One image shows a pile containing 1 ounce, roughly the same size as the donut, labeled “Legal on Person.” Another photo shows an 8 ounce pile next to the same donut, this time labeled “Legal in Household.” A final shot shows the donut with an even larger pile, 1 pound, labeled “Illegal.”

Oregon voters legalized recreational cannabis in the November 2014 elections, as did voters in Alaska and Washington, D.C. Marijuana was already legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington State.

Oregon’s law is the most generous in terms of possession limits. Most other states draw the line at 1 ounce, either at home or in public. These laws also typically allow home cultivators to keep everything they grow, however, so the practical effects of Oregon’s rules are much the same.

Cannabis will officially go legal in July, though the first retail stores won’t open until 2016. In the meantime, it will be legal to buy and possess marijuana for both recreation and medicine. It’s also legal to grow up to four plants on private property. It is illegal to sell marijuana, however, since no retail licenses have yet been issued.

It is also a crime to grow larger amounts of cannabis. As they prepare for recreational legalization, lawmakers in Oregon have discussed capping the total number of medical marijuana plants at any given grow site to discourage massive “caregiver” grows that sometimes divert product to the black market. Lawmakers hope to stop the diversion on both the medical and recreational sides.

Cops in Portland are taking a line from the playbooks of police in Denver and Seattle, who have also used humor to inform marijuana users about the law. In 2013 Seattle police officers handed out 1,000 bags of Doritos at a public celebration shortly after legalization took effect there.

The focus, as usual, is on the munchies, typically a source of hilarity. But the message is serious: Now that cannabis is legal, consumers are expected to follow the law in Oregon.

That means no toking in public and no driving while stoned. Public consumption carries a relatively minor civil fine, but stoned driving is a crime in Oregon – a felony, in some cases.

Portland Cops Use Donut to Explain Carry Limits

Rand Paul: The Best Candidate for Marijuana Reform?

Who’s the best presidential candidate when it comes to marijuana reform? Professional cannabis advocates say it’s Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

The Marijuana Policy Project, the biggest national group campaigning for legalization, issued a voter guide in late June that rated candidates on their support for reform. Paul, a Republican, came in No. 1.

Paul has pushed two critical pro-cannabis bills through the Senate, both protecting the rights of medical marijuana patients across the United States. He has not openly endorsed legalization, but his libertarian state’s rights positions suggest he’s open to the idea.

How did they rank?

Paul received a grade of A- from the MPP. A handful of other candidates scored well, while others failed miserably.

Hillary Clinton, for example, got a B-. She has publicly backed medical marijuana and cannabis research, and she is pushing for criminal justice reforms, but she has a conservative record on the issue and hasn’t offered any support for full legalization.

Two other Democrats, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, won B+ ratings. Webb has pushed for justice reform while Chafee signed a law in 2013 that decriminalized marijuana possession.

Former Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, also seeking the Democratic nomination, got a B. Sanders says he supports decriminalization and will keep his mind open to further reform. Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and longshot Democratic candidate, was given a C- because he opposed medical marijuana while in office.

Vice President Joe Biden scored the lowest grade for the Democrats, a D. The MPP cited his work enacting mandatory minimum sentencing laws for cannabis offenders and creating the office of the White House drug czar.

Republican support was limited

Back on the crowded Republican side, Texas Gov. Rick Perry came in second to Paul, winning a B grade. Perry has thrown his weight behind a growing push for justice reform in his state.

Other GOP candidates fared much worse. Most – including Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Scott Walker, and Marco Rubio – managed Cs or Ds. But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum each received F grades. Both men publicly oppose cannabis reform and have promised to roll back legalization.

“Some of these guys who tout states’ rights, fiscal responsibility, and getting the government out of people’s private lives want to use federal tax dollars to punish adults for using marijuana in states that have made it legal,” said MPP spokesman Mason Tvert. “They say using marijuana is immoral or just too dangerous to allow, but serve alcohol, a more dangerous substance, at their fundraisers. The hypocrisy is astonishing.”

Rand Paul: The Best Candidate for Marijuana Reform?

California Raid Nets Thousands of MJ Plants

Police in California’s famed Emerald Triangle executed a series of raids in June that uprooted more than 15,000 marijuana plants.

Sheriff’s deputies from three counties conducted the raids in late June, saying they found roughly 15,300 cannabis plants in varying stages of maturity, according to a local newspaper. Though not one of California’s largest marijuana busts, the operation destroyed a significant amount of cannabis.

Raids such as this have at most limited impact on the illicit marijuana market. The Emerald Triangle, which consists of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties, is so saturated with illegal cannabis farms that it would take a massive military intervention to find them all.

The local police are trying, though. The investigation was announced June 24 and was expected to continue for several days.

The raid focused on several farms throughout the Emerald Triangle. The region, located along the Pacific Coast in mountainous Northern California, produces more marijuana than any other area in the United States. It grows most of the state’s cannabis, medical and otherwise, and supplies a large percentage of the nation’s black market.

Relaxed MMJ laws

Marijuana is legal only for medical use in California, though regulations are so loose it’s easy for non-patients to buy the drug on the medicinal market. Cannabis is decriminalized for recreation statewide, and full legalization is likely to arrive with the 2016 election, but police continue to target growers, sellers, and in some cases, patients.

The state adopted medical marijuana in 1996, the first place in the country to do so. Medical cannabis is now legal in 36 other states, while recreational sale, possession, and use are legal in four.

The Emerald Triangle, located about 200 miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a major source of cannabis since shortly after MMJ was adopted. The region is frequently targeted by local police, sheriff’s deputies, and federal anti-drug agents.

Police continue to raid grow sites

The raids continue despite new federal laws designed to protect patients, retailers, and growers from legal interference. Local and federal agencies have largely ignored the law, refusing to drop their efforts to stamp out marijuana completely.

Sheriff’s deputies who carried out the June raids said they found evidence of environmental damage at the grow sites. Farmers were also possibly stealing water by diverting it to their plants, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Cannabis gardens have come under increasing scrutiny as critics say they use too much water and have worsened California’s epic drought. Marijuana plants require large amounts of water, though there is some debate over how much damage these farms are causing.

Officials have imposed the most drastic water restrictions in California history, aiming to cut use statewide by 25 percent. The rules affect legal cannabis growers but can be hard to enforce on illicit cultivators.

California Raid Nets Thousands of MJ Plants