An employee of a store in Northridge was wounded during a robbery Saturday night. The robbers made off with $11,000 in cash. On Thursday, three people were shot, two fatally, in separate incidents.
Los Angeles police detectives are investigating a robbery at a Northridge marijuana dispensary over the weekend that left an employee in critical condition after he was shot in the face.
The shooting was the second at that business this year and the third medical marijuana dispensary targeted over a three-day period last week. Two people were fatally shot Thursday in pot shop robberies in Echo Park and Hollywood and a third man was wounded.
The Northridge shooting took place shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday at the dispensary in the 8900 block of Reseda Boulevard, police said. The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition. The suspects, who were not immediately identified, made off with approximately $11,000 in cash, police said.
Two defendants are awaiting trial in connection with a January shooting at the store that left a 33-year-old clinic employee wounded during an attempt to steal his wallet.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives said they did not believe there was any connection between the San Fernando Valley case and Thursday's robberies, which occurred hours apart.
"We have no evidence to believe that the three [robberies] are connected," said Kevin McClure, the captain in charge of the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division. "But do I think it's a disturbing pattern based on what it is, absolutely."
The robbery at the medical marijuana clinic on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park left one worker wounded and another dead. The dead man was identified as Matthew Benjamin Butcher, 27, of Los Angeles. The second incident occurred hours later and a few miles away on El Centro Avenue in Hollywood when an unknown number of suspects stormed into the shop. Ila Ali Packman, 39, of Hollywood was killed in that incident.
The killings coincided with a city crackdown on pot businesses that has resulted in the closure of dozens of the outlets.
The city attorney's office recently notified about 400 marijuana dispensaries that they must shut down if they do not meet location restrictions outlined in a new ordinance that took effect this month. The dispensaries were given six months to comply with the law, but many have already closed.
Source: Los Angeles Times
If you know of an event that you feel should be listed on our calendar, please send details to info@mjdispensaries.com ~Thank You
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
NEWS: Wal-Mart Manager Sues Over Right to Smoke Marijuana for His Health
Joseph Casias, a 30-year-old Wal-Mart store manager and the 2008 Associate of the Year at the Battle Creek, Mich., store, alleges he was fired after testing positive for marijuana even though he was legally registered to use the drug under Michigan's medical marijuana law.
Similar suits have been filed in California, Montana, Oregon and Washington state. So far, the courts have sided with employers, holding that they don't have to accommodate medical marijuana users because pot is still illegal under federal law and its use could pose a safety risk.
In a case titled Emerald Steel Fabricators v. Bureau of Labor and Industries, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in April that an employer can fire a worker for using medical marijuana even if that worker is legally registered to use pot under state law. Also in April, the Washington Supreme Court agreed to review Jane Doe v. TeleTech Customer Care Management, in which an appeals court held that a person can use the state medical marijuana law as a defense in a criminal case but not an employment one.
In Michigan, however, the medical marijuana statute has language designed to protect those who use pot for health reasons from adverse employment actions. Scott Michelman, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is handling the suit along with St. Joseph, Mich., practitioner Daniel Grow, said that Michigan's statute specifically states that patients who use medicinal marijuana "may not be subject to discipline by any business."
There is no such language in the laws in states such as California and Oregon. "We think there's a very solid basis to distinguish those cases [from the Michigan case]," Michelman said.
He said Casias did not smoke at work or come to work under the influence, but rather used marijuana "off-hours to manage very severe pain associated with his cancer." Nonetheless, according to Michelman, Wal-Mart has a no-drug policy in the workplace and did not recognize Casias' state marijuana card when it fired him.
Wal-Mart released a statement on Tuesday: "We are sympathetic to Mr. Casias' condition but, like other companies, we have to consider the overall safety of our customers and associates, including Mr. Casias, when making a difficult decision like this. In this case, the doctor-prescribed treatment was not the relevant issue. The issue is about the ability of our associates to do their jobs safely."
Wal-Mart also seemed to make a small plea for clearer standards: "As more states allow this treatment, employers are left without any guidelines except the federal standard. In these cases, until further guidance is available, we will always default to what we believe is the safest environment for our associates and customers."
Source: Law.com
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
NEWS: Antonovich: Unincorporated LA No Haven for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
A Los Angeles County supervisor Tuesday proposed a ban on all medical marijuana outlets in unincorporated areas.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich said that without such a ban, unincorporated communities next to cities with bans would become the "locale of choice" for dispensary operators forced to move by municipal regulations.
"It is entirely unfair for our county unincorporated residents to shoulder the burdens and impacts of (medical marijuana dispensaries) when surrounding cities have taken steps to ban the use within their borders," Antonovich said.
A 2006 Los Angeles County ordinance prohibits dispensaries within 1,000 feet of churches, daycare centers, libraries, playgrounds and schools.
Antonovich said several pot shops opened without the operators getting licenses, including one two doors from a county library. That prompted county attorneys to go to court to close the place.
The supervisor's planning deputy told the Pasadena Star-News that fatal shootings at two dispensaries on Thursday persuaded Antonovich to call for an all-out ban.
"The supervisor has had a concern about these for years," Paul Novak told the Star-News. "The recent events ... only heighten that concern."
Antonovich's proposal, which will not come up for a public vote until next Tuesday, would direct county counsel to draft a ban.
After years of dragging its feet, the city of Los Angeles this spring codified regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, ordering more than 400 shops out of step with city laws to close by June 7. The city is working toward capping the number of shops citywide at 70, but will allow scores of others that registered with the city during a 2007 moratorium to remain open temporarily.
Source: NBC News
"It is entirely unfair for our county unincorporated residents to shoulder the burdens and impacts of (medical marijuana dispensaries) when surrounding cities have taken steps to ban the use within their borders," Antonovich said.
A 2006 Los Angeles County ordinance prohibits dispensaries within 1,000 feet of churches, daycare centers, libraries, playgrounds and schools.
Antonovich said several pot shops opened without the operators getting licenses, including one two doors from a county library. That prompted county attorneys to go to court to close the place.
The supervisor's planning deputy told the Pasadena Star-News that fatal shootings at two dispensaries on Thursday persuaded Antonovich to call for an all-out ban.
"The supervisor has had a concern about these for years," Paul Novak told the Star-News. "The recent events ... only heighten that concern."
Antonovich's proposal, which will not come up for a public vote until next Tuesday, would direct county counsel to draft a ban.
After years of dragging its feet, the city of Los Angeles this spring codified regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, ordering more than 400 shops out of step with city laws to close by June 7. The city is working toward capping the number of shops citywide at 70, but will allow scores of others that registered with the city during a 2007 moratorium to remain open temporarily.
Source: NBC News
NEWS: Murdered Medical Marijuana Shop Clerk Was Executed, family says
Steven Butcher dropped off his older brother Matthew at work last Thursday, not realizing it would be the last time he saw him alive.
Matthew Butcher, 27, was shot and killed after at least four robbers stormed the Higher Path Holistic Care Collective on Sunset Boulevard in the Echo Park area, said Cmdr. David Doan, chief of detectives.
Steven says his brother was shot execution style.
"I think they said something like they either laid him down or they put him on his knees and they shot him in the back of the head. They executed him," he told KTLA.
A security guard was shot and wounded in the attack.
Steven says he believes the victims knew the suspects.
"I feel like they knew him because he had to have let them in. The security guard let them in."
"They killed an innocent human being," he said.
Steven says his brother worked at the clinic as a clerk for five years and understood the perception that goes along with pot shops.
He says his brother just wanted to help people.
Butcher's mother, Julie Butcher, told the Los Angeles Times her son had been trying to make ends meet in a tough economy.
"He was one of the most peaceful people," she said "He would have given them anything they wanted. There's no reason for anyone to die over marijuana."
The suspects fled with an unknown amount of cash and drugs. Homicide detectives were trying to determine whether the incident was connected to another deadly attack at a nearby pot clinic about five hours later.
In that attack, the owner of the Hollywood Holistic dispensary found the body of an employee at the Hollywood store.
No surveillance video was available from either store, and because investigators do not know the motive for the second killing, they were unsure whether the two attacks were linked, Doan said.
A vigil is planned and a memorial fund has been set up in Butcher's honor.
The vigil will take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Eagle Rock High School.
A memorial fund has also been set up in his honor:
Matthew Butcher Memorial Fund P.O. Box 411621 LA, CA 90041
Source: KTLA.com
NEWS: Judges put city's bid to close medical marijuana clinic on hold
A blind San Clemente woman who depends on medical marijuana to help her cope with cerebral palsy and other illnesses won a reprieve Monday when an appeals court panel delayed the city's bid to close a Dana Point dispensary.
Attorneys for Dana Point had bee scheduled today to ask an Orange County judge for an injunction that would shut down Beach Cities Collective, where Malinda Traudt get her medical marijuana.
But a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal issued a stay on the hearing pending a review of Traudt's request to intervene in the case.
The appellate court's temporary stay on the injunction hearing gives Dana Point's attorneys time to explain to the appellate court justices by July 13 why they think the temporary stay of the injunction should be lifted.
City attorneys could not be reached for immediate comment.
Source: Whittier Daily News
Attorneys for Dana Point had bee scheduled today to ask an Orange County judge for an injunction that would shut down Beach Cities Collective, where Malinda Traudt get her medical marijuana.
But a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal issued a stay on the hearing pending a review of Traudt's request to intervene in the case.
The appellate court's temporary stay on the injunction hearing gives Dana Point's attorneys time to explain to the appellate court justices by July 13 why they think the temporary stay of the injunction should be lifted.
City attorneys could not be reached for immediate comment.
Source: Whittier Daily News
Saturday, June 26, 2010
NEWS: Antonovich calls for ban of marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated county areas
MONROVIA, CA - Spurred by two fatal shootings last week at separate medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, Supervisor Michael Antonovich will call Tuesday for a ban on pot clinics in unincorporated areas, his office said.
Dispensary robberies in which one man was gunned down and another wounded in Echo Park and another man was fatally shot in Hollywood on Thursday convinced Antonovich to call for an outright ban of medical marijuana outlets, said Paul Novak, his planning deputy.
"The supervisor has had a concern about these for years," Novak said. "The recent events...only heighten that concern."
Marijuana dispensaries are currently free to open in unincorporated parts of the county, which requires only that owners obtain a conditional use permit to operate.
The county's Regional Planning Commission, which issues the conditional use permits, was closed Friday and unavailable to provide the number of medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in the county.
Antonovich plans to introduce a motion at the supervisors' meeting Tuesday asking staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit dispensaries from opening anywhere in unincorporated areas, Novak said.
This month, Los Angeles city officials began enforcing a new ordinance that restricts dispensaries from being near schools and parks, forcing more than 400 clinics to close. About 130 dispensaries that opened before the city imposed a moratorium in 2007 can stay open.
At one point, city prosecutors estimated that at least 700 marijuana dispensaries were operating in Los Angeles.
County officials worry that, without a moratorium and restrictions on where they can open, many of those closed L.A. shops will find new homes in unincorporated areas, Novak said.
Like Los Angeles, a growing number of cities in the county have banned or have imposed zoning restrictions on marijuana dispensaries, he noted.
"It should be consistent (from) one jurisdiction to the next. Otherwise, we will get flooded in our county unincorporated areas," he said.
Officials in La Puente, which has more marijuana dispensaries than any other city in the San Gabriel Valley, have been wrangling over the issue since February. Recently, officials put plans to ban dispensaries on hold.
Source: Pasadena Star-News
Dispensary robberies in which one man was gunned down and another wounded in Echo Park and another man was fatally shot in Hollywood on Thursday convinced Antonovich to call for an outright ban of medical marijuana outlets, said Paul Novak, his planning deputy.
"The supervisor has had a concern about these for years," Novak said. "The recent events...only heighten that concern."
Marijuana dispensaries are currently free to open in unincorporated parts of the county, which requires only that owners obtain a conditional use permit to operate.
The county's Regional Planning Commission, which issues the conditional use permits, was closed Friday and unavailable to provide the number of medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in the county.
Antonovich plans to introduce a motion at the supervisors' meeting Tuesday asking staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit dispensaries from opening anywhere in unincorporated areas, Novak said.
This month, Los Angeles city officials began enforcing a new ordinance that restricts dispensaries from being near schools and parks, forcing more than 400 clinics to close. About 130 dispensaries that opened before the city imposed a moratorium in 2007 can stay open.
At one point, city prosecutors estimated that at least 700 marijuana dispensaries were operating in Los Angeles.
County officials worry that, without a moratorium and restrictions on where they can open, many of those closed L.A. shops will find new homes in unincorporated areas, Novak said.
Like Los Angeles, a growing number of cities in the county have banned or have imposed zoning restrictions on marijuana dispensaries, he noted.
"It should be consistent (from) one jurisdiction to the next. Otherwise, we will get flooded in our county unincorporated areas," he said.
Officials in La Puente, which has more marijuana dispensaries than any other city in the San Gabriel Valley, have been wrangling over the issue since February. Recently, officials put plans to ban dispensaries on hold.
Source: Pasadena Star-News
Cannabis can replace other drugs
There are three general types of cannabinoids: phytocannabinoids occur distinctively in the cannabis plant (THC, CBD -- at present at least 66 cannabinoids have been isolated from the plant); synthetic cannabinoids that are identical substances created in the lab (Sativex, Marinol, Rimonabant); and the endogenous cannabinoids (anandamide) which are produced in mammals and humans by their bodies and brains.
We all have cannabinoid receptors in our brains. The one great thing about the "high" of cannabis was the serendipitous discovery of the "endocannbinoid system." There are scientists and pharmacologists who have said, "Cannabis will be to the 21st century as aspirin was to the 20th century: a wonder drug."
To prevent an individual who is suffering from a serious disorder access to a non-toxic plant, just because of the possibility that it would be abused, is absurd. Drug-control policy should be dictated by the National Academy of Sciences-Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, not by individuals who have no training in cliincal pharmacology or basic medical science.
Self-medication is a self-preservation instinct in the human species. When does the legal relief of pain and suffering become the illegal pursuit of pleasure? Isn't it the alienable right to medicate oneself contained in the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?" Is it morally wrong to alter mind/consciousness with some drugs and healthy to do so with others?
Cannabis can be a useful tool by substituting it in place of more harmful drugs. Research carried out by Berkeley and published in the Harm Reduction Journal found that "40 percent used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66 percent as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26 percent for other, more potent, illegal drugs." The reason being "because (cannabis) has less adverse side effects than alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs and has a less withdrawal potential and provides better symptom management."
Society says that Prozac or Paxil is good and cannabis evil, but good and evil are not attributed to molecules. Drugs are neither good nor bad, in and of themselves. It how they are used and the type of person using them in a certain set and setting that determines whether there will be a positive or negative outcome.
Alcohol fuels agrression and violence. Cannabis is a safer euphoriant than alcohol.The regulation of cannabis would decrease the use of harder drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and methamphetamine.
There would be considerable savings in government spending on prison control, the criminal justice system's "gravy train." Every instance of freedom and democracy, ancient through American, has sprouted from agrarian cultures. Democratic capitalism has it roots in an agricultural society, based on individual exercise of property rights.
Isn't nature legitimate?
In no way, shape, or form am I condoning recreational drug use, but we should at least recognize that there are safer intoxicants, that personal use will continue, and that there is a significant medical benefit to certain segments of the population who finds it's use healing.
Dr. Chris Curran Dombrowski is a resident of Tumon.
Source: Pacific Daily News
We all have cannabinoid receptors in our brains. The one great thing about the "high" of cannabis was the serendipitous discovery of the "endocannbinoid system." There are scientists and pharmacologists who have said, "Cannabis will be to the 21st century as aspirin was to the 20th century: a wonder drug."
To prevent an individual who is suffering from a serious disorder access to a non-toxic plant, just because of the possibility that it would be abused, is absurd. Drug-control policy should be dictated by the National Academy of Sciences-Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, not by individuals who have no training in cliincal pharmacology or basic medical science.
Self-medication is a self-preservation instinct in the human species. When does the legal relief of pain and suffering become the illegal pursuit of pleasure? Isn't it the alienable right to medicate oneself contained in the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?" Is it morally wrong to alter mind/consciousness with some drugs and healthy to do so with others?
Cannabis can be a useful tool by substituting it in place of more harmful drugs. Research carried out by Berkeley and published in the Harm Reduction Journal found that "40 percent used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66 percent as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26 percent for other, more potent, illegal drugs." The reason being "because (cannabis) has less adverse side effects than alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs and has a less withdrawal potential and provides better symptom management."
Society says that Prozac or Paxil is good and cannabis evil, but good and evil are not attributed to molecules. Drugs are neither good nor bad, in and of themselves. It how they are used and the type of person using them in a certain set and setting that determines whether there will be a positive or negative outcome.
Alcohol fuels agrression and violence. Cannabis is a safer euphoriant than alcohol.The regulation of cannabis would decrease the use of harder drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and methamphetamine.
There would be considerable savings in government spending on prison control, the criminal justice system's "gravy train." Every instance of freedom and democracy, ancient through American, has sprouted from agrarian cultures. Democratic capitalism has it roots in an agricultural society, based on individual exercise of property rights.
Isn't nature legitimate?
In no way, shape, or form am I condoning recreational drug use, but we should at least recognize that there are safer intoxicants, that personal use will continue, and that there is a significant medical benefit to certain segments of the population who finds it's use healing.
Dr. Chris Curran Dombrowski is a resident of Tumon.
Source: Pacific Daily News
NEWS: 'No reason for anyone to die over marijuana,' mother of slain pot dispensary worker says
A medical marijuana dispensary employee killed Thursday during a robbery at the Echo Park store is the son of a well-known L.A. labor leader, Julie Butcher.
Matt Butcher's mother described the killing as "totally senseless," saying her son was simply trying to cobble together part-time jobs in a tough economy.
"He was one of the most peaceful people," said Julie Butcher, who works as a regional director of the Service Employees International Union Local 721. "He would have given them anything they wanted. There's no reason for anyone to die over marijuana."
Butcher, 27, was one of two pot dispensary workers killed Thursday.
The first robbery occurred at 4:15 p.m. on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. In that incident, an unknown number of suspects stormed into the Higher Patch Holistic Care store at 1302 Sunset Blvd. Butcher was killed and another employee was left wounded.
The second robbery happened a few miles away at 9:15 p.m. at the Hollywood Holistic store on the 1600 block of North El Centro Avenue. One employee was slain in that incident.
The killings come as Los Angeles authorities are in the process of cracking down on pot businesses, resulting in the closure of dozens of the outlets.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Matt Butcher's mother described the killing as "totally senseless," saying her son was simply trying to cobble together part-time jobs in a tough economy.
"He was one of the most peaceful people," said Julie Butcher, who works as a regional director of the Service Employees International Union Local 721. "He would have given them anything they wanted. There's no reason for anyone to die over marijuana."
Butcher, 27, was one of two pot dispensary workers killed Thursday.
The first robbery occurred at 4:15 p.m. on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. In that incident, an unknown number of suspects stormed into the Higher Patch Holistic Care store at 1302 Sunset Blvd. Butcher was killed and another employee was left wounded.
The second robbery happened a few miles away at 9:15 p.m. at the Hollywood Holistic store on the 1600 block of North El Centro Avenue. One employee was slain in that incident.
The killings come as Los Angeles authorities are in the process of cracking down on pot businesses, resulting in the closure of dozens of the outlets.
Source: Los Angeles Times
NEWS: Marijuana Legalization: A States' Rights Showdown?
Paul Starobin's cover story in the latest issue of National Journal poses California's ballot initiative to legalize marijuana as emblematic of a trend that's happening across the country -- states' rights libertarianism is on the rise--and a serious (and seriously interesting) campaign.
The campaign to legalize marijuana in California, as I've noted before, is real. It's a campaign that's being run by pros, and it has a legitimate shot at winning...though there is one significant challenge, one that Starobin focuses on: the federal government would have to go along with it.
The Obama administration has signaled that it will back off the "Drug War," not just in mentality, but in actual law-enforcement priorities; Eric Holder told federal attorneys to stop prosecuting medical-marijuana users, after Obama promised as much on the campaign trail, and drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has declared the so-called "drug war" to be over (though that's not the first time such a declaration has been made.)
But legalization of marijuana, Kerlikowske has made it clear, is a "non-starter" in an official statement issued in October. Here's an excerpt:
Legalization is being sold as being a cure to ending violence in Mexico, as a cure to state budget problems, as a cure to health problems. The American public should be skeptical of anyone selling one solution as a cure for every single problem. Legalized, regulated drugs are not a panacea--pharmaceutical drugs in this country are tightly regulated and government controlled, yet we know they cause untold damage to those who abuse them.
To test the idea of legalizing and taxing marijuana, we only need to look at already legal drugs--alcohol and tobacco. We know that the taxes collected on these substances pale in comparison to the social and health care costs related to their widespread use.
Bottom-line: the federal government will not go along with legalization. In an interview with Starobin for the National Journal piece, that stance doesn't seem to have changed.
In an interview, Gil Kerlikowske, the drug czar tapped by Obama to direct the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, declined to speculate on the federal response if the California initiative wins approval. But he pointedly noted that "the Department of Justice still enforces the Controlled Substances Act," with its marijuana penalties. The California effort is built on "an incredible foundation of sand" and could pose a nightmare for law enforcement. The notion that marijuana causes "no harm" among users is "propaganda" peddled by the "well-funded" pro-legalization forces, Kerlikowske added.
Still, it is not as though the Obama White House is echoing Nixon's clarion call to wage a war on drugs. Asked whether he considered that war a success, Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, replied that for ordinary Americans, for the folks with whom he meets in his travels across the country, "they don't see the war as successful." As for the administration, "We want to move away from the war" toward a policy stressing prevention of drug abuse and the treatment of users, he said.
Presumably, however, the decision of what to do if California legalizes is above Kerlikowske's pay-grade. The drug czar would likely make a recommendation, Holder would weigh in, and Obama would likely make the final call. As a matter of law enforcement, Obama could let Holder handle it; but, as a matter of policy, marijuana possibly being legal in an entire state is too big to let anyone other than the president handle the executive judgment.
It's unclear what would happen if California did legalize marijuana. The ballot measure doesn't legalize the substance completely throughout the state: it allows for counties to legalize on their own, creating what the ballot initiatives backers hope would mirror "wet" and "dry" counties elsewhere, in which alcohol is legal or illegal.
At the end of the day, it could come down to manpower. If the measure passes, county cops can enforce the laws of their counties, while federal law enforcers could come in to enforce the Controlled Substances Act. If many counties legalize, it could come down to whether the DEA and FBI have enough officers and the inclination to enforce marijuana's illegality in California while there's a drug war raging in Mexico that's already demanding drug-enforcement resources.
In their previous state-legislature and ballot-initiative campaigns, marijuana reformers have long been plagued by a lack of confidence that any state-level law will be meaningful, given the federal government's supercedence, as a gross disincentive to vote for reform. That was a problem for medical-marijuana campaigns, although now that the administration has decided not to enforce its anti-medical-marijuana laws, it's not anymore, as medical marijuana has proliferated to a handful of states and the District of Columbia, with more laws being pushed in others.
But even though the Tax Cannabis campaign in California is well organized and well timed, that same issue looms over all the political and strategic advantages its proponents do enjoy.
Source: The Atlantic
The campaign to legalize marijuana in California, as I've noted before, is real. It's a campaign that's being run by pros, and it has a legitimate shot at winning...though there is one significant challenge, one that Starobin focuses on: the federal government would have to go along with it.
The Obama administration has signaled that it will back off the "Drug War," not just in mentality, but in actual law-enforcement priorities; Eric Holder told federal attorneys to stop prosecuting medical-marijuana users, after Obama promised as much on the campaign trail, and drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has declared the so-called "drug war" to be over (though that's not the first time such a declaration has been made.)
But legalization of marijuana, Kerlikowske has made it clear, is a "non-starter" in an official statement issued in October. Here's an excerpt:
Legalization is being sold as being a cure to ending violence in Mexico, as a cure to state budget problems, as a cure to health problems. The American public should be skeptical of anyone selling one solution as a cure for every single problem. Legalized, regulated drugs are not a panacea--pharmaceutical drugs in this country are tightly regulated and government controlled, yet we know they cause untold damage to those who abuse them.
To test the idea of legalizing and taxing marijuana, we only need to look at already legal drugs--alcohol and tobacco. We know that the taxes collected on these substances pale in comparison to the social and health care costs related to their widespread use.
Bottom-line: the federal government will not go along with legalization. In an interview with Starobin for the National Journal piece, that stance doesn't seem to have changed.
In an interview, Gil Kerlikowske, the drug czar tapped by Obama to direct the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, declined to speculate on the federal response if the California initiative wins approval. But he pointedly noted that "the Department of Justice still enforces the Controlled Substances Act," with its marijuana penalties. The California effort is built on "an incredible foundation of sand" and could pose a nightmare for law enforcement. The notion that marijuana causes "no harm" among users is "propaganda" peddled by the "well-funded" pro-legalization forces, Kerlikowske added.
Still, it is not as though the Obama White House is echoing Nixon's clarion call to wage a war on drugs. Asked whether he considered that war a success, Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, replied that for ordinary Americans, for the folks with whom he meets in his travels across the country, "they don't see the war as successful." As for the administration, "We want to move away from the war" toward a policy stressing prevention of drug abuse and the treatment of users, he said.
Presumably, however, the decision of what to do if California legalizes is above Kerlikowske's pay-grade. The drug czar would likely make a recommendation, Holder would weigh in, and Obama would likely make the final call. As a matter of law enforcement, Obama could let Holder handle it; but, as a matter of policy, marijuana possibly being legal in an entire state is too big to let anyone other than the president handle the executive judgment.
It's unclear what would happen if California did legalize marijuana. The ballot measure doesn't legalize the substance completely throughout the state: it allows for counties to legalize on their own, creating what the ballot initiatives backers hope would mirror "wet" and "dry" counties elsewhere, in which alcohol is legal or illegal.
At the end of the day, it could come down to manpower. If the measure passes, county cops can enforce the laws of their counties, while federal law enforcers could come in to enforce the Controlled Substances Act. If many counties legalize, it could come down to whether the DEA and FBI have enough officers and the inclination to enforce marijuana's illegality in California while there's a drug war raging in Mexico that's already demanding drug-enforcement resources.
In their previous state-legislature and ballot-initiative campaigns, marijuana reformers have long been plagued by a lack of confidence that any state-level law will be meaningful, given the federal government's supercedence, as a gross disincentive to vote for reform. That was a problem for medical-marijuana campaigns, although now that the administration has decided not to enforce its anti-medical-marijuana laws, it's not anymore, as medical marijuana has proliferated to a handful of states and the District of Columbia, with more laws being pushed in others.
But even though the Tax Cannabis campaign in California is well organized and well timed, that same issue looms over all the political and strategic advantages its proponents do enjoy.
Source: The Atlantic
Friday, June 25, 2010
NEWS: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
It's an argument you hear frequently from marijuana advocates: 'Legalize the drug, take the profit away, squeeze out the drug dealers and lower crime.' To be sure, the drug cartels would be impacted as would the entire drug underworld.
But while some see major improvements, others predict higher usage rates and even more problems associated with the drug. One thing we know is that the drug trade in Mexico has gotten much more violent. Officials say 15,000 murders have been tied to the Mexican drug wars since 2006.
Norm Stamper, the former Seattle police chief who supports legalization says, "50-70 percent of Mexican drug cartel money represent marijuana sales. That (legalization) would deal a huge blow to them." But most of law enforcement has serious reservations.
Drug Czars past and present oppose the California ballot initiative that would legalize small amounts of marijuana. John Walters, who served in that capacity under President Bush, says "The danger here is, when we don't take this seriously we encourage consumption and consumption drives up the cost and provides more money for these criminal groups to expand their capacity to do harm."
Walters calls medical marijuana a fraud which has led to more pot smoking. California was the first to test those waters in 1996 and since then 13 states have followed suit.
And violence still surrounds the drug even where it is considered "medicine." Just last night there were two murders at a medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles.
Critics also point to the Netherlands which legalized marijuana long ago. As the country got known as a place to use drugs, there was an explosion of so-called coffee shops which are really just places to purchase and smoke marijuana.
They have become such a nuisance and attracted so much crime that officials have shut down thousands over the last few years.
Another debate surrounding legalization is over the clash that would exist between state and federal drug laws. Only an act of Congress could make marijuana legal under federal law.
The D.E.A., F.B.I. and other federal agencies have continued to enforce national drug laws even in states with medical marijuana. Although, while the Bush Administration took a hard line approach to the issue, President Obama has sent slightly different signals. Last year his attorney general Eric Holder instructed agents to stop pot dispensary raids if the outlets were operating within state law.
But Obama opposes outright legalization. His drug czar Gil Kerlikowski says, "We will have more criminal justice costs, more social costs, and the taxes, whatever taxes may be collected, and that's a very vague number, wouldn't begin to pay for all those costs."
Legalization would lead to a host of other sticky issues. Among them, drugs in the workplace. Courts have upheld the right of employers to require a drug-free work environment in states that allow medical marijuana. Would that change at all if pot were legal.
And what about custody cases? Judges, when deciding which home is more suitable for raising children can factor in drug use even when that drug use is allowed under state law.
So as Californians get ready to vote on the issue in November, people around the country are watching.
Source: Fox News
But while some see major improvements, others predict higher usage rates and even more problems associated with the drug. One thing we know is that the drug trade in Mexico has gotten much more violent. Officials say 15,000 murders have been tied to the Mexican drug wars since 2006.
Norm Stamper, the former Seattle police chief who supports legalization says, "50-70 percent of Mexican drug cartel money represent marijuana sales. That (legalization) would deal a huge blow to them." But most of law enforcement has serious reservations.
Drug Czars past and present oppose the California ballot initiative that would legalize small amounts of marijuana. John Walters, who served in that capacity under President Bush, says "The danger here is, when we don't take this seriously we encourage consumption and consumption drives up the cost and provides more money for these criminal groups to expand their capacity to do harm."
Walters calls medical marijuana a fraud which has led to more pot smoking. California was the first to test those waters in 1996 and since then 13 states have followed suit.
And violence still surrounds the drug even where it is considered "medicine." Just last night there were two murders at a medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles.
Critics also point to the Netherlands which legalized marijuana long ago. As the country got known as a place to use drugs, there was an explosion of so-called coffee shops which are really just places to purchase and smoke marijuana.
They have become such a nuisance and attracted so much crime that officials have shut down thousands over the last few years.
Another debate surrounding legalization is over the clash that would exist between state and federal drug laws. Only an act of Congress could make marijuana legal under federal law.
The D.E.A., F.B.I. and other federal agencies have continued to enforce national drug laws even in states with medical marijuana. Although, while the Bush Administration took a hard line approach to the issue, President Obama has sent slightly different signals. Last year his attorney general Eric Holder instructed agents to stop pot dispensary raids if the outlets were operating within state law.
But Obama opposes outright legalization. His drug czar Gil Kerlikowski says, "We will have more criminal justice costs, more social costs, and the taxes, whatever taxes may be collected, and that's a very vague number, wouldn't begin to pay for all those costs."
Legalization would lead to a host of other sticky issues. Among them, drugs in the workplace. Courts have upheld the right of employers to require a drug-free work environment in states that allow medical marijuana. Would that change at all if pot were legal.
And what about custody cases? Judges, when deciding which home is more suitable for raising children can factor in drug use even when that drug use is allowed under state law.
So as Californians get ready to vote on the issue in November, people around the country are watching.
Source: Fox News
NEWS: Mobile marijuana operation sidelined
CLAREMONT - Until recently, Ronald Chavez would drive his vehicle to homes and apartments in the Inland Valley and drop off orders of marijuana.
The owner of Claremont- based Tasty Licks would make deliveries to anyone with a valid medical marijuana identification card.
But the operations of the mobile medical marijuana company were curtailed earlier this month when the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it would prosecute anyone who performed such a delivery service.
"I stopped delivering because I heard things about that, actually," said Chavez, a Pomona resident.
District Attorney Steve Cooley said delivery of medical marijuana and selling the drug online are illegal. Cooley said those who do so could face felony charges.
The statement released June7 by Cooley, who is running for state attorney general, was in response to claims that medical marijuana providers in Los Angeles had found a loophole by making house calls to those seeking pot.
Chavez said he was advised by his attorneys to revamp the business.
"So I'll be on hold for a little while," he said. "I have to make sure everything's good to go."
Tasty Licks could be back as soon as early July, Chavez said.
The company was about to make a profit prior to its shutdown thanks in part to a solid reputation among customers who praised its delivery speed and quality of marijuana, Chavez claims.
The customers would call Tasty Licks and either put in an order for medical marijuana or ask to view samples at their homes.
Deliveries were typically made for free after 10 p.m. in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as long as the customer was a member of the nonprofit and had a reservation.
"We provide the highest quality indica, sativa and hybrid medical strains," boasted the company's Web site, www.tasty licks.org.
Chavez said he printed business cards and paid for advertisements in magazines.
Tasty Licks had fewer than 100 customers, and they ran the gamut from young adults to seniors, Chavez said.
Chavez said business really started to take off in October when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana. The Justice Department statement said federal prosecutors are being told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
Chavez now directs his customers to magazines that advertise mobile medical marijuana companies.
There have been numerous mobile medical marijuana clinics in the Inland Empire, and they "help people get their medicine they can't get through collectives and storefronts," said Lanny Swerdlow, president of the Inland Empire chapter of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project.
The clinics are illegal in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
"Steve Cooley says everything is illegal. Here (in Riverside and San Bernardino counties) it's illegal not because that's illegal, but because it violates zoning ordinances," Swerdlow said.
Chavez received a business license in Pomona for a Tasty Licks shaved ice company in 1996. It was not renewed in 2009. He declined to comment on the status of his business license.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
The owner of Claremont- based Tasty Licks would make deliveries to anyone with a valid medical marijuana identification card.
But the operations of the mobile medical marijuana company were curtailed earlier this month when the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it would prosecute anyone who performed such a delivery service.
"I stopped delivering because I heard things about that, actually," said Chavez, a Pomona resident.
District Attorney Steve Cooley said delivery of medical marijuana and selling the drug online are illegal. Cooley said those who do so could face felony charges.
The statement released June7 by Cooley, who is running for state attorney general, was in response to claims that medical marijuana providers in Los Angeles had found a loophole by making house calls to those seeking pot.
Chavez said he was advised by his attorneys to revamp the business.
"So I'll be on hold for a little while," he said. "I have to make sure everything's good to go."
Tasty Licks could be back as soon as early July, Chavez said.
The company was about to make a profit prior to its shutdown thanks in part to a solid reputation among customers who praised its delivery speed and quality of marijuana, Chavez claims.
The customers would call Tasty Licks and either put in an order for medical marijuana or ask to view samples at their homes.
Deliveries were typically made for free after 10 p.m. in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as long as the customer was a member of the nonprofit and had a reservation.
"We provide the highest quality indica, sativa and hybrid medical strains," boasted the company's Web site, www.tasty licks.org.
Chavez said he printed business cards and paid for advertisements in magazines.
Tasty Licks had fewer than 100 customers, and they ran the gamut from young adults to seniors, Chavez said.
Chavez said business really started to take off in October when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana. The Justice Department statement said federal prosecutors are being told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
Chavez now directs his customers to magazines that advertise mobile medical marijuana companies.
There have been numerous mobile medical marijuana clinics in the Inland Empire, and they "help people get their medicine they can't get through collectives and storefronts," said Lanny Swerdlow, president of the Inland Empire chapter of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project.
The clinics are illegal in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
"Steve Cooley says everything is illegal. Here (in Riverside and San Bernardino counties) it's illegal not because that's illegal, but because it violates zoning ordinances," Swerdlow said.
Chavez received a business license in Pomona for a Tasty Licks shaved ice company in 1996. It was not renewed in 2009. He declined to comment on the status of his business license.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
NEWS: 2 dead in L.A. medical marijuana shop robbery attempts
LOS ANGELES - Two Los Angeles pot clinic workers were killed Thursday in separate robbery attempts just hours apart, Los Angeles police said.
An employee of the Hollywood Holistic store was found by his supervisor around 9:15 p.m. Pacific (12:15am E.T.) after an apparent robbery attempt, NBC News reported.
Police would not say how the worker was killed, only that it was a homicide. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene, just north of the Hollywood Palladium, said City News Service.
Around 4:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m. ET), an unknown number of suspects burst into the Higher Patch Holistic Care store in Echo Park and opened fire, killing one employee and wounding another, NBC News said.
NBC News quoted police saying one male victim was shot in the upper torso and a second was also hit, but police were not able to declare which victim died.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the shootings came as city officials try to regulate hundreds of marijuana stores that have popped up amid California's dispensary boom.
It was not immediately known if the two incidents were related.
Source: MSNBC
An employee of the Hollywood Holistic store was found by his supervisor around 9:15 p.m. Pacific (12:15am E.T.) after an apparent robbery attempt, NBC News reported.
Police would not say how the worker was killed, only that it was a homicide. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene, just north of the Hollywood Palladium, said City News Service.
Around 4:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m. ET), an unknown number of suspects burst into the Higher Patch Holistic Care store in Echo Park and opened fire, killing one employee and wounding another, NBC News said.
NBC News quoted police saying one male victim was shot in the upper torso and a second was also hit, but police were not able to declare which victim died.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the shootings came as city officials try to regulate hundreds of marijuana stores that have popped up amid California's dispensary boom.
It was not immediately known if the two incidents were related.
Source: MSNBC
Thursday, June 24, 2010
NEWS: Police say man killed in LA medical marijuana dispensary
LOS ANGELES — Police in Los Angeles say a man has been killed and another wounded in a shooting at a medical marijuana dispensary.
The police department said Thursday that an unknown number of suspects burst into the Sunset Boulevard store in the Echo Park neighborhood around 4:15 p.m. and opened fire.
Police set up a perimeter as they searched for suspects.
No other information was immediately available.
Source: The Associated Press
The police department said Thursday that an unknown number of suspects burst into the Sunset Boulevard store in the Echo Park neighborhood around 4:15 p.m. and opened fire.
Police set up a perimeter as they searched for suspects.
No other information was immediately available.
Source: The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
NEWS: San Diego County picks 16 medical marijuana spots
A new policy approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday limits medical marijuana dispensaries to 16 areas in the unincorporated county.
Under the regulations, medical marijuana dispensaries must be located 1,000 feet from homes, churches, schools, parks and other dispensaries.
The sheriff’s department will permit the facilities and make sure their operators follow a range of rules.
Three of the 16 sites are in Lakeside and three more are in Ramona. Two each are in San Dieguito, Alpine and El Cajon. The rest are in Borrego, Campo, Julian and Spring Valley. It’s possible that some locations could hold multiple dispensaries if each complied with the distance requirements.
Critics said that the policy is too restrictive, that the sites are not practical, and that the regulations amount to an invasion of each patient’s privacy. Opponents far outnumbered supporters at the morning meeting.
As Supervisor Dianne Jacob noted, “I didn’t hear a lot of unqualified support for what’s before us today.”
In the end, the supervisors voted 4-1 to adopt the policy, which requires another formal vote next Tuesday. Supervisor Ron Roberts said he opposed the policy because he thought it reduced the locations where dispensaries could open to “next to none.”
Medical marijuana has been legal in California under state law for 14 years, but the drug is illegal under federal law, leading to frequent clashes between authorities and dispensary supporters.
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
Under the regulations, medical marijuana dispensaries must be located 1,000 feet from homes, churches, schools, parks and other dispensaries.
The sheriff’s department will permit the facilities and make sure their operators follow a range of rules.
Three of the 16 sites are in Lakeside and three more are in Ramona. Two each are in San Dieguito, Alpine and El Cajon. The rest are in Borrego, Campo, Julian and Spring Valley. It’s possible that some locations could hold multiple dispensaries if each complied with the distance requirements.
Critics said that the policy is too restrictive, that the sites are not practical, and that the regulations amount to an invasion of each patient’s privacy. Opponents far outnumbered supporters at the morning meeting.
As Supervisor Dianne Jacob noted, “I didn’t hear a lot of unqualified support for what’s before us today.”
In the end, the supervisors voted 4-1 to adopt the policy, which requires another formal vote next Tuesday. Supervisor Ron Roberts said he opposed the policy because he thought it reduced the locations where dispensaries could open to “next to none.”
Medical marijuana has been legal in California under state law for 14 years, but the drug is illegal under federal law, leading to frequent clashes between authorities and dispensary supporters.
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
NEWS: More than 170 medical marijuana dispensaries notify Los Angeles of intent to stay open
The stores are among 187 that registered in 2007 to continue to operate when the City Council adopted a moratorium. (City officials have long said the number of registered dispensaries is 186 but recently concluded one was inadvertently left off the list.)
All other dispensaries in the city were required to stop selling marijuana June 7, when the ordinance became effective.
City officials estimate there are about 400 illegal dispensaries. Many, however, have sued the city to challenge the ordinance and some have remained open in defiance of the law.
Los Angeles officials are reviewing the documentation to ensure that the stores still have their original owners, have operated continuously and have moved no more than once. In their initial check, city officials determined that 79 met those requirements and planned to scrutinize the others. Control of seven dispensaries is in dispute, with competing groups claiming to operate them.
It’s unclear when the city clerk will complete its review. “We had a new hiccup,” said Holly L. Wolcott, the executive officer for the city clerk. City officials realized that they failed to collect information on the current management of the dispensaries, as required by the city’s ordinance, and now have to contact the dispensaries to collect that information.
Source: Los Angeles Times
NEWS: Pot brownies supposedly pose a risk of ‘agonizing, painful death’
But before a patient can take away a dose, the staff will force him to read a one-page warning copied from recommendations issued by the city of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Task Force. The “Cannabis Patient Advisory” explains that edible marijuana products can cause “severe extreme anxiety” lasting up to four hours and that a patient shouldn’t drive within seven hours of consumption.
More alarming, however, is this line:
“That fact that most edible [sic] are produced in kitchens which have not been certified by the health Department [sic] creates a risk of serious illness and/or an agonizing painful death.”
Pro-pot activists say if anyone is going to die from a pot brownie, it won’t be because of the cannabis but, rather, as a result of food poisoning. The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health is responsible for inspecting and grading retail food facilities throughout the county. So far, it’s not holding marijuana kitchens to the same standards.
“Clearly, the City is warning people about eating food prepared in ANY kitchen not regularly inspected by the County,” county spokesperson Michael Workman says in a prepared statement. “It is in no way intended to imply there are commercial kitchens preparing marijuana foodstuffs that [the] County is knowingly ignoring.”
Representatives from the Southern California branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws disagree, arguing that the county has authority to inspect these facilities but hasn’t done so.
“I definitely think the county has a responsibility to do this now,” SoCal NORML Director Craig Beresh says. “Even though it has medicine in it, it does have food in it as well. The worst thing would be for someone to get sick, or worse, die, because of an edible they received.”
A product tainted with salmonella, for example, would be especially dangerous for patients with weak immune systems, many of whom are more likely to ingest marijuana because it’s safer than smoking.
Initially, Workman said that food with marijuana in it is no longer food—it’s a drug, and the kitchens are therefore exempt from food-safety regulations. He later retracted that claim.
“There is no state law that directly regulates marijuana in food,” Workman now says. Counties “have to address dispensing of marijuana, among other issues in their local ordinances.”
This week, the county will vote on an ordinance that would prohibit marijuana foods in unincorporated areas. It doesn’t deal with the issue of regulating marijuana kitchens countywide, but advocates for inspections, such as David Speckman, a San Diego attorney who represents a dozen local collectives, say a new ordinance is unnecessary.
“Any time any food item is being prepared for a… commercial transaction, even within the context of a medical-marijuana donation, it is still subject to health and safety regulations,” Speckman says. “It doesn’t make sense that adding one ingredient means the kitchen is no longer subject to regulations.”
State and county health and safety codes define food as a “raw, cooked or processed edible substance, ice beverage, an ingredient used or intended for use or for sale in whole or in part for human consumption, and chewing gum.”
According to a later statement from Workman: “If we were to find a retail restaurant or bakery preparing marijuana brownies, Rice Krispies, etc… then we would work with the appropriate law enforcement agency and take the necessary enforcement action.”
That, however, has not yet happened, and the fact that the county and state are not inspecting marijuana kitchens—or shutting down those that don’t meet health standards—presents a dilemma for collectives. Many have begun purchasing edibles from licensed commercial kitchens outside the county.
“The legal problem that some of these collectives might run into is that the baker or manufacturer of the edibles may not be a ‘member’ of the collective in the true sense of the term,” Speckman says.
Best Buds, for example, offers patients two kinds of edibles: Those made in unlicensed home kitchens of its members (which is consistent with the California Attorney General’s guidelines for “closed circuit” collectives) and those purchased from a bakery in Los Angeles County (which may not be allowed under the guidelines) that has provided proof that it has passed health inspections.
The bakery did not tell health inspectors that it was making marijuana edibles during the inspection, according to the facility’s proprietor, who asked not to be identified. San Francisco is the only major California jurisdiction that has crafted formal guidelines for marijuana food production.
Collectives are also renting space in certified kitchens to produce their own products. One collective CityBeat contacted prepares the food in the kitchen of a member’s restaurant; that member is also a food-safety manager and the collective’s staff are certified food handlers.
Mother Earth Co-op, a collective managed by city task force member Kim Twolan, has an on-site kitchen that’s not been inspected by the Health Department. “We just follow health and safety guidelines in our kitchen, and we just make sure our products have high quality control,” says Twolan, who’s written a marijuana cookbook. “But I have seen people come in, trying to sell edibles out of dirty coolers.”
Source: San Diego CITYBEAT
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
NEWS: Supervisors to determine fate of proposed dispensary
Last month, the county Planning Commission voted 3-2 to deny a minor-use permit for the dispensary proposed by Robert Brody of Los Angeles and Tom Meredith of Long Beach.
Brody filed an appeal of the split decision earlier this month, which is expected to be heard by the supervisors in August or September, according to the Planning and Building Department.
County ordinance allows establishment of dispensaries in unincorporated areas such as Nipomo but specifies the facilities must be located 1,000 feet away from public schools, playgrounds, parks, youth or recreation centers and libraries.
The proposed dispensary on Lindon Lane is more than 1,000 feet from Nipomo High School, but a private gymnastics studio — Paradise Gymnastics Studio — is located within 94 feet of the building where Brody wants to open the facility.
The commission denied the permit, in part, because of the dispensary’s proximity to the gymnastics facility, which the majority of the commission believed fell within the parameters of a public youth-serving center.
Brody disagrees.
“The intent of establishing location standards was to provide separation for where children congregate ... public schools, libraries, parks, playgrounds, recreation or youth center, not a business center that caters to children,” Brody wrote. “This broadbrush approach was not the intent.”
County project planner Bill Robeson said the ordinance’s distance requirement is intended to protect children and that planning staff was being conservative when it applied the requirement to the private gymnastics studio.
Planning staff had recommended denying the permit because of the short distance between the studio and dispensary.
The dispensary also was met with overwhelming opposition from the community, whose members believe such a facility would become a magnet for criminal activity.
The appeal asserts that there is “no substantiated proof” that opening and operating a dispensary in the community would be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the general public, including children.
“The medical marijuana dispensary across the street in a different industrial park will have no impact on the gymnastics studio,” Brody wrote. “I am sure county planners did their due diligence when assigning this location as acceptable.”
Source: Santa Maria Times
VIDEO: Rich Billock on medical marijuana in San Diego Neighborhood Safety and Public Services Committee Meeting
Rich Billock, caregiver for his wife (a Multiple Sclerosis patient), on medical marijuana regulations at the San Diego Neighborhood Safety & Public Services Committee Meeting (May 26, 2010).
Monday, June 21, 2010
NEWS: Marijuana lollipops for sale on Lakers parade route
In addition to the sales of Lakers paraphernalia and water, some surprising entrepreneurs took to the parade route to sell their wares.
Among them was a mobile truck, Weed World Candies.com, selling marijuana lollipops in hues of orange and blue. (The truck itself is green with a photo mural of young women in bikinis sorting marijuana leaves.)
The assortment included brands of marijuana such as OG Kush and Grand Daddy Perp. The truck’s owner, Bilal Muhammad, said he was recently forced to shut down his store in West Hollywood and had taken his business on the road.
Customers approaching his truck were asked if they had a prescription card allowing them to purchase marijuana and then were handed a free lollipop.
“It’s been working out very well,” he said of business before driving away as police became visible in the distance.
So far, Muhammad was able to work without interruption from police.
-- Gale Holland
Source: Los Angeles Times
Among them was a mobile truck, Weed World Candies.com, selling marijuana lollipops in hues of orange and blue. (The truck itself is green with a photo mural of young women in bikinis sorting marijuana leaves.)
The assortment included brands of marijuana such as OG Kush and Grand Daddy Perp. The truck’s owner, Bilal Muhammad, said he was recently forced to shut down his store in West Hollywood and had taken his business on the road.
Customers approaching his truck were asked if they had a prescription card allowing them to purchase marijuana and then were handed a free lollipop.
“It’s been working out very well,” he said of business before driving away as police became visible in the distance.
So far, Muhammad was able to work without interruption from police.
-- Gale Holland
Source: Los Angeles Times
Friday, June 18, 2010
EVENT: Sun City senior group hosts medical marijuana speaker
Swerdlow is scheduled to speak about the benefits and problems of medical marijuana at 10:30 a.m. after breakfast at Boston Billie's Restaurant, 26850 Cherry Hills Blvd.
Source: The Press-Enterprise
NEWS: Lake Forest medical marijuana shop operators face contempt charge
Attorneys for the city of Lake Forest will go to court today to ask a judge to hold the operators of two medical marijuana dispensaries in contempt for staying open despite being ordered to close.
Attorneys for the city were prepared to seek contempt-of-court orders against eight medical marijuana dispensaries yesterday but, by day's end, four were closed, said Jeffrey Dunn, an attorney representing the city.
On May 28, Orange County Superior Court Judge David Chaffee ordered all 10 remaining dispensaries in the city to close.
Attorney Damian J. Nassiri, who represents the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective dispensary, said he filed a notice of appeal today, triggering a stay of the judge's order.
"When you file an appeal it takes away jurisdiction from the trial court and moves it to the appellate court, so this court has no authority in this case," Nassiri said.
Dunn disagreed.
"He's wrong," Dunn said. "The notice of appeal does not stay or stop [the judge's order]."
Dunn noted attorneys for the dispensaries twice failed to get a stay of Chaffee's order.
Lake Forest attorneys successfully argued the city can use zoning laws to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries, Dunn said. Additionally, in the May 28 order, Chaffee ruled that because marijuana is still classified as an illegal drug by federal authorities, it can't be legally dispensed in California.
In September, as many as 35 pot outlets were in operation in Lake Forest before city officials started cracking down.
In 1996, voters statewide approved Proposition 215 that enabled people with a doctor's recommendation to legal smoke, possess and grow pot, but many municipal officials dragged their feet in accommodating the law, which was later refined by Senate Bill 420.
Dispensary operators and Lake Forest city officials still disagree on what the law does and does not allow, and what municipalities can do to regulate pot outlets.
Lake Forest officials have won several decisions in state and federal court in which judges have ruled that they have the right to use nuisance laws to prohibit dispensaries.
A precedent-setting ruling stemming from Anaheim's efforts to close medical marijuana dispensaries could come from the appellate court in mid-July.
Source: 89.3 KPCC | Southern California Public Radio
Attorneys for the city were prepared to seek contempt-of-court orders against eight medical marijuana dispensaries yesterday but, by day's end, four were closed, said Jeffrey Dunn, an attorney representing the city.
On May 28, Orange County Superior Court Judge David Chaffee ordered all 10 remaining dispensaries in the city to close.
Attorney Damian J. Nassiri, who represents the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective dispensary, said he filed a notice of appeal today, triggering a stay of the judge's order.
"When you file an appeal it takes away jurisdiction from the trial court and moves it to the appellate court, so this court has no authority in this case," Nassiri said.
Dunn disagreed.
"He's wrong," Dunn said. "The notice of appeal does not stay or stop [the judge's order]."
Dunn noted attorneys for the dispensaries twice failed to get a stay of Chaffee's order.
Lake Forest attorneys successfully argued the city can use zoning laws to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries, Dunn said. Additionally, in the May 28 order, Chaffee ruled that because marijuana is still classified as an illegal drug by federal authorities, it can't be legally dispensed in California.
In September, as many as 35 pot outlets were in operation in Lake Forest before city officials started cracking down.
In 1996, voters statewide approved Proposition 215 that enabled people with a doctor's recommendation to legal smoke, possess and grow pot, but many municipal officials dragged their feet in accommodating the law, which was later refined by Senate Bill 420.
Dispensary operators and Lake Forest city officials still disagree on what the law does and does not allow, and what municipalities can do to regulate pot outlets.
Lake Forest officials have won several decisions in state and federal court in which judges have ruled that they have the right to use nuisance laws to prohibit dispensaries.
A precedent-setting ruling stemming from Anaheim's efforts to close medical marijuana dispensaries could come from the appellate court in mid-July.
Source: 89.3 KPCC | Southern California Public Radio
Thursday, June 17, 2010
NEWS: Lake Forest's last pot shop standing
LAKE FOREST – Despite a Superior Court judge's order to shut down immediately, business on Thursday was booming at the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective.
In less than an hour at least 12 patients – including some first-timers – came into the second-story suite on Raymond Way seeking relief for chronic pain, anxiety and muscle disorders.
"We're here for our patients," said Damon Harris, a Marine who served from 1998 to 2004 and who runs the collective. "We treat people recovering from cancer, people with MS, sleep problems, ADHD and war vets. We're not doing anything wrong – why should we leave?"
In September, Lake Forest sued 35 people in the city, including medical marijuana dispensary owners and retail landowners who rented space to them. Since then, 21 collectives have shut down; the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective continues to operate.
The collective is the last one to stay open, defying the city and the court order to close down.
"We are filing an appeal today with the court and appealing the Superior Court decision to close down," said Damian Nassiri, an attorney representing the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective. "We've heard the city is going to try and obtain a contempt of court order. In our opinion the city is not following procedure. The collective has never been served with any papers to close."
In the order made public Monday, Judge David Chaffee ruled that "all defendants and their officers, agents, employees, representatives and all persons acting in concert or participating with them are prohibited and restrained from engaging in committing, providing the location or performing by any means activity related to the distribution of marijuana."
On Tuesday the city of Lake Forest posted a note on its website calling for all dispensaries in the city to shut down by 5 p.m.
Thursday, city officials checked the store fronts. Only Lake Forest Wellness remained open at the end of the day.
On Friday, Jeffrey Dunn, who has led the city's effort against the dispensaries, said the city file papers to begin contempt proceedings against the dispensary.
"They'll have to show up in court and explain why they haven't closed," Dunn said Thursday afternoon. "It will be up to the judge to decide what to do."
Dunn said the dispensary could be fined or those involved could face possible jail time.
"This has been an important issue to the city," Dunn said. "They (dispensaries) create a whole host of problems for the city. They are not and never have been an allowable use."
Officials say the dispensaries have been operating in violation of the city's zoning code
Michael Deblese, 24, came from Los Angeles on Thursday to get his medical marijuana. A few years ago a broken jaw left him debilitated and unable to eat. Prescription drugs like Vicodin left him nauseous and numb.
"I wanted to use something that helped me that was natural," he said. "I've smoked it up until now. I want to start being more healthy and use it in oils and butter on my food."
Deblese is worried that closing the dispensaries will make medicinal marijuana illegal.
"We know people will continue to smoke marijuana," he said. "Closing them will create more danger and illegal business. When people can't get marijuana, they'll go to something stronger like heroine. Is that what we really want?"
Diane Johnson, 43, from Mission Viejo, also came to Lake Forest Wellness on Thursday. A hiking accident that resulted in a severe injury to her leg left her disabled and barely able to walk.
Diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Johnson is unable to sleep at night without the help of marijuana, which she uses in a vaporizer.
"It's been very comfortable coming here," Johnson said. "If the dispensary is shut down it will make it difficult. I'll have to travel to Los Angeles. It's very difficult for me to even drive here now."
Source: OC Register
In less than an hour at least 12 patients – including some first-timers – came into the second-story suite on Raymond Way seeking relief for chronic pain, anxiety and muscle disorders.
"We're here for our patients," said Damon Harris, a Marine who served from 1998 to 2004 and who runs the collective. "We treat people recovering from cancer, people with MS, sleep problems, ADHD and war vets. We're not doing anything wrong – why should we leave?"
In September, Lake Forest sued 35 people in the city, including medical marijuana dispensary owners and retail landowners who rented space to them. Since then, 21 collectives have shut down; the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective continues to operate.
The collective is the last one to stay open, defying the city and the court order to close down.
"We are filing an appeal today with the court and appealing the Superior Court decision to close down," said Damian Nassiri, an attorney representing the Lake Forest Wellness Center and Collective. "We've heard the city is going to try and obtain a contempt of court order. In our opinion the city is not following procedure. The collective has never been served with any papers to close."
In the order made public Monday, Judge David Chaffee ruled that "all defendants and their officers, agents, employees, representatives and all persons acting in concert or participating with them are prohibited and restrained from engaging in committing, providing the location or performing by any means activity related to the distribution of marijuana."
On Tuesday the city of Lake Forest posted a note on its website calling for all dispensaries in the city to shut down by 5 p.m.
Thursday, city officials checked the store fronts. Only Lake Forest Wellness remained open at the end of the day.
On Friday, Jeffrey Dunn, who has led the city's effort against the dispensaries, said the city file papers to begin contempt proceedings against the dispensary.
"They'll have to show up in court and explain why they haven't closed," Dunn said Thursday afternoon. "It will be up to the judge to decide what to do."
Dunn said the dispensary could be fined or those involved could face possible jail time.
"This has been an important issue to the city," Dunn said. "They (dispensaries) create a whole host of problems for the city. They are not and never have been an allowable use."
Officials say the dispensaries have been operating in violation of the city's zoning code
Michael Deblese, 24, came from Los Angeles on Thursday to get his medical marijuana. A few years ago a broken jaw left him debilitated and unable to eat. Prescription drugs like Vicodin left him nauseous and numb.
"I wanted to use something that helped me that was natural," he said. "I've smoked it up until now. I want to start being more healthy and use it in oils and butter on my food."
Deblese is worried that closing the dispensaries will make medicinal marijuana illegal.
"We know people will continue to smoke marijuana," he said. "Closing them will create more danger and illegal business. When people can't get marijuana, they'll go to something stronger like heroine. Is that what we really want?"
Diane Johnson, 43, from Mission Viejo, also came to Lake Forest Wellness on Thursday. A hiking accident that resulted in a severe injury to her leg left her disabled and barely able to walk.
Diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Johnson is unable to sleep at night without the help of marijuana, which she uses in a vaporizer.
"It's been very comfortable coming here," Johnson said. "If the dispensary is shut down it will make it difficult. I'll have to travel to Los Angeles. It's very difficult for me to even drive here now."
Source: OC Register
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
NEWS: Police put medical cannabis deliverers on notice
Ventura County law enforcement officials said Wednesday they intend to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries and delivery services, days after authorities arrested a couple on suspicion of running an illegal marijuana business in Thousand Oaks.
“I have an easy message for them. Shut down or move out of the county,” said Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Gary Pentis of the Special Service Division that oversees major crimes and narcotics. “We are looking at them. This is something that is definitely on our radar.”
Every city in Ventura County has a permanent ban or moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries or storefront operations, which officials say includes delivery services.
But advertisements for marijuana delivery services continue to appear in local print publications and online, even as Los Angeles has moved to shut down more than 400 medical marijuana dispensaries.
While local storefront operations have been closed, delivery services have operated with little scrutiny. And some say these businesses could increase if voters approve an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize pot possession.
Drug investigators will not allow delivery services to take hold, Pentis said.
“They are nothing more than drug-dealing operations” that violate the state law allowing the “compassionate” use of marijuana to treat medical ills, he said.
Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney described such delivery services as illegal mobile dispensaries, saying “people cannot possess marijuana for sale.”
Cheryl Temple, a senior deputy district attorney, agreed.
“The District Attorney’s Office has no interest in seeing a cancer patient or seriously ill person being denied the medicine they are lawfully allowed, but we will shut down any narcotics sellers or delivery group that is distributing illegal narcotics.”
California’s 1996 initiative and a companion law approved by the Legislature in 2003 granted cities and counties most of the authority over implementing the Compassionate Use Act, which allows patients with a doctor’s recommendation to have marijuana for personal medical use.
The city of Camarillo is believed to be the first to expressly outlaw delivery services, according to Americans for Safe Access.
“Deliveries are not allowed under state law and not allowed under our ordinance,” Camarillo City Attorney Brian Pierik said of the city law adopted in May. “But we wanted to make sure there was no doubt about it.”
Attorneys representing medical marijuana patients have argued that laws to shut down dispensaries and delivery services would unconstitutionally bar patients’ access to their medicine.
But Temple countered that provisions in the California Health & Safety Code that allow some people to lawfully provide marijuana to others is largely restricted to a person’s primary caregiver and does not extend to delivery services.
“Your primary caregiver does not mean your primary dope dealer,” she said.
Fabian Citraro, 32, and his wife, Amanda Citraro, 30, owners of Mary Jane’s Bud in Thousand Oaks, were arrested last week on suspicion of illegally cultivating marijuana and possession for sale, Pentis said. Both have been charged with felony counts and pleaded not guilty at their arraignment, court officials said. Authorities announced the arrest Tuesday.
Investigators also are seeking child endangerment charges because food cooked with marijuana was found on the bottom shelf of a refrigerator at the Citraros’ home that was easily accessible to their children, Pentis said.
Pentis noted a 2-year-old in Oxnard recently overdosed on a marijuana product that looked like a pudding cup, and parents have a responsibility to keep their medical marijuana out of a child’s reach, just like their prescribed drugs. The child survived but the parents may be prosecuted, he said.
Reached by phone, Fabian Citraro declined to comment.
Mary Jane’s Bud is a medical marijuana collective and delivery group serving all of Ventura County, according to its website.
The Citraros are the second delivery service operators arrested in Ventura County in recent years.
805 Delivery owner Kim Lurie, 43, and Hilton Gurfinkiel, 33, were arrested on suspicion of selling marijuana in September for running a delivery service and making a stop in Camarillo. Gurfinkiel’s charges were dropped. Lurie has been charged with selling marijuana and her case is pending, officials said.
Operators of other delivery services that advertise in Ventura County said Wednesday that the Mary Jane’s Bud bust has given them pause about continuing.
“We definitely are going to have to think about it. No one wants to go to jail,” said Tom, owner of the local medical marijuana delivery service Emerald Flower of Life. He didn’t want to give his last name because he fears being targeted.
Tom insisted he doesn’t “sell to kids,” and most of his patients are older, housebound and suffering from cancer or other debilitating ailments. They have legitimate permission to consume medical marijuana under California law.
“I’d hate to say no to somebody,” he said. “But we may have to at this point.”
Source: Ventura County Star
“I have an easy message for them. Shut down or move out of the county,” said Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Gary Pentis of the Special Service Division that oversees major crimes and narcotics. “We are looking at them. This is something that is definitely on our radar.”
Every city in Ventura County has a permanent ban or moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries or storefront operations, which officials say includes delivery services.
But advertisements for marijuana delivery services continue to appear in local print publications and online, even as Los Angeles has moved to shut down more than 400 medical marijuana dispensaries.
While local storefront operations have been closed, delivery services have operated with little scrutiny. And some say these businesses could increase if voters approve an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize pot possession.
Drug investigators will not allow delivery services to take hold, Pentis said.
“They are nothing more than drug-dealing operations” that violate the state law allowing the “compassionate” use of marijuana to treat medical ills, he said.
Ventura Police Chief Ken Corney described such delivery services as illegal mobile dispensaries, saying “people cannot possess marijuana for sale.”
Cheryl Temple, a senior deputy district attorney, agreed.
“The District Attorney’s Office has no interest in seeing a cancer patient or seriously ill person being denied the medicine they are lawfully allowed, but we will shut down any narcotics sellers or delivery group that is distributing illegal narcotics.”
California’s 1996 initiative and a companion law approved by the Legislature in 2003 granted cities and counties most of the authority over implementing the Compassionate Use Act, which allows patients with a doctor’s recommendation to have marijuana for personal medical use.
The city of Camarillo is believed to be the first to expressly outlaw delivery services, according to Americans for Safe Access.
“Deliveries are not allowed under state law and not allowed under our ordinance,” Camarillo City Attorney Brian Pierik said of the city law adopted in May. “But we wanted to make sure there was no doubt about it.”
Attorneys representing medical marijuana patients have argued that laws to shut down dispensaries and delivery services would unconstitutionally bar patients’ access to their medicine.
But Temple countered that provisions in the California Health & Safety Code that allow some people to lawfully provide marijuana to others is largely restricted to a person’s primary caregiver and does not extend to delivery services.
“Your primary caregiver does not mean your primary dope dealer,” she said.
Fabian Citraro, 32, and his wife, Amanda Citraro, 30, owners of Mary Jane’s Bud in Thousand Oaks, were arrested last week on suspicion of illegally cultivating marijuana and possession for sale, Pentis said. Both have been charged with felony counts and pleaded not guilty at their arraignment, court officials said. Authorities announced the arrest Tuesday.
Investigators also are seeking child endangerment charges because food cooked with marijuana was found on the bottom shelf of a refrigerator at the Citraros’ home that was easily accessible to their children, Pentis said.
Pentis noted a 2-year-old in Oxnard recently overdosed on a marijuana product that looked like a pudding cup, and parents have a responsibility to keep their medical marijuana out of a child’s reach, just like their prescribed drugs. The child survived but the parents may be prosecuted, he said.
Reached by phone, Fabian Citraro declined to comment.
Mary Jane’s Bud is a medical marijuana collective and delivery group serving all of Ventura County, according to its website.
The Citraros are the second delivery service operators arrested in Ventura County in recent years.
805 Delivery owner Kim Lurie, 43, and Hilton Gurfinkiel, 33, were arrested on suspicion of selling marijuana in September for running a delivery service and making a stop in Camarillo. Gurfinkiel’s charges were dropped. Lurie has been charged with selling marijuana and her case is pending, officials said.
Operators of other delivery services that advertise in Ventura County said Wednesday that the Mary Jane’s Bud bust has given them pause about continuing.
“We definitely are going to have to think about it. No one wants to go to jail,” said Tom, owner of the local medical marijuana delivery service Emerald Flower of Life. He didn’t want to give his last name because he fears being targeted.
Tom insisted he doesn’t “sell to kids,” and most of his patients are older, housebound and suffering from cancer or other debilitating ailments. They have legitimate permission to consume medical marijuana under California law.
“I’d hate to say no to somebody,” he said. “But we may have to at this point.”
Source: Ventura County Star
VIDEO: Jessica McElfresh on medical marijuana at San Diego Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Meeting (5/26/10)
Jessica McElfresh at San Diego Public Safety & Neighborhood Safety Committee Meeting discussing medical marijuana regulation issues
NEWS: City leaders reach compromise on medical marijuana
Local residents will have a chance to vote on an outright ban of medical marijuana dispensaries this fall after city leaders reached a compromise on the divisive topic yesterday.
In exchange for placing a ban on the ballot, a majority of the council agreed in the interim to adopt stricter regulations on dispensaries that had been crafted during a lengthy series of time-consuming hearings in recent months.
Both items — the proposed ballot measure and the new regulations — will return to the council in the coming weeks for official approval, but it appears there is enough political support for the compromise.
“I do see some advantages to this as a stop-gap measure … if the people of Santa Barbara are given a chance by this council to decide if they want dispensaries at all,” Councilmember Dale Francisco said.
As part of the deal, the council tightened up the previously proposed regulations to allow only three permitted dispensaries in Santa Barbara, rather than five, and to require two dispensaries currently operating on the Eastside to relocate or close within a certain timeframe.
The compromise came after lengthy public testimony and a back-and-forth discussion between councilmembers as they grappled with their differing philosophies on the storefront dispensary model.
Francisco, whose ideology on the topic closely mirrors that of Councilmembers Frank Hotchkiss and Michael Self, said he doesn’t believe selling marijuana is legal in any form.
“This whole retail idea is crazy,” he said. “It was never contemplated by the voters. It is not allowable under state law.”
Citing quotes from one of the original backers of the Compassionate Use Act, which legalized medical marijuana for legitimate patients in California, Francisco said its clear that most dispensaries are little more than dope dealers with storefronts.
But others on the council — Das Williams being perhaps the most vocal example — argued that an outright ban would merely shift medical marijuana into an underground market.
“A ban is an illusion,” Williams said. “Just look in the newspaper in Ventura or San Luis Obispo. There are plenty of operations there.”
He added that regardless of their opinion on a ban, local residents should not be opposed to adopting stricter regulations for dispensaries, given the woeful inadequacy of the current laws on the books.
Williams also leveled a blistering criticism against those who have fought against the revised regulations, arguing that non-conforming dispensaries would have been shut down if not for delay tactics.
“It’s really offensive to me to be accused of not caring about children, of having nefarious purposes when we’ve been trying to shut down the non-conforming dispensaries or require them to get permitted under the new law for some time now,” he said.
The council had been on the brink of simply adopting the new laws last month, but Hotchkiss withdrew his crucial fifth vote after what he described as a significant public outcry from community leaders, including law enforcement, school officials and substance abuse recovery leaders.
Explaining his decision to pull his support for the regulations, the councilman said it is clear that most dispensaries are operating illegally.
“Any close reading of the state law makes it apparent they are outside the law, which is intended to permit those with medical needs to have access to marijuana and nothing more,” he said, adding later, “The closer I looked at this, the more I felt there’s just no way to do it right.”
In the spirit of a compromise, however, Francisco floated the idea of adopting a stricter ordinance while giving the voters the chance to decide on a ban this November.
Ultimately, six members of the council gave their support to that concept, with Councilmember Grant House in opposition. Those in favor noted that while the approach may not be perfect, it should finally break a stalemate on the issue of medical marijuana in Santa Barbara.
“The status quo isn’t working,” Mayor Helene Schneider said. “Everyone is fed up.”
The revised ordinance will likely return to the council next week for an official vote, while election materials related to a ban will take at least two weeks to craft and bring back to city leaders for approval.
Source: Daily Sound
In exchange for placing a ban on the ballot, a majority of the council agreed in the interim to adopt stricter regulations on dispensaries that had been crafted during a lengthy series of time-consuming hearings in recent months.
Both items — the proposed ballot measure and the new regulations — will return to the council in the coming weeks for official approval, but it appears there is enough political support for the compromise.
“I do see some advantages to this as a stop-gap measure … if the people of Santa Barbara are given a chance by this council to decide if they want dispensaries at all,” Councilmember Dale Francisco said.
As part of the deal, the council tightened up the previously proposed regulations to allow only three permitted dispensaries in Santa Barbara, rather than five, and to require two dispensaries currently operating on the Eastside to relocate or close within a certain timeframe.
The compromise came after lengthy public testimony and a back-and-forth discussion between councilmembers as they grappled with their differing philosophies on the storefront dispensary model.
Francisco, whose ideology on the topic closely mirrors that of Councilmembers Frank Hotchkiss and Michael Self, said he doesn’t believe selling marijuana is legal in any form.
“This whole retail idea is crazy,” he said. “It was never contemplated by the voters. It is not allowable under state law.”
Citing quotes from one of the original backers of the Compassionate Use Act, which legalized medical marijuana for legitimate patients in California, Francisco said its clear that most dispensaries are little more than dope dealers with storefronts.
But others on the council — Das Williams being perhaps the most vocal example — argued that an outright ban would merely shift medical marijuana into an underground market.
“A ban is an illusion,” Williams said. “Just look in the newspaper in Ventura or San Luis Obispo. There are plenty of operations there.”
He added that regardless of their opinion on a ban, local residents should not be opposed to adopting stricter regulations for dispensaries, given the woeful inadequacy of the current laws on the books.
Williams also leveled a blistering criticism against those who have fought against the revised regulations, arguing that non-conforming dispensaries would have been shut down if not for delay tactics.
“It’s really offensive to me to be accused of not caring about children, of having nefarious purposes when we’ve been trying to shut down the non-conforming dispensaries or require them to get permitted under the new law for some time now,” he said.
The council had been on the brink of simply adopting the new laws last month, but Hotchkiss withdrew his crucial fifth vote after what he described as a significant public outcry from community leaders, including law enforcement, school officials and substance abuse recovery leaders.
Explaining his decision to pull his support for the regulations, the councilman said it is clear that most dispensaries are operating illegally.
“Any close reading of the state law makes it apparent they are outside the law, which is intended to permit those with medical needs to have access to marijuana and nothing more,” he said, adding later, “The closer I looked at this, the more I felt there’s just no way to do it right.”
In the spirit of a compromise, however, Francisco floated the idea of adopting a stricter ordinance while giving the voters the chance to decide on a ban this November.
Ultimately, six members of the council gave their support to that concept, with Councilmember Grant House in opposition. Those in favor noted that while the approach may not be perfect, it should finally break a stalemate on the issue of medical marijuana in Santa Barbara.
“The status quo isn’t working,” Mayor Helene Schneider said. “Everyone is fed up.”
The revised ordinance will likely return to the council next week for an official vote, while election materials related to a ban will take at least two weeks to craft and bring back to city leaders for approval.
Source: Daily Sound
NEWS: Ventura County police raid alleged marijuana-delivery service
Fabian and Amanda Citraro touted their home-run business as "Ventura County's #1 Medical Marijuana Service!" in newspaper and Internet ads.
But "Mary Jane's Bud," operated out of four locations in Thousand Oaks, hasn't taken any orders since the couple's arrest on charges that they were running an illegal medical marijuana collective.
Fabian Citraro, 32, and his wife, Amanda Citraro, 30, also face a charge of child endangerment after detectives found marijuana edibles in the refrigerator of their tidy two-story home in a development called Teardrop Estates, Ventura County Sheriff's officials announced Tuesday.
Narcotics investigators arrested the couple June 6 after a monthlong investigation into the operation, Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Thomas said in a statement. They were growing marijuana in two warehouses located in a business complex in the 3400 block of Old Conejo Road, Thomas said.
A third location a block away was used as a central dispatch center where they filled orders and sent drivers to deliver marijuana to customer's doorsteps, police said. When authorities searched the couple's home, they found marijuana edibles in the refrigerator within reach of small children, Thomas said.
The couple was taken into custody at Ventura County Jail and are scheduled for a July 6 court hearing, authorities said.
Ventura County and its 10 cities have taken a hard stance on all marijuana sales, and there are no legally operating storefront shops. Medical marijuana users must travel to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to buy the drug at shops, or order from delivery services.
-- Catherine Saillant
Source: Los Angeles Times
Fabian Citraro, 32, and his wife, Amanda Citraro, 30, also face a charge of child endangerment after detectives found marijuana edibles in the refrigerator of their tidy two-story home in a development called Teardrop Estates, Ventura County Sheriff's officials announced Tuesday.
Narcotics investigators arrested the couple June 6 after a monthlong investigation into the operation, Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Thomas said in a statement. They were growing marijuana in two warehouses located in a business complex in the 3400 block of Old Conejo Road, Thomas said.
A third location a block away was used as a central dispatch center where they filled orders and sent drivers to deliver marijuana to customer's doorsteps, police said. When authorities searched the couple's home, they found marijuana edibles in the refrigerator within reach of small children, Thomas said.
The couple was taken into custody at Ventura County Jail and are scheduled for a July 6 court hearing, authorities said.Ventura County and its 10 cities have taken a hard stance on all marijuana sales, and there are no legally operating storefront shops. Medical marijuana users must travel to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to buy the drug at shops, or order from delivery services.
-- Catherine Saillant
Source: Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
NEWS: California May Urge New Federal Policy on Medical Marijuana
SACRAMENTO -- The California State Assembly Committee on Health voted 10-3 today to pass a resolution urging the federal government to end medical marijuana raids and to "create a comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy that ensures safe and legal access to any patient that would benefit from it." State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 14 in June 2009 and, despite a Justice Department policy issued in October 2009, discouraging federal enforcement in medical marijuana states, advocates and state lawmakers are still pushing for a binding change to federal law. The full Senate passed the measure in August 2009 by a vote of 23-15.
"This legislation is needed now more than ever," said Don Duncan of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana patient advocacy group and a sponsor of the legislation. "Lest federal officials think their job is done, they need to know their work addressing medical marijuana as a public health issue has only just begun." Duncan testified today before the Assembly Health Committee on behalf of patients.
"Patients and providers in California remain at risk of arrest and prosecution by federal law enforcement and legally established medical marijuana cooperatives continue to be the subjects of federal raids and prosecutions," said Senator Leno in a prior statement. Federal raids reached a peak during the Bush Administration, with more than 200 DEA raids in California alone, but raids have still continued under the Obama Administration. More than two-dozen patients and providers are currently being prosecuted under federal law and face decades in prison. One such medical marijuana provider, James Stacy, whose dispensary was raided by the DEA in September 2009, a month before the Justice Department policy was issued, is scheduled to go to trial next month.
"Not only do patients in California deserve to be free from federal intrusion," continued Duncan. "But, patients across the country would benefit from a sensible and comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy." SJR 14 urges President Obama and Congress to "move quickly to end federal raids, intimidation, and interference with state medical marijuana law." But, it goes further by asking the government to establish "an affirmative defense to medical marijuana charges in federal court and establish federal legal protection for individuals authorized by state and local law..." Because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision, defendants in medical marijuana cases are prevented from using a medical or state law defense in federal court. The Truth in Trials Act, HR 3939, which would correct this problem, is currently pending before Congress.
SJR 14 now proceeds to the Assembly floor and, if passed, the non-binding resolution will be enacted without the Governor's signature or approval. The resolution will then be sent to the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative of the California Congressional delegation.
Source: Opposing Views
"This legislation is needed now more than ever," said Don Duncan of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana patient advocacy group and a sponsor of the legislation. "Lest federal officials think their job is done, they need to know their work addressing medical marijuana as a public health issue has only just begun." Duncan testified today before the Assembly Health Committee on behalf of patients.
"Patients and providers in California remain at risk of arrest and prosecution by federal law enforcement and legally established medical marijuana cooperatives continue to be the subjects of federal raids and prosecutions," said Senator Leno in a prior statement. Federal raids reached a peak during the Bush Administration, with more than 200 DEA raids in California alone, but raids have still continued under the Obama Administration. More than two-dozen patients and providers are currently being prosecuted under federal law and face decades in prison. One such medical marijuana provider, James Stacy, whose dispensary was raided by the DEA in September 2009, a month before the Justice Department policy was issued, is scheduled to go to trial next month.
"Not only do patients in California deserve to be free from federal intrusion," continued Duncan. "But, patients across the country would benefit from a sensible and comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy." SJR 14 urges President Obama and Congress to "move quickly to end federal raids, intimidation, and interference with state medical marijuana law." But, it goes further by asking the government to establish "an affirmative defense to medical marijuana charges in federal court and establish federal legal protection for individuals authorized by state and local law..." Because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision, defendants in medical marijuana cases are prevented from using a medical or state law defense in federal court. The Truth in Trials Act, HR 3939, which would correct this problem, is currently pending before Congress.
SJR 14 now proceeds to the Assembly floor and, if passed, the non-binding resolution will be enacted without the Governor's signature or approval. The resolution will then be sent to the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative of the California Congressional delegation.
Source: Opposing Views
NEWS: Juiced Marijuana Offered to Medical Users as Alternative to Smoking
A California physician is offering his medical-marijuana patients a liquefied version of the drug that he says won't produce much of a buzz but does contain chemicals helpful in treating a variety of illnesses, the Washington Post reported June 1.
Willets, Calif., physician William Courtney, M.D., said that marijuana with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) seems to have the most medical potential; ironically, CBD levels seem to be lowest in marijuana strains of the plant that are highest in THC -- the main psychoactive substance in marijuana.
"What has happened is, almost all strains available in America through the black market are THC concentrates," said Ethan Russo, senior medical adviser to GW Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the marijuana-based pain medication Sativex. "The CBD in almost all cases has been bred out. The reason is cannabis in this country has been cultivated for its intoxicating effect."
Medical-marijuana advocates want to see more research into CBD. "The bridge to legalization is medical marijuana," said Addison DeMoura, one of the owners of the Steep Hill Medical Collective in Oakland. "I believe the bridge from medical marijuana to real science will be CBDs."
Source: JoinTogether.org
Willets, Calif., physician William Courtney, M.D., said that marijuana with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) seems to have the most medical potential; ironically, CBD levels seem to be lowest in marijuana strains of the plant that are highest in THC -- the main psychoactive substance in marijuana.
"What has happened is, almost all strains available in America through the black market are THC concentrates," said Ethan Russo, senior medical adviser to GW Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the marijuana-based pain medication Sativex. "The CBD in almost all cases has been bred out. The reason is cannabis in this country has been cultivated for its intoxicating effect."
Medical-marijuana advocates want to see more research into CBD. "The bridge to legalization is medical marijuana," said Addison DeMoura, one of the owners of the Steep Hill Medical Collective in Oakland. "I believe the bridge from medical marijuana to real science will be CBDs."
Source: JoinTogether.org
Sunday, June 13, 2010
NEWS: Stonewall Democrats Endorse Marijuana Initiative 2010-6-12
Palm Springs Stonewall Democrats were all in favor of endorsing the California Marijuana Initiative to Tax and Regulate marijuana to anyone 21 or older making it legal to possess and to grow marijuana. The ballot initiative will be on the November ballot in California. Lanny Swerdlow presents a convincing argument that this law would raise millions of dollars for cash hungry cities and counties and put an end to the unjust prohibition against marijuana.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
NEWS: Medical cannabis collective to have first time blood drive for Red Cross
Harborside Health Center, one of San Jose's largest cannabis collectives, will host a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Tuesday. It's almost certainly the first time that a local medical marijuana dispensary has sponsored such a bloodletting, but after Harborside officials laid claim to being the first Red Cross pot spot in the agency's 129-year history, some confusion set in.
A Red Cross spokeswoman said there was no way to verify that. Then a Harborside spokeswoman said the Red Cross had approved the news release in which the claim was made.
In any case, the event Tuesday will take place from noon to 6 p.m. For anyone who feels lightheaded after giving blood, there will be munchies.
Harborside is part of a coalition of medicinal cannabis clinics seeking a regulatory ordinance from San Jose's City Council. But because the Red Cross has a policy of remaining politically neutral, top officials at the relief agency's Washington, D.C., office had to approve the event. Mona Helmhold, a local Red Cross representative, inspected the facility and found that it met the requirements for a blood drive.
Initially, Red Cross officials had misgivings about drawing blood from patients who were dosing themselves with marijuana, according to spokeswoman Sara O'Brien. The drug's active ingredient, THC, reaches the brain through the bloodstream. A ruling by the agency's head nurse determined that "as long as they are not at that moment high," Harborside patients can donate blood, O'Brien said.
Harborside dispenses cannabis by prescription to patients who typically suffer from conditions such as chronic pain, glaucoma, migraines, arthritis, cancer and AIDS. The dispensary has already signed up 30 donors, according to spokeswoman Gaynell Rogers.
Potential donors may call 866-236-3276 or 408-321-8424 to find out if they qualify. Information also is available at www.redcrossblood.org. Harborside Health Center is at 2106 Ringwood Ave.
Source: Contra Costa Times
A Red Cross spokeswoman said there was no way to verify that. Then a Harborside spokeswoman said the Red Cross had approved the news release in which the claim was made.
In any case, the event Tuesday will take place from noon to 6 p.m. For anyone who feels lightheaded after giving blood, there will be munchies.
Harborside is part of a coalition of medicinal cannabis clinics seeking a regulatory ordinance from San Jose's City Council. But because the Red Cross has a policy of remaining politically neutral, top officials at the relief agency's Washington, D.C., office had to approve the event. Mona Helmhold, a local Red Cross representative, inspected the facility and found that it met the requirements for a blood drive.
Initially, Red Cross officials had misgivings about drawing blood from patients who were dosing themselves with marijuana, according to spokeswoman Sara O'Brien. The drug's active ingredient, THC, reaches the brain through the bloodstream. A ruling by the agency's head nurse determined that "as long as they are not at that moment high," Harborside patients can donate blood, O'Brien said.
Harborside dispenses cannabis by prescription to patients who typically suffer from conditions such as chronic pain, glaucoma, migraines, arthritis, cancer and AIDS. The dispensary has already signed up 30 donors, according to spokeswoman Gaynell Rogers.
Potential donors may call 866-236-3276 or 408-321-8424 to find out if they qualify. Information also is available at www.redcrossblood.org. Harborside Health Center is at 2106 Ringwood Ave.
Source: Contra Costa Times
Guest Soapbox: Dispensary ban does great disservice to ill
Much has been said of the medical marijuana issue in Yucca Valley. People of Yucca Valley, it really comes down to this. On June 15, your town council is going to vote an illegal and unconstitutional permanent ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Yucca Valley, which means there will be no access for patients to lawful medicine of choice in the high desert and Morongo Basin areas.
Fact: Medical marijuana is legal for use in California by lawful vote of the people and proper enactment by stage legislature. The so-called loyal opposition claim the law is full of loopholes, while in fact the state legislature, in great wisdom, specifically designed the law to require local government to properly regulate what is a ultimately a local issue. It’s local because it affects you and me regardless of how we think and feel on the issue. More importantly it affects the civil rights of each and every one of you.
What has happened is your town government has effectively cut and run on the issue. Now with three seats up for election, the incumbent group can force a majority decision to close down the only high desert dispensary available to our many cancer-stricken and chronically ill people.
So now, at the June 15 meeting, they are going to enact an ordinance and fully ban dispensaries in Yucca Valley on absolutely no fact except their group inability and failure to properly regulate and govern in and for the benefit of the people of Yucca Valley. And to the last sentence I would like to add the benefit of the many thousands who live in the immediate area whose dollars truly support Yucca Valley.
It seems to me the local cooperative has made every rational effort to work with this group of people who steadfastly have refused to do their job and properly regulate a lawful business operation. What heroes you politicos could have been to our seniors and ill people who daily rely on this legal method of medication. But then what can you expect from a group of dedicated cut runners, true Republicans, leaving the city in a financial and moral disaster?
Doesn’t anybody in this town have the guts to stand and run for the moral majority on the issue, or are you going to let your civil rights be trampled into the dust of the town budget?
I encourage all to attend and participate in this issue so vital to health of our community.
Source: Hi-Desert Star
Fact: Medical marijuana is legal for use in California by lawful vote of the people and proper enactment by stage legislature. The so-called loyal opposition claim the law is full of loopholes, while in fact the state legislature, in great wisdom, specifically designed the law to require local government to properly regulate what is a ultimately a local issue. It’s local because it affects you and me regardless of how we think and feel on the issue. More importantly it affects the civil rights of each and every one of you.
What has happened is your town government has effectively cut and run on the issue. Now with three seats up for election, the incumbent group can force a majority decision to close down the only high desert dispensary available to our many cancer-stricken and chronically ill people.
So now, at the June 15 meeting, they are going to enact an ordinance and fully ban dispensaries in Yucca Valley on absolutely no fact except their group inability and failure to properly regulate and govern in and for the benefit of the people of Yucca Valley. And to the last sentence I would like to add the benefit of the many thousands who live in the immediate area whose dollars truly support Yucca Valley.
It seems to me the local cooperative has made every rational effort to work with this group of people who steadfastly have refused to do their job and properly regulate a lawful business operation. What heroes you politicos could have been to our seniors and ill people who daily rely on this legal method of medication. But then what can you expect from a group of dedicated cut runners, true Republicans, leaving the city in a financial and moral disaster?
Doesn’t anybody in this town have the guts to stand and run for the moral majority on the issue, or are you going to let your civil rights be trampled into the dust of the town budget?
I encourage all to attend and participate in this issue so vital to health of our community.
Source: Hi-Desert Star
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
