NEWS: Rancho Mirage council may put off vote on medical marijuana

Rancho Mirage's City Council could vote Thursday to put an indefinite hold on the medical marijuana dispensary issue after delaying the topic three times.

City Attorney Steve Quintanilla said Monday he's requesting the delay because the city of Anaheim is appealing the court decision that led city officials to believe they might be forced to allow at least some dispensaries to operate there.

He knew this was a possibility, but, “at the last minute, they filed the papers which let me know they were serious about it.”

The council also plans a special meeting for 1 p.m. Dec. 14 so the council can vote on whether to extend a moratorium on dispensaries that is set to expire the next day.

Quintanilla said he will recommend a yearlong moratorium. The council unanimously approved three previous requests to delay the discussion from Quintanilla.

Rick Pantele, a Rancho Mirage resident and cancer survivor who uses medical marijuana under the state's voter-approved law, said he isn't surprised leaders might put the issue off further, given their pragmatic approach to the issue up to this point.

“The reality is the city attorney said in the last meeting that they're not for medical marijuana in Rancho Mirage; the only reason they're looking at it is they don't get sued,” he said.

Quintanilla said it could happen anyway, coming from a dispensary that opened in Rancho Mirage earlier this year but shut down for the moratorium. Two others want to open in the city as well.

“I guess they're getting impatient, so they have threatened to sue,” he said, though no suit had been filed as of Monday.

Jeff Lake, the attorney for the dispensaries, didn't return calls seeking comment.

Until the council vote was first delayed Oct. 21, the city appeared to be on a fast track to becoming the second Coachella Valley city, after Palm Springs, to allow some dispensaries.

It had never adopted an outright ban that the other seven cities had adopted. So staff scrambled to put together dispensary regulations when one opened in the city after getting turned down for a business permit.

A state court of appeals had recently ruled Anaheim could not use federal laws against marijuana use as the basis to ban medical dispensaries.

This led leaders to believe the city would be forced to allow some to operate in Rancho Mirage.

But the momentum in legislative and court decisions now seems to be going the other way, with Anaheim's appeal supported by a number of other cities and Los Angeles and Orange counties banning dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

Public opposition to medical marijuana has been minimal in Rancho Mirage, but appears to be growing in other parts of California, Mayor Richard Kite said.

“There seems to be more of a concern about the lawful dispensaries currently serving those cities and some of the activities surrounding them,” he said.

Another factor in the lack of public opposition is the absence of public testimony at the last two council meetings.

Kite said there will be a public hearing on Dec. 14. Quintanilla said residents also can speak Thursday, but judges reviewing new laws only look at the minutes from meetings where votes were taken.

Source: The Desert Sun

NEWS: Fire Heavily Damages Clairemont House; Marijuana Operation Inside

SAN DIEGO - Fire caused extensive damage Monday morning to a Clairemont house where a marijuana growing operation was discovered inside.

The fire was discovered shortly after 9:30 in the 3500 block of Mt. Burnham Court.

Fire was shooting from the attic and garage when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters tell San Diego 6 News they discovered marijuana plants and grow lights inside the garage after the fire was out.

Two people were arrested were cultivating marijuana.

The told told investigators they had a license to cultivate medical marijuana, according the San Diego Fire spokesman Maurice Luque.

Luque says response time was slowed by a nearby fire engine that was out of service due to budget cuts and three other fire apparatus that were unavailable due to mechanical problems.

Source: San Diego 6

NEWS: Pepper-Spraying Men Rob Marijuana Dispensary

Police are searching for three men who robbed the Care Alternative Group medical marijuana dispensary on Thanksgiving.

The suspects entered the North Park business in the afternoon, then one of them got a drink of water while some unsuspecting customers stood around waiting. The scene turned chaotic when the men jumped up on the counter, pepper-sprayed the receptionist, then headed into the back room while the customers fled.

The first suspect burst through the door, jumped over the counter and began to beat an employee. The robber's accomplice rushed in, also unleashing pepper spray. while the other man stole the marijuana.

The injured employee began to fight back, but the the criminals took off.

"We certainly have had a number of these kinds of cases in the last three or four months," said San Diego police Lt. Dan Christman.

The dispensary owners said the criminals got away with about $1,000 worth of pot. They said they recognized at least one of the men, who was a former customer. Investigators say the men made their get-away ina a gray Ford Focus, where a driver was waiting.

Source: NBC San Diego

NEWS: Judge backs city in pot dispensary ban

RIVERSIDE - While acknowledging that this was "a troubling case for the court," a judge nevertheless ruled Wednesday that the city of Riverside is within its rights to use zoning laws to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.

"The city has acted within their authority," Superior Court Judge John Molloy said at the end of the hour-long hearing that pitted attorneys for the city of Riverside against medical marijuana activists.

Supporters of medical marijuana -- some of whom identified themselves as cancer patients -- filled the courtroom seats. Others were not allowed in because all seats were taken.

Molloy delayed enactment of the injunction sought by the city until Dec. 9, when attorney J. David Nick, representing the Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center, will request a permanent stay.

Nick said he plans to file a notice of appeal Monday with the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

Riverside has gone to court to shut down medical-marijuana dispensaries operating within the city limits.

Wednesday's hearing was the first of seven injunctions being sought by the city.

City Attorney Greg Priamos said the judge's ruling reaffirmed the city's belief that it has the right to use land use ordinances to banish marijuana dispensaries.

"We're very pleased with the court's decision, and we're looking forward to enforcement of our zoning code against all dispensaries and collectives in the city of Riverside," Priamos said.

Priamos said Molloy's decision would allow the city to seek expedited court action against the six other dispensaries and the owners and operators would be advised in a letter to be sent next week.

Nick said Molloy's decision was not unexpected.

"I don't think local judges want to be seen as being the ones that allow medical marijuana dispensaries to exist," he said.

But under the California Medical Marijuana Program Act, dispensaries and collectives must be allowed to operate, although a city can regulate hours and locations, Nick said.

Marijuana is used to treat a number of medical conditions including nausea in cancer and AIDS patients and glaucoma.

Molloy said the issue puts cities in a strange situation, because state law allows the medical use of marijuana, but it's against federal law.

Priamos said the city is opposed to dispensaries and collectives, because they bring crime and blight.

"Other cities have had very serious criminal activity occur as a result of permitting these dispensaries," Priamos said.

On Tuesday, supervisors in Los Angeles and Orange counties banned medical marijuana shops operating in unincorporated areas.

William Sump, the president and general manager of Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center on Main Street in Riverside, said he planned to stay open at least until Dec. 9 when Molloy is set to decide on whether to grant a permanent stay.

"We have members who depend on us for access," Sump said.

The marijuana-patient collective on North Main Street has nearly 6,000 members, Sump said.

Source: The Press-Enterprise

NEWS: Wildomar medical marijuana collective goes to court

Wildomar, California

The organizers of a Wildomar medical marijuana collective are asking for the court's help in their fight to stay open.

Wildomar Patients Compassionate Group is seeking an order to stop the city Planning Director Matthew Bassi from enforcing the city's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

In legal papers filed Monday in Riverside County Superior Court, lawyers for the collective argued that Bassi's legal authority to enforce the ban conflicts with state law that allows for the medicinal use of marijuana. The petition also alleges that Bassi's actions "are motivated exclusively by a desire" to eliminate collectives.

Wildomar City Manager Frank Oviedo on Wednesday said the petition wasn't unexpected. He said the city attorney will review the petition and advise the City Council.

The petition comes more than two months after the council upheld the city's ban on dispensaries. The nonprofit collective, which signed a one-year lease for a Mission Trail property last December, opened in March but soon received a cease-and-desist letter from the city threatening civil and criminal action if it didn't shut down, according to the petition.

Besides an order to stay open, the collective also wants the court to rescind the letter.

The collective suspended operations so the council could craft an ordinance allowing collectives. But the council voted 3-1 with one absent in September to retain the ban.

The petition comes as another collective gets started in Temecula. Cooperative Patients' Services argues that Temecula's dispensary ban doesn't apply to it, because the collective isn't selling marijuana to patients but patients are exchanging it with each other.

Temecula officials have said the collective has no right to handle marijuana.

In Riverside, a judge on Wednesday ruled the city was within its rights to use zoning laws to ban dispensaries. The city is trying to shut down seven dispensaries within its boundaries.

Currently, Palm Springs is the only Riverside County city to allow dispensaries. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is considering a law to permit dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

Source: The Press-Enterprise

NEWS: Long Beach pot law gets legal setback

COURTS: Judge must determine if city can regulate a federally illegal drug.

The future of Long Beach's medical marijuana regulations - and potentially of medical marijuana throughout the state - is in question after an appeals court ruling Wednesday.

The 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge must reexamine his decision Nov. 2 upholding Long Beach's new medical marijuana ordinance.

At issue is whether Long Beach's issuance of permits for medical marijuana collectives is a violation of federal law, which considers marijuana an illegal drug. That is exactly what the plaintiffs, medical marijuana patients Ryan Pack and Anthony Gayle, argue in their lawsuit.

The appeals court ruled that the lower court didn't fully address the matter.

"The issue of federal preemption was raised but not considered in the trial court," the appeals court says in its order. "This court believes that this is an important unresolved question that should be addressed."

Long Beach's law requires collectives to meet a range of requirements before they can be given a permit to operate. Among other things, the ordinance prohibits collectives from locating in residential zones, near schools or near each other, and it requires that the marijuana be grown within the city limits.

The appeals courts decision to stay the lower court's ruling doesn't have an immediate impact on the enforcement or enactment of Long Beach's law.

Matthew Pappas, the attorney for the plaintiffs, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but City Attorney Bob Shannon didn't seem to consider the appeals court decision a loss.

"I am frankly relieved a court is finally addressing the elephant in the room - the elephant in the room being the impact that federal law has on state law," Shannon said.

Under a 1996 voter-approved proposition, California allows the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes if recommended by a doctor. Advocates say that cities and counties must provide patients with reasonable access to the drug, which is used by cancer patients, AIDS patients, those with chronic pain and others.

If the Los Angeles County court rules that Long Beach's ordinance violates federal laws, Long Beach would likely have to repeal or rewrite its ordinance.

The ruling could set a precedent for similar cases around the state, or if appealed, it could eventually work its way up to the state Supreme Court. Any decision there could have far-reaching effects on California's medical marijuana laws, possibly reinterpreting what state or local governments

"It's a bigger issue than just simply Long Beach's ordinance," Shannon said.

That, he said, is why it seems strange that medical marijuana advocates would use such a tactic in fighting Long Beach's regulations. The city is fighting five other legal challenges of the ordinance as well, but none of them uses federal preemption.

"Even if you accept the argument that there is preemption, how does it benefit medical marijuana advocates? It doesn't," Shannon said.

Long Beach is one of many California cities that have attempted to regulate or outright ban medical marijuana in recent years as the number of collectives and dispensaries has skyrocketed.

Almost daily, it seems, there are new developments in marijuana laws around the state.

On Tuesday, the County Board of Supervisors voted to create a ban on medical marijuana outlets in unincorporated areas of the city.

Last week, the Long Beach council voted to rework its ordinance to make it more restrictive by implementing new rules, such as prohibiting collectives near parks. The move, which came after months of debate over the initial version of the law but before permits had been issued, sparked an outcry from the local medical marijuana community.

Source: Long Beach Press Telegram

NEWS: OC to ban pot dispensaries in unincorporated areas

SANTA ANA, CA — Medical marijuana dispensaries are being weeded out of unincorporated areas of Orange County.

The county board of supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to ban the dispensaries after authorities said they were profitable businesses operating under the guise of treating the ill.

Supervisor Shawn Nelson cast the dissenting vote, saying the prohibition could help create a black market.

The vote came after a statewide ballot measure aimed at legalizing marijuana was rejected by voters on Nov. 2.

Los Angeles is considering easing tough new rules for medical marijuana dispensaries passed earlier this year.

A second reading on the Orange County the ordinance is required for it to take effect.

Source: The Associated Press

NEWS: Medical marijuana clinics banned in La Crescenta

LA CRESCENTA — Medical marijuana clinics looking to open in La Crescenta will have to look elsewhere after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday banned the dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county.

Supervisors had directed county planners in July to prepare an ordinance banning all medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up shop in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich has pushed for the ban, which he said would help keep dispensaries from relocating to unincorporated communities in Los Angeles, where the City Council passed a series of tightened restrictions.

The county had already placed strict restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries, but officials pointed to the proliferation of shops operating illegally as proof of the need for more regulation.

On Tuesday, the board voted 4 to 1 to approve the ban, with Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky voting in opposition.

"A complete ban is not going to achieve the objectives that all of us want to achieve with some of these out-of-control illegal dispensaries that have popped up in unincorporated areas," he said. "It's the illegal ones that don't come in for permits that are creating a lot of the problems."

In response to a separate motion from Yaroslavsky, the board voted unanimously to direct county officials to take aggressive action against illegal clinics, including levying a fine of $1,000 per day.

In Glendale, city officials have held off on establishing regulations for the dispensaries, instead enacting a moratorium to give city attorneys more time to analyze the complicated, ever-changing legal landscape.

The county's new ban includes a provision that allows for a return to existing regulations if the California Supreme Court rules that outright bans are unconstitutional.

Howard Hakes, president of the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition, said he was glad to hear of the ban, citing stories of recreational users easily attaining medical marijuana prescriptions.

"It's closing another loophole where the drugs were coming from," he said. "I think it's great the supervisors saw that."

Crescenta Valley Town Council President Cheryl Davis said most residents she's spoken with support a ban.

"They want the ban because they feel that if there is a need to get medical marijuana there are legal dispensaries near us," she said.

At Tuesday's meeting, many dispensary operators and medical marijuana patients spoke out against the ban, which they said would provide unnecessary hardship for legal users.

"If you ban, it would take people such as myself out of the loop of providing medicines for chronically ill patients," said Sue Taylor, president of the nonprofit cooperative ICann Health Center. "The ban would do nothing for these pot shops — unregulated clubs that are showing up everywhere."

Source: Glendale News-Press

NEWS: Marijuana Activist Whips Up Thanksgiving Pot Recipes

If you're looking for a way to spice up Thanksgiving dinner, a little herb can do the trick -- or a lot if you're medical marijuana activist Kim Twolan.

She's a self-proclaimed cannabis cook who believes pot is just the ticket for cancer patients who have lost their appetite or are nauseous due to chemotherapy treatments.

It's personal for the San Diego-based schwag chef. When Twolan was 19, she suffered ovarian cancer and turned to marijuana to help keep up her appetite. Now in her mid-40s, she recently survived a bout with breast cancer as well.

"[Marijuana] helped me with the radiation and helped me more than pharmaceutical drugs," she said.

Twolan, who is a columnist for a pot-oriented publication called Nug Mag, says foods flavored or spiced with marijuana are more beneficial for patients than having them get their medicine by smoking.

"If you're nauseous, smoking can make you more sick," she said. "Eating it is a better delivery system."

Although some patients like their medicinal pot to be given in the form of brownies, Twolan has found a way to turn Thanksgiving into a real hemp holiday by adding marijuana to traditional turkey day grub like mashed potatoes, yams and even stuffing.

For instance, Twolan's recipe for "Bird Stuffing a La Motta" combines five cups of breadcrumbs with five cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of poultry seasoning and four tablespoons of melted cannabutter -- a sinsimilla spread made by cooking an ounce of bud with a pound of butter or coconut oil in a crock pot for a few hours -- along with raisins, almonds, celery and onion (and some dry white wine).

She says the result is not only tasty but can improve the appetite of a very sick person -- but with a caveat.

"From a taste standpoint, the stuffing is best when cooked in a bird, but you have to follow strict safety guidelines to prevent food poisoning," Twolan said, adding that it's not good when a person who is having trouble eating gets food poisoning as well.

Twolan prefers using cannabutter in recipes to actual weed, but says ground-up marijuana works well in spicy cuisines like Thai or Indian food, while cannabutter is best suited for cuisines with rich tastes, like French food.

In addition, she says the rule about cooking with wine applies to marijuana as well: If it doesn't taste or smell good, don't cook with it.

"Also, it's important to cook cannabis over a low heat," Twolan warned. "If it gets above 350 degrees, it loses its properties."

Twolan says her recipes will help lower the pain levels of patients who are having trouble sleeping. However, she suggests serving only one pot-laced dish at Thanksgiving -- and to limit who actually gets to eat them.

"Otherwise, you're going to have a very dull after-dinner conversation," she said.

If you do plan on making a cannabis dish for Thanksgiving, Twolan says it's important to plan a long dinner.

"The effect of 'edibles' isn't instantaneous," she said. "You should try a small amount and then wait an hour before sampling more. Also, put a warning label on the container so people know what's in the bowl and so children don't get near it."

Source: AOL News

NEWS: Supervisors to vote on banning pot dispensaries in unincorporated areas

In an effort to slow the spread of medical marijuana dispensaries, the Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday whether to ban the facilities in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County.

The vote comes as Los Angeles and smaller cities throughout the region are working to limit the dispensaries' growth, raising concerns they may move into the unincorporated parts of the county where 1.5 million people live, said Paul Novak, planning deputy to Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

"Supervisor Antonovich is concerned about the impact of these facilities on the surrounding neighborhoods," Novak said. "You have nuisance issues, crime issues and people under the influence of marijuana driving through local communities." In other words, Not In My Back Yard.

But Kris Hermes, spokesman for the Oakland-based pro-medical marijuana group Americans for Safe Access, said the county hasn't experienced problems with the dispensaries and already has a 2006 ordinance in place that regulates and requires them to obtain conditional use permits.

"We as an organization have for years opposed outright bans on medical marijuana dispensaries and have gone to court on numerous occasions, the latest of which is a case stemming from a ban in Anaheim," Hermes said. "We have folks working on this in the Los Angeles area and they are mobilizing patients to express to the Board of Supervisors that a ban is not appropriate."

In 2006, the supervisors adopted land use regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries to distribute marijuana for medical purposes to qualified patients with a doctor's authorization.

Since then, more than 100 cities and nine counties in California have banned the dispensaries amid concerns about crime and other problems. Torrance, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and most other South Bay cities have either enacted bans on dispensaries or placed moratoriums on them.

In July, the supervisors directed the Chief Executive Office to work with the Department of Regional Planning to draft an amendment to the 2006 ordinance banning the dispensaries in unincorporated parts of the county. In September, the Regional Planning Commission held a public hearing on the amendment and voted to recommend approval of the change to the supervisors.

Although no dispensaries are currently operating in unincorporated parts of the county with a conditional-use permit, some are operating in violation of the county ordinance, said Karen Simmons, a supervising regional planner with the Department of Regional Planning.

"We have a zone enforcement task force that is currently looking into those and closing them up," Simmons said.

In 2007, regional planning commissioners turned down a permit application that would have allowed a medical marijuana dispensary in unincorporated Del Aire, at Aviation Boulevard and 118th Place near Los Angeles International Airport.

Source: Contra Costa Times

NEWS: Temporary Court Order Closes Medical Marijuana Dispensary

On November 19, the Orange County Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the operation of the Holistic Health medical marijuana dispensary located in Dana Point.

The closure order stands, pending a December 3 hearing on a preliminary injunction.

A previously received injunction against the dispensary--based on zoning violations--was temporarily stayed by the state of California. Despite this fact, the city is cautiously optimistic that the Court of Appeal won't intervene this time, since the basis for this injunction is the failure of the dispensary to operate in compliance with the California medical marijuana laws, including for-profit marijuana sales, said Dana Point City Attorney Patrick Munoz.

A sign posted at the entrance to the dispensary reads: Holistic Health is temporarily closed due to our endless battle against the city of Dana Point. We are continuing to fight and are hoping to re-open in about a week. Please feel free to call 949.542.7722 for updates. Thank you for your continued support!

Source: Dana Point Times

VIDEO: Christina Roberts, a patient and war veteran, testifies at LB Council Meeting on Proposed Changes to Medical Marijuana Ordinance

Christina Roberts, a patient and young veteran, testifies at the Long Beach Council Meeting in regards to proposed changes to the medical marijuana ordinance. From council meeting on November 9, 2010.

VIDEO: Sam Sabzehzar Teaches the Long Beach City Council about Cannabis

Sam Sabzehzar, of MedicalMarijuana411.com, shares his knowledge of cannabis and its healing properties with members of the city council. From Long Beach City Council Meeting held on November 9, 2010.

NEWS: Long Beach weeds out more medical marijuana sites

LONG BEACH - Nine more Long Beach medical marijuana sites will shut down under proposed amendments supported Tuesday by the City Council, leaving 28 total locations for dispensing or growing the drug.

The council reached a late-night compromise, voting not to fully support changes to the city's medical marijuana law that had been pushed by three council members, but still adding some new restrictions for marijuana collectives.

Most notably, the council didn't restrict marijuana cultivation to industrial areas nor limit the number of collectives allowed throughout the city, but it did create buffer zones around parks.

The council voted 7-2 to rewrite the law that it had approved in March, adding to existing rules that include prohibitions against collectives operating near schools, in residential areas or within 1,000 feet of each other, and a requirement that they must grow their marijuana within the city limits.

Supporting a compromise proposed by Councilman Robert Garcia, the council added several new rules, which were based off of a more stringent proposal by council members Gary DeLong, Gerrie Schipske and Patrick O'Donnell.

"I think what's being proposed tonight is overly restrictive," Councilman Robert Garcia said of the original proposal.

"We are talking about patients, and these are people that have been prescribed medicine and they have a right to access that medicine."

Under DeLong, O'Donnell and Schipske's proposal, collectives would have been allowed to grow marijuana only in industrial areas; wouldn't have been able to operate within 1,000 feet of libraries, child-care centers and parks; and would have been restricted to 18 operations citywide and two per council district.
Under Garcia's proposed restrictions that were approved by the council:

Collectives must submit audited financial statements and their annual state sales tax report to the city.

Collectives only be open from 9 a.m. to 7p.m. daily (this is a change from the original proposal that collectives close at 5 p.m.)

There will be a 45-day public review period followed by a hearing in front of the council for new marijuana collective applications, rather than just a public hearing.

No collectives will be allowed within 1,000 feet of parks.

Security cameras will be required on the outside of collective buildings.

A one-year moratorium on new collectives will go into effect.

DeLong calculated during the meeting that the changes would eliminate nine of the existing 37 marijuana sites.

O'Donnell and Councilman James Johnson voted against the motion because they wanted a stricter policy. Johnson said he feared that without limiting the number of collectives, certain parts of the city might end up with a proliferation of collectives.

"I just don't think it's fair for certain parts of the city to bear the potential burden of potential nuisance activity while others don't," Johnson said.

Tuesday's action requires the City Attorney's Office to rewrite the ordinance, but the council will have to vote on it two more times, giving the council two more chances to tweak the law.

Collective operators had already threatened to take legal action if the council changed the ordinance, and that had been one of the concerns of some council members going into the meeting.

Still, one question that concerned Councilwoman Rae Gabelich was how the city will be able to reimburse the collectives for their permit fees, which were $14,700 for a single collective, but that increased to $25,000 for those that had a separate cultivation site.

Long Beach officials used that marijuana permit revenue - over $700,000 in all - to help end the last fiscal year with a balanced budget.

"We couldn't tell you tonight where the money would come from on that," City Manager Pat West told the council.

Collective operators had mixed feelings about the new rules after Tuesday's meeting. Some were relieved that their collectives won't be affected, while others, such as Judi Farris, who runs Long Beach Natural Solutions collective at 726 W. Willow St., feared that more changes are to come.

"They (the council) can just keep doing it and doing it until there's no one left," Farris said.

Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram

NEWS: Groundbreaking marijuana policy spearheaded by UW student

Marijuana has long been classified as a dangerous drug with no medical benefits. But thanks in part to the work of a University of Washington medical student, a major medical association this week urged the federal government to reconsider.

"It's a huge shift on medical ideology," said Sunil Aggarwal, who's been studying the medical uses of marijuana for 10 years. "It's something I've been dreaming of since I was an undergraduate and found out that marijuana wasn't a horribly dangerous thing."

Since 1997, the American Medical Association has taken a hard line against the drug, endorsing its classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance -- the most restrictive category -- and asserting its lack of medical value. Aggarwal's research, published in his dissertation and in two articles in the Journal of Opioid Management -- helped convince AMA members that the drug has potential.

At its annual meeting Tuesday, the country's largest physicians' organization adopted a policy that urges the federal government to reclassify, or "reschedule," the drug.

And cannabis activists cheered.

"It's like part of the Berlin Wall coming down," said Vivian McPeak, founder of Seattle Hempfest -- the largest pot rally in the nation -- and one of 400,000 people nationwide authorized to use medical marijuana.

"For the longest time, those of us working for medical marijuana have been hearing this argument that none of the medical organizations or establishments have supported medical marijuana. With the AMA now doing pretty much an about face, who's going to be able to say that?"

Aggarwal's path to the 250,000-member organization began last spring, when the UW chapter of the medical student section of the AMA endorsed his resolution to reschedule the drug. After he got it through a national meeting of the student section that June, he presented the idea and his research to the AMA's 2008 annual meeting, where the organization agreed to study the issue for a year.

Aggarwal served as expert reviewer of the groundbreaking report released Tuesday.

His only complaint? The AMA should have gone farther.

The report drafted by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health asks for a "review" of marijuana's classification but neither demands the government reschedule the drug nor emphasizes the need Aggarwal believes hundreds of thousands of patients have for the drug's medicinal properties.

"I tried as best as I could to make the language stronger than it was, but that was as far as it was going," Aggarwal said. "But I realized that even at that level, it would still be a big shift."

And not just for the medical community. Speaking at Hempfest last year, Aggarwal urged the crowd not to feel like criminals.

"We have to change the way people think about people and cannabis," he told the crowd. "This is a staple of the earth and a basic medicine for a lot of people."

The government hasn't shown any sign of following the AMA's suggestion just yet, though it's hardly the first organization to call for change. Last year, the American College of Physicians also urged the government to reconsider marijuana.

Aggarwal, who expects to stay in what he calls the now "exploding" field of cannabinoid science after he graduates in June, is sure change is coming.

"I'm pretty happy," he said. "This Schedule 1 thing is going to be a thing of the past."

Source: Seattle PI

First Person: Medical Marijuana Would Help My MS-Afflicted Uncle, Countless Others

Two weeks after the polls officially closed in Arizona, it looks as though Proposition 203 will become law. With its passing, Arizona will become the 15th state in the country to have medical marijuana laws on the books. Though the Supreme Court reaffirmed in 2005 in Gonzales v. Raich the federal government's supremacy in regulating commerce, specifically stating "Congress may ban home-grown cannabis even where states approve its use for medicinal purposes," Arizona will begin the process of licensing medical marijuana dispensaries in the not so distant future.

Arizona joins 14 other states in allowing its citizens -- if deemed OK by a medical professional -- to possess marijuana if it will help them with their ailments. A large contingent of medical marijuana users are those who suffer from debilitating diseases like ALS and multiple sclerosis. My uncle has suffered from MS for many years now. Unfortunately for him, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has yet to legally allow him to enjoy the unrivaled relief that cannabis provides him from the horrid effects of the degenerative nerve disease. Some might suggest that he move to a state that provides medical marijuana for patients. This, however, would be difficult considering he has lived here for all 45 years of his life.

Ten years ago, when he was first diagnosed with MS after having serious tremors and neuropathy, my uncle thought his life was over. Once he became educated on his disease, he realized that it was not necessarily a death sentence. He began the regimen of drugs that his doctor's prescribed him for his severe tremors and spasticity. The medications he was taking to deal with those effects didn't have a great impact and gave him other undesirable side effects.

At his friend's behest, he tried marijuana for the first time. To him amazement, it relieved a great majority of his MS-related afflictions.

But every day is a struggle for my uncle. I visit him often as we only live a few towns apart in Pennsylvania. He will never smoke marijuana in my presence. Sometimes, when he is having terrible pain, he will kindly ask me to leave so he can take his treatment.

I know what he means by that and am glad that there is something available to help him. Because of his, I have contacted my U.S. House representative several times about passing medical marijuana to help those like my uncle. Not surprisingly, I have yet to receive a response. Anyone who is familiar with someone who has degenerative MS knows how much difficulty it afflicts its sufferer. For those who are unaware of the effect of multiple sclerosis on the human body, it basically destroys your enjoy nervous system. This renders the person with the disease in a veritable state of dysfunction. Seeing firsthand the relief that marijuana provides my uncle from the tremors and painful spasticity that strikes him on a daily basis makes me wonder how anyone with a conscience could deny someone this comfort.

The medical marijuana debate has been going on for some time, especially within the Multiple Sclerosis community. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society argues that there simply isn't enough research to conclude whether or not marijuana provides sufficient positive effects to ignore negative side effects. Of course, part of the reason there has not be extensive research done is because its status as an illicit drug means there is difficult to secure funding for studies. Traditional pharmaceuticals do not necessary provide the instant relief that marijuana affords them. For those that do, many have incredibly malevolent side effects that are worse than the symptom they are supposed to treat. Meanwhile, while the debate rages on, there are millions like my uncle who are caught in the middle suffering from the misery of terminal illness.

Should we as Americans, truly deny someone who is suffering innocently, through no fault of their own, the right to relief? We should allow those who are seriously ill the dignity they deserve. My hope for my uncle and millions of others Americans who suffer from terminal and degenerative illnesses is that we finally wise up and show compassion. The stigma of marijuana is antiquated and frankly hateful. Even though the now-famous California Proposition 19 was defeated, I am optimistic Americans will wake up to the plight of our brethren and give them the choice to all available options to alleviate their pain. It is simply the right thing to do.

Source: Yahoo News

NEWS: Medical Marijuana dispensaries' operators given six more months to comply with L.A. ordinance

Medical marijuana dispensaries approved to operate in Los Angeles will get six more months to comply with the city’s ordinance, the City Council decided Wednesday.

The council made a few changes in the ordinance that drew little debate and were greeted with relief by dispensary operators and advocates for medical marijuana patients.

“I think what we have before us today is a good ordinance that finally deals with a lot of the issues that we’ve grappled with over the years,” said Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

Dispensaries approved by the city were supposed to adhere by Dec. 4 to such provisions as being located more than 1,000 feet from schools, parks and other so-called sensitive sites.

But more than five months after the ordinance went into effect, the city has still not approved any dispensaries. That process snagged on a provision that required dispensaries to have the same managers as they did three years ago when they registered with the city clerk. Many have since changed managers or added new ones as their business has increased.

On Wednesday, the council eliminated that controversial requirement, which had disqualified some of the city’s most reputable medical marijuana stores, and replaced it with a provision meant to ensure that at least one of the original owners is still involved in running the dispensary.

“We support this amendment. It’s going to be one of many amendments to fix this ordinance,” said Degé Coutee, who runs the Patient Advocacy Network. “I hope that you will just continue to work with us. We’ll plug through this ordinance.”

Source: Los Angeles Times

VIDEO: Los Angeles Considers Taxing Medical Marijuana at Council Meeting [11-16-2010]

Los Angeles City Council Meeting November 16, 2010
Agenda Item #14

COMMUNICATION FROM CITY ATTORNEY, RESOLUTIONS and ORDINANCE FIRST CONSIDERATION relative to submitting to the voters a certain tax measure to impose a tax on medical marijuana collectives in Los Angeles and calling a Special Election and consolidating it with the City's Primary Nominating Election to be held on March 8, 2011.

Recommendations for Council action:

1. ADOPT the accompanying RESOLUTION providing that a certain proposal to amend the Charter of the City of Los Angeles be submitted to the qualified electors of the City.

2. ADOPT the accompanying BALLOT TITLE RESOLUTION, as follows:

TAXATION OF MEDICAL MARIJAUANA COLLECTIVES. PROPOSITION ___

In order to fund general municipal services, including but not limited to such matters as police protection and crime suppression services, fire prevention and suppression services, park and recreation facilities, and general improvements throughout the City, shall a tax be authorized on marijuana collectives of $50 per $1,000 of gross receipts recognizing that the sale of marijuana is illegal?

3. PRESENT and ADOPT the accompanying ORDINANCE, SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR, calling a Special Election to be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters of the City of Los Angeles a certain Charter amendment and consolidating this Special Election with the City's Primary Nominating Election to be held on the same date.

NEWS: Medical Marijuana Coalition Presses DEA for Response to Rescheduling Petition as Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings on Administrator Michele Leonhart

A national coalition of medical marijuana advocates is renewing their demand to the Drug Enforcement Administration to act on an eight-year-old petition to reschedule marijuana for medical use as the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee holds confirmation hearings for interim DEA administrator Michele Leonhart this Wednesday, November 17, 2010.

The rescheduling petition offers a unique opportunity to narrow the ever widening gap between federal and state medical marijuana laws. Last week, Arizona became the 15th state to legalize medical use of marijuana. Medical use of marijuana was first approved by California in 1996. However, the intervening years have seen no movement by DEA officials to revise obsolete regulations against medical marijuana.

The marijuana rescheduling petition, filed by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis in 2002, presents the Obama administration with a rare opportunity to reclassify marijuana by removing it from the most restrictive schedule in the Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana is currently a schedule I drug, meaning that it has no accepted medical use and is only available for research under the most restrictive conditions provided by federal regulations. Recognition of marijuana's accepted medical use by 15 states would enable the DEA to place marijuana in a less restrictive schedule, enabling increased research, patient access, and establishing a federal regulatory context for state medical marijuana programs.

Federal rescheduling is supported by the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and the American Public Health Association. Rescheduling is necessary to implement the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has also recognized that marijuana is used medically under state laws and directed the DEA and U.S. Attorneys not to prosecute individuals for such use in these states. In addition, recent studies by the California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research have documented marijuana's effectiveness in treating a variety of ailments.

A final decision on the rescheduling petition is supposed to be made by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As acting DEA Administrator, Michele Leonhart has had the rescheduling petition on her desk for three years but has so far failed to respond. "It's time to end the delay," says Coalition spokesman Jon Gettman, adding, "The government has had eight years to consider this petition, during which the evidence for marijuana's medical efficacy has only grown."

The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis includes the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), California NORML, the Drug Policy Forum of Texas, High Times, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), New Mexicans for Compassionate Use, Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, and Patients Out of Time.

Source: PR Newswire

VIDEO: L.A. City Council to put marijuana tax on ballot

Source: KABC 7

NEWS: Cocoa and the Search for Dietary Cannabinoids

Since the discovery of cannabinoid compounds outside of the Cannabis plant, researchers have continued bio-prospecting other fruits and vegetables for cannabinoid activity. Current research suggests new sources of plant cannabinoids may continue to be found.

Some of the results have been promising, for instance polyphenols found in tea may activate cannabinoid receptors and there is even a dietary cannabinoid that is found in nearly all edible plants. Additionally, the smelly molecules found in plants called terpenes are common across different species. Terpenes or terpenoids found on the Cannabis and other plants may also have some interesting effects in humans.

The first strong evidence of cannabinoids as part of the human diet began in 1996. Nature published an article by Emmanuel di Tomaso, Massimilliano Beltramo, and Daniele Piomelli describing the discovery of endocannabinoids in chocolate. The authors were excited as they thought the presence of these endocannabinoids could explain the "chocolate craving, common of western society' and "the association of chocolate craving with drug-induced psychoses."

``There is something about chocolate that people like it way beyond its texture, taste and smell,'' said Daniele Piomelli of the Neurosciences Institute.

Endocannabinoids are lipids that are made by our body.The active constituents in Cannabis mimic these compounds by activating the same receptors as endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids and their receptors appear to have important roles in bone health and depression.

Endocannabinoids that are made by the body include 2-AG, Oleamide, and Anandamide. Recent evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system is important for healthy development.Interestingly, 2-AG is found in significantly high levels in human breast milk.

These lipids act upon the cannabinoid receptors. There are two types of cannabinoid receptors. The type 1 receptor is the one of the most abundant receptors in the human brain and is found on nerves throughout the body. The type 2 receptor is abundantly expressed on immune cells.

Piomelli and colleagues thought the fat in chocolate might contain lipids that were similar to Anandamide or other endocannabinodis. The researchers found three structurally related compounds known as N-acylethanolamines (NEAs). The authors demonstrated that the NEAs could directly and indirectly activate cannabioid receptor. The NEAs can activate cannabinoid receptors by preventing the degradation of Anandamide, like Aspirin, thus raising the levels of endocannabinoids leading to increased receptor activity.

However, the results needed to be confirmed in an animal model or in humans, to determine if these cocoa compounds are available in high enough amounts to cause an effect.

So, in 1998 Nature again published findings on cannabinoids in chocolate. This time researchers tested the effects of orally administered cannabinoids in a model of mouse behavior. Some of the compounds were found to cause an effect at high doses but the authors determined that only about 1-5% of these cannabinoids are extracted from dietary sources. Thus the possibility of achieving a cannabis-like effect is small unless these compounds can act synergistically.

In response to this 1998 article, Massimiliano Beltramo and Daniele Piomelli reviewed the research and concluded"...although the results of DiMarzo et al.’s study will reassure manufacturing companies that the risks of chocolate consumption do not include cannabis-like intoxication, they provide little new information on the intriguing psychopharmacology of cocoa. This substance remains, in R. J. Huxtable’s apt words, “more than a food but less than a drug.”

Source: Examiner

NEWS: Los Angeles Council Agrees to Put Marijuana Tax on March Municipal Ballot

The City Council in Los Angeles, America’s second-largest metropolis, agreed to ask voters to slap a 5 percent tax on medical marijuana next year.

If passed, the measure on the March 8 municipal ballot may raise as much as $7 million a year for the city, according to Courtney Chesla, a spokeswoman for Janice Hahn, the council member who sponsored the resolution, which passed 10-4 today.

“We’re in desperate need of revenue and we shouldn’t miss this opportunity,” Paul Koretz, another council member, said before the vote. The tax would be applied to reimbursements received by dispensaries of the drug.

Los Angeles, which closed a $492 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that began July 1, joins other California cities including Long Beach and Berkeley in pursuing pot taxes. Use of marijuana for medicinal purposes was passed by California voters in 1996.

Source: Bloomberg

NEWS: Medical Marijuana Advocates Bring Attention to DEA Confirmation Hearings

Acting DEA head Michele Leonhart, a Bush-holdover, led aggressive campaign against medical marijuana

WASHINGTON - November 15 - After more than two years as acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Michele Leonhart, who served as Deputy DEA Administrator during George W. Bush's presidency, is scheduled to be confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday, November 17th at 2:30pm EST. No friend to medical marijuana patients, Leonhart along with her former boss, DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, were responsible for more than two hundred paramilitary-style raids on patients and their providers. As Acting DEA Administrator, Leonhart has continued to raid dispensaries, growers and medical marijuana testing labs despite a change in federal policy under President Obama.

Although Leonhart is expected to be easily confirmed, advocates want to hold her feet to the fire, and are encouraging Senate Judiciary Committee members to ask tough questions about adherence to President Obama's Justice Department policy and her plans for addressing the growing divide between federal and state medical marijuana laws. "Leonhart's track record of causing untold harm to patients and their providers over the years is cause for a serious lack of trust in the medical marijuana community," said Caren Woodson, Director of Government Affairs with Americans for Safe Access, the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, which has submitted questions to be asked of Leonhart during the confirmation hearing. "We need to know that Leonhart has a plan for medical marijuana and the protection of patients and that she will be held accountable for her actions."

What:
Michele Leonhart's confirmation hearing to be the next DEA Administrator

When:
Wednesday, November 17th at 2:30pm

Where:
Senate Judiciary Committee, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226, Washington, DC

In October 2009, the Obama Administration issued a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys discouraging the use of federal resources to prosecute individuals who are in "clear and unambiguous compliance" with their state medical marijuana law. Since then, ASA has tracked more than 30 federal enforcement raids in California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Nevada, all medical marijuana states. By contrast, local and state governments are recognizing the need for, and authorizing methods of, distribution of medical marijuana. In a grassroots push over the next two days, medical marijuana advocates across the country are calling on Senate Judiciary Committee members to ask hard questions of Leonhart. "Leonhart must look at this as a public health issue and do more to reconcile the conflict between local, state and federal laws," continued Woodson.

In addition to enforcement, as head of the DEA, Leonhart will have authority over an unanswered marijuana Rescheduling petition that has been pending since 2002. Filed by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), the petition originally argued before the Bush Administration that marijuana has medical value and should be rescheduled. Now before the Obama Administration, advocates and coalition members are expecting more rigorous scrutiny on an issue that has been progressively moving toward scientific and mainstream acceptance. This past week it was confirmed that Arizona, which narrowly voted for Proposition 203, would become the country's 15th state to pass a medical marijuana law.

Under the authority of the Controlled Substances Act, Leonhart has significant control over medical marijuana research in the U.S., and has used her position as Acting Administrator to obstruct the scientific advancement of this important therapeutic substance. In January 2009, days before President Bush was to vacate his office, Acting Administrator Leonhart thwarted an effort to end federal obstruction of medical marijuana research, ignoring an 87-page recommendation from her own DEA Administrative Law Judge Mary Ellen Bittner, who ruled that such research was "in the public interest." The DEA and the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) have colluded to obstruct medical efficacy studies by prioritizing research on the supposed harmful effects of marijuana.

Further information:

Leonhart confirmation hearing notice: http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4850

ASA Questions for Leonhart: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/ASA_Leonhart_Questions.pdf

ASA Memo to Senate Judiciary Committee: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/ASA_Leonhart_Memo.pdf

--
Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

NEWS: City Council to weigh pot restrictions

LONG BEACH - The City Council is taking one more pass at Long Beach's medical marijuana law Tuesday.

Last week, the council decided not to vote on a proposal by three council members to add additional restrictions to the city's new marijuana law. Instead, council members decided that they first should have a closed session with the city attorney this week to discuss the potential legal ramifications of altering the ordinance.

Those possible legal effects don't stem from the $14,700 in permit fees paid by each of the 32 Long Beach collectives that are getting close to approval. Any collectives affected by changes to the law would be refunded the fees, city officials say.

However, collective operators and their attorneys say that the city would be on the hook for potentially millions of dollars in other costs that the marijuana distributors incurred to comply with the existing ordinance. Many of the collectives have signed leases and have had to make improvements to their buildings, such as beefing up security.

Collectives have promised legal action if the council changes the ordinance at this point in the process.

It took the council months of work before finally settling on the medical marijuana regulations in March, and then months more to put all of the city's collectives through an arduous permitting process.

The law, as it now stands, includes prohibitions against collectives operating near schools, in residential areas or within 1,000 feet of one another. Collectives can't buy marijuana from outside of Long Beach, but instead must either grow it on-site or at a separate cultivation location within the city limits.

Now, council members Gary DeLong, Patrick O'Donnell and Gerrie Schipske say that after hearing from concerned constituents and comparing Long Beach's law with those of other cities, they want to add new rules.

The proposed rules include allowing marijuana cultivation only in industrial areas; prohibiting collectives from operating within 1,000 feet of parks, libraries and child-care centers; allowing only 18 collectives citywide and two per council district; and requiring shorter collective operating hours.

The council will meet in closed session at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the legal issues and then will have its regular meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, when members will vote on whether to change the law.

The vote is item No. 30 on the meeting agenda and could very well be moved to the end of the meeting, as it was last Tuesday. Add to that a crowd of marijuana advocates and residents who support tougher restrictions that are expected to speak at the meeting, and the council may not take a vote until late.

Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram

NEWS: Temecula medical marijuana co-op set for Monday opening

Despite warnings from the city, a medical marijuana activist said a co-op created to help patients get their medicine will open its doors in Temecula on Monday.

Douglas Lanphere said Cooperative Patients' Services will provide a secure venue for legitimate medical marijuana patients to exchange the drug with each other. The establishment, in a leased storefront on the southern end of Old Town Front Street past First Street, will allow members to bring marijuana in for processing, he said.

California voters legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes in 1996. While several Temecula businesses offer medical marijuana referrals, the city has banned dispensaries since 2004.

Lanphere maintains the ban doesn't apply to the co-op. No marijuana sales will take place since the co-op members collectively own the marijuana, according to Lanphere.

"We facilitate the transactions between members," he said. "We're not the (entity) that makes the transaction directly with the patient."

City officials disagree with Lanphere's reasoning and say the code makes no exception for co-ops.

"We'll just have to wait and see exactly what he does or does not do there," City Attorney Peter Thorson said Friday.

Only co-op members will have access to the marijuana, and the co-op will have guards and other security measures in place, Lanphere said.

"We're not going to have pot plants in the lobby," he said, adding that most patients consume marijuana through liquid or forms other than smoking.

Lanphere and others have met with city officials and spoken at City Council meetings about the need for a safe facility for medical marijuana patients to get their medicine. Earlier this year, the group received a business license to operate as Qualified Patients Resource Center.

It got another business license in September under the name Cooperative Patients' Services, which is classified by the city as a "resource center." The new license, however, includes wording that mentions the city's dispensary ban and forbids "any other use or action that violates any provision" of the city code.

Lanphere believes a state court ruling issued in August on Anaheim's dispensary ban gives the co-op the legal right to operate. He said the decision makes it clear that federal law, which outlaws marijuana, does not pre-empt California's medical marijuana laws.

Thorson said the city zoning law is "very clear" about medical marijuana and that the Anaheim decision does not legitimize the co-op.

The city will need to figure out what's going on at the co-op before taking action, Thorson said.

Lanphere said the city has tried to stall the co-op's opening, an accusation Thorson denied. The co-op is prepared to challenge any citations, Lanphere said.

"We're of the belief that we've done everything transparently," Lanphere said.

Source: The Press-Enterprise

Costa Mesa Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops

American Collective FEATURED COLLECTIVE!
Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Hours: Mon-Sun 1pm to 10pm
Phone: 714-600-2894 (Please call for pre-verification)
Website: www.americancollective.com

Bottega M
435 E. 17th St. Suite 3
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Phone: (949) 515-1888
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm

Costa Mesa Patient's Association
1755 Orange Ave., Suite C
Costa Mesa, Ca. 92627
Phone: 949-645-8382
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Credit Cards Accepted

MedMar Patient Care Collective
440 Fair Dr. Suite V
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone: 714-241-9900
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am to 9pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 8pm
Website: www.medmarcares.com
21+ Membership

NEWS: Second man charged in Santa Fe Springs pot dispensary robbery

SANTA FE SPRING - Police say a Los Angeles man is the second suspect in a botched Aug. 10 robbery of a medical marijuana dispensary where the security guard fought with the robbers.

But the culprits didn't get any money or marijuana from AP Natural Solutions in the 9800 block of Alburtis Avenue. They left with the guard's gun.

Chavasco Coogler, 29, was arraigned Monday at Whittier Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery and to possession of a firearm by a felon, said Shiara Davila-Morales, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

She said he returns to court Dec. 7 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Coogler used a gun to commit the crime and personally fired the weapon.

He is being held at Men's Central Jail in lieu of $285,000 bail. He was the last of the two suspects caught.

Whittier police Lt. Bill Webster said Coogler was arrested Nov. 3 by Riverside police on the outstanding warrant. He didn't have details about the arrest.

The other suspect, 18-year-old Travon Brooks of Harbor City, was caught Aug. 26 and has pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery.

The prosecution further alleged that Brooks personally used a gun and fired a weapon. Brooks' next court date is Nov. 23.

He remains in custody at the North County Correctional Facility in lieu of $115,000 bail.

Police said two men posing as customers got into AP Natural Solutions the night of Aug. 10.
A security video released by police shows the men fighting with the guard. When they found out they're locked inside, one of the suspects shot at the steel security door which isn't visible in the tape.

They later forced the guard to unlock the door.

Source: Whittier Daily News

NEWS: LA council weighs allowing 140 pot shops to reopen

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council has ordered the city attorney to draft a measure that would allow 140 medical marijuana dispensaries to reopen in the city.

The council approved the move Friday and will vote next week on an amendment to scale back the long-debated medical marijuana ordinance that passed earlier this year.

The ordinance allowed 180 dispensaries that had registered with the city before a 2007 moratorium to stay open. However, 140 of them were disqualified because they had management changes over the past three years.

Under the proposed amendment, dispensaries could reopen if they have at least one primary owner or manager from the initial registration.

If approved, the city clerk will review all registrations to determine those that qualify under the new amendment.

The Associated Press

VIDEO: Dan Kern Testifies Before Long Beach City Council Regarding Proposed Changes to Medical Marijuana Ordinance

Dan Kern testifies at the Long Beach City Council Meeting regarding the council's attempt at changing the medical marijuana ordinance before the first ordinance gets a chance. From council meeting on November 9, 2010.

NEWS: L.A. City Council Considers Taxing Medical Marijuana

The Los Angeles City Council called today for a ballot measure to tax medical marijuana, though its attorneys and other advisers seemed wary of the idea.

Voting 9-3, the council directed its attorneys to draft the ballot measure. They would have to take another vote before Nov. 17 to put the measure on the March 8 ballot.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn sought to establish a tax of $50 per $1,000 of "cash and in-kind contributions, reimbursements, and reasonable compensation provided by members of medical marijuana collectives."

"I think we've seen as of yesterday (Election Day) that voters up and down the state of California -- whether or not they believe in the use of marijuana -- believe that their cities should be able to receive revenue in the form of taxation of these clinics," she said. "They were overwhelmingly approved wherever they were on the ballot (Tuesday)."

Hahn estimated the proposed tax would add $3 million to $5 million a year to the city's coffers.

Several of the council's advisers, however, questioned whether the city had legal standing to impose such a tax.

Senior Assistant City Attorney Pete Echeverria testified that "it's (the City Attorney's Office's) position that the city should not allow and tax marijuana sales, which would basically amount to a sanctioning of illegal activity."

Larry Manocchio, the city's principal tax compliance officer, said medical marijuana collectives are classified as nonprofit organizations and cannot be taxed.

Hahn disputed the notion that the city would be taxing profits from the sale of medical marijuana.

She said customers or patients give the nonprofits money to "reimburse" them for the cost of hiring workers, rent, utilities, and other expenses.

She said the proposed ballot measure would enable the city to collect a tax of $50 out of every $1,000 of that money.

Several other cities are doing the same, Hahn said.

In San Jose and La Puente, the tax is $100; Oakland and Richmond, $50, Sacramento, $40; and Berkeley, $25. She added that Long Beach is considering a tax of $50, she said.

Source: Beverly Hill Courier

NEWS: No Vote On More Pot Rules

Facing threats of lawsuits, the City Council will take at least one more week to look into the ramifications of further restricting its medical marijuana ordinance.

The council heard impassioned testimony from both sides of the issue during a public hearing Tuesday, before several council members weighed in. However, it was Seventh District Councilman James Johnson’s motion to delay any vote that won out, 6-3, setting up a closed session for next week regarding potential litigation should the council choose to adopt further restrictions.

The three dissenting votes came from the three council members who introduced the amendment: Third District Councilman Gary DeLong, Fourth District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell and Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske.

Those council members had proposed additional restrictions, including language that:

• Collectives would not be allowed to exist within 1,000 feet of parks, libraries and daycare centers (in addition to the 1,000-foot restriction to elementary and middle schools, 1,500 feet from high schools and 1,000 feet from other collectives).
   
• Marijuana cultivation sites would have to be within industrial zoning (currently allowed on-site).
   
• No more than 18 collectives within the city limits and only two per council district.
   
• A one-year moratorium on new permits.

These measures would halt a current permitting process that included the implementation of school buffer zones and a lottery for collectives that were too close to one another. The city has 60 days to inspect and approve the applications from the lottery date (Sept. 20).

“We found out that, actually, we didn’t err on the side of being over-restrictive,” DeLong said, adding that surrounding cities had more restrictions than Long Beach would under its current ordinance.

During public comment, attorney Daniel Kern, who said he was representing 1Love Beach Cooperative, warned the city of opening itself to more lawsuits.

“That’s a wholesale rewrite of the ordinance that invites a tremendous amount of litigation,” he said.

Kern asked that the council allow for the current process to go through certification, which he added might reduce the amount of collectives anyway.

Third District resident Jenna Morse pleaded with the council to look at the safety issues regarding the dispensaries — citing a Naples shooting in April that occurred outside of a collective as an example.

“High reward, low risk (for crime) — it’s just common sense,” she said, adding later that further restrictions wouldn’t bar patients from receiving medical marijuana.

Ninth District Councilman Steven Neal expressed a wariness with the changes, noting that the rules to change cultivation sites to industrial zones would “place a significantly disproportionate amount of city cultivation sites in the Ninth District, and we would not want to support that.”

“Second, we’re concerned we’re not really respecting due process and being responsible as policymakers,” Neal said.

He wasn’t the only council member who expressed concern with how the further restrictions would impact particular districts — Eighth District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich also noted that the further restrictions would only place one collective in Districts Four and Five, and put none in District Three.

Gabelich also worried about returning to something already decided.

“I think we should continue to move forward as we directed our staff and policy to be about six months ago,” she said.

Johnson’s motion to delay the vote until the council could conduct a closed session next week gained traction with First District Councilman Garcia.

“There are dispensaries that are great neighbors … and others that are not,” he said. “We have to come up with something that is going to provide access but still support the neighborhoods.”

There will be no public comment if and when the council takes the matter up in open session. Assistant City Attorney Mike Mais told the council that the city currently is facing six lawsuits for the ordinance.

Source: Long Beach Gazettes

NEWS: Long Beach Councilwoman Schipske Invites Residents To Take Medical Marijuana Survey

3:00pm | As the City Council prepares to re-examine the way that medical marijuana collectives operate in Long Beach, 5th District Councilmember Gerrie Schipske has created a 5-question survey that she is inviting residents to take. The results will be shared with the City Council, she says.

Along with councilmembers Gary DeLong and Patrick O'Donnell, Schipske aims to place further restrictions on the collectives, months after the City Council adopted an ordinance that outlined the rules. Columnist Greggory Moore argued recently that opening the discussion now after the rules for businesses have already been established is unfair.

Schipske makes no bones about her intentions, explaining that she and her two colleagues are trying "to tighten up the regulation of these collectives BEFORE they open for business." The survey asks whether a rule prohibiting collectives from operating within 1,000 feet of schools should also apply to parks, libraries and day care centers. Another question asks whether there is support for a ballot measure that would prohibit all medical marijuana collectives from operating in Long Beach.

"The City Council has every right (and obligation) to make a bad law better BEFORE we allow any operation of these outlets," Schipske writes in a blog entitled Why Controlling Marijuana Collectives is Like Limiting Airplanes Over a Neighborhood, posted today.

Source: LB Post

NEWS: How WeedMaps Makes More Than $400,000 a Month

For most of the U.S., marijuana is an illicit pleasure. But in some states--California, Colorado, and Washington, to name a few--it's a legal vice, provided you have a medical marijuana card. The marijuana network can be daunting for the uninitiated, with offerings like Blue Dream, Strawberry Cough, and Green Crack on dispensary menus. How are patients supposed to navigate?

That's where WeedMaps.com comes in.

In just two years, the WeedMaps website (tagline: Find Your Bud) has grown to more than $400,000 each month in revenue and 25,000 visitors each day. The site is the brainchild of Justin Hartfield, an entrepreneur who was involved in a few failed startups before hitting the jackpot with WeedMaps. "It started in August 2008," he says. "I was a medical marijuana patient trying to find the best dispensaries close to me"--and he couldn't find resources on dispensaries in his area when he looked online.

Like many a successful entrepreneur, Hartfield realized there was a gap in the market. Dispensaries didn't know what customers wanted or how much to charge, and customers didn't know what was available and how much they should be paying. And so was born Weedmaps.com--a Yelp-style site, with reviews and listings for dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal (though a clear majority of the listings are in California).

At first, Hartfield offered dispensaries the opportunity to display listings for free. "We wanted to give dispensaries business before we asked for money," he says. "We had a tiny audience at first. One day we had 12 people, the next day we had 24. By the end of 2008, we had 1,500 people a day."

In January 2010, WeedMaps started charging for listings. Rates start at $295 per month, and climb to more than $1,000, depending on how extensive the listing is--the more you pay, the more you can list about your dispensary. It's not a cheap service, but it's well worth it for dispensaries. Hartfield says that at least 85% of all dispensaries are on WeedMaps, and for good reason; the site signs up 300 new users and receives 250 dispensary reviews each day.

A quick search for my nearest dispensary--Medithrive--yields a dizzying amount of information about the dispensary's offerings (Not So Virgin Olive Oil, anyone?) and prices. WeedMaps users have provided 121 reviews of the store, and dozens of pictures show off Medithrive's wares. With so much information available, it's not a stretch to understand why medical marijuana patients would visit WeedMaps before every trip to the dispensary.

It's also not a stretch to think that WeedMaps is going to have some competition. "A few sites have popped up recently exactly replicating our business model," admits Hartfield. "But there's no doubt we're the largest, we're the oldest." Indeed, the fast followers--Weedtracker.com, Dispensaryguide.com--currently pale by comparison.

Nevertheless, potential competition is one of the reasons WeedMaps isn't stopping at listings and reviews. The site recently added a strain exchange (a stock market for marijuana strains). Hartfield says that a second version of the exchange will feature a predictive modeling engine that can tell you whether to "buy now or hold off until the future."

In the meantime, WeedMaps must deal with the same problem that any Yelp-like service has to face: moderating comments to weed out bogus reviews (positive reviews of your own dispensary, negative reviews of your competitors), and accusations of favoritism towards dispensaries that pay more for their listings. But the site is adamant: "Reviews of WeedMaps sponsors and non-sponsors are treated identically and any complaints are handled by the moderation staff...Owners shouldn't sing the praises of their own businesses or bash their competitors and users shouldn't comment on their current or former employers. If the author’s authenticity is in question due to limited activity and/or inconsistent activity, the moderation staff can un-publish." Weedmaps currently has 12 employees, and is hiring more.

Hartfield is even branching out into online dating. A companion site, WeedList (think Craigslist for potheads), contains a section for users to "find 420 love." A sample ad: "Would like to get together with a female bud connossieur, and get to know each other from a different perspective with 420, never realized how many females are closet smokers."

WeedMaps itself might be bought soon enough--the site is currently in talks to be acquired by a publicly-traded company, according to Hartfield--a L'Oreal subsidiary called LC Luxuries Ltd, which currently sells beauty products. Whether the parent company would balk at the sale is an open question. On the other hand, with a growth rate of approximately 20% each month, it may seem more surprising that WeedMaps hasn't already been snapped up.

Source: Fast Company

NEWS: O.C. pot expo to include smoking area

ANAHEIM – While Anaheim continues to ban all medical-marijuana dispensaries within its borders and fight for that prohibition in court, the city-owned Convention Center will host a huge marijuana expo that will allow card-carrying medical-marijuana patients to smoke pot on site.

The Kush Expo is set to run Friday through Sunday in the convention hall and is billed by its organizer, Monster Events International, as the "biggest medical-marijuana expo to hit Orange County."

The expo, open to people 18 and older, is expected to include dozens of booths featuring representatives from dispensaries and collectives, growing equipment, seed companies, hemp clothing and pot-related art. Live concerts featuring reggae and tribute acts to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd also are planned.

But what most sets this expo apart, organizers said, is a "designated (marijuana) smoking area" outside the back of the convention hall. That fact is being touted in advertising and on the event website, kushexpo.com.

No pot will be sold on site, but legitimate medical patients who have their own marijuana will be allowed to smoke it in that area, said Rick Walker, a Laguna Niguel entrepreneur who is helping organize the expo.

Patients also may try out pipes, bongs or other marijuana paraphernalia for sale at the expo while inside the designated zone, he said.

"We went back and forth with (convention officials) and attorneys, but we argued that the people who need medical marijuana need it every few hours and they may not be able to attend otherwise," Walker said. "So we're thrilled they gave us a designated space."

Walker said the area will be secured and only patients with official cards will be allowed inside the smoking zone. He added he is unconcerned about patients being searched or harassed by law-enforcement since "what they are doing is perfectly legal according to the state," he said.
City officials are aware or the designated smoking area, which by code must be at least 25 feet from any door to the hall, said city spokeswoman Ruth Ruiz.

"There will be no smoking of any kind inside the venue, but they (legitimate patients with cards) will have the right to smoke outside as anybody with a cigarette typically would," Ruiz said. "Police will staff the event as they would any convention, but no additional staffing is expected."

Possession of marijuana is prohibited under federal law, but state law allows for use by qualified medical patients.

Anaheim bans all medical-marijuana dispensaries – the city's law is being challenged in court by patients who say it is unfair.

Legal experts had been looking to the case to provide a clear precedent for other cities, but an appeals court judge in August sent the case back to trial court instead.

Weeks after that decision, the Anaheim Convention Center hosted the Know Your Rights Expo, an event sponsored by the group NORML, which is fighting to legalize recreational pot use.
Last week, California voters rejected Prop. 19, which would have legalized and taxed the sale of marijuana for recreational use statewide.

Walker said he expects a larger crowd this weekend because of that decision. His company is making plans for up to 25,000 people to attend over the three-day Kush Expo ("Kush" is a term that has become known as slang for high-grade marijuana.)

"People are really hyped up about the issue," Walker said. "And we're putting on a classy, informative event that we think will really appeal to Orange County."

Tickets for the show are $15 per day or $35 for a three-day pass.

Source: O.C. Register