The California Legislature will soon vote on two marijuana reform bills that seem to be more popular with the public than with the politicians in Sacramento: SB 129 by state Sen. Mark Leno, which would prohibit employment discrimination against medical marijuana patients, and AB 1017 by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, which would allow for reduced, misdemeanor charges in marijuana cultivation cases. Both bills have strong public support according to a newly released poll of state voters by EMC Research, CalNORML Director Dale Gieringer writes in an e-mail advisory. However, both have had trouble getting through the [...]
Faced with legal threats from Uncle Sam, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gutted its innovative, revenue-generating medical marijuana permitting program that allowed cooperatives to grow up to 99 plants. “The mistake was made when we pushed the envelope,” said Supervisor Kendall Smith. Rather than issuing permits — a process that was recently suspended — the county now limits the number of plants to 25, well within the limits set in other counties and less likely to raise a red flag for federal authorities who consider pot for any purpose to be illegal. [...]
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to extend a temporary moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries for an additional 10 months and 15 days. The supervisors also added language to the ordinance that is meant to protect existing dispensaries from closure. Assistant County Counsel Carolyn Ruth said there are currently three medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the county, Megan Hansen reports in the Eureka Times-Standard. The Humboldt County Collective has a conditional use permit with no time limit, Redwood Legacy LLC has a two-year permit and the Hummingbird Healing Center has [...]
A new state law intended to clarify local governments’ role in regulating medical cannabis dispensaries seems to support Redding’s and Shasta County’s recent bans on the storefronts, local officials claim. But a lobbyist for local dispensaries, who differs from state and nationwide advocacy groups worried that the law does just that, believes the new law could permit Redding to withdraw its dispensary ban, Sean Longoria reports in the Record Searchlight. Assembly Bill 1300, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in August and taking effect this month, modifies California’s Medical Marijuana Program to permit cities, counties and [...]
Lake County law-enforcement and government officials fear property values and public safety will be threatened by a proposed ballot initiative that would allow up to 12 budding marijuana plants in residential backyards and 84 on parcels of seven acres or more. On rural parcels, “right to farm regulations” would apply, prohibiting the county or neighboring property owners from complaining the pot gardens are nuisances, Glenda Anderson reports in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “It would just nuke people’s property rights up here. Just nuke ‘em,” Lake County Community Development Director Rick Coel said. The Lake [...]
In what may be the first case of its kind in state history, a Healdsburg man whose marijuana was stolen in a home-invasion robbery will be allowed to seek restitution from the defendants. “It certainly does represent a milestone,” said Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, an Oakland advocacy group for medical marijuana users. “I appreciate the court recognizing this as a lawful substance. Victims should be compensated.” But just how much Michael Steffens’ weed is worth will be open to debate, Paul Payne reports in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. His [...]
SAN FRANCISCO — A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists. A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world’s first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents — a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. [...]
A Live Oak resident is suing to stop a ban on growing medical marijuana in the city that he said would force him to make “cruel choices.” James Maral is seeking an injunction in Sutter County Superior Court on to temporarily halt a ban on cultivating marijuana that the Live Oak City Council passed Dec. 21 and that took effect Friday. The suit seeking the injunction was filed Monday afternoon, Jonathan Edwards reports in the Appeal-Democrat. A judge is scheduled to hear arguments from Maral and the city of Live Oak at 3 p.m. today [...]
San Francisco has begun issuing medical marijuana dispensary licenses again, following a recent state Supreme court decision that will allow local pot dispensaries to do business — for now. The city’s Medical Cannabis Act permitting process had been on hold for several months, following a state appeals court ruling in Pack vs. Long Beach, Chris Roberts reports in The Snitch blog for S.F. Weekly. The ruling said that city or county laws regulating medical marijuana violated federal law; the decision led cities and counties throughout the state to suspend, reconsider, or repeal their regulatory schemes. [...]
On Jan. 18, the Supreme Court of California issued an order granting review of the now infamous line of medical marijuana cases of Pack v. City of Long Beach, City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient’s Health and Wellness Ctr., Inc., Traudt v. City of Dana Point, and People v. G3 Holistic. Unless the Supreme Court decides otherwise, this means that medical marijuana advocates can rejoice because local jurisdictions and lower courts cannot use the logic of Pack or Riverside as a vehicle to scuttle the regulatory processes that assure safe access to California’s medical [...]
Reading is cool; interacting is better