Saturday, February 21, 2015

Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself

 

Tom Johnson      ‎U.S. Marijuana Party of Pennsylvania

 Lancaster, PA ·

Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use. We can, and should, continue to discourage the use of marijuana, but this can be done without defining the smoker as a criminal. States which have already removed criminal penalties for marijuana use, like Oregon and California, have not noted any significant increase in marijuana smoking. The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded five years ago that marijuana use should be decriminalized, and I believe it is time to implement those basic recommendations. ~ President Jimmy Carter Aug 2, 1977

www.presidency.ucsb.edu

The American Presidency Project contains the most comprehensive collection of resources pertaining to the study of the President of the United States. Compiled by John Woolley and Gerhard Peters

Friday, February 20, 2015

Clinical trials high on list for medical marijuana community

17 February 2015   Rebecca Trager

 

The medical marijuana movement is asking the scientific community to make examining the therapeutic potential of cannabis in much more depth a priority, cannabis experts from North America and the UK declared on 14 February at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in California. But the drug's controlled status is continuing to slow efforts to investigate the myriad compounds in the plant.

The panelists said the evidence is clear that cannabinoids can treat different types of pain effectively. In addition, they cited some evidence that cannabinoids help with neurological conditions like epilepsy. There is also very early clinical trial data suggesting that the molecule cannabidiol (CBD) has an antipsychotic effect and some evidence that it could help with anxiety disorders.

Although cannabis use is associated with things like short-term memory loss and learning problems, the experts presented data showing that once use is stopped those effects disappear within a few days. They also said there is no proof of any long-term neurocognitive effects of chronic marijuana use on the adult brain, although there is some cause for concern about heavy use by adolescents.

The question of whether the compounds have untoward effects remains unclear due to insufficient research. The field is stalled because large clinical trials require the deep pockets of the pharmaceutical sector, but a major barrier is the lack of intellectual property around some of these compounds. ‘They are old drugs, they are hard to lock in patents, and that makes it difficult for someone to invest significantly into these kinds of research studies that might not have the long-term payback,’ explained Mark Ware, who runs the pain research unit at McGill University, Canada.

However, possession of cannabis is still illegal in most US states making it a difficult drug to work with in the clinic. Igor Grant, a neuropsychiatrist who directs the cannabis research centre at the University of California, San Diego, US, has conducted seven clinical trials that involved smoked or inhaled cannabis and all required that he obtain regulatory approvals from three separate agencies before he could even acquire the cannabis for the studies.

Research marijuana for the US is grown by University of Mississippi under government licence. Once investigators clear all of the approvals, they can request the study drug from the NIH in the form of cigarettes containing different concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC – the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

Cannabis in Canada

Cannabis research is far easier to pursue in Canada where there is a regulated government programme. The country controls cannabis differently to other drugs, arguing that it fits neither under natural health product regulations that govern the use of herbal medicines, nor under the pharmaceutical drug regulations.

Some of the Canadian companies that grow cannabis under licence are now funding clinical trials to try and develop a drug, according to Ware. ‘The money is out there, but the trick is to get these kinds of pilot studies – proof-of-concept studies – done that encourage people to do larger-scale trials,’ he said.

The experts agreed that more information is needed about therapeutic use of cannabis. To help fill this gap, the provincial ethics committee in Quebec recently directed that all patients cleared to use cannabis for medical reasons must agree to be part on an ongoing study. Ware has been tapped to help set up a Quebec-wide registry that will allow these patients to be tracked anonymously for adverse events, as well as for things like pain, spasticity, appetite level and mood. The registry is expected to go live by the end of March.

In the US, there has been much media and public interest in a strain of medical marijuana first developed to treat a child suffering from repeated seizures, dubbed Charlotte’s Web, which is high in CBD but does not contain any psychoactive compounds. But Ware is troubled by the phenomenon of parents and patients seeking out CBD therapeutics. ‘We don’t know where the cannabidiol is coming from; there is a tremendous kind of mythology about the stuff coming from eastern Europe or China,’ he said. Hemp farmers in Canada are being approached to produce CBD and are charging huge amounts of money, he added.

The development of such medicinal products is complicated by the fact that cannabis contains over 100 different ingredients that may be bioactive. This flies in the face of the model followed by regulatory agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration that are set up to deal with single molecules rather than complex mixtures.

CONTINUE READING…

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Medical marijuana bill likely dead, Stumbo says

Gregory A. Hall, ghall@courier-journal.com 2:48 p.m. EST February 12, 2015

 

 

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. – House Speaker Greg Stumbo's medical marijuana bill wasn't going to pass this year anyway, he said Thursday, so his House Bill 3 is likely dead after no vote was taken in a committee hearing.

"It's not going to pass this session," said Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. "Everybody knows that."

The purpose of presenting the bill anyway to the House Health and Welfare Committee was to promote discussion on the issue that Stumbo said he believes will become law someday.

RELATED | Bills would legalize medical marijuana in Indiana

"Obviously, there's a national trend," Stumbo said, after earlier saying he's been convinced of the need by families in his district who have loved ones battling epilepsy.

Stumbo said he expects the issue to be revisited later this year before next year's session.

"I think we got the ball rolling," he said. "And I think it's rolling in the right direction now."

RELATED | Letter | Cannibis legislation

A similar bill passed the House health committee last year but never was put to a vote on the House floor.

Supporters of medical marijuana say it can help treat maladies such as post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, seizures, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Critics of medical marijuana say generally that medical use is not supported by scientific evidence and ultimately leads to recreational abuse and illegal trafficking under the guise of medicine.

While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the U.S. Justice Department has issued guidelines under which it wouldn't interfere with state marijuana laws — if certain requirements, including having regulatory structure, preventing sales to minors and preventing marijuana from getting to gangs — are met.

Almost two dozen states have laws allowing medical marijuana, not including the District of Columbia. Although Kentucky isn't one of those, the issue has been supported strongly in previous years' Bluegrass Polls. Four states allow recreational use.

Reporter Gregory A. Hall can be reached at (502) 582-4087. Follow him on Twitter at @gregoryahall.

CONTINUE READING…

Friday, February 6, 2015

Decoding the Kentucky Marijuana Bills

 

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The following is a synopsis of the proposed Bills currently in House and what they mean to us.

 

HB 305/CI (BR 395) – B. Yonts

AN ACT relating to crimes and punishments.
Amend and create various KRS sections to convert certain misdemeanors to pre-payable violations and set fines.

Feb 5-introduced in House

Legislature Home Page | Record Front Page

Thru the DIRECT LINK above can be found the newest version of the Kentucky “decrim” bill.

 

The highlights for the cannabis users are below:

 

(1) A person is guilty of possession of marijuana when he or she knowingly and unlawfully possesses marijuana.
(2) Any person who violates this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense

 

(1) “Drug paraphernalia” means all equipment, products and materials of any kind which are used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter. It includes but is not limited to:

 

(a) Kits used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, or harvesting of any species of plant which is a controlled substance or from which a controlled substance can be derived;

 

(e) Scales and balances used, intended for use, or designed for use in weighing or measuring controlled substances;

 

(g) Separation gins and sifters used, intended for use, or designed for use in removing twigs and seeds from, or in otherwise cleaning or refining marijuana;
(h) Blenders, bowls, containers, spoons, and mixing devices used, intended for use, or designed for use in compounding controlled substances;
(i) Capsules, balloons, envelopes, and other containers used, intended for use, or designed for use in packaging small quantities of controlled substances;

 

(l) Objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, such as: metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls; water pipes; carburetion tubes and devices; smoking and carburetion masks; roach clips which mean objects used to hold burning material, such as marijuana cigarettes, that have become too small or too short to be held in the hand; miniature cocaine spoons, and cocaine vials; chamber pipes; carburetor pipes; electric pipes; air-driven pipes; chillums; bongs; ice pipes or chillers.

 

My opinion on this bill is that it is a “ lesser of the evils” for us and that is IT. Period.

In fact I am not sure how much of a lesser evil it really is when you consider that this is not any form of legalization at all.  It is just a reduction in the punishment for an illegal activity.

 

SB 79/CI (BR 805) - P. Clark

 

     AN ACT relating to marijuana.
     Amend KRS 218A.1422 to make the possession of two ounces of marijuana or less a violation punishable by a maximum fine of $75; amend KRS 218A.1423 to make cultivation of five marijuana plants or less a Class B misdemeanor; name the Act the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Act.

     Jan 9-introduced in Senate
     Feb 3-to Judiciary (S)

Thru the DIRECT LINK above can be found the first version of the Kentucky “decrim” bill as shown below.

 

(1) A person is guilty of possession of marijuana when he or she knowingly and unlawfully possesses marijuana.

(2) Possession of two (2) ounces of marijuana or less shall be a violation that is punishable by a maximum fine of seventy-five dollars ($75).

(3) Possession of more than two (2) ounces of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, except that, KRS Chapter 532 to the contrary notwithstanding, the maximum term of incarceration shall be no greater than forty-five (45) days.

âSection 2. KRS 218A.1423 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of marijuana cultivation when he knowingly and unlawfully plants, cultivates, or harvests marijuana with the intent to sell or transfer it.

(2) Marijuana cultivation of six (6)[five (5)] or more plants of marijuana is:

(a) For a first offense a Class D felony.
(b) For a second or subsequent offense a Class C felony.

(3) Marijuana cultivation of fewer than six (6)[five (5)] plants is[:

] a Class B misdemeanor

[(a) For a first offense a Class A misdemeanor.
(b) For a second or subsequent offense a Class D felony].

(4) The planting, cultivating, or harvesting of six (6)[five (5)] or more marijuana plants shall be prima facie evidence that the marijuana plants were planted, cultivated, or harvested for the purpose of sale or transfer.

âSection 3. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Act.

 

My opinion on this Bill is that it would be the better of the two “decrim” Bills submitted because at least there is a “grow” clause in it as long as you are not “trafficking”.  However, Marijuana still remains illegal and prohibited by law under this Statute as well.  The laws are all about the “control” issue.  Either way they continue to make money at our expense for growing and using a “plant”.  As well as the fact that we remain criminals.

 

Last but not least is the :

Medical Marijuana Bill Kentucky 2015 , SB 43/LM/CI (BR 287)

 

AN ACT relating to medical cannabis.
     Create various new sections of KRS Chapter 218A to establish a comprehensive system for medical cannabis in Kentucky, including provisions for medical verification of need, persons allowed to cultivate, use, and possess the drug, organizations allowed to assist in providing the drug, regulation by the state Department for Public Health, interaction with state and local governments, including law enforcement, with persons and entities coming within the purview of the Act, and the establishment of required reporting and review procedures; amend KRS 218A.040 to conform; name the Act the Cannabis Compassion Act.

     Jan 7-introduced in Senate
     Jan 13-to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (S)

READ AS FOLLOWS:  Direct Link to Bill

For the purposes of Sections 1 to 25 of this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Bona fide practitioner-patient relationship" means that:

(a) A practitioner and patient have a treatment or consulting relationship, during the course of which the physician has completed an assessment of the patient's medical history and current medical condition, including an appropriate personal physical examination;

 

(b) The practitioner has consulted with the patient with respect to the patient's debilitating medical condition; and
(c) The physician is available to or offers to provide follow-up care and treatment to the patient, including but not limited to patient examinations;

(2) "Cannabis" means all parts of the plant Cannabis sp., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin or any compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of these substances. The term "cannabis" does not include industrial hemp as defined in KRS 260.850;

(3) "Cardholder" means a qualifying patient, visiting qualifying patient, or a designated caregiver who has been issued and possesses a valid registry identification card;

 

In my opinion this is an all out medical marijuana bill with all the regulations, Doctors, Pharmaceutical entities as well as Dispensaries lined up in a row.  Once again, Freedom is not involved here.  It is regulation at its finest through all aspects of the Government.   If it is regulated medical marijuana that a patient is looking for then this would be the Bill for them.  For many people it may be a good thing.  However, it still does not free the Cannabis plant to the general public and the Statutes of controlled substances will still be alive and well with this Bill.

 

This is three options that we have in Kentucky that may or most probably won’t pass this year anyway.  But not one of these options repeals prohibition even on a State level and will still open up persecution of those choosing to use Cannabis which fall short of the guidelines set by the State Government even if one or more of them are passed.

 

I still believe the only way to get society at large out of the mouth of the prison industrial complex for using Cannabis in any form is REPEAL of all laws pertaining to the Cannabis plant!

Prohibition did not work – Neither will Legalization – It is time to REPEAL and nullify unconstitutional Statutes regarding the cultivation and use of Marijuana on a Human level!

Amend and create various KRS sections to convert certain misdemeanors to pre-payable violations and set fines.

 

 

HB 305/CI (BR 395) - B. Yonts

     AN ACT relating to crimes and punishments.
     Amend and create various KRS sections to convert certain misdemeanors to prepayable violations and set fines.

     Feb 5-introduced in House

Legislature Home Page | Record Front Page

 

Thru the DIRECT LINK above can be found the newest version of the Kentucky “decrim” bill.

The following text has been copied from that record:

 

AN ACT relating to crimes and punishments.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:

âSection 1. KRS 218A.1422 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of possession of marijuana when he or she knowingly and unlawfully possesses marijuana.

(2) Any person who violates this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[Possession of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, except that, KRS Chapter 532 to the contrary notwithstanding, the maximum term of incarceration shall be no greater than forty-five (45) days].

âSection 2. KRS 218A.210 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person to whom or for whose use any controlled substance has been prescribed, sold, or dispensed, by a practitioner or other person authorized under this chapter, may lawfully possess it only in the container in which it was delivered to him by the person selling or dispensing the same.

(2) Any person who violates this section shall be fined two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense[Violation of subsection (1) of this section is a Class B misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class A misdemeanor for subsequent offenses].

âSection 3. KRS 218A.500 is amended to read as follows:

As used in this section and KRS 218A.510:

(1) "Drug paraphernalia" means all equipment, products and materials of any kind which are used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter. It includes but is not limited to:

(a) Kits used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, or harvesting of any species of plant which is a controlled substance or from which a controlled substance can be derived;
(b) Kits used, intended for use, or designed for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, or preparing controlled substances;
(c) Isomerization devices used, intended for use, or designed for use in increasing the potency of any species of plant which is a controlled substance;
(d) Testing equipment used, intended for use, or designed for use in identifying, or in analyzing the strength, effectiveness or purity of controlled substances;
(e) Scales and balances used, intended for use, or designed for use in weighing or measuring controlled substances;
(f) Diluents and adulterants, such as quinine hydrochloride, mannitol, mannite, dextrose and lactose, used, intended for use, or designed for use in cutting controlled substances;
(g) Separation gins and sifters used, intended for use, or designed for use in removing twigs and seeds from, or in otherwise cleaning or refining marijuana;
(h) Blenders, bowls, containers, spoons, and mixing devices used, intended for use, or designed for use in compounding controlled substances;
(i) Capsules, balloons, envelopes, and other containers used, intended for use, or designed for use in packaging small quantities of controlled substances;
(j) Containers and other objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in storing or concealing controlled substances;
(k) Hypodermic syringes, needles, and other objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in parenterally injecting controlled substances into the human body; and
(l) Objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, such as: metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls; water pipes; carburetion tubes and devices; smoking and carburetion masks; roach clips which mean objects used to hold burning material, such as marijuana cigarettes, that have become too small or too short to be held in the hand; miniature cocaine spoons, and cocaine vials; chamber pipes; carburetor pipes; electric pipes; air-driven pipes; chillums; bongs; ice pipes or chillers.

(2) It is unlawful for any person to use, or to possess with intent to use, drug paraphernalia for the purpose of planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packing, repacking, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to deliver, possess with intent to deliver, or manufacture with intent to deliver, drug paraphernalia, knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that it will be used to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, repack, store, contain, conceal, inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise introduce into the human body a controlled substance in violation of this chapter.

(4) It is unlawful for any person to place in any newspaper, magazine, handbill, or other publication any advertisement, knowing, or under circumstances where one reasonably should know, that the purpose of the advertisement, in whole or in part, is to promote the sale of objects designed or intended for use as drug paraphernalia.

(5) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense[guilty of a Class A misdemeanor].

âSECTION 4. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 218A IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 5. KRS 434.851 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of unlawful access in the third degree when he or she, without the effective consent of the owner, knowingly and willfully, directly or indirectly accesses, causes to be accessed, or attempts to access any computer software, computer program, data, computer, computer system, computer network, or any part thereof, which results in the loss or damage of less than three hundred dollars ($300).

(2) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each offense[Unlawful access to a computer in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor].

âSection 6. KRS 434.853 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of unlawful access in the fourth degree when he or she, without the effective consent of the owner, knowingly and willfully, directly or indirectly accesses, causes to be accessed, or attempts to access any computer software, computer program, data, computer, computer system, computer network, or any part thereof, which does not result in loss or damage.

(2) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[Unlawful access to a computer in the fourth degree is a Class B misdemeanor].

âSECTION 7. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 434 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 8. KRS 511.070 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree when he knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building or upon premises as to which notice against trespass is given by fencing or other enclosure.

(2) Criminal trespass in the second degree is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 9. KRS 511.080 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of criminal trespass in the third degree when he knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in or upon premises.

(2) Criminal trespass in the third degree is a violation and shall carry a fine of fifty dollars ($50) for each offense.

âSECTION 10. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 511 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 11. KRS 512.060 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of criminal possession of a noxious substance when he possesses such substance under circumstances evincing an intent unlawfully to use or cause it to be used to inflict injury upon or to cause annoyance to a person, or to damage property of another, or to disturb the public peace.

(2) Criminal possession of a noxious substance is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 12. KRS 512.070 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of criminal littering when he:

(a) Drops or permits to drop on a highway any destructive or injurious material and does not immediately remove it; or
(b) Knowingly places or throws litter on any public or private property or in any public or private water without permission; or
(c) Negligently places or throws glass or other dangerous pointed or edged substances on or adjacent to water to which the public has access for swimming or wading or on or within fifty (50) feet of a public highway; or
(d) Discharges sewage, minerals, oil products, or litter into any public waters or lakes within the state.

(2) Criminal littering is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class A misdemeanor].

(3) Violators may prepay to the Circuit Court clerk if prepayment is so noted on the citation and if the littering offense is not combined with an offense that is not prepayable.

(4) Notwithstanding any language or provision of this section or KRS 65.8808(3) to the contrary, the legislative body of a local government may, by ordinance, choose to classify the offenses proscribed in subsection (1) of this section as civil offenses in accordance with KRS 65.8808.

âSECTION 13. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 512 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 14. KRS 516.130 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of unlawfully using slugs in the second degree when:

(a) With intent to defraud the owner, licensee or lessee of a coin machine, he inserts, deposits or uses a slug in such machine; or
(b) He makes, possesses or disposes of a slug with intent to enable a person to insert, deposit or use it in a coin machine.

(2) Unlawfully using slugs in the second degree is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

The offense shall be prepayable except:

(a) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(b) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(c) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 15. KRS 517.030 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of false advertising when, in connection with the promotion of the sale of or to increase the consumption of property or services, he knowingly makes or causes to be made a false or misleading statement in any advertisement addressed to the public or to a substantial number of persons.

(2) False advertising is a violation and shall carry a fine of two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense[ Class A misdemeanor].

âSection 16. KRS 517.040 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of bait advertising when in any manner, including advertising or other means of communication, he offers to the public or a substantial number of persons property or services as part of a scheme or plan with the intent not to sell or provide the advertised property or services:

(a) At the price at which he offered them; or
(b) In a quantity sufficient to meet the reasonably expected public demand, unless the quantity is specifically stated in the advertisement; or
(c) At all.

(2) Bait advertising is a violation and shall carry a fine of two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense[ Class A misdemeanor].

âSECTION 17. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 517 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 18. KRS 519.030 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of compounding a crime when:

(a) He solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit upon an agreement or understanding that he will refrain from initiating a prosecution for a crime; or
(b) He confers, offers, or agrees to confer any benefit upon another person upon agreement or understanding that such other person will refrain from initiating a prosecution for a crime.

(2) In any prosecution under this section, it is a defense that the benefit did not exceed an amount which the defendant reasonably believed to be due as restitution or indemnification for harm caused by the offense.

(3) Compounding a crime is a violation and shall carry a fine of two hundred dollars ($200) for each offense[ Class A misdemeanor]. The offense shall be prepayable except:

(a) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(b) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(c) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 19. KRS 525.050 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of unlawful assembly when:

(a) He assembles with five (5) or more persons for the purpose of engaging or preparing to engage with them in a riot; or
(b) Being present at an assembly which either has or develops such a purpose, he remains there with intent to advance that purpose.

(2) Unlawful assembly is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 20. KRS 525.080 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of harassing communications when, with intent to intimidate, harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she:

(a) Communicates with a person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, telegraph, mail, or any other form of written communication in a manner which causes annoyance or alarm and serves no purpose of legitimate communication;
(b) Makes a telephone call, whether or not conversation ensues, with no purpose of legitimate communication; or
(c) Communicates, while enrolled as a student in a local school district, with or about another school student, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, the Internet, telegraph, mail, or any other form of electronic or written communication in a manner which a reasonable person under the circumstances should know would cause the other student to suffer fear of physical harm, intimidation, humiliation, or embarrassment and which serves no purpose of legitimate communication.

(2) Harassing communications is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 21. KRS 525.060 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of disorderly conduct in the second degree when in a public place and with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm, or wantonly creating a risk thereof, he:

(a) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous, or threatening behavior;
(b) Makes unreasonable noise;
(c) Refuses to obey an official order to disperse issued to maintain public safety in dangerous proximity to a fire, hazard, or other emergency; or
(d) Creates a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act that serves no legitimate purpose.

(2) Disorderly conduct in the second degree is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 22. KRS 525.100 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of public intoxication when he appears in a public place manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance, or other intoxicating substance, excluding alcohol (unless the alcohol is present in combination with any of the above), not therapeutically administered, to the degree that he may endanger himself or other persons or property, or unreasonably annoy persons in his vicinity.

(2) Public intoxication is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSection 23. KRS 525.150 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of disrupting meetings and processions in the second degree when, with intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering, he or she does any act tending to obstruct or interfere with it physically or makes any utterance, gesture, or display designed to outrage the sensibilities of the group.

(2) Disrupting meetings and processions in the second degree is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense[ Class B misdemeanor].

âSECTION 24. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 525 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

(1) All offenses classified as violations under this chapter shall be prepayable except:

(a) Any offense which could result in license suspension or revocation by the court;
(b) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(c) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(d) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

(2) If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

âSection 25. KRS 530.070 is amended to read as follows:

(1) A person is guilty of unlawful transaction with a minor in the third degree when:

(a) Acting other than as a retail licensee, he knowingly sells, gives, purchases or procures any alcoholic or malt beverage in any form to or for a minor. The defendant may prove in exculpation that the sale was induced by the use of false, fraudulent, or altered identification papers or other documents and that the appearance and character of the purchaser were such that his age could not have been ascertained by any other means and that the purchaser's appearance and character indicated strongly that he was of legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages. This subsection does not apply to a parent or guardian of the minor;
(b) He knowingly induces, assists, or causes a minor to engage in any other criminal activity;
(c) He knowingly induces, assists or causes a minor to become a habitual truant; or
(d) He persistently and knowingly induces, assists or causes a minor to disobey his parent or guardian.

(2) Unlawful transaction with a minor in the third degree, other than a violation of subsection (1)(c) of this section, is a Class A misdemeanor. A violation of subsection (1)(c) of this section is a violation and shall carry a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. A violation of subsection (1)(c) of this section shall be prepayable, except:

(a) An offense where evidence of the offense or of commission of another offense is seized by the officer and the citation is so marked and a court date set;
(b) If the offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable; or
(c) If an arrest is made under KRS 431.015.

If a prepayable offense is cited with another offense that is not prepayable, a court appearance shall be required on all of the offenses as required by KRS 431.452.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Surgeon General Says Yes to Science, Admits Weed Has Medical Benefits

Vivek Murthy says marijuana is ‘helpful’ for certain medical conditions. Could this be the tide-turner for legalization?

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy believes in science.

As he answered questions Wednesday about the measles outbreak that is turning into the year’s first public health emergency, the 37-year-old doctor assured Americans that vaccines are safe and that government policy is informed by sound data and scientific consensus. When CBS This Morning host Gayle King pivoted to ask Murthy for his views on marijuana, the country’s youngest ever surgeon general gave an answer that was at once historic and entirely consistent with his scientific approach.

“We have some preliminary data showing that for certain medical conditions and symptoms that marijuana can be helpful,” Murthy said. “We have to use that data to drive policy making.”

While a first for a surgeon general, this was not actually a risky statement. Murthy’s belief is in line with the positions of the American College of Physicians (PDF), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association (PDF), the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (PDF), The California Medical Association (PDF), Dr. Sanjay Gupta, countless less famous but equally sincere physicians, and laws in 23 states and the District of Washington that permit the use of marijuana for medical conditions including multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, epilepsy, and a host of cancer-related symptoms.

But the statement also seemed to put the nation’s top health official in direct conflict with federal law. To the Department of Justice and its Drug Enforcement Agency, marijuana remains, along with heroin, a Schedule I narcotic, defined as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use.” Cocaine and crystal meth, on the other hand, are listed as Schedule II drugs, with “less abuse potential.”

This absurd policy has been inexplicable for so long, that the nation’s highest officials have given up trying to defend it.

“I don’t think it’s more dangerous than alcohol,” President Obama said to The New Yorker’s David Remnick about marijuana last year. Casual as his remark seemed, Obama rocked the drug reform movement. Just weeks after the president said what a sizable majority of Americans already agreed with, a group of 18 representatives from nine states took a stand on the issue and, in a gesture of bi-partisan consent, wrote a letter (PDF) that called on Obama to take executive action.

“We were encouraged by your recent comments in your interview with David Remnick,” the name-dropping representatives wrote. “Classifying marijuana as Schedule I at the federal level perpetuates an unjust and irrational system. We request that you instruct Attorney General Holder to delist or classify marijuana in a more appropriate was, at the very least eliminating it from Schedule I or II.”

This absurd policy has been inexplicable for so long, that the nation’s highest officials have given up trying to defend it.

Nine months later, in his exit interview with Katie Couric, Holder passed the buck right back.

“At the federal level marijuana is still classified in the same category as heroin,” Couric said. “In your view should that change?”

“I think that’s certainly a question that we need to ask ourselves,” Holder said, “whether or not marijuana is as serious a drug as is heroin.” Couric nodded and as Holder weighed the pros and cons, she pressed him on decriminalization. That, he said, is “something for Congress to decide.”

Congressional action might be Holder’s preference, but it is not actually mandated by the law.

“Eric Holder could initiate that process today if he wanted to,” said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, a decriminalization advocacy group, and pointed out that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act gives the attorney general sweeping power to define and classify the full schedule of illegal drugs. At the same time, Angell said, “Congress could pass a bill to move marijuana from Schedule I to a lesser one, or make it unscheduled, like alcohol or tobacco.”

But as public opinion on the issue passes the super majority mark, neither branch of government has made a move. “In essence, the Justice Department and Congress are both begging each other to fix federal marijuana laws,” wrote Christopher Ingraham at the Washington Post. An aide to Senator Rand Paul told The Daily Beast that the Kentucky lawmaker is considering a bill this year that would reschedule the drug. “It’s a work in progress,” the aide said, but couldn’t offer any specifics. 

In his interview with Couric, Holder left open the possibility that his department could one day endorse rescheduling marijuana. Whatever is decided, Holder said the government should let science be the guide. “Use science as the basis for that determination,” he said.

A Department of Justice spokesman said, “the Department supports research into potential medical uses of marijuana.” Surgeon General Murthy told the Daily Beast that “marijuana policy—and all public health policies—should be driven by science” and that “the Federal Government has and continues to fund research on possible health benefits of marijuana and its components.”

The problem with this, said Angell, is how difficult it is even for academic institutions to gain government approval for such studies. The American Medical Association (AMA), one of the most conservative organizations on marijuana decriminalization, changed its long-held position on classification in 2009. Marijuana’s ongoing schedule I classification “limits the access to cannabinols for even research,” said Edward L. Langston, MD, an AMA Board of Trustees member. “It is very difficult,” he told American Medical News, to legally research the substance. A report by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health that same year found that, “bureaucratic hurdles apply to cannabis research that do not impede other drug investigations.”

Evidence for the claim is not hard to find. At the University of Massachusetts, an agricultural professor has been trying for more than 15 years to gain approval to grow cannabis for research. In Kentucky, the DEA finally released a shipment of research-bound hemp seeds last May, but only after the state’s agricultural commissioner sued the agency in federal court.

The medical community and public opinion has come a long way in the 20 years since Dr. Jocelyn Elders, Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton, took flak for defending decriminalization. But even as a new surgeon general calls for more science, Angell said the research opportunities won’t change until the laws do, and that politicians are lagging behind most Americans on the issue.

“They don’t realize that a majority of Americans are ready for medical marijuana to be legalized,” he said. “They perceive it as dangerous when it is not.” 

CONTINUE READING…

Monday, February 2, 2015

Loretta Lynch’s hard-line stance on marijuana is making Colorado sweat

Attorney general nominee veers from Obama’s no-big-deal rhetoric

 

Attorney General nominee breaks with President Obama's no-big-deal on marijuana.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

 

By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Sunday, February 1, 2015

DENVER — Nobody in the Colorado marijuana industry is panicking, but those involved are sweating a little over the hard line taken by Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s pick to be the next attorney general, on legalization during this week’s Senate confirmation hearing.

“Quite a few of my members were expressing concern and nervousness,” said Michael Elliott, executive director of the Colorado Marijuana Industry Group. “But I’m not sure we could have expected much more than we just heard. Even the president, who came out saying that marijuana is no more dangerous as alcohol, is also on the record as being against legalization.”

States that have legalized or are considering legalizing recreational marijuana use butted heads continually with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who refused to relax stricter federal laws against pot use. Judging from this week’s performance, the fight won’t end when Mr. Holder leaves.

A federal prosecutor in New York, Ms. Lynch told the Senate Committee on the Judiciary she disagreed with the president’s no-big-deal take on pot, saying, “I certainly don’t hold that view and don’t agree with that view of marijuana as a substance.”

“I think the president was speaking from his personal experience and personal opinion, neither of which I’m able to share,” Ms. Lynch said. “But I can tell you that not only do I not support the legalization of marijuana, it is not the position of the Department of Justice currently to support the legalization. Nor would it be the position should I become confirmed as attorney general.”

Her stance buoyed legalization foes such as Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who said in a statement, “We are breathing a sigh of relief.”

“For her to come out so adamantly against legalization is extremely encouraging,” said Mr. Sabet, a former official in the White House drug czar’s office. “It will give our efforts a shot in the arm.”

Marijuana advocates downplayed her responses, pointing out that she was testifying before the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee and that its chairman, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, opposes recent state moves to legalize recreational marijuana.

In fact, the day before Wednesday’s hearing, Mr. Grassley took to the Senate floor to condemn the Obama administration’s decision to allow states that have legalized recreational pot for adults to proceed within certain parameters with regulated retail markets. Federal laws banning pot, he said, should trump state statutes.

Colorado and Washington launched retail marijuana markets last year, while voters in Alaska and Oregon passed ballot measures in November allowing recreational pot use and sales for adults 21 and over. The District of Columbia has approved adult pot use but not sales.

Mason Tvert, who led the successful 2012 ballot campaign in Colorado, argued that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and cracked, “Fortunately, [Ms. Lynch] has been nominated for attorney general, not surgeon general.”

“We can only hope she was telling some lawmakers what they need to hear in order to get through the confirmation process,” Mr. Tvert said in an email. “It would be shocking if she is actually unaware that marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol.”

The Department of Justice issued a guidance in 2013 that essentially allows states to proceed with adult marijuana use and sales while warning that prosecutors would still enforce eight priorities, including keeping marijuana away from children and avoiding pot diversion to other states.

Tom Angell, who heads Marijuana Majority, said in an email that Ms. Lynch also appeared to indicate that she would follow the Justice Department guidance.

“While it’d be ideal to have an attorney general who agrees with the majority of Americans that it is time to end marijuana prohibition, we really don’t need federal officials to personally support legalization,” Mr. Angell. “We only need them to respect the will of voters who have implemented legalization in their own states.”

Story Continues →

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