cannabisnews.com: Effort To Clarify Medical Pot Laws





Effort To Clarify Medical Pot Laws
Posted by CN Staff on August 31, 2008 at 07:04:42 PT
By Glenda Anderson, Staff Writer
Source: Press Democrat
California -- Medical marijuana guidelines issued by state Attorney General Jerry Brown last week don't break new ground, but medical marijuana advocates and law enforcement officials agree they will help everyone figure out what's legal and what's not."One of our biggest complaints was (marijuana regulations) were confusing," said Sonoma County Sheriff Bill Cogbill.
Local law enforcement officers had been asking the state to issue standardized guidelines since California voters in 1996 passed Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana for medical use.Without state guidelines, local governments and law enforcement scrambled to cope with the new law, spawning a dizzying array of fragmented regulations and unequal enforcement.The new state guidelines are a compilation of existing state regulations and case law into a single "one-stop shopping" document, said Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman."There's really nothing new in it," said Attorney General spokeswoman Christine Gasparac.For example, it sets a possession limit of six mature plants and 8 ounces of dried marijuana but continues to allow cities and counties to create their own limits."For the most part, they're consistent with what our attorneys have been advising clients," said Dale Gieringer, coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.But it will make it easier for law enforcement officers from different agencies to review and enforce the laws and for patients to know their limits, Gasparac said.One of the more confusing areas of medical marijuana law is the regulation of medical marijuana cooperatives and dispensaries, law enforcement officers and marijuana advocates said.The new guidelines define how they should be run and make it clear that they should be nonprofit organizations and that they should pay sales and income taxes."We're happy with it," said Berta Bollinger, co-president of the Caregiver Compassion Group in Santa Rosa. "I appreciate the attorney general wants to get rid of the people who are making a lot of money."She said her organization is in compliance with the law and won't need to change as a result of the guidelines."We're good to go," Bollinger said.Cogbill said the guidelines support what he believed was the law.But "now that I have the attorney general's opinion on it, we're going to be looking more closely at the dispensaries here in Sonoma County to see if they're in compliance with the law," he said.Note: Sheriffs, advocates agree new state rules will help.Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)Author: Glenda Anderson, Staff WriterPublished: Sunday, August 31, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Press DemocratContact: letters pressdemo.comWebsite: http://www.pressdemo.com/California NORMLhttp://www.canorml.org/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by gloovins on August 31, 2008 at 19:00:21 PT
Here's what the timesonlineuk says re: Palin &Pot 
Counterbalancing McCain’s reputation as a political dinosaur, Palin smoked pot when it was legal in Alaska, admitting, “I can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say I never inhaled”, and her children, Track, 19, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, Piper, 7, and Trig, four months, have hippie-sounding namesWow!...Getting more interesting by the day!forgive me if this has already been posted elsewhere btw...
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 31, 2008 at 14:17:15 PT
Hurricane Gustav
I hope everyone stays safe that might be in the line of this hurricane. 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 31, 2008 at 12:02:29 PT
mykeyb420 
I read in my California e-mail that she was against hemp in Alaska in 2000 when she was mayor. I have the article posted but it was snipped so I can't post what she said. 
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Comment #1 posted by mykeyb420 on August 31, 2008 at 10:07:08 PT
Gov Palin
Excerpts of Transcript with Gregg Erickson, columnist
and reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and editor
at large for the Alaska Budget Report, who was online
Friday, Aug. 29, on washingtonpost.com --jm.]____________________Gregg Erickson: Hi. I'm Gregg Erickson. I'm an
economist, columnist and reporter in Juneau, where
I've been covering Sarah Palin since November 2006
when she was elected governor. I grew up in Alaska and
have been covering the legislature here since 1991. I
look forward to fielding your questions._______________________Arlington, Va.: A couple of questions: Where does Gov.
Palin stand on allowing oil drilling in ANWR? What is
her overall stance on environmental issues? What is
the latest on the investigation into the firing of her
ex-brother-in-law who was a state trooper in Alaska?Gregg Erickson: Palin, like about 60 percent of Alaska
voters, favors drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. Her environmental credentials are, at
best, mixed. She favors what we in Alaska call
"predator control," including, if necessary, the
hunting of wolves from the air. Just recently her
Dept. of Fish and Game pulled some wolf cubs from
their den and shot them as part of a program to
improve moose survival.She also opposes the listing of the polar bear as an
endangered species.She is smart, vivacious and energetic; she tends to
oversimplify complex issues, has had difficulty
delegating authority, and clearly has difficulty
distinguishing the line between her public
responsibilities and private wishes. She is under
legislative investigation on this, the so-called
"troopergate" issue, in which she is said to have used
improper influence to try to get her sister's
ex-husband fired from the state troopers._______________________Washington, D.C.: I was an apathetic McCain supporter
until this. Now, I am energized. She does not have
much experience but she is VP not POTUS. She seems
smart, tenacious and just what McCain needs to beat
the rap of "more of the same." This is definitely not
"more of the same."Gregg Erickson: You are right: smart and tenacious are
good words to describe our governor. She was in Texas
this spring when her water broke. Rather than staying
there to have the baby, she jumped on a plane for an
11-hour flight back to Alaska, so her baby would be a
"Alaskan-born."It will be interesting to see what happens when she
confronts the national media regarding her positions
on Roe v. Wade, airborne wolf hunting, etc._______________________Eagle River, Ak.: Morning, Gregg! I've suddenly being
hearing a number of pundits credit Gov. Palin with
stopping the "bridge to nowhere." This isn't how I
remember it, though -- in fact, I seem to recall that
she was initially in favor of the bridge. Could you
clarify? Thanks!Gregg Erickson: She did curtail state support of the
"bridge to nowhere" connecting Ketchikan with its
island airport. But contrary to her statement today in
Dayton, OH, she didn't send the federal money back.
It's available for use in other projects elsewhere._______________________Illinois: Is it true that Palin favors teaching
creationism in public schools?Gregg Erickson: I don't know about that, but she said
during her campaign for governor that she favored
students being exposed to all sides of the evolution
argument._______________________Los Angeles, Calif.: It's clear from your responses
that you don't particularly like her (I'm not speaking
personally, but politically.) How do you explain her
high approval ratings?Gregg Erickson: I think she did a great job in taking
on the oil industry, that has had a lock on Alaska
politics since 1981 She is also stood up against the
corruption in Alaska politics long before it was
fashionable to do so. . I think those things resonate
with many Alaskans beside myself.Her approval ratings are high--65 percent, or so--but
down from 80 percent earlier in her term. Most
Alaskan's haven't watched her as closely as most
reporters or legislators. If you took a poll of
reporters and legislators I expect her approval rating
would be down in the teens or twenties._______________________Washington, D.C.: Why don't reporters and legislators
have a high opinion of the governor?Gregg Erickson: It is clear that she has not paid much
attention to the nitty-gritty unglamorous work of
government, of gaining consensus, and making difficult
compromises. She seems to be of the view that politics
should be all rather simple. That often appeals to the
wider public, but frustrates those who see themselves
as laboring in the less glamorous parts of the
vineyard._______________________Arlington, Va.: Do you think Hillary supporters will
vote for McCain now just because there's a woman on
the ticket -- even though she's about as opposite as
Hillary as a candidate could be?Gregg Erickson: As I replied to another question, the
only way I can figure that it makes sense is that
McCain believes his campaign is in big trouble, and
hopes this very unconventional choice will give his
candidacy much needed appeal women voters and those
from the religious right who have been not quite
comfortable with his credentials as a social
conservative.Appealing to Hillary supporters by choosing someone
opposed to any abortion rights seems odd to me._______________________Washington, D.C.;: You wrote: "If you took a poll of
reporters and legislators I expect her approval rating
would be down in the teens or twenties." What do they
know about her that the general population does not?Gregg Erickson: One example: The Republican chair of
the Alaska State House Finance budget subcommittee on
Heath and Medicaid says he can't find anyone in
Palin's executive office who cares about helping bring
that budget under control. He is furious with her
about that._______________________Wheaton, Md.: Why is she experienced enough to lead
our nation as president if McCain were unable to do
so?Gregg Erickson: I have a hard time seeing how her
qualifications stack up against the duties and
responsibilities of being president._______________________Bethesda, Md.: I noticed that Palin criticized the
Supreme Court's limitation on punitive damages with
respect to the Exxon Valdez incident. As a
conservative, you would think she would be in favor of
this kind of "tort reform" and limit on judicial
power? How has she justified her disagreement on
limitation on damages, or is it simple parochialism?Gregg Erickson: No Alaska politician and very few
Alaskans support the Exxon position. Many would like
to see the corporate death penalty levied against
Exxon. Take their corporate charter away and sell off
their assets._______________________Alexandria, Va.: Has Governor Palin ever traveled
outside the U.S.?Gregg Erickson: She went to college (journalism
degree) in Idaho. She's been to Iraq [reports I’ve
seen say it was Kuwait –jm] to visit the troops._______________________Alexandria, Va.: Knowing what you do of Gov. Palin, do
you think this could be a case where the more the
American people know about her, the more impressed and
charmed they'll be; or, could getting to know her
better be trouble?Gregg Erickson: It will certainly have both effects.
What's not to admire about a straight-talking soccer
mom who suddenly finds herself in the running for
vice-president. It's like a TV sitcom plot. The
reality of the national scrutiny will be another
thing, however._______________________Washington, D.C.: What should we expect from her
during the VP debates?Gregg Erickson: I expect her to stick with simple
truths. When asked about continued American troop
presence in Iraq she said she knows only one thing
about that (I paraphrase): no one has attacked the
American homeland since George Bush took the war to
Iraq._______________________Hudson Valley, N.Y.: Who takes care of her children
while she's busy being governor? It's pretty rare to
see a woman in public office with such young kids.Gregg Erickson: Good question. There hasn't been much
reporting on that. She does carry the baby around, and
has a crib and play pen in her office in Juneau. She
has a big, close family, and I assume they may help
out._______________________Germantown, Md.: Is it true that Gov. Palin is
skeptical about global warming?Gregg Erickson: Yes. Although she has not been
outspoken about that. Alaska's national politicians
have been allied with Sen. Imhoff, but have had to
reverse course rather dramatically on that as the
effects of climate change began to show up so
dramatically in Alaska._______________________Silver Spring, Md.: You say she "took on" the oil
companies, but that she favors drilling in the Arctic
Wildlife Refuge. In what ways did she stand up to Big
Oil, and in what ways might she be in their pocket?Gregg Erickson: She is strongly in favor of oil
development. She just wants the state to get a bigger
share of the profits, and wants the companies to
develop their Alaska resources faster than the
companies consider profitable or prudent._______________________Memphis, Tenn.: Why do you hint that the campaign must
be in trouble?Gregg Erickson: I said if that is McCain's view, then
the choice of Palin could make sense. Otherwise, why
take the risk on someone he obviously doesn't know
well, and whose appeal to the national electorate is
unknown, and who brings only three electoral votes.
There may be other reasons, good or bad, for his
choice, but I can't guess what they would be.
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