cannabisnews.com: Attorney General's New Pot Rules Not Enough





Attorney General's New Pot Rules Not Enough
Posted by CN Staff on September 24, 2008 at 06:32:56 PT
By Benjamin Browning
Source: Sonoma State Star 
CA -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown's new attempt to settle the nerves of medical marijuana dispensers and patients is a weak attempt to make proposition 215 stronger.Attorney General Brown has introduced an eleven-page directive aimed at clearing up some issues between state and federal governments. He believes his new guidelines will minimize legal worries and ease patient worries.
In 1996 when proposition 215 was passed by an overwhelming vote, medical marijuana dispensaries started popping up like Trader Joes all over the state. People started getting prescriptions for their "back pain" and everyone was happy. At the same time, federally, this was all very illegal. Twelve years has gone by and dozens of dispensaries have been opened, been raided, and been reopened just to be raided again. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been made from the profits and millions have been spent on trying to fight the legislation.Brown's eleven-page directive now gives police the ability to distinguish between criminals and legitimate marijuana sellers. It also protects patients from getting arrested unlawfully. Brown's plan also will change dispensaries into non-profit or cooperatives, to cut out big money operations that exploit the medical label and sell to just about anyone. One other step Brown wants to take is to change the amount of pot on the market, making it so only a patient, caregiver or dispensary could grow the small amount of medical marijuana needed. Brown's plan has just cleaned up the legislation at the state level. It will not stop the DEA from raiding dispensaries or harassing patients.The police should already be able to distinguish criminals from legitimate marijuana sellers. Don't the legitimate guys usually sell during the day at a place with a sign that says medical marijuana in neon green? As for turning these dispensaries into non-profits, they probably only report a quarter of their earnings as it is so this will be no big hurdle for them to get around. I am sure there are millions of tax-free dollars going through legitimate dispensaries. The amount of pot on the market will not change by only allowing patients or dispensaries to grow the plants. The law now says a patient is allowed to grow up to six plants and a dispensary is allowed to grow six plants per patient it serves. There is no way a dispensary knows how many patients it has from week to week or even day to day. If they have 65 regular patients they must 65 people that try and go to a different dispensary every week. Does that mean they have 130 patients and are allowed to grow 780 plants?Making all these changes at the state level is continuing to get the medical marijuana laws nowhere. The changes need to be made federally and only then will the dispensers be able to run their business with out fear from the DEA.Note: Medical marijuana laws must be changed federally to have any impact.Source: Sonoma State Star (CA)Author: Benjamin BrowningPublished: September 23, 2008Copyright: 2008 Sonoma State Star Contact: star sonoma.eduWebsite: http://www.sonomastatestar.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by fight_4_freedom on October 09, 2008 at 20:40:19 PT
I'm really glad you liked it Hope
We cannabis activists need to stick together, through thick and thin. We are all family here.*cyber hug* :)
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on October 09, 2008 at 11:56:46 PT
fight_4_freedom
I found this after you mentioned it on a thread. I'd missed it somehow.Thank you. Your kindness is comforting. The song is beautiful. I appreciate it and you.
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Comment #16 posted by fight_4_freedom on September 25, 2008 at 14:32:49 PT
This is for you hope
This was the last song we played at my Father's funeral about 11 years ago.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hdlc3Q2iS8"One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey w/ Boyz to Men 
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Comment #15 posted by fight_4_freedom on September 25, 2008 at 13:32:25 PT:
Oh my
I'm so sorry to hear the news Hope. I have not been up on the news lately so that's why I didn't see this until now.My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family Hope. One good thing is that She is no longer suffering on this earth. She is now in her real home living pain free.From the information you provided about her before, it sounded like she made the most out of her life.May God bless her soul and may God's love be with you in these troubling times.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 25, 2008 at 08:42:00 PT
Hope and Everyone
I check this link a number of times during the day. It's looking really good for Obama. The tide is turning thank goodness.http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/latestpolls/index.html
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 25, 2008 at 08:39:22 PT
Hope
It's really good to see you. I hope you and your family are holding up ok during this difficult time.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 25, 2008 at 08:26:38 PT
Comments 8 and 9
You're right, BGreen, and you, too, FoM. I do have renewed optimism, BGreen. And yes, I'm sad that I won't see my my beloved Granny for a while... but I'll survive just like everyone else has to that suffers the loss of a loved one. Thank you for caring. It helps.Change has to come and it's going to happen, no matter which party is in power... although I have to admit... I'd much rather see Obama given a chance to "Preside" this time, than McCain.More people realize every day the idiocy of cannabis prohibition. The prohibitionists are just digging themselves deeper,and more indelibly, and inexcusably, every day, into the black spot that they are upon the history of humanity.
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 19:37:21 PT
ekim
Here's a picture of the marijuana farm. I wonder if people can see it on a tour of the University? http://gallery.marihemp.com/albums/public_domain_free/miss2.jpg
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Comment #10 posted by ekim on September 24, 2008 at 18:49:23 PT
Sen Obama 700 billion for wall st how about MMJ 
The University of Mississippi, which will host Friday’s presidential debate at its Oxford, Miss, campus. Government-Supplied Marijuana Program Turns 30 
Posted by CN Staff on May 07, 2008 at 16:50:39 PT
By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet 
Source: AlterNet 
http://cannabisnews.com/news/23/thread23911.shtml
 USA -- Each month Irvin Rosenfeld goes to his pharmacy and picks up a special prescription, supplied to him by the U.S. government: a canister containing roughly 10 ounces of marijuana in pre-rolled cigarettes. 
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 14:11:50 PT
BGreen
I think if we stay upbeat we can help bring positive change. I got a call for a Democrat that's in office in my state yesterday. I answered his questions and then he asked me if I was going to vote for Obama. I said Oh Yes I love Obama. He said you love Obama? I said I sure do and he laughed. A positive spirit is a good thing.I haven't e-mailed Hope for a few days. I know she will be back as soon as she is able.
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Comment #8 posted by BGreen on September 24, 2008 at 13:13:39 PT
You know winter's a-comin'
when FoM starts gatherin' the firewood. LOLI'm a man of mixed emotions. On one hand, my heart is breaking for Hope. Her sorrow must be understandingly overwhelming at times and that makes me sad.On the other hand, I'm thrilled at enthusiastic optimism exhibited by so many posters. It's wonderful seeing you so upbeat, FoM. I've been here for your ups and downs for over seven years, and I know you deserve a lot of ups.Museman, I am so excited by your renewed optimism. You have so much to offer and I know how much our mood affects our creativity and productivity. Your recent re-enlightenment has been very inspirational for me, as well.Even Hope, posting her first words since the passing of her grandmother, talked about her feelings of optimism that things are on the verge of getting better for the victims of this horrible unwarranted attack on the cannabis plant and it's partakers.Here's to a better day and a better world for us all.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 11:08:52 PT
museman
Have a nice time.
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Comment #6 posted by museman on September 24, 2008 at 11:04:54 PT
FoM
"There is so much more to life that what they tell us."I guess thats a real good reason to stop listening?Got a lot of non-profitable labor to do in the weeks ahead, a lot of old music projects finally getting finished, because I have the use of a nice keyboard for a limited timeI will post as soon as I master them.FREE BAMBA FOR EVERYONE
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 10:40:06 PT
museman
It's a beautiful day today. I was outside loading up more firewood to put on our porch and I was thinking how wonderful it is. I can physically still do it and each piece of wood reminds me of how warm we will be no matter what kind of weather comes our way this winter. There is so much more to life that what they tell us.
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Comment #4 posted by museman on September 24, 2008 at 10:29:23 PT
FoM
They will never win. If they could, they would have convinced us enough by now to willingly serve them without cops, and there wouldn't even be a need to pretend things like liberty and freedom, or a constitution, they would just go back to being 'The Gods' and we would be their mindless subservient slaves.The plan of God, YHWHW, The Great Spirit, does not allow for their continuing manipulations and corruptions of reality, and those of us who are at least making an honset attempt to follow that plan, know this at this point. All inroads to freedom have been made by the stuggles of the people -in accordance with 'divine' plan, while what the people are struggling against is the values, ideologies, doctrines, and enforcements of those values and stipulations established and upheld by the machinations and deceptions of the status quo.The Status Quo is the proverbial 'Naked Emporer' and all those who continue to shallowly converse on the elaborate, invisible weave, are only demonstrating their foolishness to the honest children who have yet to learn, and embrace deceit.No matter what they pull out of their moldy, stinkin', old magicians hat, they can never contain the whole of mankinds conscsiousness. That consiousness is now rising faster than they are falling -good thing for those of them that still have vestiges of humanity somewhere inside, because that consciousness is going to be needed desperately in the near future.They 'lost' the moment they came here and first enslaveed humanity, and we won. Its only a matter of time before their finite, limited little reality comes crashing down on their heads, like falling towers.We may actually live to see it.FREE SATIVA FOR EVERYONE
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 10:01:41 PT
museman
We sure can hope. If we give up hoping they win.
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Comment #2 posted by museman on September 24, 2008 at 09:59:50 PT
FoM
If they change federal law to allow for medical marijuana, they have to completely change prohibition, because the 'illegal' status of cannabis is pivotal on the issue of 'medicinal use.' If the feds admit that cannabis HAS medicinal use, their entire case for prohibition goes out the window. Proibition is a profitable industry that includes, prisons and jails, their supply companies, not to mention the ton of revenue gathered at local and state level for 'fines and fees' having to do with marijuana. Without prohiibition, cops are becoming increasingly dependant on federal funding, and their source of play money (money to buy cop toys, like guns and state-of-the-art surveilance equipment- at inflated prices) will be mostly gone.Its hard to conceive that any politician is going to bite the hand that feeds them, but we can surely hope.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 24, 2008 at 07:16:10 PT
Federal Law
This to me will be the answer if we get the Democrats in power this November. 
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