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Thursday, August 5, 2010
VIDEO: Adela Falk on medical marijuana collective inspection at SD Council meeting 07-27-10
Adela Falk's presentation on medical marijuana inspection at Wisdom Organics collective in San Diego County. From San Diego City Council Meeting held on July 27, 2010.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
NEWS: Board recommends not allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in Wildomar
Wildomar planning commissioners voted Wednesday to recommend that the City Council continue to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.
Commissioners said they had uncertainty about the results of a statewide proposition that would make marijuana legal for people older than 21.
The commission voted 3-2, with Harv Dykstra and Michael Kazmier dissenting, to recommend the council vote down a proposed law allowing dispensaries.
The commission has the power only to suggest whether the city should lift its 2-year-old ban on storefront marijuana facilities. It is now left to the City Council to decide whether to allow nonprofit dispensaries.
Just one city in Riverside County allows them: Palm Springs.
Wildomar's proposed law is modeled after a code used by the city of Laguna Woods in Orange County. It would allow dispensaries in commercial zones, away from schools and parks. It would not put a cap on the number of dispensaries.
Several commissioners recommended Wednesday that if the city allows dispensaries, it limit the number to two.
The council could alter the law if it approves the measure. Planning Director David Hogan said the council could take up the matter during its second meeting in September.
In an occasionally raucous meeting, advocates and opponents cheered and jeered speakers. About 35 people spoke, about 20 of them against dispensaries.
Opponents contended that allowing dispensaries would increase crime. Several shared personal stories about relatives who had struggled with drug addiction.
Tim Walker said he moved out of Los Angeles 30 years ago "to get away from this stuff."
"I don't understand how we could get to this point in this community," Walker said. "We need to make a stand because this is a conservative area and it needs to stay that way."
They also repeatedly criticized those speaking in favor as profiteers from other cities concerned only with opening businesses in Wildomar.
Many of those in favor were affiliates with already-existing private collectives or delivery services. The ordinance being considered would allow only nonprofit dispensaries.
Carlos Stahl has battled with Lake Elsinore over an unlicensed dispensary he runs there called R Side Medical. He told the commission he believed he was within his rights under state law and planned to open a location in Wildomar "whether this commission approves it or doesn't approve it."
"The people have spoken," Stahl, of Lakeland Village, said of medical marijuana. "This is nothing new. This is the majority."
Source: The Press-Enterprise
Commissioners said they had uncertainty about the results of a statewide proposition that would make marijuana legal for people older than 21.
The commission voted 3-2, with Harv Dykstra and Michael Kazmier dissenting, to recommend the council vote down a proposed law allowing dispensaries.
The commission has the power only to suggest whether the city should lift its 2-year-old ban on storefront marijuana facilities. It is now left to the City Council to decide whether to allow nonprofit dispensaries.
Just one city in Riverside County allows them: Palm Springs.
Wildomar's proposed law is modeled after a code used by the city of Laguna Woods in Orange County. It would allow dispensaries in commercial zones, away from schools and parks. It would not put a cap on the number of dispensaries.
Several commissioners recommended Wednesday that if the city allows dispensaries, it limit the number to two.
The council could alter the law if it approves the measure. Planning Director David Hogan said the council could take up the matter during its second meeting in September.
In an occasionally raucous meeting, advocates and opponents cheered and jeered speakers. About 35 people spoke, about 20 of them against dispensaries.
Opponents contended that allowing dispensaries would increase crime. Several shared personal stories about relatives who had struggled with drug addiction.
Tim Walker said he moved out of Los Angeles 30 years ago "to get away from this stuff."
"I don't understand how we could get to this point in this community," Walker said. "We need to make a stand because this is a conservative area and it needs to stay that way."
They also repeatedly criticized those speaking in favor as profiteers from other cities concerned only with opening businesses in Wildomar.
Many of those in favor were affiliates with already-existing private collectives or delivery services. The ordinance being considered would allow only nonprofit dispensaries.
Carlos Stahl has battled with Lake Elsinore over an unlicensed dispensary he runs there called R Side Medical. He told the commission he believed he was within his rights under state law and planned to open a location in Wildomar "whether this commission approves it or doesn't approve it."
"The people have spoken," Stahl, of Lakeland Village, said of medical marijuana. "This is nothing new. This is the majority."
Source: The Press-Enterprise
VIDEO: The Facts - Marijuana
Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose.
According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."
Learn from timeline presented in the video below:
According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."
Learn from timeline presented in the video below:
NEWS: UPDATE 1-Spain approves GW, Almirall cannabis drug for MS
* Pricing and reimbursement approval expected in Q4
* Sativex also being submitted in France, Germany, Italy
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - GW Pharmaceuticals Plc's (GWP.L) cannabis-derived medicine Sativex has been approved in its second European market, Spain, as an add-on therapy for treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The news, which follows a green light last month in Britain, is a boost for British-based GW and its Spanish partner Almirall (ALM.MC).
Following the regulatory clearance, Sativex is expected to get pricing and reimbursement approval from the Spanish Ministry of Health in the fourth quarter of 2010.
GW said on Wednesday it had also filed to get the medicine approved under the Europe Union's mutual recognition procedure in other selected markets, including France, Germany and Italy.
Clinical trials have shown Sativex, which is sprayed under the tongue, reduces spasticity in MS in patients who do not respond adequately to existing therapies.
It became the world's first cannabis medicine to win regulatory clearance when it was approved in Canada in 2005 for neuropathic pain but its roll-out in Europe for MS is a larger sales opportunity. Germany's Bayer (BAYGn.DE) sells the product in Britain. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Karen Foster)
Source: Reuters
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
VIDEO: The Flower; Social and Economic Costs of Marijuana Prohibition
The Flower contrasts a utopian society that freely farms and consumes a pleasure giving flower with a society where the same flower is illegal and its consumption is prohibited. The animation is a meditation on the social and economic costs of marijuana prohibition.
Taxing Medical Marijuana to be Considered at Long Beach City Council Meeting
Long Beach, CA - The Long Beach City Council will be holding their regularly scheduled meeting today, Tuesday August 3, 2010 at 5:00pm.
Location:
333 W. Ocean Boulevard [Council Chamber]
Long Beach, CA 90802
The agenda item appears as follows:
10 - 0784 Recommendation to conduct a hearing on the proposed levy of the Marijuana Business License Tax, receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the hearing; adopt a finding of emergency; and adopt resolution calling for an election on November 2, 2010, for the purpose of authorizing such a tax. (Citywide)
Office or Department: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Public attendance is encouraged if you would like to have any say in the above matter. If you would like to be heard, then be sure to arrive early (15-30 minutes) and fill out a speaker card to ensure your time at the podium. We hope to see you at the meeting!
Location:
333 W. Ocean Boulevard [Council Chamber]
Long Beach, CA 90802
The agenda item appears as follows:
10 - 0784 Recommendation to conduct a hearing on the proposed levy of the Marijuana Business License Tax, receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the hearing; adopt a finding of emergency; and adopt resolution calling for an election on November 2, 2010, for the purpose of authorizing such a tax. (Citywide)
Office or Department: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Public attendance is encouraged if you would like to have any say in the above matter. If you would like to be heard, then be sure to arrive early (15-30 minutes) and fill out a speaker card to ensure your time at the podium. We hope to see you at the meeting!
Monday, August 2, 2010
OP-ED: 50 Reasons to Legalize/Illegalize Marijuana Today
Split on whether or not to make medical or recreational marijuana legal? It is a volatile subject. With proponents on both sides feeling strongly about their issue, putting them together can be a recipe for shouting, talking over each other, and little accomplished. So why not turn to the internet?
Those who support and oppose the idea have taken the time to lay out their arguments. In an effort to portray both sides as fairly as possible, we have gathered 50 reasons to legalize/illegalize marijuana today. They include topics on medical and recreational use, with everyone from doctors to users to parents chiming in.
READ THE REST »
Those who support and oppose the idea have taken the time to lay out their arguments. In an effort to portray both sides as fairly as possible, we have gathered 50 reasons to legalize/illegalize marijuana today. They include topics on medical and recreational use, with everyone from doctors to users to parents chiming in.
READ THE REST »
NEWS: Making Sense Out of Pot Haze. START-UP: Duo would use Canoga Park site in new business.
Two Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs say they have a business solution to managing the wild, wild, west of medical marijuana growth, and they’re eyeing Canoga Park as a possible site to jumpstart their efforts.
Plant Properties Management founder and CEO Jason Oh and his chief operating officer Daniel Jaimes are in talks with cities about the idea they say would lead to the creation of safer cannabis, tracking of growth and distribution, and possible tax revenues for the state and local governments.
The duo’s plans come as California voters gear up to decide in November whether to support the legalization of limited amounts of marijuana for recreational use for adults age 21 or older. Measure 19 would also allow local governments to authorize, regulate and tax various commercial marijuana-related activities.
In 1996, voters approved Proposition 215, which legalized the growth and possession of marijuana for medical purposes.
Oh and Jaimes, who are managing directors of the business’ holding company Diversified Business Development Group, want to open secure facilities where licensed medical marijuana growers could rent space for cultivating their product.
Oh envisions radiofrequency identification codes included in the marijuana packaging, GPS tracking devices to monitor delivery and an inventory database. The business would report to the state how much marijuana is grown at its facility and where it ends up for taxation purposes. It would also keep track of its clients’ patients to ensure proper documentation for the marijuana.
The business would also operate labs, where the product would be tested to meet safety standards and would be labeled.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people in the industry,” said Oh, who also has a software development company and a media entertainment company. “People are growing some things in the weirdest ways. … There’s no regulation right now. Anybody could do whatever they want, and it’s going to the general public.”
He added that many dispensaries today get their goods from street vendors, creating hazards for legitimate patients. His business would help mitigate that, he said.
“There’s a lot of dispensaries that want to do everything completely legitimately,” Oh said.
David Honda, the owner of Northridge-based D.S. Honda Construction who is interested in developing a site in Chico with Plant Properties Management, called the business model “well thought through and orchestrated.”
“I think (the) plan … is looking at the quality of the product,” Honda said. “This is going to be profitable for cities to look for a new tax basis if the cities are ready to control it.”
Grow big
Oh and Jaimes are thinking big. They’re hoping to open a 600,000-square-foot growing facility in Chico and a 21,000-square-foot facility in Canoga Park, which would both be used to rent space to growers.
But first they must win over the hearts of city officials, local constituents and law enforcement.
The business partners have already won the support of several investors and have begun talks with officials from Los Angeles, Long Beach and Chico.
After meeting with Chico officials, Oh and Jaimes were invited to present their plan to the city’s Planning Commission on Aug. 5 where the commission will discuss a city ordinance defining where marijuana can be grown in the city.
“Our current land use policy does not permit this activity at the location they want to do it,” said Assistant City Manager John Rucker, adding that marijuana cooperatives and collectives could get pushed to a district more focused on manufacturing. “This is an oddball thing that comes in that we never even considered 10 years ago, so now we’re figuring out if it’s legal,” he said.
The opening of Plant Properties Management sites will depend on whether the cities are willing to issue the appropriate permits, Jaimes said. The ability to collect tax revenues will also depend on the cities’ policies.
“The actual local government has to create their own excise tax,” Jaimes said.
Rucker said such a process is lengthy since it would require approval by local residents.
Oh and Jaimes project the facilities, if approved, could provide a couple hundred jobs at the Chico site and about 25 jobs per facility for smaller sites.
While Angeles Councilmember Tony Cardenas’ chief of staff did not have direct knowledge about the plan, he said environmental and public safety issues would likely need to be addressed before the city would back such a concept.
“We have some very big concerns about the controls and cultivation of marijuana, (such as) how much governmental oversight on something like this we can actually provide,” Jose Cornejo said.
Questions that should be asked include whether security for the complex would be sufficient and how excess product would be disposed of, he added.
“Until we have better understanding about what restraints and levels we need to put on growth of medical marijuana, I don’t think the council would be supportive,” Cornejo added.
Big-box pot businesses
Plant Properties Management is not the only business trying to break into the marijuana market.
The city of Oakland passed a city ordinance last month, allowing four businesses to grow marijuana for dispensaries at a large-scale, industrial level.
One Foothill Ranch business called Medical Marijuana, Inc., which announced its support for the city’s decision, has a similar model to Plant Properties Management.
Like Oh’s company, the business says it tracks the marijuana from seed to point of sale and provides a method for cities to collect taxes from pot sales.
Oh said what sets his business plan apart is a more defined focus on safety regulations.
Oh said whether or not the ballot measure passes, Plant Properties Management would still have a market.
“There’s truly a need for medical marijuana,” he said. “There’s patients out there that truly rely on it.”
Source: San Fernando Valley Business Journal
Plant Properties Management founder and CEO Jason Oh and his chief operating officer Daniel Jaimes are in talks with cities about the idea they say would lead to the creation of safer cannabis, tracking of growth and distribution, and possible tax revenues for the state and local governments.
The duo’s plans come as California voters gear up to decide in November whether to support the legalization of limited amounts of marijuana for recreational use for adults age 21 or older. Measure 19 would also allow local governments to authorize, regulate and tax various commercial marijuana-related activities.
In 1996, voters approved Proposition 215, which legalized the growth and possession of marijuana for medical purposes.
Oh and Jaimes, who are managing directors of the business’ holding company Diversified Business Development Group, want to open secure facilities where licensed medical marijuana growers could rent space for cultivating their product.
Oh envisions radiofrequency identification codes included in the marijuana packaging, GPS tracking devices to monitor delivery and an inventory database. The business would report to the state how much marijuana is grown at its facility and where it ends up for taxation purposes. It would also keep track of its clients’ patients to ensure proper documentation for the marijuana.
The business would also operate labs, where the product would be tested to meet safety standards and would be labeled.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people in the industry,” said Oh, who also has a software development company and a media entertainment company. “People are growing some things in the weirdest ways. … There’s no regulation right now. Anybody could do whatever they want, and it’s going to the general public.”
He added that many dispensaries today get their goods from street vendors, creating hazards for legitimate patients. His business would help mitigate that, he said.
“There’s a lot of dispensaries that want to do everything completely legitimately,” Oh said.
David Honda, the owner of Northridge-based D.S. Honda Construction who is interested in developing a site in Chico with Plant Properties Management, called the business model “well thought through and orchestrated.”
“I think (the) plan … is looking at the quality of the product,” Honda said. “This is going to be profitable for cities to look for a new tax basis if the cities are ready to control it.”
Grow big
Oh and Jaimes are thinking big. They’re hoping to open a 600,000-square-foot growing facility in Chico and a 21,000-square-foot facility in Canoga Park, which would both be used to rent space to growers.
But first they must win over the hearts of city officials, local constituents and law enforcement.
The business partners have already won the support of several investors and have begun talks with officials from Los Angeles, Long Beach and Chico.
After meeting with Chico officials, Oh and Jaimes were invited to present their plan to the city’s Planning Commission on Aug. 5 where the commission will discuss a city ordinance defining where marijuana can be grown in the city.
“Our current land use policy does not permit this activity at the location they want to do it,” said Assistant City Manager John Rucker, adding that marijuana cooperatives and collectives could get pushed to a district more focused on manufacturing. “This is an oddball thing that comes in that we never even considered 10 years ago, so now we’re figuring out if it’s legal,” he said.
The opening of Plant Properties Management sites will depend on whether the cities are willing to issue the appropriate permits, Jaimes said. The ability to collect tax revenues will also depend on the cities’ policies.
“The actual local government has to create their own excise tax,” Jaimes said.
Rucker said such a process is lengthy since it would require approval by local residents.
Oh and Jaimes project the facilities, if approved, could provide a couple hundred jobs at the Chico site and about 25 jobs per facility for smaller sites.
While Angeles Councilmember Tony Cardenas’ chief of staff did not have direct knowledge about the plan, he said environmental and public safety issues would likely need to be addressed before the city would back such a concept.
“We have some very big concerns about the controls and cultivation of marijuana, (such as) how much governmental oversight on something like this we can actually provide,” Jose Cornejo said.
Questions that should be asked include whether security for the complex would be sufficient and how excess product would be disposed of, he added.
“Until we have better understanding about what restraints and levels we need to put on growth of medical marijuana, I don’t think the council would be supportive,” Cornejo added.
Big-box pot businesses
Plant Properties Management is not the only business trying to break into the marijuana market.
The city of Oakland passed a city ordinance last month, allowing four businesses to grow marijuana for dispensaries at a large-scale, industrial level.
One Foothill Ranch business called Medical Marijuana, Inc., which announced its support for the city’s decision, has a similar model to Plant Properties Management.
Like Oh’s company, the business says it tracks the marijuana from seed to point of sale and provides a method for cities to collect taxes from pot sales.
Oh said what sets his business plan apart is a more defined focus on safety regulations.
Oh said whether or not the ballot measure passes, Plant Properties Management would still have a market.
“There’s truly a need for medical marijuana,” he said. “There’s patients out there that truly rely on it.”
Source: San Fernando Valley Business Journal
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