Opening banks to medical marijuana dispensary business

The U.S. Department of Justice presented some support this week that the argument among banking system and pot businesses could be resolved. Anyone who cares about public safety should expect the organization succeeds.

The Justice Department, which before had signaled that banks that dealt with marijuana businesses would be in violation of federal law, is now suggesting there may be ways to work with banking regulators on the issue without having to get congressional approval.

Testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said Justice Department officials are working with the Treasury Department on "ways that this can be dealt with in accordance with the laws that we have on the books today."

Here is the problem: Federal law bars banks from doing business with criminal organizations, and while medical marijuana is legal in Colorado and recreational sales will be legal in January, the drug is still illegal under federal law.

Thus, pot shops and related businesses have been prohibited from taking credit cards or checks. They can accept only cash, which they can't put into bank accounts. Marijuana-related enterprises also pay their taxes in cash and complain they can't even hire armored cars because of federal laws.

The whole situation sets up an enormous public safety problem, especially in Denver as January approaches. With large amounts of cash exchanging hands continually, the 200 or so pot shops in Denver will make tempting targets for armed robbers.

The large and steady flow of cash also could be tempting for organized crime groups that want to launder money through marijuana businesses. And the cash-only system hampers auditors being able to square sales with inventory or to see if taxes are really being paid.

It possible, the federal government should craft a solution that brings these transactions onto the books and into the banks.

NORML Gets Together Among Former Mexican President

At a gathering with drug reorganization advocates in San Francisco, ex- Mexican President Fox articulated sustain for California's efforts to lawfully normalize cannabis, medical and otherwise. He said that California has a brawny enriching influence on Mexico, and that evolution here would assist labors there.

Speakers integrated Dale Sky Jones for CCPR, Nate Bradley for LEAP and me for California NORML, who noted that marijuana proscription is a global trouble founded on international treaties, which need to be permanent during global collaboration by the U.S., Mexico, and other countries. Many thanks to President Fox, Jamen Shively, and Steve DeAngelo for arranging this gathering. - Dale Gieringer, CA NORML

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox took his campaign to decriminalize marijuana to San Francisco on Monday, unification pot advocates to urge the United States and his own country to legalize the sale and recreational use of cannabis.

Fox met for three hours with the advocates, including Steve DeAngelo, the Oakland-based executive director of California's largest marijuana dispensary, and former Microsoft executive Jamen Shively, who hopes to create a Seattle-based pot brand now that Washington State has legalized recreational use.

Legalization, Fox told reporters after the meeting, is the only way to end the violence of Mexican drug cartels, which he blamed on America's war on drugs. Every day, Fox said, 40 young people are killed in drug-related violence.

Fox's position on legalizing drugs has evolved over time since the days when he cooperated with U.S. efforts to tamp down production in Mexico during his 2000-2006 presidential terms. He has been gradually more verbal in his resistance to present policies, assistance two prior efforts to decriminalize marijuana in Mexico.

Mexico's current president, Enrique Pena Nieto, has contrasting substantiation. But he recently said that he would consider world opinion on the matter, predominantly in light of recent voter-approved initiatives to legalize marijuana in Washington state and Colorado for leisure use.

In San Francisco on Monday, Fox said he had signed on to attend and help develop an international summit later this month in Mexico to strategize a path to end marijuana prohibition.

Participants scheduled to attend the three-day meeting starting July 18 in San Cristobal include an American surgeon, the dean of Harvard's School of Public Health and a Mexican congressman who plans to introduce a bill to legalize marijuana in Mexico this summer, Fox said.

The bill, which he expects to be introduced by Mexican lawmaker Fernando Belaunzaran, would legalize adult recreational use of marijuana, Fox said.

Support for legalizing marijuana in the United States has been growing. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have passed medical marijuana laws, according to the pro-legalization National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. But the drug remains illegal under federal law.

Lifting the prohibition on cannabis in Mexico, however, appears to face more of an uphill battle. Mexican lawmakers have rejected previous legalization efforts and polls have shown little popular support for the idea.

For More Info: San Francisco Medical Marijuana Dispensary  

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Google's Hushed Medical Marijuana Involvement

Medical marijuana is unquestionably a mounting business-really, it could well be amongst the biggest developing industries at the side of the grapheme sector. And it looks like one of the Internet's biggest entities is intensely alert of that. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) emerges to be receiving in on the medical marijuana action.

Just last week, Michigan Compassion, a company that bonds growers with patients to set up a medical marijuana association, expected $120,000 in Google advertising services. Consequently, the company will, preliminary next month, be able to endorse its offerings via Google's renowned AdWords policy, significance its results will be served up beside normal offerings when pertinent keywords are searched on Google.

In exacting, Michigan consideration is hoping to draw the attention of those searching for in rank related to chemotherapy. Nausea due to that process is widespread, and medical marijuana can ease that.

The Huffington Post quotes vice president of Michigan Compassion Amish Parikh:

"The goal is to link the negative effects of chemotherapy and the positive effects of cannabis."

Now, this is surely small modifying for Google, whose company's contributions wing is reliable for the push. AdWords supposedly brings the company some $40 billion or more in annual revenues, so as long as $120,000 this way isn't a big deal.

What is a big deal is Google wholeheartedly throwing its considerable weight behind the embryonic medical marijuana association. Gradually, and in fits and starts, we're seeing the association of the different nodes of the network that a modern business sector needs to succeed.

We've already seen companies like Privateer Holdings develop ways to sidestep the difficulty of finding asset capital in the marijuana sector due to the federal administration's behind-the-times attitude toward marijuana. And even Google had long been opposed to supporting advertising involving marijuana.

It's possible to argue that Michigan Compassion gets a pass because it isn't directly related to growing the drug, but that's a fragile dispute. It's much more likely Google's changed deportment reflects Silicon Valley's growing support for the medical marijuana sector.

Even more fascinatingly, Google noted that the marijuana-friendly search results would only show up in states that already support medical marijuana. That would include 19 states and D.C., but it's very likely more states will join the list in short order.

The Huffington Post report suggests that even LinkedIn, the professional networking company, has offered its services to Michigan Compassion, which will undoubtedly help make its services more visible.

The funding for Michigan Compassion came via the Google Grants program, a non-profit version of AdWords. It allows participating non-profit organizations to spend up to $10,000 a month on AdWords promotions, reports Search Engine Watch.

Legalizing Marijuana – Brazil March

Throbbing drums, waving banners and shouting slogans, protesters in city center Sao Paulo called for marijuana to be legitimated in Brazil.

"Less insincerity, more freedom," read one banner, while others encouraged "Legalize, Dilma!" alluring to President Dilma Rousseff frankly.

Military police said there were around 1,000 protesters, while organizers of the march asserted ten times that number.

"Brazil is very late. In many countries, marijuana use is permitted, but here we have these intransigent policies. Today we would say that drugs do not kill, what kills is the war on drugs," march director Carol Ribeiro said. Police said one young man was detained on disbelief of using illegal substances.

Compulsory Confinement For Drug Addicts

Brazil is measured one of the world's largest patrons of chink, a extremely addictive, low-cost imitative of cocaine. It is anticipated there are about a million crack users among the 194-million-strong population.

Major cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have launched policies of compulsory confinement for drug addicts, particularly those addicted to crack.

The Latin American country does not make the drugs obsessive there - most of the marijuana comes from Paraguay, while the cocaine enters from Bolivia, authorities said.
For More Info: San Francisco Medical Marijuana Dispensary