Just Say “No” to Taxpayer Funded Medical Marijuana Raids

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Justin Strekal | April 24, 2017

Since 2014, the Department of Justice has been prohibited from using taxpayers’ funds to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in states that regulate its medical use.

But that could all change this week as Congress decides how to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year. 

At issue is a provision known as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which maintains that federal funds can not be used to prevent states from “implementing their own state…

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Tom Marino, Trump’s Reported Drug Czar Pick, is Drug War Extremist; Linked to Scandal

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Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Pennsylvania 10th (Wikimedia Commons)

Drug Policy Alliance | April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump is expected to soon nominate Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA/10th) to be Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (colloquially referred to as the “drug czar”). Marino, a former prosecutor with no background in health or treatment, supports a punitive, 1980’s style approach to drugs, including mass incarceration and coerced treatment, even for medical and…

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Report: Congressman Tom Marino Will Be Named Next White House Drug Czar

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Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Pennsylvania 10th (Wikimedia Commons)

Marijuana Policy Project | April 11, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Tom Marino (R-PA) will be named the next director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the “drug czar,” according to multiple media reports.

As a member of Congress, Marino has consistently voted against marijuana policy reform legislation.

Robert Capecchi, director of federal policies for the Marijuana…

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Sessions’ DOJ Reviewing Marijuana Enforcement, Governors Fight Back

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Jeff Sessions speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

Erik Altieri | April 6, 2017

This week, Attorney General Jeff “Marijuana Consumers Aren’t Good People” Sessions issued a memo outlining a requested task force inquiry into a number of public safety issues, one of which being the enforcement of federal marijuana laws.

The memo was sent to 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice component heads to provide “an update on the Department¹s Task Force on…

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Several Bills Filed in Congress to Create “Path to Marijuana Reform”

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The United States Capitol in Washington, DC (Wikimedia/David Maiolo)

Phillip Smith | March 30, 2017

The Congressional Cannabis Caucus flexed its muscles Thursday as members of Congress filed a package of bills aimed at creating a “path to marijuana reform” at the federal level and protecting and preserving marijuana laws in states where it is legal.

Two Oregon politicians, Sen. Ron Wyden (D) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) led the charge, announcing a bipartisan package of three bills, including a marijuana…

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Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling

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Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling | Phillip Smith

Barrels of ink have been spilled over the prospect that the Trump administration could attempt to turn back the clock when it comes to legal marijuana, but for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth out there, marijuana industry insiders, advocates, and activists don’t seem all that worried. “I don’t think there’s any more reason […]

Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling | The Daily Chronic

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Federal Marijuana Sentences Plummet: Report

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Paul Armentano | March 16, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — The number of federal offenders sentenced for violating marijuana laws has fallen significantly since 2012, according to data provided by the United States Sentencing Commission.

Just over 3,000 federal defendants were sentenced for marijuana violations in 2016, according to the Commission. That total is roughly half of the number of federal defendants that were sentenced in 2012. The total has fallen year-to-year since that time.

The 2016 total…

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Jeff Sessions Claims Marijuana Only “Slightly Less Awful” Than Heroin

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Jeff Sessions speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

Phillip Smith | March 15, 2017

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions once again displayed his ignorance about drugs Wednesday as he claimed that marijuana is “only slightly less awful” than heroin. In the same speech, he acknowledged rising heroin and prescription opioid overdose death levels, but failed to note that no one dies from overdosing on marijuana.

Heroin produces physical addiction and is linked to thousands of…

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Jeff Sessions Won’t Rule Out Using Mafia Law to Go After Legal Marijuana

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Phillip Smith | March 9, 2017

On conservative radio talker Hugh Hewitt’s program Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued to bad mouth marijuana and suggested he might use laws enacted to go after the Mafia against the legal marijuana industry.

“I think it’s a more dangerous drug than a lot of people realize. I don’t think we’re going to be a better community if marijuana is sold in every corner grocery store,” the attorney general told Hewitt.

The conservative talker then helpfully…

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Five Reasons Trump Needs to Think Twice Before Waging War on Weed

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Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Ottumwa, Iowa in January, 2016. (Flickr/Evan Guest)

Phillip Smith | March 3, 2017

White House press secretary Sean Spicer‘s comment last week that we “will see greater enforcement” of federal marijuana prohibition has set off tremors in the pot industry, but it should be setting off warning bells at the White House itself.

Any move against marijuana would be politically fraught, economically foolish, and counter to some of the Trump administration’s other…

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US Attorney General: “We Do Not Need To Be Legalizing Marijuana”

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

NORML | March 2, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Speaking to a gathering of state Attorney Generals this week, newly sworn in US Attorney General Jeff Sessions blamed recreational drug use for an alleged increase in violent crime and urged officials to reject efforts to regulate the adult use of cannabis.

Sessions disputed scientific evidence that legal cannabis access is associated with lower rates…

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NORML Responds to Possible Federal Crack Down on Legal Marijuana

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NORML | February 24, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suggested this week that the Trump administration will step up enforcement of federal laws against recreational marijuana.

“I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement,” Spicer said, and added that the exact policy is “a question for the Department of Justice.”

The Department of Justice is lead by Jeff Sessions, a renowned ardent marijuana prohibitionist.

“If the Trump administration goes through with a…

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Memo to Congress: DEA Dumped the “Gateway-Theory” Due to Science

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Americans for Safe Access | February 23, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access to medical cannabis for therapeutic use and research, has sent a memo to Congress informing members that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has removed false information about cannabis from its website after months of public pressure. The memo explains:

Forty-four states now allow patients under their physician’s care to use medical…

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White House Press Secretary Hints Federal Marijuana Crackdown May Be Forthcoming

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NORML | February 23, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday said that the Trump administration may engage in “greater” efforts to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in jurisdictions that have legalized and regulated its adult use.

In response to a question regarding how the administration intends to address statewide marijuana legalization laws, Spicer indicated that the administration views the regulation of marijuana for medical purposes as distinct from laws governing…

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The ‘Respect State Marijuana Laws Act’ Reintroduced In Congress

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NORML | February 16, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — United States Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), along with six other Republicans and six Democrats, has reintroduced bipartisan legislation, ‘The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act,’ to prevent the federal government from criminally prosecuting individuals and/or businesses who are engaging in state-sanctioned activities specific to the possession, use, production, and distribution of marijuana.

House Resolution 975 amends the federal Controlled Substances Act…

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New York State Assembly Passes Landmark Bill to Seal Past Marijuana Possession Convictions

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Drug Policy Alliance | February 15, 2017

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Assembly voted this week in support of a bill that will seal the criminal records of people who have been unjustly and unconstitutionally arrested for simple possession of marijuana in public view.

The vote on Assembly Bill 2142 was 95 in favor and 38 opposed.

Over the last 20 years, more than 800,000 New Yorkers have been arrested for simple possession of marijuana. Those convicted face significant barriers to accessing education,…

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DEA Removes Marijuana Misinformation from Website After Months of Public, Legal Pressure

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Americans for Safe Access | February 13, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — After months of public pressure, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has removed factually inaccurate information from its website.

The change comes after Americans for Safe Access, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access to medical cannabis for therapeutic use and research, filed a legal request with the Department of Justice last year demanding that the DEA immediately update and remove factually inaccurate…

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In the Time of Trump, Can Congress Take the Lead on Marijuana Policy?

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Phillip Smith | February 13, 2017

While the marijuana community — consumers, industry, and advocates alike — eyes with trepidation the reign of avowed anti-pot Republican Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department, the Trump executive branch isn’t the only game in town when it comes to making marijuana policy. Congress is back in session, and after last November’s legalization and medical marijuana victories at the polls, the pot state delegation is larger than ever.

And at least some of those senators and…

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The Challenge of Marijuana Legalization in the Trump Era

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Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally in February 2016. (Wikimedia/Gage Skidmore)

Terry Franklin | February 12, 2017

Senator Sessions is now the US Attorney General. Activists against Prohibition wait nervously to see what the new Administration will do….

There have been uncertain signals over the past few months from President Trump and a number of his advisers — everything from harsh rhetoric to States’ Rights Libertarianism.

Specific policies may come soon.

As we wait, those of us in…

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New York City Marijuana Possession Arrests Spike in 2016

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NORML | February 10, 2017

NEW YORK, NY — Criminal arrests for marijuana possession increased ten percent in 2016 despite former promises from Mayor Bill de Blasio to reduce the city’s total number of cannabis-related prosecutions.

New York City police made over 17,600 arrests last year for which the top charge was marijuana possession in the 5th degree – a class B misdemeanor. Of those charged, 85 percent were either Black or Hispanic. Ninety-six percent were arrested specifically for…

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Senate Votes to Confirm Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General

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Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) listens to a question during confirmation hearings on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

Drug Policy Alliance | February 8, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate voted 52 to 47 Wednesday to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General. Most Republicans voted for him; most Democrats voted against him.

The vote comes after two months of organized opposition as hundreds of organizations expressed concerns about Sessions’s record and racially-charged statements he has made in the…

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NORML Releases Open Letter to Vice President-Elect Mike Pence on Marijuana Policy

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Indiana Governor Mike Pence addresses a news conference where he was introduced as the vice presidential running mate of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York City, U.S., July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

NORML | December 20, 2016

National NORML, Michigan NORML and dozens of other state and local chapters have released an open letter to Vice President-Elect Pence seeking clarity and common sense from the incoming administration regarding marijuana policy.

During the campaign,…

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Federal Marijuana Protections Extended Through April

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NORML | December 16, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Members of Congress have re-authorized a federal provision prohibiting the Justice Department from interfering in state-authorized medical cannabis programs. The provision, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, was included in short-term spending legislation, House Resolution 2028, and will expire on April 28, 2017.

Initially enacted by Congress in 2014, the amendment maintains that federal funds cannot be used to prevent states from “implementing…

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Montana Court: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Can Immediately Begin Serving Patients

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NORML | December 15, 2016

HELENA, MT — Voter-initiated changes in law governing the operation of medical cannabis providers may take effect ahead of the measure’s June 30, 2017 implementation date, according to a court ruling.

Fifty-six percent of Montana voters approved I-182 on Election Day, which expands patients’ access to medical cannabis. However, a drafting error in the measure delays implementation of the new law until the end of June.

Last week, a Helena District Court Judge…

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Medical Marijuana Policy Roadmap: Solutions for State and Federal Law Conflicts

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Americans for Safe Access | December 8, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) on Thursday released a briefing book —“Medical Cannabis in America”— calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to end the conflict between federal and state governments on medical cannabis programs.

The report includes potential actions for President Obama to take during the lame duck session along with steps for the incoming Congress and President-elect Donald Trump.

ASA argues these suggestions would…

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Congress Provides Short-Term Extension to Medical Marijuana Protection Provisions

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Congress Provides Short-Term Extension to Medical Marijuana Protection Provisions

WASHINGTON, DC — Members of Congress have approved a short-term spending bill keeping in place existing budgetary provisions protecting those who engage in the state-sanctioned use and dispensing of medical cannabis from federal prosecution by the Department of Justice.

The amendment, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, maintains that federal funds cannot be used to prevent states from “implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

Congress initially…

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FBI: Marijuana Arrests Decline Significantly In 2015

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FBI: Marijuana Arrests Decline Significantly In 2015

Marijuana-related arrests in the United States have fallen to their lowest levels since the mid-1990s, according to data released today by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, police made 643,122 arrests for marijuana-related offenses in 2015. Of those arrested, 574,641 (89 percent of all drug-related arrests) were charged with marijuana possession only, not cultivation or trafficking.

The annual arrest total represents more than a 25 percent decline since 2007, when police arrested a record…

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President Obama Grants Clemency to 111 More People

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President Obama Grants Clemency to 111 More People

The President is Acting; Congress Must Step Up Too

WASHINGTON, DC — President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 111 people incarcerated in federal prison on Tuesday, almost all for drug offenses. This brings his total number of clemencies granted to 673 people. Many of those who received commutations today were victims of the disparity in sentencing between crack and cocaine.

President Obama has been pushed to do more to release those serving time in prison under harsh drug laws.

“The President is doing the right thing, but we hope…

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Court: Budgetary Amendment Bars Federal Prosecution of State-Compliant Medical Marijuana Providers

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Court: Budgetary Amendment Bars Federal Prosecution of State-Compliant Medical Marijuana Providers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Federal officials are not permitted to engage in the criminal prosecution of those who are engaged in activity related to medical marijuana absent evidence that the defendants are in clear violation of state law, according to a unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The ruling broadly interprets a 2014 federal budgetary amendment prohibiting the US Justice Department from spending any funds “to prevent … states … from implementing their own state laws that authorize the…

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Not Legal Yet: Nearly 500,000 Marijuana Arrests in California in the Last Decade

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Not Legal Yet: Nearly 500,000 Marijuana Arrests in California in the Last Decade

OAKLAND, CA — A new report by the Drug Policy Alliance shows that there were nearly half a million marijuana felony and misdemeanor arrests in California between 2006 and 2015. Thousands of Californians are arrested annually for marijuana misdemeanors and felonies. These arrests are not equal. Black and Latino Californians are arrested for marijuana offenses at disproportionately high rates.

In addition, youth under 18 years of age now make up the majority of misdemeanor arrestees.

In 1996 California became the first state to legalize…

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Federal Court of Appeals Upholds Ban on Prosecuting State-Compliant Medical Marijuana Businesses

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Federal Court of Appeals Upholds Ban on Prosecuting State-Compliant Medical Marijuana Businesses

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, covering nine western states, earlier this week ruled unanimously that the Department of Justice is barred by federal law from prosecuting medical marijuana businesses if those businesses are operating in compliance with state law.

This decision came in an appeal in which the court had consolidated ten different cases from California and Washington, in which the defendants — growers and dispensaries — had argued that their federal indictments should…

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DEA: Marijuana Seizures Decline In 2015

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DEA: Marijuana Seizures Decline In 2015

WASHINGTON, DC — Seizures of indoor and outdoor cannabis crops by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) fell in 2015, according to annual data compiled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to the DEA’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Statistical Report, agents eradicated 4.25 million marijuana plants nationwide in 2015. That total is slightly less than the total reported by the agency for the year 2014 (4.3 million) and continues to the ongoing decline in eradication totals since 2010, when the agency

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Obama Frees More Federal Drug War Prisoners, But Time is Running Out

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Obama Frees More Federal Drug War Prisoners, But Time is Running Out

Some 214 federal drug war prisoners saw their prison sentences commuted Wednesday as President Obama took another step toward fulfilling his administration’s pledge to use his pardon power to cut draconian drug sentences and free prisoners serving decades-long stretches for non-violent drug crimes.

“The power to grant pardons and commutations… embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws,” the president said.

Those…

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Trump VP Pick Mike Pence is Bad News on Marijuana, Drug Policy

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Trump VP Pick Mike Pence is Bad News on Marijuana, Drug Policy

The Republican nominee’s choice of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate means Trump has selected a man who is the very embodiment of last century’s “tough on drugs” prohibitionist attitudes.

Pence’s anti-drug reform stances are part and parcel of his overall social conservative, Tea Party positions. He has also been a strong opponent of gay marriage and abortion rights and a strong supporter of “religious freedom.”

Indiana has tough marijuana laws, with possession of even the smallest amount of pot worth up to six months…

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Two-Thirds of Americans Say ‘Efforts To Enforce Marijuana Laws Cost More Than They Are Worth’

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Two-Thirds of Americans Say ‘Efforts To Enforce Marijuana Laws Cost More Than They Are Worth’

Sixty-five percent of Americans ages 18 and older believe that “government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth” and 55 percent of respondents say that the plant’s use ought to be legal, according to national polling data compiled by YouGov.com.

Those living in the western region of the United States (65 percent), Hispanics (64 percent), Democrats (63 percent), and those under 30 (63 percent) were most likely to endorse legalizing marijuana use. Republicans (45 percent), African Americans (44 percent), and…

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Nearly 1 in 10 Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison in 2015 Violated Marijuana Laws

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Nearly 1 in 10 Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison in 2015 Violated Marijuana Laws

WASHINGTON, DC — Eight percent of defendants sentenced to federal prison in 2015 were convicted of violating marijuana laws, according to a June 2016 federal report issued by the United States Sentencing Commission.

According to the report, the US government prosecuted 71,184 cases in 2015 in which the offender was sentenced to federal prison. Nearly one-third (31.8 percent) of these cases were for drug violations – the most common type of case prosecuted by the Feds.

Of these federal drug prosecutions, some 25 percent involved…

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Leading California Medical Marijuana Oil Maker Busted

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Leading California Medical Marijuana Oil Maker Busted

SANTA ROSA, CA — Police, including DEA agents, raided five properties associated with a well-known medical marijuana products manufacturer in Northern California’s Sonoma County Wednesday morning, detaining at least nine people and arresting one on suspicion of felony drug manufacture for his role in cannabis oil production.

Although medical marijuana has been legal in the state since voters approved it two decades ago, it was only last year that the legislature moved to bring state-wide regulation to the rapidly growing industry, and…

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One Out of Four US Senators Is a Marijuana Prohibitionist — Is Yours One of Them?

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One Out of Four US Senators Is a Marijuana Prohibitionist — Is Yours One of Them?

WASHINGTON, DC — Marijuana legalization now consistently scores majorities in national public opinion polls, marijuana is already legal in four states and the District of Columbia and likely to be legal in a handful more, including California, before year’s end, and the Obama administration has effectively thrown federal pot prohibition to the wind in the legal (and medical marijuana) states, yet Congress remains to a large degree stuck in the last century when it comes to marijuana policy.

Granted, there are some small signs of…

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NY Assembly Passes Bill to Seal Past Marijuana Possession Convictions

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NY Assembly Passes Bill to Seal Past Marijuana Possession Convictions

Bill is First Step Toward Comprehensive Plan to Redress Harms of the War on Drugs in Communities of Color; As Legislative Clock Winds Down, Advocates and Assemblymembers Urge Senate to Quickly Pass the Companion Bill in the Senate

ALBANY, NY — On Wednesday, the New York State Assembly voted in support of Assembly Bill 10092, a bill that will seal the criminal records of people who have been unjustly and unconstitutionally arrested for simple possession of marijuana in public view. The bipartisan vote was 99 in favor and 42 opposed.

Over…

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Feds Give Up on Effort to Seize Nation’s Largest Medical Marijuana Dispensary

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OAKLAND, CA — In a stunning victory for California’s marijuana industry, federal prosecutors have agreed to end their years-long effort to close and seize Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, the nation’s largest dispensary with more than 100,000 patients.

Harborside broke the news with a press release Tuesday, followed up by a press conference attended by Oakland officials who have stood by the dispensary since then-US Attorney Melinda Haag went after in 2012.

The effort to shut down Harborside was part of a broader offensive against…

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Victory! Feds Drop Another Medical Marijuana Lawsuit

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped its civil forfeiture action against Harborside Health Center in Oakland, CA.

The case was brought by the DOJ back in 2011 as part of a federal crackdown against legal state medical cannabis dispensaries. The dropping of the case was at least in part the result of a Congressional amendment which prevents the DOJ from interfering with those abiding by their state medical cannabis law.

This marks the second time in recent weeks that the feds have dropped a case as a result of the Congressional…

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Feds Drop Lawsuit Against Harborside Health Center

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A five year old asset forfeiture lawsuit against Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, the country’s largest medical marijuana dispensary, has finally been dropped by federal prosecutors, city and state officials announced Tuesday.

Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan made the announcement in a press release Tuesday, which was quickly followed by a statement from Harborside and from California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) praising the decision.

“As of today, Harborside Health Center is in the clear and will no longer have…

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US Senate Panel Votes to Protect State Medical Marijuana Laws

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WASHINGTON, DC — Thursday morning, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the FY2017 Commerce, Justice, Science & Related Agencies Appropriations Act (CJS) to protect medical cannabis patients.

The amendment, sponsored by Ranking Member Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), prohibits the Depart of Justice from spending funds to interfere with state medical cannabis programs and was approved with strong bipartisan support, 21-8.

Last year, the committee approved a nearly identical amendment from Mikulski, with the only change being

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Senate Appropriations Committee Votes to Prevent DEA from Undermining State Medical Marijuana Laws

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Vote Comes Just a Week After Committee Voted to Allow Veterans Administration Doctors to Recommend Marijuana to Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC — In yet another huge victory for marijuana reform, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21 to 8 on Thursday to approve an amendment offered by Senator Mikulski (D-MD) to protect state medical marijuana laws from federal interference by the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Marijuana reforms are repeatedly winning votes in Congress,” said Bill Piper, Senior Director of…

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DEA Set to Act Imminently on Marijuana Rescheduling Petition

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DEA Set to Act Imminently on Marijuana Rescheduling Petition

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Drug Enforcement Administration is prepared to respond in the coming months to an administrative petition calling for the reclassification of marijuana as a schedule I prohibited substance.

Replying to a July 2015 inquiry by US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and seven other senators, representatives from the DEA acknowledged that they intend to respond to a five-year-old rescheduling petition, filed by then Governors Christine Gregoire of Washington and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, by this July.

The petition,

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Arizona Marijuana Supporters Issue Challenge to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery

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Arizona Marijuana Supporters Issue Challenge to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Issues Alcohol Awareness Month Challenge to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery: Prove Marijuana Is More Harmful Than Alcohol or Return the Campaign Contributions He Received From the Alcohol Industry Last Year

PHOENIX, AZ — Backers of a proposed ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Arizona will issue a challenge Wednesday to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA) is calling on Montgomery — who says marijuana is too…

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US Senate to Hold ‘Sham’ Hearing on Marijuana Legalization

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Reform Advocates Denounce Hearing as One-Sided “Prohibitionist Party” as Senator Grassley Stacks the Deck with Known Anti-Legalization Zealots and Ignores Benefits of Legalization, Such as Massive Drop in Marijuana Arrests and Prohibition-Related Violence, as well as New Tax Revenue

WASHINGTON, DC — On Tuesday morning, Senator Charles “Chuck” Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) will hold a hearing in the Caucus on International Narcotics Control titled “Is the Department of Justice Adequately Protecting the…

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Federal Agents Seizing Far Less Marijuana At Southern Border

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Federal Agents Seizing Far Less Marijuana At Southern Border

Is less marijuana entering the US from Mexico today than in years past? According to newly released data provided by the US Border Patrol, the answer may be ‘yes.’

Federal statistics reveal that law enforcement seized an estimated 1.5 million pounds of marijuana at the US/Mexico border in 2015.

That total is the lowest amount reported in a decade and continues a steady year-by-year decline in seizure volume that began in 2009, when nearly 4 million tons of cannabis were confiscated.

Overall, 99.8 percent of all marijuana seized by federal…

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Navy Veteran Has Children Taken Away Due to Medical Marijuana Use

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“People who don’t understand the medical value of cannabis are tearing my family apart,” says Raymond Schwab

Veteran’s Children Held Hostage By the State

Schwab is a US Navy veteran from Kansas who just had 5 of his 6 children taken away from CPS (Child Protective Services) because of his medical marijuana recommendation in Colorado; where cannabis is legal.

Less than a year ago, Raymond Schwab and his wife were in the middle of moving to Colorado to grow medical marijuana for fellow veterans. While they were in Colorado preparing for…

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Over 1 Ton of Marijuana Disguised as Limes Seized at Border

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Over 1 Ton of Marijuana Disguised as Limes Seized at Border

By HWN | High Witness News
January 24, 2016 9:24 AM

PHARR, TX — First carrots, now limes.  For the second time this month, border cops have seized over a ton of suspected marijuana disguised as fresh produce.

According to a press release issued Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge uncovered a substantial amount of marijuana disguised as limes while inspecting a commercial import shipment of fresh limes arriving from Mexico on January 15.

Officers…

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