This week: Obama Loved Marijuana, Now Locks People Up For It; Penn Jillette’s Obama Drug Rant Goes Viral; Landmark Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ruling Prevails; Marijuana and Autism Survey; Medical Marijuana Mistrial, Judge Dismisses Charges; Disabled Rights Not Violated When Pot Shops Close; MT Landlord Gets Year in Prison for Tenant’s Marijuana Activities; The Current State of Legalization Efforts Around the Country; The Cannabis Conundrum at American Universities; and more.

MEDICAL

Marijuana and Autism Survey – NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) has joined with UF4A (the Unconventional Foundation for Autism) to embark on important research into the important subject of cannabis as a treatment for autism, starting with this survey targeted at persons on the autism spectrum currently using or interested in using cannabis as a safe and effective medication to treat autism.

POLITICS/LEGAL

Obama Loved Marijuana, Now Locks People Up For It — New insight into the early life of Barack Obama has been recently made available in the form of excerpts from the forthcoming biography, Barack Obama: The Story. Apparently young Barry Obama, like countless of his contemporaries, enjoyed partaking in the use of marijuana…a LOT!  But now his policies continue locking people for the very same activity he indulged in…a LOT!

Penn Jillette’s Anti Obama Marijuana Policy Rant Goes Viral –  Video footage of Penn Jillette and Michael Goudeau’s “Penn’s Sunday School” chat about the President’s marijuana policy and previous drug use has gone viral online:
“If Obama had been busted for marijuana under the laws that he condones, would his life had been better?” Penn asks. “If he had been busted under his laws, he would have done hard fucking time. And if he had done time in federal prison — time for his weed ‘and a little blow’ — he would not have been President of the United States of America.”

Disabled Rights Not Violated When Pot Shops Close — A federal appeals court decided Monday that cities do not violate the federal rights of the disabled when they shut down medical marijuana dispensaries.  A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by severely disabled Californians who were authorized by their physicians to use marijuana for medical purposes.  The patients sued Costa Mesa and Lake Forest, charging that the Orange County cities’ attempts to close dispensaries violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination.

Medical Marijuana Mistrial, Judge Dismisses Charges — Another devastating blow was dealt to San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ fierce fight against medical marijuana patients when Judge Laura Parsky declared a mistrial and dismissed the chanrges in the Dexter Padilla case after the jury was hopelessly deadlocked.

MT Landlord Gets Year in Prison for Tenant’s Marijuana Activities — A Montana landlord with no criminal history has been sentenced to a year in prison for a medical marijuana operation run by his tenants.

Landmark Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ruling Prevails — The absurd specter of seriously ill medical marijuana patients being forced to work in the fields for their medicine has been dispelled. In a major victory for the community, the California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied review of an important dispensary case out of Los Angeles. Rejecting calls from State Attorney General Kamala Harris and law enforcement to review the Court of Appeal ruling in People v. Colvin, the Court upheld certain protections for medical marijuana patients and providers.

The Current State of Legalization Efforts Around the Country — As summer draws near, the election picture when it comes to statewide marijuana legalization initiatives is becoming a bit clearer. At the beginning of the year, activists in eight states undertook efforts to get initiatives on the ballot, but the field has been winnowed.  Check out where everything stands in this handy graphic chart.

The Cannabis Conundrum at American Universities — Going back to at least 1998, NORML has been receiving complaints from parents and students that while the state where the university is located has legalized medical cannabis use and possession, because of the federal government’s recalcitrance and ‘flat earth’ view on cannabis’ medical utility, the student is threatened with sanctions or expulsion if they get caught with a lawful medicine.

Cory Booker Calls Drug War Is National Nightmare — Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker took to Twitter on Wednesday, calling the government’s war on drugs a failure that unfairly targets the black population. His pointed criticism comes one day after New Jersey advanced a bill to decriminalize marijuana. If it passes, a person caught with 15 grams of pot or less would only face a $150 fine.

1000s of Pounds of Pot Found Floating Off CA Coast — Harbor Patrol officers found nearly 8,000 pounds worth of marijuana floating off the coast of Orange County, Calif., last Sunday, according to reports.  The marijuana found south of Los Angeles was packed in around 160 bales and had an estimated street value of $3.6 million

NORML Women Put LA County Judges on the Hotseat – How often do you know anything about the people running for judge in your local elections?  The NORML Women’s Alliance in LA County wants to change that and they embarked on a county-wide judicial voter education project, including a direct 10 question survey sent to each candidate to evaluate their merits on marijuana law, prison reform, and California’s controversial Three Strikes Law.

ENTERTAINMENT

High School, New Cannabis Comedy Opens June 1st — A new cannabis comedy movie starring Adrian Brody, Colin Hanks, and Michael Chiklas is set for June 1st release.  Watch the trailer here!

SYNOPSIS:
The day after soon-to-be valedictorian Henry Burke (Matt Bush) takes a hit of the chronic for the first time, his school principal (Michael Chiklis) institutes a zero tolerance drug policy and administers a mandatory drug test for all students. Henry has two options: fail and lose his college scholarship, or team up with his stoner friend Breaux (Sean Marquette) to beat the system. They steal a high powered ganja from law student-turned-drug-dealer Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody) and spike the school’s bake sale brownies, getting the whole school—faculty included—completely stoned out of their minds. But with the student body getting higher and higher with every brownie, and a pissed-off Psycho Ed on their tails for stealing his stash, they must find a way to keep their half-baked plan from going up in smoke.

TAKE ACTION OPPORTUNITY

Via NORML:  Join us in tweeting at the Barack Obama campaign (or by posting on their facebook wall). Let him know there is nothing wrong with his youthful marijuana use. We don’t think he should’ve been arrested, but neither should we. Bring back “Barry Obama” and stand against arresting responsible adult cannabis consumers and you might just influence some votes.

RT!: @BarackObama nothing wrong with marijuana use. You shouldnt have been arrested nor should we. Change your mind, we may change our vote.

https://www.facebook.com/barackobama