The Florida’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has filed a civil lawsuit against the Broward County Commissioner of Elections, after media and news reports revealed that mail in ballots have been sent to voters omitting the state’s medical marijuana constitutional amendment. The claim was just filed by NORML’s national vice chairman, Fort Lauderdale attorney Norm Kent, and his law partner, Russell Cormican, on behalf of Florida NORML and Karen Goldstein, NORML Florida’s chair, a West Park, Broward County voter. The plaintiff’s are seeking a judicial declaration enjoining the Defendant’s from distributing any further ballots, and implementing an emergency plan to issue new ones which insure the inclusion of the proposed constitutional amendment on…
Category: Courts
Tennessee: Cities Move To Reduce Marijuana Possession Penalties
Members of the Nashville metro council and the Memphis city council have given final approval to municipal legislation providing police the discretion to cite rather than arrest minor marijuana offenders.
Federal Court of Appeals Upholds Ban on Prosecuting State-Compliant Medical Marijuana Businesses
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, covering nine western states, earlier this week ruled unanimously that the Department of Justice is barred by federal law from prosecuting medical marijuana businesses if those businesses are operating in compliance with state law.
Supreme Court Turns Back Challenge To Marijuana Legalization Laws
Supreme Court justices today declined to consider a 2014 suit challenging the legality of Colorado’s regulations permitting the state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults.
Canadian Court: Government Can’t Prohibit Patients’ Rights To Grow Cannabis
A federal court in Canada ruled today that government officials cannot prohibit physician-authorized patients from growing their own supply of medical cannabis.
NORML’s Weekly Legislative Round Up
This week was a busy one for marijuana law reform around the country. There were several election day measures and a new bill was introduced in the Senate. Click here to take a closer look at this week’s marijuana happenings
It’s Time to Enact Appropriate Job Protections for Those Who Legally Use Pot
Many observers were shocked and saddened when Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic who is authorized to use medical marijuana under Colorado state law, was fired from his job with Dish Network in 2010 after a positive drug test. Dish failed to make an exception for Coats, who used marijuana while off duty to control his seizures, and the company insisted on his being fired, leaving Coats no choice but to challenge this issue in court. Specifically, Coats claimed that his conduct should have been permitted under the state’s Lawful Off-Duty Activities […]
US Surgeon General Acknowledges “Marijuana Can Be Helpful”
Newly appointed US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy believes that cannabis possesses therapeutic utility — an acknowledgment that contradicts the plant’s present placement as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Speaking to CBS News, Murthy said: “We have some preliminary data showing that for certain medical conditions and symptoms that marijuana can be helpful.” He added, “I think we have to use that data to drive policy making and I’m very interested to see where that data takes us.”
2014: The Year In Review — NORML’s Top 10 Events That Shaped Marijuana Policy
NORML reviews the top news stories of 2014.
A “Hail Mary” Pass by our Political Opponents
For those of us in the business of changing public policy, sometimes we judge our progress on what we have accomplished; and other times we judge our effectiveness by the desperate acts of our opponents. The federal law suit filed late last week by the states of Nebraska and Oklahoma, seeking a declaratory judgment from the U.S. Supreme Court holding Colorado’s legalization provisions to be unconstitutional, clearly falls in the latter category. This suit is more political theater than a serious legal challenge. These two conservative state attorneys general know […]