Why I Want a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Near My Children’s School
May 8, 2012 Online Issue
Last week, one of California’s oldest and most respected medical marijuana dispensaries, Berkeley Patients Group, closed its doors. It shut down because 
its landlord, like dozens across the state, received a letter from United States Attorney Melinda Haag threatening to seize the property for renting to a medical marijuana dispensary located within 1,000 feet of a school. My three children attend elementary school and preschool in West Berkeley, just blocks from Berkeley Patients Group. The notion that the closure of Berkeley Patients Group is going to somehow serve to protect my children is patently absurd.
Berkeley Patients Group served thousands of medical marijuana patients in the Berkeley area for 12 years. It was an industry leader and a model of compassion and legal integrity. It was in strict compliance with state and local law, and has long worked with the City of Berkeley and the local community to provide a safe and responsible service to patients in need. As a small business, it employed 75 people and was one of the top sales tax generators in the city.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: attorney general, Berkeley, California, dispensaries, marijuana
Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Dismissed By Federal Judge In Sacramento
Mar 5, 2012 Online Issue
SAN FRANCISCO — Medical marijuana advocates faced another setback Tuesday, when a federal judge in Sacramento dismissed a lawsuit claiming that 
the Obama administration broke its promise to leave the pot industry alone when it began an aggressive crackdown against California dispensaries last fall.
Proponents of the suit cited President Obama’s 2009 Ogden Memo, which told federal prosecutors to concentrate their efforts on large drug trafficking networks and “not focus federal resources” on medical marijuana operations in states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.
But in a sharp reversal of the memo, federal authorities announced a renewed effort to target pot dispensaries throughout California last October, claiming the industry had ballooned to unprecedented proportions.
Read the rest of this entry »
California Medical Marijuana Law Suffers From Conflicting Decisions
Mar 5, 2012 Online Issue
On Wednesday, the state Court of Appeal in Santa Ana, unanimously ruled that a zoning law for sale of medical marijuana amounted to an illegal ban on
dispensaries. However, this recent ruling conflicts an earlier ruling that allowed local governments to ban the sale of medical marijuana.
The question is whether local governments have the authority to ban the sale of medical marijuana within their jurisdictions by overriding state and federal laws. Patients suffering from chronic pain, for which medical marijuana is considered one of the best alternatives, can be denied if the cities win the war of prejudice.
While more than one hundred local governments in California have passed resolutions and regulations to ban sale of medical marijuana within their jurisdiction, their stand remains weak unless affirmed by the court.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: California, marijuana, Medical Marijuana
COURSEY: Marijuana — the joke’s on us
Dec 25, 2011 Online Issue
Just in time for Christmas, “Reefer Madness” is back.
Federal prosecutors are threatening to shut down California’s medical pot dispensaries, which are legal under state law. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is asking the state Legislature to clarify and close loopholes in the state’s medical marijuana laws, saying those laws are so confusing that users, growers, sellers, cops and even the people who work in her office have a hard time telling what’s legal from what’s not. Meanwhile, one group is preparing a ballot initiative for next year that would tax and regulate medical marijuana, while another group is pushing for a vote to legalize pot for any and all uses.
Why do I equate this with the “Madness” depicted in the 1936 anti-marijuana movie?
Because the way we deal with pot is nuts, and to date most attempts to treat it as a “controlled” substance have proven to be delusional.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: California, Kamala Harris, marijuana
CA marijuana dispensary creates buzz with free pot
Dec 17, 2011 Online Issue
The customers of Magnolia Wellness pot shop could have called it buzz-kill Black Friday.
More than 100 lined up early Friday for an unusual giveaway: free pot and plenty of munchies to help with the aftermath. As pleased as they were with the gift, they were also sad that their pot shop was going out of business.
“I know you’re all sad, but everyone should have a smile because it’s free stuff!” yelled Darrell Coffman, who was determined to fire up the long line of customers just before the doors opened for the last time at 10 a.m.
“It’s going to go down like a Bob Marley concert in here! I’m feelin’ it!”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: California, free pot, marijuana dispensary
California Marijuana Arrests Skyrocketing, New Report Finds
Nov 13, 2011 Online Issue
It’s a fine time to be a criminal in California. Arrests in every category of crime are down — way down: Arrests for rape, murder, and 
theft have all decreased by two-thirds since 1990, according to a study published last week by the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
Every crime except one, that is: Misdemeanor marijuana possession, which is why the study is aptly titled, “Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests are Skyrocketing.”
Annual busts for simple possession, with no sales, transporting, or other penalty enhancements added, have doubled since 1990 to 54,800 arrests in 2010, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation statistics.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: California, dispensaries, marijuana, marijuana arrests
Congressman Bilbray’s daughter at center of medical marijuana debate
Nov 13, 2011 Online Issue
The young cancer survivor surged with adrenaline as she stepped up to the lectern at Imperial Beach City Hall to defend medical
marijuana dispensaries and extol the drug’s therapeutic benefits for chemotherapy patients.
Briana Bilbray did not inform her father, who opposes medical marijuana, that she planned to speak out that night in July. The 25-year-old daughter of Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray told city officials that nausea and fatigue were “really pretty words” to describe such incapacitating conditions.
“You feel like you just want to die,” she said through tears in the city that launched her father’s political career. “I didn’t even want to breathe, I was so tired.”
Briana couldn’t persuade the City Council not to enact a ban on dispensaries, but she managed to shatter stereotypes on her way to becoming a torchbearer for the cause.
Read the rest of this entry »
