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Michigan First Midwest State To Allow Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on December 03, 2018 at 06:06:15 PT
By Ed White, Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Detroit -- Michigan clears a threshold this week as the first state in the Midwest to allow marijuana for more than just medical purposes.In the Nov. 6 election, voters by a wide margin endorsed recreational use by adults who are at least 21. The move comes 10 years after voters approved marijuana to alleviate the effects of certain illnesses. Many supporters believe that decadelong experience, as well as similar legalization efforts in other states, led to victory at the ballot box.
“It’s certainly going to smell like freedom,” starting Thursday, said Detroit lawyer Matt Abel, who specializes in marijuana law and whose office sign says, “cannabis counsel.”Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. Of course, there are many caveats in Michigan and already some tension.HOW MUCH?Michigan residents who are 21 or older can possess or transport up to 2.5 ounces (70.8 grams) of marijuana. They can grow up to 12 plants, although not in public view. They also can give 2.5 ounces (70.8 grams) to another person, but not for payment.BUZZ ZONESMarijuana can be consumed only at homes or other private property, although landlords and employers can prohibit it. It can’t be smoked at bars or restaurants or any other place that is accessible to the public. That means getting high while walking the dog or hustling between college classes could lead to trouble.Michigan colleges and universities have repeatedly stated that campus anti-drug policies won’t change. Employers will still be able to fire people for drug use.POT SHOPSThe doors are not open yet. The new law creates a system of growing and selling marijuana, with millions of dollars to be collected in taxes, but those shops still are months away and must involve state regulators. So people who want marijuana now will need to grow it or obtain it by other, perhaps illegal, means.Michigan is just beginning to license medical-marijuana dispensaries. Abel hopes Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer considers allowing them to sell marijuana for recreational use to meet demand.“The sooner they license retail stores, the sooner the state will be collecting revenue,” he says.LOCAL RESISTANCEDepending on where people live, buying marijuana won’t be as easy as buying bread. Elected officials in some communities already have voted to ban pot businesses, long before rules are in place. A local veto is available under the law. Local governments also can revisit their policy later.Communities that block marijuana businesses lose an opportunity to capture a portion of a 10 percent tax. But St. Joseph Mayor Mike Garey predicts: “It’s not going to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” St. Joseph is out for now.POLICE AND PROSECUTORSAfter the election, some prosecutors said they would dismiss any pending misdemeanor cases involving small amounts of marijuana that now will be legal.“The people have spoken,” Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker says.Expungement of past convictions is also being considered in some counties. Marijuana still is illegal under federal law, although Michigan’s federal prosecutors say they typically pursue major drug traffickers, not “low-level offenders.”State police spokesman Lt. Mike Shaw says it remains illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana. “This law isn’t going to change that,” he says.Source: Associated Press (Wire) Author: Ed White, Associated PressPublished: December 3, 2018Copyright: 2018 The Associated PressCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #7 posted by HempWorld on December 07, 2018 at 06:22:00 PT
2.4 Billion! Marlboro Man is getting stoned!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tobacco-giant-altria-makes-massive-bet-cannabis-122628821.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on December 06, 2018 at 14:46:04 PT
Massachusetts
How cool is this guy? The 20-something mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts has a vision of converting the small city into the Amsterdam of America! I love it. He has gone to Boston to lobby and actually convinced the legislature and governor to expedite the opening of cannabis cafes - they may allow Holyoke ot start a special pilot program before the official program gets rolling. http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/12/massachusetts_marijuana_paneli.html
Massachusetts marijuana panelists say social equity and social consumption go hand-in-hand>>Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse said social consumption -- and lowering the economic bar to participating in the cannabis industry -- could revitalize communities, while supporting fellowship and good will.Holyoke has plenty of vacant mill space and three levels of canals, said Morse, who suggested that his city is ripe for cannabis tourism."You should be able to visit, see where our marijuana is grown, and try it out at a cafe," said Morse.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyoke%2C_Massachusetts
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on December 06, 2018 at 14:42:51 PT
John
I think what's happening is the industry insists on calling itself the "cannabis" industry and the media is slowly catching up & playing along. The business section is used to adapting to the latest corporate jargon.Right from the start I noticed every player in the industry from greenhouse and gardening stores to farmers and retailers seemed to instinctively know to use the word "cannabis" exclusively. after all "marijuana" is a racial slur
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Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on December 06, 2018 at 06:37:14 PT
interesting times
I noticed in the news (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-03/altria-growth-quest-intensifies-with-report-of-cronos-weed-talks ) that the Altria corp., the biggest cigarette maker in the U.S., is getting into the cannabis business in a big way by trying to buy the Cronos corp. the fourth largest (as judged by valuation) cannabis company in Canada. Altria is also in talks with the popular e cigarette maker Juul Labs. (They make those vaping pens.) Don’t feel sorry for Altria, they are still making a lot of money. It is just that the tobacco market is declining steadily and Altria stock price and corporate profits are down. So they are moving into the newly lucrative cannabis market in order to survive. Since cannabis has been relegalized in many states and Canada, the cannabis industry has grown much faster than analysis expected. Altria makes some huge number of class A cigarettes a day. They could just as easily make a huge number of class A joints a day. I would suggest using different color papers, maybe with patterns or stripes, stars, or peace signs. They could use some old Peter Max colors and designs. In any case, it is going to be interesting. Have you noticed too, that more and more references in the news are using the word cannabis when referring to businesses engaging in the cannabis business? It would appear that they are trying to destigmatize some words here. Marijuana is still used, but less and less and not in a bad way either. Unfortunately, when a pioneering independent entrepreneur (usually poor and nonwhite) is apprehended with cannabis the news refers to it as the illegal drug or drugs and the weight of the seized material is given in grams in order to make the amount seem larger. I saw recently in my newspaper that somebody was arrested with 51 grams of “the drug”. To the ordinary reader that is not familiar with the metric system that would seem like a lot, but it is really less than two ounces, not much at all. 
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Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on December 05, 2018 at 09:25:16 PT
meanwhile in New Jersey
New Jersey is doing legislation now for the relegalization of cannabis. Let’s hope they can do it “right” so that it is “fair and square” for everybody. Don’t hold your breath though; it could still be a lot of work. As usual the folks with the money and power will try to keep it for themselves.
Even when we win, it is still a fight.https://articles.nj.com/marijuana/2018/11/legal_weed_bill_gets_one_step_closer_to_reality_in.amp?fbclid=IwAR2hW9IBKkmpzxV0Powk7ZdBxoDkxqyTR53Tv51rtiWun-hwcJmMj64aPRc
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on December 04, 2018 at 10:27:03 PT
Crime of “Drugged” Driving - Get Ready MI Drivers
"Finally there is the crime of OUID. This is operating under the influence of drugs, or the combination of drugs and alcohol....Of course, you can also be charged if the drug in question is a controlled substance. If it is, then the crime is 'zero tolerance', meaning if the drug is present in your system while you are driving, then you are guilty regardless of if the drug impacted your ability to drive."
Michigan DUI Laws | Understanding DUI Laws in Michigan
Michigan DUI Laws. 
https://baronedefensefirm.com/michigan-dui-lawyer/laws/This prohibition interpretation of "impaired" shows how important it is to deschedule cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Otherwise, Michigan drivers still can be charged and convicted as "impaired" when they are not actually impaired.“A careful review of the relevant science does not now, nor has it ever, supported a hard-line approach to cannabis scheduling. Cannabis’s abuse potential relative to other substances, including legal substances like alcohol, tobacco and prescription medications, does not warrant its continued criminalization under either U.S. or international law," Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, said in an email. "By any rational assessment, cannabis prohibition is a disproportionate public policy response to behavior that is, at worst, a public health concern. But it should not be a criminal justice matter and international laws should no longer classify it as such."
Trump Seeks Public Comments On Marijuana.
Posted by CN Staff on October 12, 2018 at 20:14:17 PT
By Tom Angell, Contributor. 
Source: Forbes 
http://cannabisnews.com/news/29/thread29347.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on December 03, 2018 at 15:20:32 PT
Bush
fascinating story - interesting to note that two juries in a row refused to convict the guy for selling coke to the DEA next to the White House....http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bush-white-house-war-on-drugs_us_5c02c98be4b04fb211688aefGeorge H.W. Bush White House Once Ordered Drug Buy From Teen For Presidential TV StuntA black high schooler was sentenced to 10 years in prison over the incident that has recirculated after the president’s death.http://twitter.com/JoshClarkDavis/status/1068899166020124672
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