Lake Elsinore Medical Marijuana News

UPDATED LAKE ELSINORE NEWS!

To recap on the Lake Elsinore medical marijuana news, a group called ‘We the people‘ submitted 2,679 signatures on June 7^th in order to make Lake Elsinore City Council to finally decide whether to adopt the initiative as an ordinance or place it on a ballot for the Lake Elsinore voters to decide.

1,612 signatures had to be registered voters in Lake Elsinore to qualify the proposed ordinance for the ballot. That figure depends on the number of registered voters in the city when the petition drive started in December.

The signatures and petition had to be reviewed to ensure that they have been properly prepared before sending them to the Riverside County registrar’s office to have the signatures verified.

The Lake Elsinore Medical Marijuana Dispensary Initiative would:

Limit the number of dispensaries with respect to population

Zone dispensaries away from schools and churches

Prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from entering the premises

Requires operators to submit to a background check and maintain electronic surveillance.

Licensees would have to agree to allow law enforcement and city staff the right to enter the premises unannounced

Require operators to maintain records and holds them liable for diversion

Restricts signage, prohibits loitering, and prohibits on-site consumption.

Provides revenue to the city designated specifically for libraries, homeless, and less fortunate children; city revenues estimated to be up to $150,000 annually.

The City of Lake Elsinore has informed ‘We the People’ that they have confirmed the necessary quantity of signatures needed to place the voter initiative on the next general election!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“We did it! Thanks to ALL the countless people that made it possible.” -Wayne Williams, spokesman for We the People

‘We the People’ is the FIRST organization in California to put a medical marijuana ordinance to a vote!!

Want to put a medical marijuana ordinance to vote in your city?

Wayne Williams will be spending an afternoon explaining EXACTLY how to do this yourself!

“What one man can do, another can do “

Click Here for more details

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Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act is Introduced to Congress

H.R.2835 - Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act

On June 11 the Medical Marijuana patient Protection Act was Introduce to Congress.

“This bill would prohibit federal interference in state-run medical marijuana programs. It would also move marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug, recognizing marijuana’s medical value and making it possible for the FDA to begin setting up a regulatory framework for its use.”

• The Act transfers marijuana from schedule I to schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act.
• Provides that no provision of the Controlled Substances Act or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act shall prohibit or otherwise restrict, in a state in which marijuana may, under state law, be prescribed or recommended by a physician for medical use
• Allows a physician from prescribing or recommending marijuana for medical use;
• Allows an individual from obtaining, possessing, transporting, manufacturing, or using marijuana in Allows accordance with such a prescription or recommendation;
• Allows an individual authorized under state law to do so from obtaining, possessing, transporting, or manufacturing marijuana on an authorized patient’s behalf;
• Allows a pharmacy or other entity authorized to do so from obtaining, possessing, or distributing marijuana to such patients; or
• Allows an entity established by such a state or local government thereof to do so from producing, possessing, or distributing marijuana for such a prescription or recommendation.

Watch the Bill as it Passes through House, Senate, the President and then Becomes a Law!

Taxing and Regulating Marijuana in California

Taxing and Regulating Marijuana in California California Drug Policy Say No to the DEA DEA acting administrator Michele Leonhart has overseen dozens of medical marijuana raids and blocked research. She has some dangerously backwards ideas, but the Senate has the power to stop her. Urge the Senate to demand a new DEA administrator. Tell the President: Don’t Interfere With State Marijuana Laws Urge President Obama to respect states’ rights to try new marijuana policies without interference from the federal government. Tell the President: We Need a New Direction for Drug Policy The Obama administration has gone astray on drug policy. The president proposed a Bush-style drug war budget, and his nominee for DEA director is an anti-reform Bush administration holdover. Tell the president you want a new direction for drug policy. Dismantle the Drug War - Support Sentencing Reform Dozens of states have reformed their drug sentencing laws recently; it’s time for Congress to reform federal drug laws. A good start would be eliminating the 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine disparity. Save Lives, Reduce Overdose Deaths Congress has the chance to save lives by passing overdose prevention legislation. Tell your representative to support the bill. Reform Calfornia

Limiting Government Waste California wastes hundreds of millions of dollars a year trying to enforce unenforceable marijuana laws. More people are arrested for marijuana offenses every year (nearly 75,000 in 2007 alone), the vast majority for simple possession. Even though marijuana was decriminalized for personal use over 30 years ago, more resources are being squandered on marijuana prohibition than ever before - resources that could be directed to drug education and treatment and to far more serious offenses. Capturing Tax Revenue California is suffering the worst financial crisis in its history, and many lawmakers continue to deny the existence of the state’s largest cash crop. Taxing marijuana sales could earn California billions in new revenue.  The longer we wait to tax and regulate marijuana, the larger and more lucrative the black market becomes. Encouraging Responsible Use Millions of Californians have tried marijuana, and hundreds of thousands use it regularly.  Like alcohol users, the vast majority of adults who use marijuana use it responsibly - in moderation and in the privacy of their homes. Marijuana prohibition makes them all criminals. Regulating marijuana means encouraging responsible use, and allowing addiction to be treated as a medical rather than criminal problem. Restricting Youth Access Despite prohibition, marijuana remains the most commonly used substance among high school students after alcohol. Marijuana is also easier to obtain, more widely used, and more prevalent on school property than cigarettes. Regulating marijuana means making it harder -not easier - for teenagers to get it. Regulation means restricting access to adults over the age of 21 and imposing serious penalties for sales to minors and for driving under the influence. Reducing Violence and Corruption Ending marijuana prohibition will take money directly out the hands of dangerous criminal cartels on both sides of the border. Just like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s, marijuana prohibition has helped guarantee that the dangerous black market in illegal drugs remains profitable and powerful. Bringing the market for marijuana into the open will hamstring the Al Capones and Pablo Escobars of today by taking away their most lucrative product. Letting Californians Decide for Themselves The Supreme Court of the United States has made it clear that California has the right to define and enforce its own laws regarding the availability of medical marijuana, free from federal interference. The right to decide whether and how marijuana should be available for personal, non-medical use is no different. The people of California have the right and the obligation to take responsibility for their own health and their own bodies. More Resources Fact Sheet: Taxing and Regulating Marijuana in California Fact Sheet: Marijuana and Health

Federal Law on Medical Marijuana

The Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in Raich v. Gonzales that the federal government can prosecute medical marijuana patients, even in states with compassionate use laws, and several medical marijuana dispensaries in California have since been subject to Drug Enforcement Administration raids.

Federal Law

In the wake of the June 2005 Supreme Court decision, Congress had an opportunity to protect patients by passing an amendment to a Justice Department

spending bill that would have prohibited the department from spending any money to undermine state medical marijuana laws. The amendment, offered for the third year in a row by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-22nd/NY) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-46th/CA), did not pass but got 161 votes - more than it has ever received before. This is substantial progress given that in 1998, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 311-94 for a non-binding resolution condemning medical marijuana.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, defined as having a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value. Multiple petitions for rescheduling marijuana have been submitted by reform advocates over the last 30 years. The most recent, submitted in 2002 by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis,

calls for a full review of the scientific research and medical practice regarding marijuana. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to respond to this petition.

In 1978, the federal government was forced to allow some patients access to medical marijuana after a “medical necessity” defense was recognized in court, creating the Investigational New Drug (IND) compassionate access program. The IND, which allowed some patients to receive medical marijuana from the government, was closed to new patients in 1992 after it was flooded by applications from AIDS patients. Today, seven surviving patients still receive medical marijuana from the federal government.

The Courts

In addition to changing state laws, medical marijuana advocates have pursued reform through the courts, most recently in the Raich v. Ashcroft Supreme Court case. Angel Raich, a medical marijuana patient in California, sued the federal government to stop federal raids against patients. Though she did not win the case, the ruling left state medical marijuana laws intact. She is now back in court with an appeal based on a different set of arguments. The new arguments assert that she should be allowed to use medical marijuana because she has the fundamental right to avoid death and severe pain under the Fifth and Ninth Amendments.

In 1997, Conant v. McCaffrey, a class-action lawsuit, was filed on behalf of physicians and seriously ill patients against Drug Czar General Barry McCaffrey and other top federal officials who threatened to revoke prescription licenses or criminally prosecute physicians who recommend medical marijuana. In 2002, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously decided to uphold the right of doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients and of patients to receive that recommendation. Judge Mary Schroeder wrote the majority opinion, which noted that the federal government’s policy of revoking doctors’ licenses “leaves…no security for free discussion.” A concurring opinion by Judge Alex Kozinski stepped even further, noting the prevailing evidence on the medical usefulness of marijuana.

For more Information visit DrugPolicy.Org

Local Medical Marijuana News!

RIVERSIDE COUNTY!

Here is a list of your Local Candidates that support Medical Marijuana that are running in upcoming elections:

Judge of the Superior Court - office 21 - Raquel Marquez

County Supervisor - District 2 - Herb Higgins

County Supervisor - District 4 - Gary Jeandron

District Attorney - Paul Zellerbach

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY!

Here is a list of your Local Candidates that support Medical Marijuana that are running in upcoming elections:

County Supervisor - District 2 - Dennis Labadie

District Attorney - Robert Conaway

Sheriff - Paul Schrader

LAKE ELSINORE!

The group that launched an initiative drive in hopes of bringing medical marijuana dispensaries to Lake Elsinore, has just crossed a major milestone toward making that a reality. The group announced on today that it has collected and submitted 2,672 signatures to move the initiative forward. The signatures will be submitted to the registrar of voters for verification. If more than 1,529 are determined to be valid, the Lake Elsinore City Council will then have to decide whether to adopt the initiative as an ordinance or place it on a ballot for the Lake Elsinore voters to decide.

Wayne Williams, spokesperson for the initiative group We the People, said that the initiative movement was borne from the need to create strict regulation with respect to voter Proposition 215 and Senate Bill 420; laws that are designed to allow safe access to medical marijuana for those with a doctor’s recommendation.

“The laws are so broad that law enforcement officials in every part of the State are having problems enforcing illegal activity,” Williams explained. “In December 2009 the City Council placed a moratorium on dispensaries to study the issue. Since then nothing has been done. If you’re sick and are unable to produce your own medicine, your only legal option is to obtain it from unlicensed, unregulated, out-of-town delivery service. It’s a dangerous policy.”

Williams expressed that the initiative is the latest in a lengthy effort to bring marijuana regulation to Lake Elsinore. “We held a town hall meeting at the civic center to discuss the pros and cons with a panel of experts that included a retired judge, medical experts, and public servants.

Despite our invitation, there were no Lake Elsinore Council members present. (The group’s meeting was dissed as was reported here, see archives) We wanted people that opposed the effort to come out and speak their mind. There were approximately 170 residents that came out. There were none who opposed medical marijuana dispensaries in attendance.”

Medical marijuana has been a hot button issue in California cities since the passage of voter Proposition 215 in 1996. Williams says he feels that local support for dispensaries is strong.

“Most people were overwhelmingly supportive when we were out collecting signatures. Support today is as strong as it was in 1996, maybe stronger.”

Williams cites the citywide election results for Proposition 215 as proof of community support for the initiative. In that election 53.98% of Lake Elsinore voters voted yes for medicinal marijuana. “The voters have already spoken on this issue. We felt it was time to place strict regulations on how that law affects our city,” Williams said.

The Lake Elsinore Medical Marijuana Dispensary Initiative would:

• • Limit the number of dispensaries with respect to population
  • Zone dispensaries away from schools and churches
  • Prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from entering the premises
  • Requires operators to submit to a background check and maintain electronic surveillance.
  • Licensees would have to agree to allow law enforcement and city staff the right to enter the premises unannounced
  • Require operators to maintain records and holds them liable for diversion
  • Restricts signage, prohibits loitering, and prohibits on-site consumption.
  • Provides revenue to the city designated specifically for libraries, homeless, and less fortunate children; city revenues estimated to be up to $150,000 annually.

More information is available at: www.wtpelsinore.com

“We The People hope to help protect our civil and political rights through community education and accountability. We The People stand for the rights of medical marijuana patients protected under CA HS 11632.5, and recognize that marijuana is medicine. We The People stand for retaining the freedoms of all Americans. We The People avidly support civic involvement, starting at the local level. We believe that together, a community can guide its course with the help of our elected officials.”