Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Illinois Medical Marijuana Hearing tomorrow morning Reminder: 8:00 am. Human Services Committee Hearing. Stratton Building Room D-1. Springfield, IL. We'd love to have some supporters there (wear a suit and get there about 15 minutes early). There's a bus coming from Chicago, leaving at 4 am. Contact me today and I'll give you the number to arrange for taking the bus. If you're coming from Bloomington-Normal, you can hitch a ride with me. The Illinois Medical Cannabis Act (HB 407) was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 26 by Rep. Larry McKeon.  Creates the Medical Cannabis Act. Provides that a person who has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition and the person's primary caregiver may be issued a registry identification card by the Department of Human Services that permits the person or the person's primary caregiver to legally possess no more than 12 cannabis plants and two and one-half ounces of usable cannabis. Provides that a person who possesses a registry identification card is not subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner, or denial of any right or privilege, including civil penalty or disciplinary action by a professional licensing board, for the medical use of cannabis; provided that the qualifying patient or primary caregiver possesses an amount of cannabis that does not exceed 12 cannabis plants and two and one-half ounces of usable cannabis. Amends the Cannabis Control Act to make conforming changes consistent with the Medical Cannabis Act. Effective immediately. Full text available here. 9:01:46 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Putting a leash on Drug Dogs I've discussed at length my problems with the Supreme Court decision in Caballes (allowing suspicionless dog sniffs of cars), and the road that this decision could take us down. Even now, I understand that there's a case from a few years ago regarding a suspicionless sniff of a home that may be brought to the Supreme Court (unfortunately I've lost the citation, but I think it was in Texas - the dog alerted at the garage, but the drugs were in a completely different part of the home). Stopping this trend may require getting legislatures to act. Yes, I know that's a tough sell, but, as Steve at Decrimwatch notes that Illinois Representative Monique Davis has filed a bill to hold the dogs back. "In my opinion, this will lead to a police state," Davis said, subjecting "innocent motorists, college students and especially people of color to the harassing, frightening and embarrassing experience of a dog search." Police need more evidence than "ear-piercing and dreadlocks" to pull a driver over and call in the dogs, she said. Davis cited protections in the U.S. and Illinois constitutions against searches and seizures that lack probable cause. The bill is HB 1557: Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a motor vehicle or the driver or passenger of a motor vehicle stopped on the basis of a violation or suspected violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code may not be subjected to an investigation or procedure involving a drug detecting canine or canine sniff in the absence of specific and articulable facts that support a reasonable belief that illegal drugs are present in the motor vehicle or upon the person of the driver or passenger of the motor vehicle. Good one. Let's pass it. 8:46:22 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Stupid Legislator Tricks Switching to Washington... Drug Warrior Mark Souder is holding a hearing in his pet subcommittee -- The Committee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources -- titled: "Is There Such a Thing as Safe Drug Abuse?" Have you ever heard such a pre-judged title? This is what passes for a legislative hearing in Washington. With Souder as chair, this will be just another opportunity to grandstand, and beat up on drug policy reformers, and probably call in resident liar Andrea Barthwell as an "expert" witness. An appropriate topic would be "Is There Such a Thing as Safe Use of Currently Illegal Drugs?" with Jacob Sullum as one of the witnesses, but that's not likely to happen. The session will be at 2:30 Eastern and I don't know if any of the C-Spans are going to cover it (I'll be on the road then), but if anyone sees it, I'd love to hear from you. Update: Apparently the purpose of this hearing is to attack the notion of "harm reduction." Travesty. And Barthwell and Bensinger (former DEA head and compliant drug warrior) will be witnesses. 8:31:45 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []