Why the Seattle Woman Who Wants to End Mass Incarceration Is Defending Pot Prosecutions Paul Marini | January 06, 2015 Heidi Groover, The Stranger If you care about pot policy in this state, there’s a sentence you need to read. It’s buried in some legal jargon and it doesn’t seem that sexy at first, but stick with me. Read more
Marijuana Victory in DC is the Result of State Resistance and Nullification Paul Marini | January 03, 2015 Shane Trejo, Tenth Amendment Center While Pres. Obama’s signature on the massive spending bill passed by Congress last month resulted in another huge expansion of federal power in many areas, the bill also shows how the states actually won a... Read more
New year brings new restriction on medical marijuana enforcement Paul Marini | January 01, 2015 Andrew Edwards, Long Beach Press-Telegram A single paragraph on the 88th page of the 701-page spending bill passed by Congress last month contains language that may signal a de-escalation of the federal government’s war on medical marijuana. Read more
Feds Back off Medical Marijuana Enforcement in 32 States and DC Paul Marini | December 29, 2014 ProCon.org On Dec. 16, 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the "Cromnibus” spending bill (public law no. 113-235). The law provides $1.1 trillion dollars to fund the government through summer 2015 and also includes a section that prohibits the... Read more
Congress Ends Federal Ban on Medical Marijuana Paul Marini | December 24, 2014 Laurel Joss, Autism Daily Newscast The United States Congress quietly ended the ban on medical marijuana in a provision tucked away in the 1,603-page spending bill. The Rohrabacher-Farr medical marijuana amendment prohibits the justice department from spending federal money to... Read more
Recreational Vs. Medical Pot Issues Draw Battle Lines in Tacoma Washington Paul Marini | December 24, 2014 Marguerite Arnold, Main Street The city of Tacoma, Wash. has now offered up the next serious challenge to I-502, the voter initiative to legalize recreational cannabis for adults over 21 in the nation's second "recreational market." The city is now... Read more
What will Congress' new tolerance for medical marijuana mean for people facing federal drug charges? Paul Marini | December 23, 2014 Jake Thomas, The Inlander It's just one paragraph in a 1,600-page document that lays out how the federal government will spend $1 trillion through September of next year. But for some, it could mean not serving a long prison sentence.... Read more
Dr. Bronner's Year-End Report from the Front Lines of the Fight for Cannabis Reform and GMO Labeling Paul Marini | December 22, 2014 David Bronner, Huffington Post (Op-ed) Both cannabis policy reform and the movement to label genetically engineered foods in the United States made huge strides in 2014. Major battles were won, some narrowly lost, but ultimately victory is inevitable. Our company... Read more
GOP Legislature should pass sensible medical marijuana bill Paul Marini | December 21, 2014 Jamie Miller, Ocala Star-Banner It is now time to stop calling the effort to legalize medical marijuana “Support Amendment 2.” That amendment to Florida’s Constitution failed, barely. Read more
Congress Passes Major Medical Marijuana Reform Before Holidays Paul Marini | December 18, 2014 Marguerite Arnold, Main Street In a dramatic reaffirmation of a House vote earlier this year, House and Senate leaders reached an agreement last week on the major spending bill funding next year's federal government that also includes a measure to... Read more