Pubdate: Fri, 26 Dec 2014
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Niraj Chokshi

REGULATORY ACTION INVOLVING POT KEPT ISSUE HOT THROUGHOUT 2014

Support it or not, there's no denying that this was a watershed year 
for marijuana.

Within hours of the new year, the nation saw the first legally 
sanctioned sales of marijuana for recreational use in modern history. 
Throughout, states considered and often passed expanding access to 
the drug and, as recently as last weekend, Congress was interfering 
in D.C.'s pot policies and promising to stay out of the states.

Here are 22 of the most significant moments for marijuana in 2014.

1. Legal sales begin in Colorado (Jan. 1).

The year began with a big moment: the first legally sanctioned sale 
of recreational marijuana in modern history. Buyers lined up at 
dispensaries throughout the state. Swarmed by cameras and journalists 
at a planned media event, former Marine Sean Azzariti was among the 
first to make a purchase. He bought 3.5 grams of "Bubba Kush" for $40 
and some pot-laced chocolate truffles for $9.28.

2. President Obama: "I don't think it is more dangerous than 
alcohol." (Jan. 27)

In the Jan. 27 issue of the New Yorker, Editor David Remnick 
published a long piece based on a wide-ranging interview with Obama. 
In it, the president shared his thoughts on marijuana, which 
advocates felt gave legitimacy to their long-held argument that 
marijuana does relatively little harm. Here's Remnick:

When I asked Obama about another area of shifting public opinion - 
the legalization of marijuana - he seemed even less eager to evolve 
with any dispatch and get in front of the issue. "As has been well 
documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a 
vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young 
person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don't think it is 
more dangerous than alcohol."

3. Congress allows hemp cultivation (Feb. 5).

The farm bill signed by the president Feb. 7 included a provision 
allowing colleges and state agencies in the handful of states where 
hemp cultivation is allowed to conduct research on the crop.

4. CNN chief medical correspondent backs medical marijuana (March 6).

5. Poll by Wall Street Journal and NBC News finds more Americans 
identify tobacco, alcohol and sugar as "most harmful" (March 12).

"When Americans were asked their opinion on the most harmful of four 
substances, tobacco (49 percent) and alcohol (24 percent) came in 
first and second place, followed by sugar (15 percent) and marijuana. 
Only 8 percent said marijuana was the most harmful substance," the 
Journal reported.

6. Utah passes limited medical marijuana law (March 25).

The law is a sign that medical marijuana is no longer as politically 
toxic as it once was among conservatives. Deep red North Carolina 
would pass a similarly limited measure in June.

7. The District decriminalizes (March 31).

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) signs a bill that decriminalizes 
possession of marijuana (up to an ounce) in the District and imposes 
a $25 fine per offense, which advocates say is among the lowest in the country.

8. Maryland approves medical marijuana and decriminalizes possession 
(April 14).

9. Minnesota becomes 22nd state to legalize medical marijuana (May 29).

10. New York is 23rd state to allow medical marijuana (July 7).

11. Legal pot sales begin in Washington (July 8).

12. New York Times editorial board calls for an end to prohibition (July 27).

13. Study: Medical marijuana laws associated with 25 percent fewer 
prescription overdose deaths (Aug. 25).

A study published in the Aug. 25 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine 
finds that the annual number of deaths from prescription drug 
overdose is 25 percent lower in states with legal medical marijuana, 
giving credence to arguments that the drug has medical benefits and 
could save lives as an alternative to existing medicines.

14. Philadelphia becomes largest U.S. city to decriminalize marijuana 
possession (Oct. 20).

15. Federal court considers whether marijuana should be classified as 
a Schedule I controlled substance (Oct. 27).

A federal judge granted a three-day hearing on whether marijuana 
should be classified in the same way as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. 
Advocates viewed the hearings as having historic significance, though 
it would hardly be the final say on the issue even if the judge did 
rule against the classification.

16. Two more states and the District vote to legalize (Nov. 4).

Voters in Alaska, Oregon and the District voted to legalize marijuana 
within their borders.

17. Florida medical marijuana loses, with 58 percent of the vote (Nov. 4).

Despite a string of victories elsewhere and throughout the year, the 
marijuana movement suffered a setback on Election Day when a proposal 
to legalize medical marijuana failed to get the 60 percent of the 
votes needed to pass. However, the proposal did earn well beyond a 
simple majority, earning 58 percent support.

18. Native American reservations allowed to legalize marijuana (Dec. 11).

The Justice Department announced that it would no longer prosecute 
federal marijuana laws on reservations, even when state law bans the substance.

19. Congress blocks D.C. legalization (Dec. 13).

A Republican provision inserted into the $1.1 trillion spending deal 
bans the use of taxpayer funds to enact marijuana legalization, 
though city officials appear to be preparing for a showdown over legalization.

20. Congress ends the ban on medical marijuana (Dec. 13).

Congress agreed not to interfere with medical marijuana at the state 
level. The massive spending bill included a provision that bans the 
Justice Department from spending money to prosecute dispensaries or 
patients operating in accordance with state law.

21. Colorado approves $8 million for marijuana research (Dec. 17).

22. Oklahoma and Nebraska are suing Colorado over marijuana 
legalization (Dec. 18).

The states argue in a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that 
Colorado's law unconstitutionally circumvents federal statute and 
interferes with their ability to uphold their own laws.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom