Global Ganja Report

New Jersey lawmakers are set to consider a bill that would decriminalize possession of up to a half ounce of cannabis. The proposal calls for fines of $100 to $500 for possession of up to half an ounce, but no jail time. Possession of drug paraphernalia would result in a $100 fine, and violators who are underage or have multiple convictions would be referred for drug counseling. The proposal is co-sponsored by 15 Democrats and three Republicans. Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, has proposed mandatory treatment for nonviolent drug offenders rather than jail, and has appropriated $2.5 million for the program. But Democrats want a limited pilot program to see if mandatory treatment really works. (AP, May 17)

On April 2, a bipartisan group of legislators from five medical marijuana states—California, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, and Washington—issued an open letter to President Barack Obama opposing the federal crackdown and calling upon his administration to "respect our state laws." The lawmakers underscored that such an aggressive policy "makes no sense" and is "not a good use of our resources," recalling Obama's original pledge to de-emphasize enforcement in states with medical marijuana laws.

On March 30, the District of Columbia granted licenses to six cannabis cultivators, finally moving toward implementing the medical marijuana program that was approved by the District's voters in 1998 vote but blocked by Congress—which controls the district's budget—for over a decade. But advocates now warn that burdensome regulation by the District's own government threatens the program. In the last three months, the DC Council has passed several restrictions on the locations of the 10 cultivation centers it originally authorized in a 2010 law.

Multiple sclerosis patient John Ray Wilson must complete his five-year prison term for growing cannabis after New Jersey's Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal on Jan. 20, in what attorney William Buckman called a "wrongheaded and a vicious travesty."

The New York Times on July 27 ran an editorial urging New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo to follow the lead of New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie and allow the seriously ill to self-medicate with cannabis. The editorial, dubbed "Sensible and Humane," is a good sign of more tolerant and enlightened attitudes reaching the mainstream—even on the traditionally more staid East Coast. The editorial reads:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie held a press conference July 19 to announce his plans to "begin work immediately" on his state's pending medical marijuana program. "We're moving forward with the program as it was set up," said Christie, with the expectation that licensed Alternative Treatment Centers could be up and operating as early as the end of 2011. Christie said he believed "the need to provide compassionate pain relief to these citizens of our state outweighs the risk we are taking in moving forward with the program." Christie's announcement comes in spite of threats from US Attorneys on the issue and a June 29 memorandum from Deputy Attorney General James Cole.

Delaware became the 16th state to approve cannabis for medical use May 13 as a Senate Bill 17 was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jack Markell. The state senate passed the measure two days earler by 17-4. The new law allows patients who certify a serious medical condition such as cancer to possess up to six ounces, or 170 grams. State-licensed centers will be able to grow the cannabis and dispense it to patients 18 and older. (Reuters, 420 Times, May 13)

Washington DC police arrested Orly Azoulay, veteran correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Achronoth on charges of intention to distribute marijuana Oct. 2. Also arrested was Azoulay's husband, Howard Arenstein, a correspondent for CBS radio news. Police reportedly found 11 plants and six two-ounce marijuana bags in the home in northwest Washington, acting on a neighbor's tip.