From some of the headlines today, one would think that the prohibition on marijuana was over. USA Today and the Huffington Post had articles suggesting that states were weakening/lowering their laws on marijuana. Smaller media outlets followed suit and tried to pick up the story. One paper in my home state of Oregon even had a headline today that read ‘Some Declare End of War on Marijuana.’ Who are these people in the media talking to? From what I can tell, marijuana is still illegal, and especially in California and Colorado, the ‘war on marijuana’ is just starting to get hectic.
Colorado legislation to regulate dispensaries (HB 1284) appears to be DOA, as an attorney for the MMJ community has said he will instantly challenge it if it is passed in its current form, followed by statements from the Colorado Attorney General saying he hated the bill too. In both Colorado and California it seems like every day there is a new ordinance or moratorium on dispensaries. Law enforcement in every state is still on a ‘Reefer Madness Crusade’ and will go out of their way to bust a marijuana consumer (even if they have a medical card in some cases). The last time I updated the state laws for this website (this month) there were still some states that treated a failed UA as possession, which results in jail time and hefty fines.
There are quite a few states that give you a year in jail and a fine of several thousand dollars, just for possessing a used pipe. I will admit that some states have more lenient laws than others, and that there is quite a bit of PENDING legislation to weaken/lower marijuana laws in some states. But for media outlets to try to make some propaganda claim like the prohibition against marijuana is going to end today or tomorrow is preposterous. Like Flavor Flav says, “DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!” Stay tuned and stay active!
