LEARN MORE: http://www.codeofthewestfilm.com

The number of medical marijuana cardholders registered with the state continues to fall, dipping to below 11,000 last month.

As of April 30, 10,640 Montanans were registered as medical marijuana cardholders with the state, down from 11,993 as of the end of March, for an 11.2 percent drop, according to registry statistics kept by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.

The April total is the lowest monthly number since the 7,339 medical marijuana cardholders (formerly called patients) registered as of Dec. 31, 2009.

The total number of Montana medical marijuana cardholders peaked at 31,522 on May 31, 2011, a month before most parts of a much more restrictive law passed by the 2011 Legislature took effect.

Despite the falling numbers, marijuana advocates have estimated there are 100,000 Montanans who regularly use pot. The tougher state law, they said, has driven more people to buy marijuana illegally on the black market instead of going through the state program.

The latest statistics also showed 414 Montana providers (formerly called caregivers) were registered through April 30, down from 421 as of March 31. Providers are the people legally authorized to grow and sell marijuana to cardholders for medicinal purposes.

The number of providers peaked at 4,848 in March 2011.

The number of physicians licensed to recommend medical marijuana to patients remained at 254 on April 30, the same total reported at the end of March. Their numbers peaked at 365 as of June 30, 2011.

In 2004, by 62 percent to 38 percent, Montanans approved an initiative to legalize the use of marijuana for certain medicinal purposes.

The number of medical marijuana cardholders began soaring in 2010 after a series of “cannabis caravans” traveled the state and signed up thousands of patients, often after a consultation with a physician in person or via the Internet that lasted only several minutes. Medical pot storefronts sprung up around

Montana.

The Republican-controlled 2011 Legislature passed a bill to repeal the 2004 law that legalized medical pot in Montana, but Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer vetoed it.

After that, the Legislature then passed another bill aimed at making it more difficult to legally buy and sell medical marijuana. Schweitzer let it become law without his signature.

The total numbers of medical marijuana cardholders and providers have dropped greatly since passage of the 2011 law.

Another major factor cited by industry officials was the series of federal raids of several dozen marijuana growing and selling operations in March 2011. A number of people involved with those businesses have been charged and entered guilty pleas in federal court.

A Helena district judge on June 30, 2011, temporarily blocked parts of the 2011 state law from being going into effect the next day.

On May 30, the Montana Supreme Court will hear the state’s appeal of that decision, along with an appeal by the Montana Cannabis Industry Association, over other parts of that decision.

Opponents of the tougher marijuana law last year obtained enough signatures to put it on the November 2012 ballot as a referendum. Montanans then will have a chance to decide whether to retain or reject the law.

In addition, some groups are gathering signatures for a separate ballot measure to legalize the possession, sale and consumption of marijuana by adults.

A television station in California airs the first ad promoting medical marijuana.

The Northern District of California made a practice of not commenting to the media as it shut down five San Francisco dispensaries and moved in February to shut down four more — all of which, at least for now, are still open.

But at last, somebody in Washington finally took responsibility for the crackdown. The buck, it turns out, stops with President Barack Obama, who explained the government’s actions in an interview with Rolling Stone.

Obama’s rationale: He never made a promise to ignore federal law, and even if he did, he can’t, because Congress, not the White House, makes the laws. That turbid statement was dismissed by medical cannabis advocates as “underwhelming, inaccurate,” and ignoring “medical marijuana as a public health issue.”

Well before the federal crackdown became an international news story, SF Weekly was among the first publications in the country to point out that Obama’s record on marijuana did not match up to his rhetoric.

Both on the campaign trail and shortly after taking office, Obama promised not to use federal enforcement to circumvent state medical marijuana law — which is exactly what he’s done. No dispensaries shut down, and most medical marijuana operators currently serving time in federal prison — including former dispensary operator Scott Feil, master gardener Eddy Lepp, or Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband Dale Schafer — have been convicted of or even accused of supplying for-profit illegal drug rings.

Yet one can still buy Humboldt outdoor in Hawaii and Skywalker OG Kush in New York City — actions with no defense in state or federal law, and which can be taken without too much trouble, either — so what the fuck?

Obama got a bit defensive — and blamed drug dealers.

“I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana –  and the reason is, because it’s against federal law,” the president said. “The only tension that’s come up — and this gets hyped up a lot — is a murky area where you have large-scale, commercial operations that may supply medical marijuana users, but in some cases may also be supplying recreational users.

“I can’t ask the Justice Department to say, ‘Ignore completely a federal law that’s on the books.’ What I can say is, ‘Use your prosecutorial discretion and properly prioritize your resources to go after things that are really doing folks damage.’ As a consequence, there haven’t been prosecutions of users of marijuana for medical purposes,” Obama said.

The problem is that Feil — incarcerated at a privately run federal prison in Taft — was sentenced to prison for just that. Americans for Safe Access, a medical cannabs users’ advocacy group, called bullshit on Obama’s explanation.

“President Obama failed to come clean on reasons for the breadth and intensity of the attacks, which significantly escalated since he took office,” wrote Kris Hermes, an ASA spokesman. “U.S. Attorneys have made little reference to targeting medical marijuana businesses because they’re allegedly selling to non-patients. The prevailing excuse has been simply that dispensaries are federally illegal or that they are too close to schools and other so-called “sensitive uses” (according to federal standards, not to local or state standards).”

Obama’s been repeatedly called the worst-ever president on medical marijuana. That may be true, though keep in mind no DEA raids have occurred in the Bay Area under Obama.

Also note that on aggregate, Obama’s also had the most-ever medical marijuana to deal with — an industry explosion he helped foment when he encouraged folks to get into the game by suggesting, as a candidate and now president, that it was at last time for the feds to lay off.

by Chris Roberts

http://blogs.sfweekly.com

Prairie Plant Systems Inc. of Saskatoon, which has a contract to supply medical marijuana in Canada, would need approval from state and federal officials to convert the mine in White Pine, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

Brent Zettl, the company’s president and CEO, said there’s demand despite major regulatory hurdles.

“There’s a need to bring this under the proper reins of appropriate manufacturing for patient safety and for public safety,” Zettl said.  Michigan voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2008, but the law does not explain where people are supposed to get marijuana if they don’t grow it themselves or have a caregiver who grows it for them. That issue is before the courts. Federal law still prohibits the sale and cultivation of the drug.The idea would be to supply Michigan medical marijuana users. A Detroit Free Press reporter and photographer recently toured the mine, which shut down in the 1990s.

The company and its Michigan subsidiary, SubTerra, currently use the mine for plant-based pharmaceutical research. Prairie Plant Systems said that it could employ 200 to 300 workers at the site if the plan to grow marijuana there succeeds.  The company said it would stress security, safety and science, treating marijuana as a pharmaceutical at the Michigan grow site. Growing marijuana underground provides security, constant temperature, controlled light and humidity, and protects the plants from bugs and diseases, Zettl said.

Approval, however, likely would require the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change their stances about the use of medical marijuana.  The FDA supports research to capture marijuana’s benefits in tablet form, but opposes “the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes,” spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said.

Others argue that the Ontonagon County should reopen for its original use instead of growing medical marijuana. An increase in the price of copper since the time that the mine closed has renewed interest in mining at Michigan sites that previously were shut down.  Philip Kolehmainen, an area real estate broker and chairman of the Michigan Works! workforce development board, said growing marijuana would be a limited prospect for the mine. There are no plans yet announced to reopen the mine in White Pine for mining, but he said that’s a hope.

“We want to get some jobs here,” Kolehmainen said.

-The Associated Press

So last summer, when Washington state legislators introduced an initiative to legalize marijuana entirely, those who drafted the initiative anticipated a fair amount of support from its established pot-growing-and-selling community. After all, the initiative, known as I-502, would license and regulate marijuana production, remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for smoking marijuana, tax marijuana sales, and eventually profit from it.

But the drafters of the bill found just the opposite: Businesses that sell medical marijuana are leading the charge against I-502, and have already mobilized against it.

“The groups that traditionally oppose legalization—conservatives and cops—are not the ones leading the campaign to kill I-502,” Dominic Holden, a news editor for The Stranger, a Seattle alt-weekly, wrote recently. “The people leading the campaign to kill I-502 are, paradoxically, other pot activists—specifically, pot activists with ties to the medical marijuana community: dispensary owners, medical marijuana lawyers, medical marijuana patients, medical pot trade magazines, doctors who give medical marijuana authorizations, etc.”

The group, “No on I-502,” claims that, in essence, I-502 creates more problems than it solves. They’re particularly vocal about a clause in I-502 that would persecute anyone over the THC limit of 5 ng/mL while driving—weed’s version of a DUI. They argue this stipulation will spur “prosecution of a huge amount of innocent individuals—especially patients…Regular smokers will fail a 5 ng/mL test many hours after smoking, meaning if an individual smokes a joint, and they decide to drive 10 hours later, they could get a DUID, regardless of the fact that they won’t be impaired.”

The group, founded by Gil Mobley, a doctor who owns a medical marijuana clinic, says that the legislation will also fail at generating any cash for the state.

“Even if legal markets were to ever see the light of day, the unreasonable tax structure would stop this initiative from having a positive effect in stopping the black market,” he writes on the organization’s site.

By 2016, the marijuana market could surge to $8.9 billion. To give some perspective, that’s more than the annual GDP of the Bahamas—by about a billion dollars.

Certainly, these are valid reasons to oppose the bill. But there is perhaps a more direct reason medical marijuana dispensary owners fear the legislation: If pot becomes legal, and can be sold anywhere, their niche businesses lose value. It begs the question, why should your customers travel to your dispensary when they could just get their weed from CVS or Walmart or gas station down the street?

“What’s the threat?” writes Holden in an opinion article for the The New York Times. “A legal, regulated market for all consumers—not just sick people—could negate demand for a niche medical pot industry altogether.”

The dispensary business is huge. According to See Change Strategy, a think-tank that conducted an industry-wide analysis of the medical marijuana trade, the current national market for cannabis is $1.7 billion. By 2016, the marijuana market could surge to $8.9 billion. To give some perspective, that’s more than the annual GDP of the Bahamas—by about a billion dollars.

The new legislation reveals a potential pitfall of the dispensary business in that it survives—and thrives—as a niche model for medical patients. But the legalization of marijuana presents troubling signals for dispensary entrepreneurs. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, weighed in for Holden’s article.

“The medical marijuana industry is driven by profit,” he said. “It’s not driven by compassion anymore. It is driven by the need to make money.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/

By: Eric Markowitz

He said legalization measures are already on the ballot in Colorado and Washington and similar measures could also be on the ballot in other states such as Oregon, Montana, Michigan and Missouri.

The raid by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service seized assets at the university and the businesses such as marijuana plants, bank accounts, records and computers.

IRS spokeswoman Arlette Lee wasn’t available for comment Friday on the purpose of the raid or the possibility that charges could be filed against Lee, who was briefly detained on Monday but wasn’t arrested.

Richard Lee, who is not related to the IRS spokeswoman, said armed federal agents came to his apartment in Oakland early Monday morning but they were “fairly polite and cordial.”

He said, “I’m steeling myself” for the possibility that he could face federal charges but said he also thinks a prosecution against him could
make more Americans support the legalization of marijuana.

“I can only hope that my sacrifice and struggle and battle will help” the effort to legalize the drug, Lee said.

He said he’s heartened by a recent Rasmussen poll that found that a majority of respondents support legalizing marijuana, with 47 percent in favor of legalization and 42 percent opposed.

Lee said that since the raid on Monday, more than 20,000 people have signed an online petition that calls on President Obama and the DEA to “stop the raids on the medical cannabis industry.”

The petition called the Oaksterdam raid “a senseless act of intimidation.”

Lee, a former rock concert lighting technician who became a paraplegic after a severe spinal injury in 1990, founded Oaksterdam in 2007.

The university is a trade school that offers classes to medical marijuana providers in fields ranging from horticulture to business to the laws concerning running a dispensary.

Bay City News

The DEA raided Oaksterdam University, Coffeeshop Blue Sky, Oaksterdam Museum, the Oaksterdam Gift Shop, and Lee’s apartment. Local police were on the scene handling crowd control, but their role, if any, in the raid itself is unclear. While the cause of the raids is not clear, Lee’s history with the federal authorities indicates that the raid is an escalation of an ongoing conflict.

Last year, US Attorney Melinda Haag forced Lee’s city-permitted cannabis dispensary, Coffeeshop Blue Sky, to move by threatening that the club’s landlord would be required to forfeit the property. Haag said Coffeeshop Blue Sky was too close to a school. Lee promptly moved two doors down, then again to the site of Oaksterdam Museum on 18th and Broadway not far away.

In an interview in February, US Attorney for the Eastern District Benjamin Wagner said the federal government was acting with restraint during its ongoing crackdown on medical marijuana businesses, sending forfeiture letters to most clubs, and reserving raids and prosecutions for the most “flagrant” violators of the Controlled Substances Act.

Executive Chancellor for Oaksterdam University Dale Sky Jones said Lee was “woken up by people with guns. He was detained but not arrested.” “At this point we are still in the fog of war. All I see it as is an attack on the people trying to bring this out of the shadows and into the light,” Jones said of medical cannabis. “This is a social justice issue. The economics are insane considering our tax dollars are keeping cops on the street. “They are attacking one of the leaders of the revolution,” Jones continued.

Former Prop 19 co-organizer Jeff Jones said the raid would make a martyr of Lee, and further amplify the local ire with federal law  enforcement. About fifty to a hundred activists heckled federal law enforcement at Oaksterdam after the raid, shouting “Shame!” and remarking, “What a waste of money.” One protester was arrested by Oakland Police.

“They’re sending a message,” Jeff Jones said. “Shutting down Coffeeshop Blue Sky was part of the crackdown. I wouldn’t doubt [that this was retaliation for him staying open]. “It’s about him,” Jones added about Lee. “They’re trying to intimidate him.” “He’s defying authority. If you don’t stand up for what you believe, for what is scientifically right and legally appropriate, who does?” said Jane Klein, publisher of The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook. “Oakland should support him.”

Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan didn’t know what the charges were, but said dispensary regulation in Oakland had succeeded and Richard Lee is an asset to public safety in Oakland. “I do know that his involvement in Oakland has been overwhelmingly positive,” Kaplan said. “He’s been a responsible community participant. He’s been an exemplary community member. “The real important question though from Oakland perspective is how we fight violent crime,” Kaplan continued. “If we have extra law enforcement resources to spend extra time, we need them to be out fighting illegal guns. We have a crisis of armed robbery.”

“This isn’t about justice, it’s about revenge and it’s outrageous,” said Stephen DeAngelo, owner of Harborside Health Center. “It’s not just an attack on Rich, it’s an attack on every medical cannabis patient in California. It is not coincidental that they are going after the guy who – as the lead fundraiser and organizer of Prop 19 – very nearly legalized cannabis in California.”

http://www.eastbayexpress.com

-David Downs

I honestly have mixed feelings about the topic. I just can’t seem to commit to a concrete stance on my option on the legalization of marijuana.  It would be a strange to imagine a world where marijuana was de-criminalized. I seriously cannot put a picture to it. Although, I feel like life would be so much more simple and just.

A good way to begin picturing a world with legalized marijuana would be to learn how weed affects the brain. Today’s infographic color codes the brain as it is affected by the substance. It seems that most areas of the brain affected only produces positive effects from weed. From curing pain to reducing nausea, weed seems to offer more perks than what most people would think. Although increased appetite might be a negative effect for those who are trying to lose some extra weight for spring break.

So there ya go, a small peak at which parts of the brain weed affects. Go out and spread the word so maybe you can help someone else gain better insight to the positive and negative affects of marijuana.

by Jasmin

http://dailyinfographic.com/marijuana

Click on Image to enhance!

To all of our Esteemed Patients,

We want to take this opportunity to inform everyone of the Discovery Channel decision regarding the future of our groundbreaking television program, “Weed Wars.” But first, we must take a moment to offer our personal thanks to everyone who played instrumental roles in this process and to honor the accomplishments of our efforts.

To our patients: We feel such honor in our hearts to be able to stand next to you in this struggle to free cannabis and tell our story in “Weed Wars.” You all made sacrifices during the filming of this series by tolerating cameras in your place of wellness. Many of you shared your personal stories about medical cannabis with the world. The courage you exhibited with this storytelling cannot be measured by ratings or expressed with words. You are the true stars of “Weed Wars” and you lit up the world with hope. You gave people a living example of change they can believe in. You have planted the seed of truth about medical cannabis to thousands of Americans. This seed will take bloom in hundreds of different ways by patient activists who have been inspired by “Weed Wars.” Our movement will grow stronger as a result of your stories being told to America. The contribution of “Weed Wars” to the advancement of safe access to medical cannabis will be felt for generations.

Perhaps the most important acknowledgement we have to offer is to all of our managers and staff. You let the world know medical cannabis collectives can be more professionally run than many mainstream businesses. Many of you also shared very intimate details of your lives with the world. You put your best foot forward in the way you represented our company and our brand. And you did all of this without big money from Hollywood or any other materialistic advantage. You did this because you wanted to represent our movement and share your knowledge of this miraculous plant. You are the true heroes of “Weed Wars.” We could not be more proud of a group of people than we are of all of you. Your work has been seen by millions of people all over the world. You have set a glowing example to many future generations of medical cannabis activists and business people. It is not often that a group of people can look back in time and say, “We made history,” but this group can. No one can ever take that away from you.

We must also express heartfelt thanks to Braverman Productions for their outstanding work as filmmakers of “Weed Wars.” Not many of you will ever know all the battles Chuck and Alex Braverman fought on behalf of our collective and patients. They brought so much passion, wisdom and integrity to this process. They have an amazing team of photographers, editors, sound designers and storytellers. To be able to work with that kind of talent is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We will always be grateful for their efforts.

For the first time on a major television network, medical cannabis collectives were shown from the patient point-of-view rather than the law enforcement point-of-view. Never before had America been exposed to our side of the story or heard the sound of our voices. “Weed Wars” has forever changed that as sites like YouTube will continue to show the world for years to come. In addition, “Weed Wars” received rave reviews from almost every major media outlet in the country, including local publications like the San Francisco Chronicle, the East Bay Express, and the San Jose Mercury News. The program is currently being aired in Holland and Denmark, and will be seen in most of Europe and Latin America.

All the accomplishments of “Weed Wars” won’t be fully realized for another generation, as all the people who saw the program move through the world and activate themselves with the cannabis plant. We are certain that 10 and 20 years from now people will stop us on the street and mention how “Weed Wars” changed their lives.

Nothing would please us more than to be able to continue with future episodes of “Weed Wars.” Unfortunately the Discovery Channel has made a much different decision and will no longer continue with future episodes. We do not know why, nor do we understand why, they made that decision.

– Stephen DeAngelo, Executive Director & Andrew DeAngelo, General Manager