Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jun 2013
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

NEVADA LEGALIZES MEDICAL POT

Did Nevada really just pass a law allowing medical-cannabis dispensaries?

- -Hank the High Roller

Yes! Gov. Brian Sandoval just signed a law allowing medical-cannabis 
dispensaries. The law came into being after a Nevada Senate judiciary 
committee determined that the state wasn't doing enough to help 
medical-cannabis patients access their medicine. Imagine that. A 
state is actually helping medical-cannabis patients. California, I'm 
looking at you.

The law includes a 2 percent excise tax on wholesale and retail 
transactions. Any money left after administrative costs will be given 
to the state's education fund.

But don't start planning your ganja-and-gambling getaway just yet. 
Nevada's medical-cannabis clubs will be open only to state residents.

How much money does it cost the government to go after medical-cannabis users?

- -Frank Fiscal

I am glad you asked. According to a recent report released by 
Americans for Safe Access (http://americansforsafe 
access.org/downloads/WhatsTheCost.pdf), the Obama administration has 
spent $289 million over the past four-and-a-half years going after 
the medical-cannabis industry. I am sure we could all come up with a 
better way to spend $289 million.

To use one of Obama's favorite phrases: The people against medical 
marijuana are on "the wrong side of history." More than 60 percent of 
Americans support medical marijuana, while more than 50 percent 
support outright marijuana legalization. So, why is the Obama 
administration still going after the medical-cannabis industry? My 
best guess: It's the money. Private prisons receive about $40,000 per 
year per prisoner. If the laws are relaxed, they get fewer prisoners. 
Fewer prisoners mean less money. When finding a reason to put 
productive, responsible, law-abiding people in prison helps your 
business, you have found capitalism in its ugliest form. Why not use 
that $289 million to go after child abusers? Or white-collar 
criminals? Or anything other than putting cannabis users in jail?

Did the city of Riverside, California, really just ban 
medical-cannabis delivery services?

- -T. Mecula

Yeah, but how is it going to enforce this law? Good old Riverside was 
one of the first cities to ban cannabis dispensaries, and now it has 
passed a law making MMJ delivery services illegal as well. Riverside 
claims that it needs to stop medical-cannabis deliveries because of 
crime, but pizza-delivery guys get robbed, and it hasn't banned pizza 
deliveries. Yet.

There is some debate over if Riverside can even do such a thing, 
seeing as the California vehicle code pre-empts cities from 
interfering with delivery services. Also, what's it gonna do? Set up 
sting operations? Does the government of Riverside really think that 
if it bans pot clubs and pot-delivery services, people will stop 
using weed? Because we all know that before medical marijuana was 
legal, no one in Riverside ever smoked pot.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom