NORMAL E-ZINE Volume 12 Issue 43 November 06, 2009

Hi all.

I have permission to repost anything from this organization that I receive.

One bit of great news is a town in Colorado has made up to an ounce of pot  and paraphernalia legal. It truly is a rocky mountain high story.

byee,

Ed Da Head

Volume 12    Issue 43

This Week's News from NORML

• "Truth In Trials Act" Reintroduced In Congress
  
  
• Maine: Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure
  
  
• Colorado: Breckenridge Voters Overwhelmingly Decide To End Pot Penalties
  
  

"Truth In Trials Act" Reintroduced In Congress
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Washington, DC: California Democrat Sam Farr, along with a bipartisan coalition of 27 co-sponsors, has reintroduced legislation to protect state-authorized medical cannabis patients and their providers from federal prosecution.

House Bill 3939: the Truth in Trials Act of 2009 would provide an affirmative defense in federal court for defendants whose actions were in compliance with the medical marijuana laws of their state.

Passage of House Bill 3939 would codify legal protections for defendants caught between state and federal laws, ensuring that they can cite state law as a legal defense in federal trials.

It states: "Any person facing prosecution or a proceeding for any marijuana-related offense under any Federal law shall have the right to introduce evidence demonstrating that the marijuana-related activities for which the person stands accused were performed in compliance with State law regarding the medical use of marijuana."

Said Farr: "This is a common sense bill that will help stop the waste of law enforcement and judicial resources that have been spent prosecuting individuals who are following state laws. This legislation is about fair treatment of defendants in medical marijuana trials, plain and simple."

Last month United States Deputy Attorney General David Ogden issued a memorandum to federal prosecutors directing them to not "focus federal resources ... on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana."

Previous versions of the Truth in Trials Act were introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congress, but failed to receive a public hearing or a committee vote.

In June, Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank reintroduced legislation – HR 2835: The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009 – authorizing the state-authorized use of medical marijuana. That bill remains pending before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Additional information about the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009 is available at NORML's Take Action Center at: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=14288611.

Maine: Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure
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Augusta, ME: Voters decided on Tuesday in favor of a statewide ballot proposal expanding the state's decade-old medical marijuana law.

Nearly 60 percent of state voters endorsed Question 5: the Maine Marijuana Medical Act, which amends existing state law by: establishing a confidential patient registry; expanding the list of qualifying conditions for which a physician may recommend medicinal cannabis; and by allowing for the creation of state-licensed nonprofit dispensaries to assist in the distribution of marijuana to qualified patients.

The measure was opposed primarily by law enforcement agencies, including the Maine Prosecutors Association and the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.

Tuesday's vote marks the first time that citizens have voted specifically on the question of allowing for state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. Two other states, New Mexico and Rhode Island, have previously passed legislation allowing for state licensed marijuana distribution centers.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are presently operating in California and Colorado, but these operations are not licensed by the state.

In 1999, 61 percent of state voters approved the physician-supervised use of medical marijuana. However, the law did not establish a state identification registry for qualified patients, nor did it address regulating the distribution of medical marijuana.

Under state law, patients with a doctor's permission may legally possess up to two and one-half ounces of marijuana and/or up to three mature marijuana plants for medicinal purposes.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or visit: http://www.mainepatientsrights.org.

Colorado: Breckenridge Voters Overwhelmingly Decide To End Pot Penalties
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Breckenridge, CO: Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a municipal initiative to eliminate penalties on the adult possession of cannabis.

Over 70 percent of voters endorsed Measure 2F, which amends the town code to remove all criminal and civil penalties, including fines, on the private possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. Passage of the initiative also eliminates local penalties prohibiting the possession of cannabis paraphernalia by those age 21 or older.

Proponents of the measure, Sensible Breckenridge, gathered 1,400 signatures from registered voters to place the measure on the municipal ballot.

"This votes demonstrates that Breckenridge citizens overwhelmingly believe that adults should not be punished for making the safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol," said Sean McAllister, chair of Sensible Breckenridge and a member of the NORML Legal Committee.

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2010.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.sensiblecolorado.org.

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