WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has decided marijuana will remain on the list of most dangerous drugs, fully rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it will allow more research into its medical uses. The decision to expand research into marijuana's medical potential could pave the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana, among others, are considered Schedule I drugs because they have no medical application; cocaine and opiates, for example, have medical uses and, while still illegal for recreational use, are designated Schedule II drugs. [continues 732 words]
Decision a Blow to Legalization but May Spur Research WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has decided marijuana will remain on the list of most-dangerous drugs, fully rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it will allow more research into its medical uses. The decision to expand research into marijuana's medical potential could pave the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana, among others, are considered Schedule I drugs because they have no medical application; cocaine and opiates, for example, have medical uses and, while still illegal for recreational use, are designated Schedule II drugs. [continues 261 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has decided marijuana will remain on the list of most-dangerous drugs, fully rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it will allow more research into its medical uses. The decision to expand research into marijuana's medical potential could pave the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana, among others, are considered Schedule I drugs because they have no medical application; cocaine and opiates, for example, have medical uses and, while still illegal for recreational use, are designated Schedule II drugs. [continues 446 words]
Sen. Wyden says laws are 'behind the times' WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration has decided marijuana will remain on the list of most dangerous drugs, fully rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it will allow more research into its medical uses. The decision to expand research into marijuana's medical potential could pave the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana, among others, are considered Schedule I drugs because they have no medical application; cocaine and opiates, for example, have medical uses and, while still illegal for recreational use, are designated Schedule II drugs. [continues 732 words]
The case was as sad and as tragic as we've seen in metro Denver in recent memory. A man, supposedly stoned on marijuana-infused candy, flipped out and killed his wife with a gunshot to the head while their three children were in their Observatory Park house. Or so the story goes. Yet, recent court testimony from cops was that Richard Kirk had "low" THC levels, a psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, when tested five hours after the shooting. How in the world does that square with a guy who was said to be hallucinating and subsequently asked his 7year-old son to kill him? [continues 1475 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - Amid rancorous debate over other weighty issues Thursday on Capitol Hill, lawmakers wondered aloud whether driving cars after smoking marijuana is dangerous. Among the unanswered questions: Would drivers who are "high" travel too fast or too slow for safety? Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican who convened the Transportation subcommittee hearing, said he's concerned that growing numbers of drivers on U.S. roadways are increasingly impaired with a mix of drugs and alcohol. But with no test to determine if a driver is high on THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, it's nearly impossible to gauge the danger. Instead, he said, it's only after a fatal crash that investigators can determine if a driver has measurable levels of THC in his bloodstream. [continues 316 words]
The way Christian Sederberg sees it, the combination of weed and booze is a "magical cocktail." And not in a good way. Sederberg, one of Colorado's leading pot lawyers, made that comment at a Denver Post editorial board forum earlier this month on legal marijuana. He was talking about how laws governing driving while under the influence of marijuana don't fit the nature of impairment. And whether or not you agree with his contention that some heavy users of marijuana are unfairly penalized by current laws-because they can handle high THC levels without being impaired-his concerns highlight a broader point. [continues 492 words]
The DEA's Chief Said Going Toward Legalization Is Irresponsible. WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have made legal its sale and use. The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions. [continues 444 words]
Change threatens U.S. institutions, devalues science, fact, he says WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have made legal its sale and use. The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions. [continues 436 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have made legal its sale and use. The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions. "We should not abandon science and fact in favor of public opinion," Harrigan said. He echoed previous testimony from James Capra, DEA's chief of operations, who told a Senate panel in January that "going down the path to legalization in this country is reckless and irresponsible." [continues 375 words]
Lawmakers Press White House, Again, on Pot Rules WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have made legal its sale and use. The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions. [continues 496 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior U.S. drug enforcement official urged Congress and others Tuesday not to abandon scientific concerns over marijuana in favor of public opinion to legalize it, even as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach in states where voters have made legal its sale and use. The deputy administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Thomas Harrigan, testified Tuesday before a House oversight panel that easing laws governing marijuana threatens U.S. institutions. "We should not abandon science and fact in favor of public opinion," Harrigan said. He echoed previous testimony from James Capra, DEA's chief of operations, who told a Senate panel in January that "going down the path to legalization in this country is reckless and irresponsible." [continues 448 words]
The marijuana tax issue seemed simple enough-vote "yes" on Proposition AA and up to $40 million a year would go to Colorado school construction. Voters loved the idea. As it turns out, nothing is simple when it comes to marijuana. The next issue that state legislators and policy makers will have to address involves the reliability of pot tax money and whether it can be counted on to fulfill long-term commitments. A big chunk of the recreational marijuana tax money - a 15 percent excise tax up to $40 million annually-is to go toward the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program. [continues 522 words]
Regulating Public Consumption Without Infringing on the New Rights of Marijuana Users Is a Delicate Task. If you thought the big decisions about recreational marijuana in Colorado were behind us when voters legalized it last year and lawmakers set up a retail sales framework, think again. Colorado is fast approaching a public policy crossroads over the issue of marijuana consumption. The constitutional amendment allowing recreational weed said the measure shouldn't be construed as permitting marijuana to be consumed "openly and publicly." [continues 1303 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of "Reefer Madness" to the excesses of Woodstock back to the hard line of "Just Say No." The next 25 years took the nation from Bill Clinton, who famously "didn't inhale," to Barack Obama, who most emphatically did. Now, in just a few short years, public opinion has moved so dramatically toward general acceptance that even those who champion legalization are surprised at how quickly attitudes are changing and states are moving to approve the drug-for medical use and just for fun. [continues 604 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of "Reefer Madness" to the excesses of Woodstock back to the hard line of "Just Say No." The next 25 years took the nation from Bill Clinton, who famously "didn't inhale," to Barack Obama, who most emphatically did. Now, in just a few short years, public opinion has moved so dramatically toward general acceptance that even those who champion legalization are surprised at how quickly attitudes are changing and states are moving to approve the drug - for medical use and just for fun. [continues 309 words]
State Laws Out of Joint With Federal Statutes WASHINGTON (AP) - It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of "reefer Madness" to the excesses of Woodstock back to the hard line of "Just say No." The next 25 years took the nation from Bill clinton, who famously "didn't inhale," to Barack obama, who emphatically did. And now, in just a few short years, public opinion has moved so dramatically toward general acceptance that even those who champion legalization are surprised at how quickly attitudes are changing and states are moving to approve the drug for medical use and just for fun. [continues 738 words]
WASHINGTON- It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of "Reefer Madness" to the excesses of Woodstock back to the hard line of "Just Say No." The next 25 years took the nation from Bill Clinton, who famously "didn't inhale," to Barack Obama, who most emphatically did. And now, in just a few short years, public opinion has moved so dramatically toward general acceptance that even those who champion legalization are surprised at how quickly attitudes are changing and states are moving to approve the drug - for medical use and just for fun. [continues 662 words]
SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST -- Not far from Yosemite's waterfalls and in the middle of California's redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them. Pot has been grown on public lands for decades, but Mexican traffickers have taken it to a whole new level: using armed guards and tripwires to safeguard sprawling plots that in some cases contain tens of thousands of plants offering a potential yield of more than 30 tons of pot a year. [continues 716 words]
If you were trying to be diplomatic, you might say the teleconferenced state meeting last week on medical marijuana was chaotic. Anonymous participants who had called in to the proceedings dropped F-bombs, talked about a barbecue and a stolen car, and at one point hijacked the call for five minutes by playing loud music. This was supposed to be an emergency meeting of the state Board of Health to consider the definition of a medical marijuana caregiver. Instead, it sounded like a frat party. [continues 830 words]
