Federal Judge Throws Out Gov. Jan Brewer's Lawsuit that was Blocking Arizona's State

Ernst · Jan 9, 2012

Federal Judge Throws Out Gov. Jan Brewer's Lawsuit that was Blocking Arizona's State Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fe...dical-marijuana-dispensary-program-2012-01-09

PHOENIX, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Altitude Organic Corporation (erbb:OTC) is pleased to announce that U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton has thrown out the lawsuit that has currently been blocking the Arizona medical marijuana dispensary program from proceeding. Judge Bolton made a number of comments upon dismissing the case including a comment referencing the plaintiff's complete absence of any evidence that in 16 other medical marijuana states no state employee has ever been targeted by the federal government for implementing any, "state medical marijuana licensing scheme." The court filing may be viewed in its entirety here:
http://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/documents/Medical Marijuana Order Granting Motions to Dismiss.pdf
Judge Bolton's legal position is aligned entirely with the position taken by the ACLU regarding the Arizona medical marijuana law. Ezekiel Edwards, director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project, released a statement upon hearing the case verdict. He said, "It is unconscionable for Governor Brewer to continue to force very sick people to needlessly suffer by stripping them of the legal avenue through which to obtain their vital medicine. Today's ruling underscores the need for state officials to stop playing politics and implement the law previously approved by a majority of Arizona voters so that thousands of patients can access the medicine their doctors believe is most effective for them."
Altitude Organic Corp president Brian Cook stated, "We are elated to see Judge Bolton's ruling and always believed that this would be the ultimate legal outcome of the baseless lawsuit brought by Governor Brewer. The governor has not yet indicated her intent to further contest Judge Bolton's decision and has 30 to 45 days from January 4th to do so under a new legal pretense, but we hope she will begin to understand that Arizona needs to legally regulate medical marijuana instead of allowing the caregiver 'free for all' that has proceeded despite the federal lawsuit. The Arizona budget is in desperate financial straits and needs to collect the taxes that will be generated from regulated dispensaries. I believe that once Governor Brewer proceeds with voter-approved initiative, doing so will begin to help patients obtain their medicine safely, while providing a significant and desperately needed economic boost which should be positively felt by Arizonans throughout the state."
Brian Cook adds, "The delay in the dispensary program has seeded thousands of unregulated home grows around the state over the last 6 months and we prefer that the more transparent and more regulated dispensaries - already approved by voters - begin to open. Millions of investment dollars will poor into Arizona and thousands of jobs will once Governor Jan Brewer steps back and allows the regulated system to proceed."
ABOUT ALTITUDE ORGANIC CORPORATION
Altitude Organic Corporation www.altitudeorganix.com provides independently-owned retail dispensaries in Colorado , California , and Arizona business support services, while also acting as a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs looking to enter the burgeoning, multi-billion dollar industry of legal cannabis. Altitude Organic Corporation has launched its new management company strategy in Arizona. The company can manage, staff, consult, and provide uniquely branded products and concepts to medical marijuana dispensaries using a limited liability agreement. The company also sells horticulture equipment via its partnership in Sundance Hydroponics ( http://www.sundancehydroponics.com/ ). Visit http://www.altitudeorganicmedicine.com/ today.

Notice that "Home Grows are threatening from the context and tone of this article."

Purplestickeypunch · Jan 13, 2012

"Today, Brewer’s office stated for the record that they would no longer challenge the state’s nascent law in court and instead will cooperate to see that the voters’ demands are once and for all fully enacted.Said the Governor in a press release:

“The State of Arizona will not re-file in federal court a lawsuit that sought clarification that State employees would not be subject to federal criminal prosecution simply for implementing the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. Instead, I have directed the Arizona Department of Health Services to begin accepting and processing dispensary applications, and issuing licenses for those facilities once a (separate) pending legal challenge to the Department’s medical marijuana rules is resolved. … With our request for clarification rebuffed on procedural grounds by the federal court, I believe the best course of action now is to complete the implementation of Proposition 203 in accordance with the law.”

According to the website of the Arizona Department of Health, the department hopes to begin accepting applications for dispensaries this summer. To date, only three states — Colorado, Maine, and New Mexico — have granted licenses to allow for the state-sanctioned production and distribution of cannabis. (Several other states, including Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont, have enacted licensing legislation but to date have refused to issue any actual dispensary licenses.)"

http://blog.norml.org/2012/01/13/ar...tes-2010-voter-approved-medical-cannabis-law/

Ernst · Jan 14, 2012

Yeah.. Move forward because one will die of old age before the federal Government can figure out how to deal with the Nuisance.

I mean it has to be schizophrenic to deal with legal and illegal marijuana all day.
One guy goes to prison and one goes home after being stopped and found in possession of a pound of weed.

And this is how our Government works.

They should simply say if States want to they can. Here are the things we will or will not do as the States require.
If a State wants this level of enforcement cool if they want less cool.. The Feds should butt out as much as the State asks them to..

potroastV2 · Jan 16, 2012

Federal Judge Throws Out Gov. Jan Brewer's Lawsuit that was Blocking Arizona's State

Yeah, I wish that headline stopped at the first apostrophe. :lol:

Ernst · Jan 18, 2012

Well we made this Country and we can never stop fixing the problems.. LOL

Purplestickeypunch · Jan 19, 2012

[h=1]Judge: Brewer illegally delayed marijuana law[/h]
"

PHOENIX A state judge has ordered Gov. Jan Brewer to finally fully implement the 2010 voter-approved Medical Marijuana Act, saying she acted illegally in holding it up.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama rejected the governor's argument that she has the discretion to delay enactment of parts of the law while she sought a ruling from another court about the liability of state workers under federal drug laws.

Defendants cite no authority for this proposition, and the court has found none, Gama wrote in his ruling made public Wednesday.

The voters intended the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act be implemented within 120 days. This has not been done.

Gama also ruled that state Health Director Will Humble illegally imposed some rules on who can and cannot have a license to operate a marijuana dispensary. The judge said nothing in the voter-approved law allows such restrictions.

The ruling removes the last roadblock Brewer has thrown up to licensing dispensaries.

What Judge Gama said in his order is that she's to implement the act, period, said Ty Taber. He represents interests that sought to force Brewer to finally comply with the law.

But gubernatorial press aide Matthew Benson said his boss has not yet decided whether to comply, saying she could appeal.

She's going to have to have an opportunity to review this decision and decide where to go from here, Benson said.

Taber said, though, she does not have much time, with the law requiring any appeal within 30 days. Absent any action by that time, Taber said Gama's ruling takes effect and the state will have no choice but to start licensing dispensaries.

The ruling is the latest in a string of setbacks for Brewer on the issue of whether Arizonans should be able to purchase and use marijuana for medical purposes.

Brewer opposed the 2010 initiative to allow those with a doctor's recommendation to obtain up to 2-1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks to treat a specified list of medical conditions.

It passed anyway. And the health department has processed and approved about 18,000 individual applications since early last year.

The law also required the state to license about 125 nonprofit dispensaries where cardholders could legally obtain the drug.

But Brewer blocked health officials from even accepting applications for these after federal prosecutors refused to provide assurances that the employees who handle those applications would not find themselves facing federal charges. And she asked U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton to say whether the workers have immunity.

Bolton threw out the lawsuit last month, saying there was no evidence any public employee in any state with a medical marijuana law had ever been prosecuted. Anyway, the judge said, it was not in her power to offer immunity to anyone.

Last week Brewer agreed not to pursue that case. The governor said she would allow licensing of dispensaries but only after the lawsuit in front of Gama about the legality of Humble's rules was resolved.

Now she has that.

In that part of the ruling, Gama agreed with would-be dispensary operators that some of the restrictions Humble imposed are beyond the authority voters gave him in approving the law."

http://www.yumasun.com/news/brewer-76036-law-marijuana.html

Federal Judge Throws Out Gov. Jan Brewer's Lawsuit that was Blocking Arizona's State

Ernst

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Purplestickeypunch

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Ernst

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Ernst

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