Marijuana legalization

Proposed ban on hash, pot extract irks critics

Austin Jenkins — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:39:37 +0000

Washington’s proposed marijuana rules weren't even 24-hours old when critics began finding things not to like. The 46-pages of draft regulations released Thursday cover everything from where marijuana can be grown to the criminal backgrounds of license applicants. But it’s the section on marijuana concentrates that’s getting some negative buzz.

Five things you should know about the proposed marijuana rules

Martha Kang — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:47:55 +0000

The state Liquor Control Board on Thursday released a draft of rules proposed to help regulate legal marijuana. The 46-page document is filled with details relevant to those who plan to apply for a pot license.

Here are five things non-license seekers should know about the proposed rules:

State releases draft of rules for legal marijuana

The Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:13:14 +0000

Officials in Washington state took their first stab at setting rules for the state's new marijuana industry Thursday, nearly eight months after voters here legalized pot for adults.

Among the preliminary regulations: They want to track marijuana from "seed to store," and while they're putting a cap on the number of retail stores in each county, they're not planning to limit the number of licensed pot growers or processors.

A guidebook on marijuana quality control nearing completion

Austin Jenkins — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:50:00 +0000

Entrepreneurs who hope to cash in on legal marijuana will have some heavy reading to do Thursday. That’s when Washington’s Liquor Control Board is expected to release nearly 50 pages of proposed rules for growers, processors and retailers. But there is another pot rulebook that’s also in development.

It’s called the Cannabis Monograph. Think of it as an illustrated bible for pot quality control. It’s a technical but colorful handbook for testing labs to ensure the identity, purity, and quality of legal pot.

Complete with hearse, march planned to bury pot prohibition

Liam Moriarty — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:16:04 +0000

An annual march to support legalization of marijuana will take to Seattle streets Saturday. The Cannabis Freedom March will feature a mock funeral procession for cannabis prohibition, complete with a hearse. Organizers say the time has come to lay anti-marijuana laws to rest.

“2013 is the year to really push,” said organizer Sharon Whitson with Hempfest. “We have legalized cannabis in Colorado, and here in Washington state. We have a number of other states seriously looking at it. And a few states, over the course of this year, have legalized medicinal cannabis, as well.”

Marijuana Gold Rush begins as investors hunt for opportunities

Ashley Gross — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:56:33 +0000

The first state-licensed marijuana stores are still almost a year away, but business-minded people are already chasing profits. Today, entrepreneurs are pitching their pot-related ideas to dozens of wealthy investors in Seattle.

San Francisco-based ArcView Investor Network arranged the private forum akin to the TV show “Shark Tank.” Entrepreneurs will have a few minutes to pitch their idea—which includes everything from better grow lights to handheld vaporizers, to mobile apps for marijuana retailers—and explain why their idea is a worthy investment.

Marijuana repeal considered in Colorado

The Associated Press — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:29:23 +0000

Marijuana legalization could be going back to the ballot in Colorado — a prospect that infuriated pot legalization activists Friday.

The marijuana ballot measure proposal went public as the House started debate on bills to regulate and tax pot. One bill would state how pot should be grown and sold, and the other would tax recreational marijuana more than 30 percent.

House approves fix to state marijuana law

The Associated Press — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 00:15:16 +0000

The House has approved a measure prosecutors and crime lab scientists say is needed because of concerns that a provision in Washington's new legal marijuana law jeopardizes their ability to go after any pot crimes at all.

The measure, passed on a 95-1 vote Friday, defines marijuana as part of the cannabis plant containing more than 0.3 percent of delta-9 THC and THC acid. Supporters said the change was a technical fix needed to help police and prosecutors distinguish marijuana from industrial hemp, which is grown for its fiber.

Colorado court says no protection for pot users

The Associated Press — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:39:09 +0000

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that there is no employment protection for people who use marijuana.

In a split decision issued on Thursday, the court said marijuana use is still barred by the federal government, even though state-licensed marijuana use has been approved by voters and is considered lawful.

"For an activity to be lawful in Colorado, it must be permitted by, and not contrary to, both state and federal law," the appeals court said.

New state legal pot law jeopardizes prosecutions

The Associated Press — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:04:54 +0000

Prosecutors and crime lab scientists say a little-noticed provision in Washington's new legal marijuana law has jeopardized their ability to go after any pot crimes at all, and they're calling for an immediate fix in the Legislature.

The problem stems from a part of the law meant to distinguish marijuana from industrial hemp, which is grown for its fiber. The law defines marijuana as having more than 0.3 percent of a certain intoxicating compound, called delta-9 THC.

4/20 a special day for pot fans

Bellamy Pailthorp — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:01:00 +0000

Fans of recreational marijuana are expected to light up in record numbers Saturday. That’s because the date—April 20 or 4/20—is also slang for the time of day when many pot-users like to get high.

KPLU wins regional Murrow Award for pot legalization series

KPLU — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:32:43 +0000

KPLU has garnered a 2013 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA). The award for Best Audio News Series is in recognition of the KPLU News team’s 2012 pre-election series, “If it’s legal: Five ways legal pot could affect your life.”

State delays pot grower, processor licenses

The Associated Press — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:31:00 +0000

Washington state is delaying its timeline for granting marijuana growing and processing licenses — and that means legal marijuana sales likely won't begin before next spring.

Liquor Control Board spokesman Brian Smith says that rather than issue growing licenses this summer and processor licenses this fall, it will issue all licenses Dec. 1. That means the growers won't be able to get to work until December, and the final product won't be ready for a couple months after that.

Local credit union tries on being banker to the pot industry

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:27:50 +0000

Federal law prohibits banks from helping drug dealers. So where do marijuana businesses keep their cash?

“We would put the cash in the safe on premises, which obviously makes you nervous. You have to leave it there overnight,” said Cale Burkhart, who sells cannabis-infused lotions. His shop closed last year, but he’s still selling a line called Vita Verde.

For regulators, legalizing pot all about ‘getting into the weeds’

Austin Jenkins — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0000

When Washington voters legalized recreational marijuana last fall, they handed the state’s Liquor Control Board a regulatory nightmare. There’s no manual for how to create a safe and legal market for pot – something that’s never been done before.

State Representative Roger Goodman – speaking after a recent meeting on marijuana legalization – says the giggle factor is gone.

“Initiative 502 largely is about making marijuana boring. Because who cares about all this detail, technical, regulatory stuff," he said. "Well that’s what it’s all about is to get down into the weeds so to speak.”