Tag Archives: Pass
EA dropping Online Pass
EA has been a trendsetter in the realm of post-release, digital content, but it’s now backing off one of its most prominent tools. At an event in LA today, EA senior VP of corporate communications Jeff Brown confirmed for GamesRadar that the company would be backing away from its Online Pass scheme, due in large part to fan dissatisfaction.
“We thought it was a cool way to package up online services and content,” Brown said. “It never got off the ground. Consumers didn’t like it. We listened to what they were saying and decided it wasn’t worth doing it again…Consumers just didn’t like it.”
Brown went on to note that gamers should not expect Online Pass to return any time soon. “There’s a lot of plans to keep building in new content and services,” he said. “But no, there’s no plan to package this stuff up. And frankly that was a secondary concern. And no, I’m not aware of any project that does that.”
Introduced with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 in June 2010, the Online Pass program generally involved sequestering away online functionality behind a one-time use code. These codes came packed-in with new copies of games. However, those who picked up the game second-hand, be it through as a used game, rental, or otherwise, were required to pay $ 10 to buy their own, individual code.
The Online Pass scheme quickly caught with other publishers, including Activision, Ubisoft, Sony, and WB Interactive.
Florida Lawmakers Pass Bong Ban
What’s older than Florida’s senior population? The Florida Legislature’s mindset when it comes to marijuana.
Last Friday, the state Senate voted 31-2 in favor of a bill that would ban the sale of assorted pipes, bongs, and hookahs. House Bill 49 passed in the House days earlier by a vote of 112-3.
Sen. Jeff Clemens
Sen. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth), one of the few dissenting voices in the Senate, argued that marijuana is far safer than other drugs and should be allowed under strict regulation.
The bill now heads to Gov. Rick Scott for his signature. If signed, vendors will be criminalized, the sale of various pipes will become a first-degree misdemeanor, and any subsequent violation will jump to a third-degree felony.
Out-of-touch lawmakers don’t seem to realize that House Bill 49 will do nothing to curb marijuana use. In their quest to harass responsible marijuana users, the Florida Legislature has only harmed legitimate business people.
Maryland Lawmakers Pass Medical Marijuana Bill
The Maryland General Assembly on Monday approved a measure allowing medical marijuana programs at research centers that choose to participate.
NYT > Marijuana and Medical Marijuana
Is Vermont House Committee Prepared To Pass Cannabis Decriminalization Bill?
A Vermont House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Thursday March 28, regarding legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis in their state.
Said proposed measure would reduce the state’s current cannabis possession penalties to resemble that of a traffic violation. An individual caught in custody of two ounces or less would be subjected to a fine of $ 100 without the fear of imprisonment.
Representative Pearson
The bill’s primary sponsor, Representative Chris Pearson, was quick to clarify the intention of his projected legislation by making certain his colleagues understood he wasn’t attempting to end prohibition with this particular bill.
“This bill keeps marijuana illegal,” Representative Pearson explained to the committee. “The legalization bill is for another day.”
The Vermont lawmaker went on to argue that the success of his measure would allow law enforcement agencies to focus their energies on more pressing issues.
He also pointed out the fact of what a detrimental effect the current laws can have on individuals that are caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis.
“If you’re caught possessing a small amount of marijuana, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for you to have a criminal record that dogs you throughout your professional career if you’re trying to get a professional license, housing assistance, student aid,” Pearson clarified. “There’s real ramification for that.”
A few of the committee members expressed their concerns about the amounts of cannabis that Representative Pearson is making an effort to decriminalize.
“Two ounces can make up to 240 cigarettes – or joints – so that’s a hell of a lot of pot,” declared Representative Andy Donaghy, a former chief of detectives from Long Island. “I’m afraid that it’s going to send the wrong message to young people; that it’s going to make marijuana more available to them.”
Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn displayed two ounces of actual dried cannabis so the committee members could visually grasp as to how much cannabis is in fact in an ounce.
“Just so everybody understands, this is contraband,” Flynn said. “How many joints can you get out of a bag?” he inquired. “Well, it probably depends on who’s rolling it!”
Flynn favors the decriminalization of cannabis in his republic, but feels one ounce would be more acceptable in the eyes of the legislators and voters.
He also believes that the success of the decriminalization measure would allow law enforcement to be more attentive to the state’s opiate epidemic, which is apparently a vital issue in Vermont.
“This enables us to accomplish those tasks and at the same time look at our resources and how we’re allocating those resources, which are going to be the most effective way to keep Vermonters safe,” Flynn professed.
Although House Speaker Shap Smith opposes decriminalization he has vowed not to use his powers to block the bill. The legislation will be exposed to its next round of enquiry on Wednesday April 3.
Stay tuned to The 420 Times for updates concerning Vermont’s cannabis legislation’s results and for all you cannabis community news.
Legislation To Legalize Medicinal Cannabis In Illinois Needs More Support To Pass House
On Friday March 22, Illinois Representative Lou Lang announced the fact that his legislation to legalize cannabis for medicinal dedications is a mere “one or two” votes shy of surpassing the chambers of the House of Representatives.
“We’re very close…. If I would have had to take a vote (Friday), it would probably be one or two short. But we’re getting there,” Lang decreed.
Representative Lang
House Bill 1, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, is written to permit individuals with a doctor-diagnosed debilitating medical condition to register with the Department of Public Health in order to possibly obtain a state issued program identification card.
If issued said card, then the qualified patient would be allowed to legally possess no more than 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis during a 14-day period that is obtained solely from an intrastate source.
In terms of the monetary taxation of the cultivation process, a tax rate of 7% of the sales price per ounce will be imposed upon the privilege of cultivating medical cannabis in the state.
Representative Lang’s proposed legislation would consist of a four year pilot program, in which after its completion lawmakers would decide its fate of continuance.
The Illinois legislator claims this particular measure is the “most highly regulated piece of legislation ever written on the subject” when compared to those programs that have recently been adopted across the nation.
Limey Nargelenas is a lobbyist for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, and he grades highway safety as one of his top priorities when it comes to legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes in his republic.
“We already have enough problems trying to deal with DUIs,” Nargelenas declared.
Nargelenas also believes that the efforts to legalize cannabis for medicinal dedications is merely “just a rouse” in order to legalize the substance for recreational usage, but Representative Lang affirms that his measure is intended for “very sick people.”
“In the California experience, virtually anyone can go to any doctor and within five minutes get a prescription for medical marijuana,” Lang asserted. “(In Illinois), if you don’t have a bona fide relationship with that doctor that can be proven, you aren’t getting the product. We drafted the bill this way to address issues in California.”
Good luck, Lou, Illinois is one tough block of ice to break in terms of moving toward intellect and understanding of the medicinal values that cannabis can provide.
Help Representative Lang out and get actively involved in order to help bring an end to this antiquated war on tokers.
