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Marijuana
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Cannabis Bowl 2017: Get Your Vote On, MMJ Folks
Posted By Mari Herreras on Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 10:00 AM
Over here at Weedly World Central we are getting read for round two of the Cannabis Bowl.
If you are a card-carrying Medical Marijuana patient, it's time for you to tell us about your favorite dispensaries, strains and products. It doesn't take as long as Best of Tucson, and the survey deadline is around the corner—April 7.
Results will be printed in next month's Tucson Weedly 420 issue, which happens to come out on, yep, April 20.
Vote here.
If you are a card-carrying Medical Marijuana patient, it's time for you to tell us about your favorite dispensaries, strains and products. It doesn't take as long as Best of Tucson, and the survey deadline is around the corner—April 7.
Results will be printed in next month's Tucson Weedly 420 issue, which happens to come out on, yep, April 20.
Vote here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Pick Up Tickets to the Southwest Cannabis Conference + Expo in Phoenix
Posted By Chelo Grubb on Tue, Oct 11, 2016 at 11:00 AM
Want to drive up with Phoenix and spend the weekend learning all about the cannabis business? We've got tickets to the Southwest Cannabis Conference + Expo where you can do just that.
SWCC Expo will be an electric environment for industry members, entrepreneurs, local leaders, companies, job seekers and curious individuals to come learn about the rapidly expanding cannabis industry and our changing culture. This years convention will focus on the potential transitions and changes coming in Arizona marijuana policy in 2016.The conference will be at the Phoenix Convention Center (100 N. 3rd Street).
If you want attend, swing by our office (7225 N. Mona Lisa Road #125) and pick up some tickets. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While you're at the event, find the Tucson Weekly booth, where we'll be giving out the rest of our stash of environmentally conscious condoms.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Learn About Medical Marijuana and the Workplace
Posted By Alyssa Schlitzer on Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 10:00 AM
There's an estimated 90,000 people in Arizona with medical marijuana cards, making company and employment policies surrounding cannabis use a hot topic of discussion. What can and can't employers ask of their card-carrying employees?
Find out at the free information seminar Lovitt & Touché Learning Academy (7202 E. Rosewood Street #200)
is hosting on Thursday, Sept. 29. The seminar will run for an hour starting at 9 a.m. and will be looking at marijuana laws from a business perspective, so CFOs, CEOs, Risk Managers and HR Directors are encouraged to attend.
Some topics that will be covered:
To register for the seminar, click here.
Find out at the free information seminar Lovitt & Touché Learning Academy (7202 E. Rosewood Street #200)
is hosting on Thursday, Sept. 29. The seminar will run for an hour starting at 9 a.m. and will be looking at marijuana laws from a business perspective, so CFOs, CEOs, Risk Managers and HR Directors are encouraged to attend.
Some topics that will be covered:
- In-depth overview of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act
- The rights employers have with Medical Marijuana
- Safety Positions
- Recent MMJ cases in Arizona
To register for the seminar, click here.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Marijuana Legalization Group Submits Initiative to Secretary of State's Office with More Than 250K Signatures
Posted By María Inés Taracena on Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 3:30 PM
Well, it’s official, guys: Arizona could well be on its way to legalize recreational marijuana this year.
Today, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted more than 250,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. The measure only needs 150,642 valid signatures to make the general election ballot, so the fate of legalization could be up to voters in November. We’ll probably hear whether CRMLA qualified around in August, according to a press release from the campaign.
“We are very encouraged by the strong levels of support and enthusiasm we found among voters during the petition drive,” says a media statement from CRMLA Chairman J.P. Holyoak. “Arizonans are ready to end the antiquated policy of marijuana prohibition and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. We look forward to continuing the public conversation about the initiative and we think most will agree it is a sensible step forward for our state.”
The initiative allows adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. You would be able to smoke weed at home and purchase it from a licensed retailer. You could also grow up to six plants in an enclosed, locked space. No more than 12 weed plants would be allowed to grow in the same household.
Cities and counties would be authorized to impose limits on where and when marijuana businesses are allowed to operate. They could also prohibit home growing if it is considered a nuisance or dangerous, or enact zoning regulations for marijuana establishments.
Retail marijuana sales would be taxed at 15 percent and the revenue would be used in the implementation and enforcement of recreational weed regulation. Additional funds would be allocated mostly to education—40 percent to school maintenance and operation costs; 40 percent for full-day kindergarten programs— and 20 percent to the Arizona Department of Health Services for substance abuse awareness.
When it comes to penalties, possessing more than one ounce of weed or cultivation of more than six plants per person would be a felony. It would be illegal to sell any marijuana without a business license. Driving while high would also still be a crime, but the initiative says a person shouldn’t be punished merely over the presence of metabolites or components of marijuana.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
In Defense of Marijuana: #FreeKyleCatlin
Posted By María Inés Taracena on Wed, Jun 29, 2016 at 2:53 PM
Suson Catlin has been writing letters to the Governor's Office hoping someone out there will help get her 27-year-old son, Kyle, out of prison—where he's been since mid-January over nonviolent marijuana felony charges. Unsurprisingly, she hasn't received a response. But as I imagine most mothers would, Suson is willing to exhaust all options. Hope dies last.
The night of June 23, Suson got a phone call from Kyle, saying he had been charged with assault after anotherp inmate in the Marana Community Correctional Facility jumped him and split his lip open. In response to the altercation, which Kyle repeatedly told his parents he didn't do anything but take the punches, Kyle was placed in "protective custody," also known as "the hole," or solitary. The inmate who assaulted Kyle was placed in solitary first, so he and friends threatened to kill Kyle for being "a snitch."
After Suson made several frantic phone calls to the correctional facility, guards moved Kyle to the hole, where he remained for about a week.
To make matters worse, Kyle got transferred back to the first correctional facility he stepped foot in—the Arizona Department of Corrections' Whetstone Unit off of South Wilmont Road and East Old Vail Road. While there the first time, an inmate jumped Kyle and hurt his head. One hopes the correctional system would have enough common sense to not send a nonviolent inmate back to a place where his safety was jeopardized. But, really, they could give a shit. It is not their son. It is not their brother. It is not their friend.
"I'm not giving up, I am going to fight even more to get my son out of that hell hole," Suson wrote on Kyle's Facebook after her son told her he'd be transferred again.
Friday, June 17, 2016
In Defense of Marijuana: Parents of Medical Weed Patient in Prison Fear for His Life
Posted By María Inés Taracena on Fri, Jun 17, 2016 at 9:00 AM
I met Kyle Catlin almost one year ago. As I'm writing this, he sits in protective custody at the Marana Community Correctional Facility, afraid for his life after an inmate recently jumped him and then threatened to kill him for being "a snitch."
The inmate split Kyle's lip open. The inmate now sits in solitary because of the fight. Kyle is also in "the hole" for protection. Both of them were issued a complaint even though Kyle didn't do anything, according to his father Marvin.
This wasn't the first time. A couple of months ago, another inmate in a different correctional facility jumped Kyle and split his head open.
"His appeal for the guy punching him in the mouth was denied, he has one more appeal and is working on it now. If he is denied again he will have to be put in a medium security facility," Marvin told me through Facebook a couple of days ago. We've been in touch here and there since Kyle's trial.
"He is being threatened by a group of inmates. He should be moved to protective custody tonight.
I fear for his life," Marvin said last night.
It was a three-digit-hot August day last year, and the young medical marijuana patient/caregiver and I were supposed to talk about his upcoming two trials for nonviolent marijuana sale, possession and cultivation felony charges over some iced coffee or tea at Cafe Passé on Fourth Avenue. Kyle called me to let me know he couldn't make it because his car had broken down and he'd taken it to a shop in South Tucson. I met him there and we talked in the waiting room for at least three hours.
Before we got into the serious talk, he chatted about his upcoming birthday party on Aug. 15. It was his 27th birthday.
Tall, the blondest of hair, soft spoken, kind eyes, beyond family-oriented and a die-hard fan of car racing—I remember thinking, how can he be facing the possibility of going to prison?
At the time, he had at least 10 felony charges on him. (Read more about the charges, In Defense of Marijuana, September 2015.) He told me he was afraid of going to prison. He was afraid of getting pulled into a gang, being jumped. He, without shame, said he wasn't a fighter. He'd lose a fight. But probably the biggest fear was separating from his family. They were always together.
The inmate split Kyle's lip open. The inmate now sits in solitary because of the fight. Kyle is also in "the hole" for protection. Both of them were issued a complaint even though Kyle didn't do anything, according to his father Marvin.
This wasn't the first time. A couple of months ago, another inmate in a different correctional facility jumped Kyle and split his head open.
"His appeal for the guy punching him in the mouth was denied, he has one more appeal and is working on it now. If he is denied again he will have to be put in a medium security facility," Marvin told me through Facebook a couple of days ago. We've been in touch here and there since Kyle's trial.
"He is being threatened by a group of inmates. He should be moved to protective custody tonight.
I fear for his life," Marvin said last night.
It was a three-digit-hot August day last year, and the young medical marijuana patient/caregiver and I were supposed to talk about his upcoming two trials for nonviolent marijuana sale, possession and cultivation felony charges over some iced coffee or tea at Cafe Passé on Fourth Avenue. Kyle called me to let me know he couldn't make it because his car had broken down and he'd taken it to a shop in South Tucson. I met him there and we talked in the waiting room for at least three hours.
Before we got into the serious talk, he chatted about his upcoming birthday party on Aug. 15. It was his 27th birthday.
Tall, the blondest of hair, soft spoken, kind eyes, beyond family-oriented and a die-hard fan of car racing—I remember thinking, how can he be facing the possibility of going to prison?
At the time, he had at least 10 felony charges on him. (Read more about the charges, In Defense of Marijuana, September 2015.) He told me he was afraid of going to prison. He was afraid of getting pulled into a gang, being jumped. He, without shame, said he wasn't a fighter. He'd lose a fight. But probably the biggest fear was separating from his family. They were always together.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Study: Recreational Marijuana Could Bring AZ $113 Million in New Revenue
Posted By María Inés Taracena on Wed, May 25, 2016 at 11:00 AM
Legalizing recreational marijuana and establishing a 15 percent tax on it could bring Arizona $113 million in new revenue, according to a study by the non-partisan group Tax Foundation.
The Arizona study is based on sales per capita in Colorado and Washington—both states legalized weed four years ago.
The study says that if all 50 states enforce retail taxes on marijuana, the country could see a revenue of $5.3 billion if taxed at 15 percent, or as high as $8 billion if it's taxed at 25 percent, according to an article on The Arizona Republic.
In Arizona, a "mature" marijuana industry could raise $113 million every year if weed is taxed at 15 percent; $150 million if taxed at 20 percent; and $188 million if taxed at 25 percent, the study says, according to The Arizona Republic.
The study cautioned officials to not overestimate tax revenue from legalizing the drug, saying revenues started out slowly in Colorado and Washington as their legalization programs and regulatory systems took shape.The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is backed by the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, wants to legalize recreational use of weed for adults 21 and over, green light home cultivation of six plants per adult but a limit of 12 per household, allow possession of up to 1 ounce, as well as make available up to 160 licenses for weed retailers. This measure asks to enact a 15 percent tax on retail marijuana sale. The group proposes using the revenue to fund schools maintenance, operation, full-day kindergarten programs, as well as substance abuse awareness programs. (Get to know CRMLA's initiative here.) The campaign has gathered more than 200,000 signatures.
The second contender, Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, also would legalize marijuana use, possession and cultivation for adults 21 and over. An adult would be allowed to posses 1 ounce of weed and no more than 5 grams in concentrated marijuana, such as oils. Also, an adult could grow 12 plants at home, without a limit on the amount of weed plants that can be cultivated per household, as long as it is under 99. The taxation is set at 10 percent. (Here's more info on their initiative.) Last time I spoke with the AZFMR guys at the end of March, they said they had gathered more than 100,000 signatures.
Both initiatives need at least 150,642 signatures by July 7 to make the November ballot.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Veterans Affairs Doctors in Some States (Like AZ) Could Soon Recommend Medical Marijuana to Patients
Posted By María Inés Taracena on Fri, May 20, 2016 at 9:30 AM
The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday an amendment that would allow Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients in states where using medicinal cannabis is legal—like Arizona.
The amendment was attached to a military appropriations bill. The Senate approved a similar amendment in a spending bill that would go into effect in 2017, according to The Huffington Post.
The Veterans Equal Access Amendment, introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, strikes down a Department of Veterans Affairs prohibition on VA doctors recommending medical marijuana as treatment for veterans who have chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions, the HuffPost writes.
The amendment was attached to a military appropriations bill. The Senate approved a similar amendment in a spending bill that would go into effect in 2017, according to The Huffington Post.
The Veterans Equal Access Amendment, introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, strikes down a Department of Veterans Affairs prohibition on VA doctors recommending medical marijuana as treatment for veterans who have chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions, the HuffPost writes.
Under current regulations, veterans had to seek these recommendations outside of the VA system and pay out of pocket for the related expenses.
Staff Pick
8th Annual Comedy for Charity: Laugh ‘til It Hurts
Comedians: Jason Love, David Fitzsimmons, Henry Barajas, Nancy Stanley, Elliot Glicksman, Linda Ray, and Suzie Sexton. Beneficiaries:… More
@ Fox Tucson Theatre
Sun., April 22, 6-8:15 p.m.
17 W. Congress St.
