Kharla Vezzetti

SACRAMENTO August 20, 2008 – The State Senate approved Assemblyman Mark Leno’s path-breaking bill to prevent discrimination against medical marijuana patients by a vote of 21-14. The bill, AB 2279, would disallow the misuse of misleading and scientifically unproven urine tests to deny jobs to medical marijuana patients.

California NORML strongly endorsed the bill, arguing that marijuana is safer than many alternative prescription drugs, and that urine tests have never been proven safe and effective in improving workplace safety or productivity.…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2008
Contact: Keith Stroup, NORML 202-483-5500
ACLU Drug Policy Project 831-471-9000

California Appeals Court Upholds Medical Marijuana Law Against Federal Preemption

In a case brought by the counties of San Diego and San Bernardino against San Diego NORML and others, California’s Fourth district court of appeal ruled today that the federal Controlled Substances Act does not preempt California’s medical marijuana ID card program. Citing the federal supremacy clause, the counties sued rather than implement the ID card program, which was enacted by the California legislature in 2003 as part of SB420.…

June 20, 2008: In final election returns, Mendocino’s anti-marijuana Measure B eked out a narrow 52-48% victory. Final results were not announced until over two weeks after the election because 11,000 absentee ballots had to be counted.

California NORML, which supported the No on B campaign, regards the result as a moral victory, given that Measure B had been widely expected to win by a lopsided margin. Pre-election polls had suggested a victory margin of 60 – 65% , leading Measure B proponents to express disappointment at the narrowness of their win.…

Mendocino County marijuana activists are campaigning to defeat an anti-pot measure placed on the June 3rd ballot by the county board of supervisors in the midst of a county-wide backlash against illegal marijuana growing.

The measure, aptly dubbed Measure B (=Bad) would overturn the county’s landmark Personal Use of Marijuana Initiative, Measure G (=Good), which was approved by 58% of the county’s voters in November 2000.

Measure G declares the county’s support for decriminalization and directs law enforcement not to arrest personal use marijuana growers ­ medical or otherwise – for 25 plants or less.…

MMJ Advocates Call on Cal. Board of Equalization for Representation with Taxation

SACRAMENTO, March 18th, 2008. Medical marijuana advocates appealed to the state Board of Equalization to recognize their contribution to California’s sales taxes revenues and stand up for their right to “taxation with representation.” The Board heard testimony from California NORML, ASA, and half a dozen dispensary owners concerned about harassment by DEA despite paying sales taxes to the BOE.

Speaking for ASA, Rebecca Saltzman reminded the Board that California’s dispensaries are generating some $100 million in sales tax revenues, but are nonetheless being threatened with raids, arrest and asset seizure by the DEA.…

Activists are circulating a sweeping legalization initiative for the 2008 ballot, the California Cannabis Hemp and Health Initiative. Sponsored by veteran hemp advocate Jack Herer along with Eddy Lepp and other activists, the initiative would repeal criminal and civil penalties for cannabis, ban drug testing for metabolites, and provide that marijuana be regulated in a manner similar to the wine industry. Also included is a controversial provision ordering the immediate release from jail of all non-violent marijuana offenders, which many believe goes farther than voters would be apt to support.…

No Progress Toward Goal of Eliminating Illicit Cannabis

Only Practicable Solution: Eliminate Its Illicit Status

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws welcomes the opportunity to participate in the “Beyond 2008” NGO Regional Consultation of the Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs in Vancouver, Canada Feb 4-5 2008. On behalf of the millions of cannabis users who are directly and adversely affected by the current UN conventions on drugs, we are particularly thankful to Open the Doors for inviting us to this consultation, from which our constituency has been excluded in the past.…