Life sentence issued in 22-year-old murder case

 Courts, Marijuana News
Nov 292010
 

SANTA ANA – A Long Beach man sat handcuffed to a chair in a mustard-colored jail uniform surrounded by sheriff’s deputies Monday as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the torture and stabbing death of his marijuana supplier 22 years ago. Paul Gentile Smith, now 50, made no statement and showed no emotion as he was given the maximum sentence for the special-circumstances murder on Oct. 24, 1988 of Robert Haugen, who had been Smith’s close friend since elementary school. Haugen, 29, was stabbed 18 times in his [...]

L.A., Orange counties ban medical cannabis shops

 Dispensaries, Marijuana News, Ordinances
Nov 242010
 

Supervisors in Los Angeles and Orange counties moved in sync Tuesday to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated territories. The bans, affecting an area with 1.5 million people in L.A. County and 120,000 in Orange County, were approved in 4-1 votes in both counties, Garrett Therolf reports in the Los Angeles Times. “Attracting crime and other nuisances, these facilities have a negative impact on the communities where they’ve operated — leading more than 100 cities and nine counties in California to pass similar ordinances,” said Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who wrote L.A. County’s provision. In [...]

OC Register: SB 1449 no excuse to vote No on 19

 Legalization, Marijuana Law, Media, Opinion
Oct 172010
 

Before we take an official position on Proposition 19, which would make it legal for adults to possess and use up to an ounce of prepared marijuana and grow as much as will fit in a 25-square-foot patch, and authorize local options for larger-scale cultivation and sales, we thought it would be prudent and responsible to discuss some of the issues involved. We invite discussion by our readers, the Orange County Register editorial board writes. Prop. 19, as major proponent Richard Lee of Oakland told us early on in the process, is not a simple [...]

Orange County Register focuses on Prop. 19 debate

 Dispensaries, Legalization, Marijuana News
Oct 172010
 

If the side effects of Proposition 19 – the one legalizing pot – seem a little hazy to you, you’re not alone. Opponents of the measure argue that even if you want marijuana legalized, Prop. 19 is slapdash and ambiguous when it comes to details, and you should wait for something better. After all, if you like to smoke the illicit herb, you probably aren’t having much trouble finding it under current laws – something Prop. 19 backers point out when they compare current pot laws to the U.S. prohibition on alcohol, Martin Wisckol reports [...]

Prop. 19 backers: Let’s get to work on cannabis controls

 Advocates, Legalization, Opinion
Oct 012010
 

James P. Gray is a retired judge of the Orange County Superior Court. Hanna Liebman Dershowitz is an attorney in Culver City and a member of the Proposition 19 legal subcommittee. Their guest column supporting Prop. 19 appears in the Orange County Register. =========== We’ve tried marijuana prohibition for three-quarters of a century, and all-out war in the last four decades. These policies manifestly don’t work. What’s next? Let’s try something that heralds a new era of pragmatic, reasoned policies – Proposition 19. Here is what it will do and what it will not do. [...]

Register editorial: Legal marijuana means more than taxes

 Legalization, Media, Opinion
Jul 302010
 

If voters in November pass Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana, Californians will be inhaling a new tax and regulatory environment as well, according to this Orange County Register editorial. Voters are weighing it closely: A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in late June found that Prop. 19 was opposed by Californians, 50 percent to 48 percent. A key element of the “Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010″ is taxation, coming at a time when the state has difficulty balancing its budget every year. The deficit for the still-unpassed budget for fiscal year 2010-11, which began [...]

Family plans appeal of ruling upholding Dana Point dispensary ban

 Courts, Dispensaries, Marijuana Law, Medical marijuana
Jul 152010
 

DANA POINT – An Orange County Superior Court judge has firmed up her tentative ruling throwing out a woman’s case against Dana Point in which Malinda Traudt sought to prevent the city from closing Beach Cities Collective, a pot dispensary that her family says is her lifeline. Her attorney has promised an appeal. Traudt, 29, of San Clemente, who was born with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and blindness, had sued Dana Point in May to keep open the dispensary from which her family obtains marijuana to manage her pain, the Orange County Register reports. Traudt claimed [...]

Bud’s Blog: Is cannabis really medicine? Ask someone who uses it

 Advocates, Bud's Blog, Medical marijuana, Video
Jun 282010
 

The High Times Medical Cannabis Cup seemed like a great place to talk about medical marijuana, and as luck would have it I spied Chef Mike DeLao of Cannabis Planet TV fame. Chef Mike had me cracking up on a recent episode where he slathered a generous helping of cannabis-infused dressing over a salad. “Everybody loves more medicine,” he said with a sly grin. At least I think that’s what he said, and I think it was salad, but I was “medicated” at the time so I couldn’t swear to it. Having recently renewed my [...]

Collective owners mount Prop. 215 defense in federal test case

 Collectives, Courts, Cultivation, Dispensaries, Medical marijuana
May 242010
 
Collective owners mount Prop. 215 defense in federal test case

For the first time in the 14 years since state voters legalized marijuana for medical use, California defendants — in this case, a couple facing 10 years in federal prison for growing marijuana — will be allowed to mention two crucial words at trial: “Proposition 215.” Assuming the case actually goes to trial, a jury will finally have the opportunity to decide whether to tell Uncle Sam to stop wasting taxpayer money going after people who aren’t breaking the law. The case in question involves Theresa and Steele Smith, owners of a nonprofit collective called [...]

Patient’s lawsuit calls Dana Point medipot dispensary ban unconstitutional

 Courts, Dispensaries, Medical marijuana, Ordinances
May 222010
 
Patient's lawsuit calls Dana Point medipot dispensary ban unconstitutional

SAN CLEMENTE – A woman born with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and blindness has sued Dana Point attempting to stop the city from closing a medical marijuana dispensary that her attorney and family say has been her lifeline for several months. After Malinda Traudt, 29, of San Clemente, got osteoporosis in the last two years her pain could not be managed with medication, but using marijuana brought her dramatic relief, her attorney Jeff Schwartz says. “Although numerous lawsuits have been filed by dispensaries, Malinda’s is the first by a patient alleging that the (city’s) ban unconstitutionally [...]

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