The U.S. House of Representatives approved a revised version of the highly contested Farm Bill yesterday. Although representatives re-crafted the bill to remove provisions for food stamp funding, they left a hemp amendment intact.

The amendment would change federal law to allow for colleges and universities to grow hemp for research purposes in states where hemp cultivation and production is permitted by state law. The bill must still pass the Senate before final approval.

[caption id="attachment_6722" align="alignright" width="173"] James Comer[/caption]

Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado and Agriculture Commissioner James Comer of Kentucky expressed their support for the amendment. Comer said, “Without a doubt, this was an historic day for industrial hemp in America.”

The bill narrowly passed on a 216-208 vote.

A retired Army veteran in Texas was recently barred from purchasing a gun after a background check turned up a misdemeanor marijuana conviction from 1971.

Ron Kelly, who served on the frontlines for 20 years (and fired “perhaps 100,000 rounds of government ammo” in that time), was arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana while he was a high school student. He served a night in jail and a year of probation. As a result, he has been added to a list of Americans who are permanently prohibited from purchasing a gun.

[caption id="attachment_6718" align="alignleft" width="240"] Ron Kelly[/caption]

Kelly’s case is not unique: There have been several court rulings on the legality of denying marijuana users their Constitutional rights. In 2011, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana patients cannot be stripped of their rights to own guns. Texas law, however, states that citizens can be prevented from owning guns if they are convicted of certain crimes. And federal law prevents anyone who uses illegal drugs to own or possess a firearm.

Kelly has contacted U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul and Sen. John Cornyn for their assistance in resolving the issue.

For medical marijuana dispensary owners and the patients who rely on them for access to their medicine, Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter’s (D) bill is common sense.

[caption id="attachment_6714" align="alignright" width="240"] Rep. Ed Perlmutter[/caption]

Perlmutter introduced legislation yesterday that would allow legal marijuana-related businesses to have access to traditional banking services. The Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act aims to accomplish this by updating federal banking laws to account for discrepancies with state laws: Currently, financial institutions are barred from working with any organization that sells a controlled substance, regardless of whether the state it resides in permits marijuana sales. Banks that violate this law risk losing their deposit insurance or their federal charter. If the bill is enacted, medical marijuana dispensaries – and the businesses getting ready to open for recreational marijuana sales in Colorado and Washington – will finally have access to bank accounts, credit cards, and loans.

Under the current system, medical marijuana dispensaries are forced to operate on a cash-only basis. For many businesses, this means storing hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal safes, carrying sacks full of hundreds to the state Department of Revenue in order to pay taxes, and looking for unusual sources of start-up revenue. For some businesses, the added burdens have forced them to close shop.

Jamie Lewis, a board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association and owner of two Denver-based medical marijuana companies, said, “Each year, my companies contribute to the five million dollars in tax revenue Colorado collects from the sales of medical marijuana. Making those tax payments is unnecessarily challenging because we do not have access to banking services other local businesses take for granted. Regulators, business owners, and medical marijuana patients alike all deserve the accountability, safety, and efficiency offered by this legislation.”

The bill has been backed by a bipartisan group of 16 Republicans and Democrats, including co-sponsors Jared Polis of Colorado and Denny Heck of Washington.

Washington, D.C. Council member and mayoral candidate Tommy Wells (D – Ward 6) proposed a bill today that would decriminalize marijuana in the nation’s capital. Possession of up to an ounce would be punishable by a civil fine of $100 rather than by the current threat of jail time. The bill was also backed by Marion Barry (D – Ward 8).

Wells told reporters that decriminalization would save youths who are caught with small amounts of marijuana from becoming entangled in the criminal justice system and losing out on future employment opportunities.

The bill has arrived at an interesting time for marijuana reform advocates. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union released a report which found that D.C. leads the nation in marijuana possession arrests per capita. The study also found that arrests in the District were racially biased: African Americans were eight times more likely than whites to be arrested on marijuana charges. According to D.C. police statistics, there were roughly 4,300 marijuana possession arrests in 2011.

Surveys indicate that a majority of D.C. residents agree with Wells’ proposal. An April poll by Public Policy Polling found that 75% of D.C. residents support decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. Additionally, 63% support taxing and regulating marijuana for adults.

MPP spokesman Morgan Fox was quoted in the Huffington Post as saying, “It is time to adopt a more sensible marijuana policy in our nation’s capital, and that is what Councilman Wells has proposed.”

Robin Room, the director of Australia’s leading alcohol research center, has released a statement calling for the legalization of marijuana for adults. His support is based on research showing that marijuana is a less harmful alternative to alcohol.

[caption id="attachment_6702" align="alignleft" width="240"] Prof. Robin Room[/caption]

Professor Room said that if teenagers chose to use a substance in excess, they would be much safer after consuming marijuana than after binging on alcohol. “Cannabis is not without harm,” Room said, “but it’s substantially less than alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm.”

He has said that the best way to reduce alcohol-fueled violence is by legalizing and regulating marijuana.

While Australia has not always been at the forefront of rational marijuana debate, it is good to see that science is winning. The relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol is finally starting to be recognized throughout the world.

Doug and Patricia Rohrick are embroiled in a custody battle over their great-granddaughter. The Colorado couple told reporters that the El Paso County Department of Human Services denied their requests to adopt 10-month-old Saya because they were medical marijuana patients.

[caption id="attachment_6697" align="alignright" width="240"] Doug Rohrick with great-granddaughter Saya[/caption]

Mr. Rohrick said that he and his wife have been open about their legal medical use since the beginning of the adoption process – and even cared for the child without incident for several months - and that it was not a problem until a DHS employee’s intervention on Monday, June 8.

“They walked in with a cell phone in the air and handed it around to everybody and said the deputy director of DHS has stated that anybody with a medical marijuana card could not have custody of any children,” Rohrick said.

The El Paso County DHS has released conflicting statements regarding their policy of placing foster children with medical marijuana patients. In response to Rohrick’s claim, Executive Director Rick Bengtsson said there is no policy denying relatives custody because of marijuana use. Instead, he stated that custody decisions are made on a case-by-case basis with a premium on the child’s safety and well-being.

However, in 2010, Bengtsson issued a directive to the El Paso County DHS clarifying the organization’s policy as one of zero-tolerance. The directive stated: “EPC will not place children in licensed foster homes if a foster parent is using or intends to use medical marijuana, even though under state law they may do so legally.”

Child custody problems have become increasingly common among medical marijuana patients and advocates, due to the intolerance of state and local officials who think that marijuana use automatically makes one unfit to raise children. Recent victims include California mother Daisy Bram and outspoken Idaho activist Lindsey Rinehart.

On July 2, an article by Dr. Samuel T. Wilkinson was published in the Wall Street Journal positing that marijuana use can drastically increase one’s predisposition towards schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Dr. Wilkinson cites research stating that teenage and early 20s use of marijuana holds a causal link to later development of schizophrenia. However, this data is simply not a credible argument against making marijuana legal.

Within his own article, Dr. Wilkinson discusses the “cliff of sanity,” a metaphorical line between sanity and mental illness, and he claims that those with a pre-existing tendency towards mental illness may be “pushed over” by marijuana use. However, if marijuana use before the age of 21 is riskier as a result of a developing brain, then legalization and regulation is the solution.

In response to the article, MPP’s Mason Tvert said, “Legalization would involve carefully controlled outlets that would not sell pot to minors, as opposed to the current situation where illegal dealers will sell pot to anyone, including schoolchildren. The net effect would be less exposure to the drug by our young people at a time when they are most vulnerable.”

In Mason’s letter to the editor, he states that a 2009 study from the journal Schizophrenic Research found that “the prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses has remained stable or declined during periods in which marijuana use increased significantly among the general populace.”

A predisposition to mental illness is a preexisting condition that is not created by marijuana use. In fact, any chemical substance introduced into the body may very well exacerbate the issue, including alcohol. Marijuana does not cause mental illness for users, either occasional or frequent, and making marijuana legal poses the best chance for a safer marijuana market that more effectively limits access to people aged 21 and over.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board released its final proposed regulations for the state’s adult marijuana industry on June 3.

Among the proposed rules are requirements that the industry ensure public and consumer safety through strict surveillance and transportation practices, criminal background checks, and packaging and labeling requirements.

[caption id="attachment_6688" align="alignleft" width="192"] Sharon Foster[/caption]

"Public safety is our top priority," said Board Chair Sharon Foster. "These rules fulfill the public expectation of creating a tightly-regulated and controlled system while providing reasonable access to participation in the market."

The Board also proposed several revisions from previous plans. In an effort to alleviate concerns that the state may earn an objectionable reputation, the Board abandoned the official regulatory logo of a marijuana leaf inside an icon of Washington state. Additionally, in order to expand regulatory flexibility, the Board proposed that the state allow marijuana to be grown outdoors, and not just indoors or in greenhouses.

Public hearings on the proposed rules will be held from August 6 – 8. The final rules will be adopted by August 14 and will go into effect in September of this year. Retail stores are expected to open as early as March 2014.

A study looking at survey data pooled in 2010/11 comes from Northern Ireland and reveals that marijuana use rates tend to be greater for those engaged in higher education, and are also consistently lower in groups that left education before age 15.

As it turns out, the group most frequently using marijuana in their lifetime is a composite of professionals and managers, whereas marijuana useage is lowest among semi-skilled and unskilled laborers. This information is also consistent with data gathered in the United States.

42.9% of Americans surveyed have admitted to trying marijuana at least once. Info gathered by the U.S. government in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive reveals that of those surveyed who had attained less than a high school education, 25% have tried marijuana and 75% have not. 41.6% of high school graduates have tried marijuana, and 58.4% have not tried it. For those who have received between one and three years of college education, 49.8% have tried it and 50.2% have not. Finally, those who received four or more years of college education had a 45.5% population who have used marijuana, and 54.5% have not used marijuana.

This data holds that a predisposition towards marijuana use does not exist for those who are uneducated. In fact, the exact opposite is quite apparent. While the study only shows that increased education is an indicator of potential marijuana use, it is possible that with increased education comes more knowledge about the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol and other drugs.

It is clear, however, that the many of the negative stereotypes of marijuana users are proving to be nothing but myths.

While many spent the past few days celebrating with friends and family, the Oregon Legislature was still hard at work in Salem. Last Wednesday the state Senate passed an amended version of HB 3460 – a bill to allow and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. On Saturday the House agreed with the Senate version, meaning the bill is one signature away from bringing safe and consistent access to the nearly 55,000 medical marijuana patients in Oregon. The bill is now awaiting Gov. Kitzhaber's signature.

HB 3460 – a summary can be found here (PDF) – would create medical marijuana facilities that will be allowed to transfer usable marijuana and immature marijuana plants to medical marijuana patients and their designated primary caregivers. If signed, Oregon will become the 13th state with legal medical marijuana dispensaries. If you are Oregon resident, please ask the governor to sign HB 3460.

Big thanks are in order to Sam Chapman and Oregonians for Medical Rights who orchestrated the lobbying effort to see this bill through.