Global Ganja Report

Mayor Chuck Reed issued a memo Jan. 27 calling for the city of San Jose to suspend its controversial medical marijuana ordinance. He cited the California Supreme Court's decision to review four medical marijuana cases dealing with localities' power to regulate, as well as a referendum that has qualified for the ballot to repeal the ordinance. He said the city will remain in talks with dispensaries and will continue to collect taxes on them. "We're just in a position where we can't fix this without some clarification on this unsettled area of the law," Reed said. "It's just impossible for local government to do. So, we’re just going to have to wait." The City Council still has to act on Reed's memo.

Ron Paul's popularity, given his history of racism, is troubling. More troubling, however, is the willingness of his supporters, an odd coalition of one-percenter corporatists and anti-war pothead libertarians, to ignore or excuse these views.

Politically and economically multifarious as Ron Paul's posse may be, they almost all share a common trait—that’s their whiteness, which translates into their historical immunity from racist persecution. This is also why their willingness to accept and excuse Ron Paul’s history of racism is particularly revolting.

Medical marijuana advocates in San Diego have unveiled a proposed ballot measure to end the current municipal crackdown on dispensaries. The proposed initiative would set a 2.5% sales tax for the storefront dispensaries and prohibit them within 600 feet of schools and playgrounds, as well as laying out security and inspection requirements. "Our intent is to bring back safe access to medical cannabis for qualified patients," said Jessica McElfresh of the Patient Care Association of California, which helped draft the proposal. "Voters have almost always overwhelmingly supported medical marijuana responsible regulation." Proponents need to collect about 62,000 voter signatures to qualify the measure for the 2012 November ballot.

A coalition of cannabis advocates led by Americans for Safe Access and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) has proposed a 2012  California ballot initiative that would create a Board of Medical Marijuana Enforcement to oversee a statewide system for licensing, regulating and taxing the industry.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing Nebraska's motor vehicle department for refusing to issue the personalized license plate  "NE 420"—promoting the unofficial holiday National Pot Smoking Day, April 20. Frank Shoemaker, a lawyer from Holbrook, Neb., who requested the plate, is the sponsor of a petition drive for a state ballot measure next year to legalize cannabis.

Workers at seven Fort Collins cannabis dispensaries officially affiliated Oct. 17 with Colorado's largest labor union in an effort to further legitimize and protect the medical marijuana industry. Union organizers said an "overwhelmingly" large majority of the Fort Collins workers voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), making Colorado the second state in the US, after California, where some cannabis industry workers have formally unionized.

With signatures due at county courthouses, it appears highly likely a proposed Montana referendum to overturn the restrictive new state medical marijuana law will qualify for the November 2012 election. To make the ballot, a referendum needs the signatures of 5% of the voters in 34 of the 100 state House districts, or at least 24,337 signatures. Secretary of State Linda McCulloch's office has reported tabulating 19,973 qualified signatures so far for Initiative Referendum 124, the proposed medical marijuana measure. It has qualified in 31 House districts. The proposed initiative seeks to repeal the new law that bans for-profit marijuana operations and makes it more difficult to qualify to be a registered user. (AP, Sept. 29; Billings Gazette, Sept. 28)

Last week, the Obama administration launched a "We the People" website, pledging that any petition to garner 5,000 signatures will receive an official response from President Obama. One of the top petitions so far is demanding the "Pardon of Marc Emery." WhyProhibition.ca, which is spearheading the drive, say they only need another 2,600 signatures to have an official presidential comment on Marc. You can sign the petition here.