Global Ganja Report

President Barack Obama clarified his position on medical marijuana in an interview with Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, to appear in the May 10 issue: "What I specifically said was that we were not going to prioritize prosecutions of persons who are using medical marijuana. I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana—and the reason is, because it's against federal law. I can't nullify congressional law."

Organizers failed to win an emergency temporary restraining order in Boulder District Court barring the University of Colorado from closing its Boulder campus to the public on April 20—the day of what has become an annual "420" cannabis smoke-in. Police showed up in force and even spread the campus' Norlin Quadrangle with foul-smelling fish fertilizer to keep tokers away from their intended gathering point. But a few hundred protesters defied the crackdown and rallied on another field—where many lit up at 4:20 PM.

A number of California winemakers are secretly producing wines laced with cannabis, Cabernet Sauvignon being the variety of choice for the blend, reports trade journal The Drinks Business April 16. "Pot wine is increasingly fashionable in wine country—much of the marijuana used for the wine comes from California's weed capital Humboldt County," Crane Carter, president of the Napa Valley Marijuana Growers said. "Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stag’s Leap district is thought to pair particularly well with pot." According to Carter, cannabis wine delivers a quicker high than pot brownies, and the combination of alcohol and THC produces "an interesting little buzz."

The city of Walnut succeeded in shutting down the Natural California Medicine cannabis collective in mid-April, as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed a complaint filed on behalf of the dispensary. The city of Walnut's municipal code prohibits the sale of marijuana, despite the state law that allows its use for medical purposes. California courts have in recent months overturned such municipal bans, and the issue will be heard this year by the state supreme court. (Walnut Patch, April 15)

Amid a growing federal crackdown, medical marijuana advocates in San Diego County have announced plans to expand their efforts beyond the city of San Diego, proposing ballot initiatives in five other municipalities to tax and regulate storefront dispensaries. The proposals—filed in Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Lemon Grove and La Mesa—would limit the dispensaries to commercial and industrial areas and impose a 2.5% tax on retail transactions. They also would allow municipalities to establish security measures and hours of operation and require licensing. The proposed ballot measures largely mirror one planned for the city of San Diego. All are being coordinated by Citizens for Patient Rights and the Patient Care Association, a trade organization of nonprofit dispensaries.

The number of registered medical marijuana cardholders in Montana fell below 12,000 as of March 31 for the first time in two years, the Billings Gazette reported April 13. A total of 11,993 cardholders had registered as of March 31 with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services Marijuana Program—after peaking a year ago at 31,522. In addition, there were 421 medical marijuana providers, previously called caregivers, registered with the state as of March 31—down from 4,848 a year ago. The number of physicians who can recommend the use of medical marijuana to cardholders is also down—to 254 from a peak of 365 as of last June. Activists and patients blame federal raids and restrictive new legislation in the state.

Several Boulder cannabis dispensaries have received letters from the US Attorney's Office ordering them to move or close by May 7 because they are within 1,000 feet of a school, the Denver Post reported April 11. This constitutes the third wave of threatening letters sent to Colorado dispensaries by US Attorney John Walsh this year. The first slew of such letters, in January, resulted in the closure of 23 dispensaries, although none in Boulder. Another 25 letters were sent in March. The US Attorney's Office declined to name the targeted dispensaries, but representatives of two dispensaries in Boulder's University Hill area—Fresh Republic and the Hill Cannabis Club—confirmed they received the letters. An owner of the latter dispensary said the business will close by May 7.

The Daily News on April 9 couldn't resist two sophomoric jokes in the lead line of its story on New York's governor axing chances for passage of a medicinal cannabis bill this year: "Gov. Cuomo provided a buzz-kill Monday to a new legislative push to legalize medicinal marijuana that is being fired up." Andrew Cuomo told the newspaper that legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has "tremendous risks," and is unlikely to be taken up by the Legislature this year. "I understand the benefits, but there are also risks, and I think the risks outweigh the benefits at this point," Cuomo said, reiterating the position he took during his 2010 campaign for governor.