Articles Posted in California Marijuana

An article from United Patient’s Group, provides some useful tips and information about traveling with Marijuana.

Our Marijuana lawyers in Los Angeles, realize that for patients, traveling with marijuana can be difficult. Particularly when traveling to out-of-state destinations.

An individual who is a properly registered medical marijuana patient in their state should not have any issues traveling locally with marijuana.
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As advocates in California are working tirelessly to get recreational marijuana ballot measure before voters by next year, our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers know that several other states are fighting to lift up initiatives that will make the drug legal as medicine.

So far, 20 states plus the District of Columbia have approved the drug for restricted use as prescribed by a doctor.

Support for decriminalization and legalization of the drug, according to a recent Gallup poll, is now at an all-time high, with 58 percent of Americans saying that pot should be legal for all purposes. That result marks the first time since Gallup began asking the public about the issue that the majority have voiced support for full legalization of the drug. Back in 1969, when the surveys first started, only 12 percent supported legalizing marijuana. In 2000, it was 31 percent. In 2012, it was 48 percent. We’ve jumped 10 percentage points in a year.
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As Colorado stands poised to become the first state to allow legal sales of marijuana for recreation, the industry has attracted an explosion of entrepreneurs with corporate cash.

These individuals are trying to move away from the days when the business was plastic baggies on street corners and move it into a more sophisticated direction, with clearly-defined brands and sales centers that offer a unique experience. Some are calling it the “dot-bong” revolution – a wide-open opportunity for those with an eye for business.

However, our Colorado marijuana lawyers want to make it clear that while there is indeed money to be made and market niches to be carved, it must all be done very carefully in order to ensure that it is sustainable under state guidelines. Doing this is key to ensuring that federal authorities aren’t going to be drawn to aggressive criminal enforcement and civil forfeiture action, like what we have seen against medical marijuana providers in states like California. Having an experienced marijuana lawyer to walk you through each process – from cultivation practices to banking – will help to protect your investment.
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In analyzing what access to medical marijuana in California has meant for those in this state, our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers first explored how our state disproved many of the negative predictions about what would happen.

The New York Times recently delved into the issue, as Colorado and Washington state stand poised to be the first to allow growth, sale and consumption of the drug for recreational purposes.

More are likely to follow, given a recent Gallup poll study that revealed 58 percent of American firmly believe the drug should be fully legalized.
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When California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, way back in 1996, there was a firestorm of controversy. Predictions swirled that it would mean a flood of teen addicts, reduced graduation rates and rampant lawlessness.

In the 17 years since then, that hasn’t happened.

In fact, our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers know that most of what has been born of the medical marijuana movement has proven positive. This is despite the fact that many cities – Los Angeles included – stumbled early on when it came to regulation, leading to a host of issues later on. Most notably, those have included efforts to ban dispensaries altogether, as well as federal intervention through the filing of criminal charges and civil forfeiture litigation.
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It seems that for now, marijuana will remain a Schedule I narcotic, with no recognized medicinal purpose – at least in the eyes of the federal government.

Our California marijuana lawyers understand the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge from the San Francisco-based advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, which was lobbying to change the language in federal law that forbids the drug from being prescribed by doctors.

As of right now, and at least for the near future, the drug is classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I. The government schedules drugs according to their addictive properties and the potential risk they pose to the public. Schedule I drugs are considered to be the most dangerous, and they are defined as having no currently accepted medicinal use and have a high potential for abuse and physical and/or psychological dependance. In addition to marijuana, other drugs classified as Schedule I include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote. Drugs that are considered less dangerous, with a Schedule II rating, include cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, Adderall and Dilaudid.
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When lawmakers failed to pass recent legislation that would have beefed up California’s medical marijuana regulation, there was a sense of disappointment not only because it would mean continued confusion for many current dispensary operators.

Our Los Angeles cannabis lawyers recognize that it also would mean a continued proliferation of federal and local enforcement action, which in turn would simply serve to push the drug trade even farther underground.

In turn, that opens it up for involvement of violent criminals.
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The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have all recently made announcements regarding pivotal policy shifts with regard to the approach toward marijuana cultivation, sale and consumption.

Our California marijuana lawyers know that first, there was the announcement by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that his prosecutors wouldn’t be pursing action against those in the industry who were abiding by strict regulatory guidelines as set forth by the states. He was specifically addressing the recent passage of recreational marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington state.

But advocates in may other states are taking this announcement to heart as they gear up to launch new initiatives across the country.
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In most places throughout the U.S., producing, selling and even consuming marijuana is still a serious crime, despite some exceptions made for regulated medicinal purposes and the landmark laws recently passed in Washington state and Colorado.

However, attitudes toward the drug have shifted dramatically in recent years, with the Pew Research Center reporting that 52 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legalized not just as medicine but for recreation. How long before we see the policy tides shifting that direction as well?

Unfortunately as it now stands, the federal government still nonsensically categorizes marijuana as being more harmful than cocaine. Our California marijuana lawyers believe it is much more a question of “When?” than “If?”
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Once again, California state legislators have failed their constituents with the death of Assembly Bill 604, which would have reformed Proposition 215 – the landmark measure that made California the first state to allow legalized medicinal marijuana.

But being first comes with its perils. There were many gaps in the regulatory process that we couldn’t have foreseen. Our California marijuana lawyers have been on the front lines of those battles, fighting back as federal regulators exploited those regulatory loopholes, taking malicious action against dispensary owners, growers, landlords and even patients.

Knowing what we now know, AB 604, sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, was a chance to fix some of those problems. It would have eliminated a number of ambiguities in the law and helped to offer clear regulatory standards for the commercial production and distribution of of medical marijuana, which would be overseen by the state’s Alcohol Beverages Commission.
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