Supreme Court Rules on Marijuana Use for PTSD
June 11th, 2009 by Rick
Last Wednesday, the Croatian Supreme Court ruled in favor of a 1991-95 war veteran, overturning his jail sentence for growing marijuana plants and having in his possession ~67 grams (over two ounces). They took in account of his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the fact that marijuana relaxed him and helped him overcome any psychological issues.
The Supreme Court of Croatia believed the man’s use of marijuana “meaningless” to the law. Despite the ruling, authorities in Croatia say that drug manufacturing and trafficking will still hold strict sentences.
It’s nice to know that somewhere in the world, a country’s war veterans are watched over. It’s also rather ironic that a country like Croatia has the balls to say marijuana helps PTSD, a disorder that can affect any soldier that has seen combat.
Candian Cabinet Tweaks Medical Marijuana Law
May 27th, 2009 by Rick
After a Canadian Federal Court ruled last year that allowing only one medical marijuana patient per licensed grower was a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada’s Cabinet increased the limit to two patients per producer. This slight increase has sparked heavy criticism from the MP’s and advocates for medical marijuana.
A Health Canada spokesman, Philippe Laroche, said in an e-mail:
As a result of (the Federal Court ruling), the government has moved quickly to address this regulatory void and has modified the (regulations) to allow one designated person to now produce marijuana for up to two authorized persons. [...] This modification is currently in force.
Eric Nash, a licensed Vancouver Island marijuana supplier under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations said:
From one to two patients, that’s just insane.
Despite several hundreds of requests from medical marijuana patients, Nash and his partner are limited to one patient each.
New Democrat MP Libby Davies said:
From the beginning, the federal government has been dragged kicking and screaming into accepting the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
Davies also says that the government ruling is “abysmal” and that the courts should reverse the decision eventually. Health Canada is aware that thousands of medical marijuana patients receive their marijuana through “Compassion Centers” but that marijuana is not regulated for quality and safety and it’s source is usually the black market.
Bay Area Activist Fighting Conviction
January 16th, 2009 by Perry
Author and activist Ed Rosenthal was in a federal appellate court today to try and overturn a conviction for growing which he had already served time on. Rosenthal was sentenced to one day in jail in federal court in San Francisco back in 2007 for a grow operation he ran in Oakland, CA.
Rosenthal was apparently running the warehouse in concert with city officials, hence the light sentence. However, the green-thumbed Rosenthal wants the felony conviction thrown out on principle and off of his record.
Rosenthal said he was denied the opportunity to present his defense at his original trial, making the conviction unjust. Prosecutors say Rosenthal knew he was growing marijuana, and that Rosenthal should have known what he was growing was illegal under federal law, calling his grow efforts a “nefarious” acts.
We support Ed’s efforts to remove his felony record, let’s hope the courts make the right decision.
Pot Odor Not Grounds for Search
March 11th, 2007 by Alex
The AP is reporting on a ruling in Utah that might have some lasting repercussions with police forces across America.
In the case of Bernadette Duran vs. the Carbon County Police, the Utah Supreme Court ruled 4 – 1 against the legality of seizure without a warrant, purely based upon the odor of marijuana emanating from the residence.
The general belief behind the ruling, is that if the Utah Supreme Court ruled that entry and seizure without a warrant (purely based on odor) was legal, police would feel “empowered” to check for other crimes on baseless assumptions. In other words, search an underage teenager for cigarettes if their clothes smelled like smoke or other liberty-eroding processes.
This ruling will be noted by police across the country, and make them think twice before attempting search & seizures on such subjective evidence.
Still, don’t go blazing in a parking lot and expect the police to just look the other way and leave you alone. There’s a difference…
