Hank Chinaski
03-14-2011, 10:43 PM
Volume 14 Issue 10 March 10, 2011
norml.org
This Week from NORML
Register Now To Attend NORML's 2011 National Conference
Kentucky: Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Sentencing Reform Measure, Reduce Pot Penalties
Los Angeles: Voters Approve Marijuana Tax Revenue Measure
Hawaii: Senate Passes Multiple Marijuana Reform Measures
Recent Action Alerts
Senate Approves Bill To Reduce Marijuana Penalties in Hawaii Details
Legislation to Expand Hawaiis Medical Marijuana Limits Passes the Senate Details
State Senate Approves Licensing Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Hawaii Details
Register Now To Attend NORML's 2011 National Conference
Share This Article
Washington, DC: NORML is now accepting registrations to attend its 2011 national conference, taking place April 21 through April 23 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver, Colorado – one of America's premier 'pot friendly' cities.
Panel discussions at this year's conference, which celebrates the 40-year-anniversary of NORML's founding, will include:
Pot-n-Politics: 2011-2012 Marijuana Initiatives;
Cannabis Commerce: Coming of Age;
NORML Women's Alliance: Closing The Cannabis Gender Gap;
Medibles: Cannabis & Cooking;
Marijuana and Safety: Real Myths, Real Concerns
This year's keynote speaker will be Colorado Democrat Congressman Jared Polis.
NORML invites the public to join hundreds of likeminded marijuana law reformers at the nation's only annual conference dedicated to ending cannabis prohibition.
Online registration, as well as further details regarding conference speakers, agenda, and social events, is available at: http://www.norml.org/conference.
Kentucky: Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Sentencing Reform Measure, Reduce Pot Penalties
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Frankfort, KY: Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear signed legislation into law last week that seeks to reduce the number of incarcerated nonviolent drug offenders.
The bipartisan measure, House Bill 463, provides treatment-instead-of-incarceration options for defendants found guilty of possessing controlled substances. Supporters of the sentencing reform measure argue that the changes could reap $422 million in gross savings over the next decade.
Specific to marijuana law enforcement, the measure reduces existing penalties regarding the adult possession of up to eight ounces of cannabis from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of up to 45 days in jail. (Under present law, the offense is punishable by up to one-year in jail.) However, barring extenuating circumstances, most minor marijuana offenders will face probation in lieu of incarceration under the provisions of the new law.
"This overhaul of Kentucky's penal code is the result of a multi-year effort involving members of the executive, legislative and judicial branches," said Gov. Beshear said in a prepared statement. "Over the last three years, we've made headway with aggressive efforts to bring common sense to Kentucky's penal code, and our prison population has dropped each of the past three years. House Bill 463 helps us be tough on crime, while being smart on crime."
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit the website of the NORML Legal Committee, Kentucky at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=legal&Group_ID=4539.
Los Angeles: Voters Approve Marijuana Tax Revenue Measure
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Los Angeles, CA: Some 60 percent of Los Angeles voters decided on Tuesday in favor of Measure M, a citywide ballot measure that imposes new taxes on the sales of medical marijuana at brick-and-mortar dispensaries.
Measure M allows city tax officials to collect 50 dollars out of each $1,000 in "gross reimbursements" that dispensaries receive from their clients.
The advocacy group Americans for Safe Access opposed the measure, arguing that it "threatens to increase the cost of an already expensive treatment for many medical marijuana patients in the city." California NORML was neutral on Measure M.
Municipal voters have approved similar local tax ordinances in other California cities, including Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles city attorney's office released a list of 141 medical marijuana dispensaries that it has warned must shut down immediately or face legal action. City officials have claimed that they are operating in violation of a newly passed citywide ordinance that aims to cap the total number of dispensaries at no more than a hundred.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit: http://www.canorml.org.
Hawaii: Senate Passes Multiple Marijuana Reform Measures
Share This Article
Honolulu, HI: Senate lawmakers this week approved a series of legislative proposals aimed at amending the state's marijuana laws.
Legislators unanimously approved SB 1460, which reduces the adult possession of up to one ounce of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine) to a civil violation punishable by a fine of not more than $100.
Regarding the medical use of marijuana, the Senate approved SB 1458, which allows for the state licensed production and distribution of medical cannabis and cannabis-infused therapeutic products. Senators also passed SB 58, which increases the quantity of marijuana that authorized patients may legally possess under state law. Two other related measures, SB 175 and SB 113, also met with Senate approval.
All five measures now go before House lawmakers.
Last year, Senate lawmakers approved several similar proposals – all of which eventually stalled in the House.
For more information on these measures, please visit NORML's 'Take Action Center' at: http://www.capwiz.com/norml2/issues/.
NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org
norml.org
This Week from NORML
Register Now To Attend NORML's 2011 National Conference
Kentucky: Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Sentencing Reform Measure, Reduce Pot Penalties
Los Angeles: Voters Approve Marijuana Tax Revenue Measure
Hawaii: Senate Passes Multiple Marijuana Reform Measures
Recent Action Alerts
Senate Approves Bill To Reduce Marijuana Penalties in Hawaii Details
Legislation to Expand Hawaiis Medical Marijuana Limits Passes the Senate Details
State Senate Approves Licensing Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Hawaii Details
Register Now To Attend NORML's 2011 National Conference
Share This Article
Washington, DC: NORML is now accepting registrations to attend its 2011 national conference, taking place April 21 through April 23 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver, Colorado – one of America's premier 'pot friendly' cities.
Panel discussions at this year's conference, which celebrates the 40-year-anniversary of NORML's founding, will include:
Pot-n-Politics: 2011-2012 Marijuana Initiatives;
Cannabis Commerce: Coming of Age;
NORML Women's Alliance: Closing The Cannabis Gender Gap;
Medibles: Cannabis & Cooking;
Marijuana and Safety: Real Myths, Real Concerns
This year's keynote speaker will be Colorado Democrat Congressman Jared Polis.
NORML invites the public to join hundreds of likeminded marijuana law reformers at the nation's only annual conference dedicated to ending cannabis prohibition.
Online registration, as well as further details regarding conference speakers, agenda, and social events, is available at: http://www.norml.org/conference.
Kentucky: Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Sentencing Reform Measure, Reduce Pot Penalties
Share This Article
Frankfort, KY: Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear signed legislation into law last week that seeks to reduce the number of incarcerated nonviolent drug offenders.
The bipartisan measure, House Bill 463, provides treatment-instead-of-incarceration options for defendants found guilty of possessing controlled substances. Supporters of the sentencing reform measure argue that the changes could reap $422 million in gross savings over the next decade.
Specific to marijuana law enforcement, the measure reduces existing penalties regarding the adult possession of up to eight ounces of cannabis from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of up to 45 days in jail. (Under present law, the offense is punishable by up to one-year in jail.) However, barring extenuating circumstances, most minor marijuana offenders will face probation in lieu of incarceration under the provisions of the new law.
"This overhaul of Kentucky's penal code is the result of a multi-year effort involving members of the executive, legislative and judicial branches," said Gov. Beshear said in a prepared statement. "Over the last three years, we've made headway with aggressive efforts to bring common sense to Kentucky's penal code, and our prison population has dropped each of the past three years. House Bill 463 helps us be tough on crime, while being smart on crime."
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit the website of the NORML Legal Committee, Kentucky at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=legal&Group_ID=4539.
Los Angeles: Voters Approve Marijuana Tax Revenue Measure
Share This Article
Los Angeles, CA: Some 60 percent of Los Angeles voters decided on Tuesday in favor of Measure M, a citywide ballot measure that imposes new taxes on the sales of medical marijuana at brick-and-mortar dispensaries.
Measure M allows city tax officials to collect 50 dollars out of each $1,000 in "gross reimbursements" that dispensaries receive from their clients.
The advocacy group Americans for Safe Access opposed the measure, arguing that it "threatens to increase the cost of an already expensive treatment for many medical marijuana patients in the city." California NORML was neutral on Measure M.
Municipal voters have approved similar local tax ordinances in other California cities, including Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles city attorney's office released a list of 141 medical marijuana dispensaries that it has warned must shut down immediately or face legal action. City officials have claimed that they are operating in violation of a newly passed citywide ordinance that aims to cap the total number of dispensaries at no more than a hundred.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit: http://www.canorml.org.
Hawaii: Senate Passes Multiple Marijuana Reform Measures
Share This Article
Honolulu, HI: Senate lawmakers this week approved a series of legislative proposals aimed at amending the state's marijuana laws.
Legislators unanimously approved SB 1460, which reduces the adult possession of up to one ounce of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine) to a civil violation punishable by a fine of not more than $100.
Regarding the medical use of marijuana, the Senate approved SB 1458, which allows for the state licensed production and distribution of medical cannabis and cannabis-infused therapeutic products. Senators also passed SB 58, which increases the quantity of marijuana that authorized patients may legally possess under state law. Two other related measures, SB 175 and SB 113, also met with Senate approval.
All five measures now go before House lawmakers.
Last year, Senate lawmakers approved several similar proposals – all of which eventually stalled in the House.
For more information on these measures, please visit NORML's 'Take Action Center' at: http://www.capwiz.com/norml2/issues/.
NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org