Browsing: 2011

Low-level arrests for marijuana possession in New York City increased for the seventh straight year in 2011, according to a study released Wednesday — despite a September memorandum from the police commissioner that reminded officers to follow the letter of the law and not arrest people with the drug unless they have it in plain view.

We can put 2011 to bed now, but not before looking back one last time at the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was a year of rising hopes and crushing defeats, of gaining incremental victories and fending off old, failed policies. And it was a year in which the collapse of the prohibitionist consensus grew ever more pronounced. Let's look at some of the big stories:
Activism

CANNABIS CULTURE - After filing a lawsuit against the city of Seattle and successfully negotiating with local officials, organizers of Seattle Hempfest announced today that their 20th anniversary event will take place at its originally planned location at Myrtle Edwards Park from August 19 - 21, 2011.
Medical

House Bill 1491, an act to allow qualified patients to raise an affirmative defense to prosecution for the possession of medical cannabis, has been reintroduced in the Texas legislature.