MJDispensaries.com

NEWS: Is Prohibition Over? California Medical Marijuana Laws vs. Federal Prohibition Come to a Head

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:24:00 +0000

The California Supreme Court announced today that it will hear two important cases from two separate appellate districts in California regarding city’s abilities to regulate and ban medical marijuana dispensaries.

The court granted the City of Long Beach’s petition for review in the Pack case, which has caused cities statewide to question their ability to regulate medical marijuana collectives. The Second Appellate District, Div. 3, ruled several months ago that parts of the Long Beach 5.87 ordinance, regulating medical marijuana collectives within the city, were federally prohibited.

Pack’s attorney, Matthew Pappas also filed an emergency application for a temporary order prohibiting the City of Long Beach from banning collectives while the case is pending with the California Supreme Court. The court denied this request, which leaves the city of Long Beach in flux as the Pack case is being determined. According to Joe Elford, Chief Counsel for Americans for Safe Access, the Pack ruling contradicts three other Appellate Court decisions that have rejected Federal Preemption. The California Supreme Court’s determination can take months and sometimes up to a year before a decision is rendered.

According to Bob Selan, Esq., CEO of Kush Magazine, the California Supreme Court has recognized that these states’ rights issues are at the forefront of the safe access provisions that were inherent in Proposition 215 voted into law by Californians in 1996. The laws which were further codified in SB420 in 2003 by the California Legislature, have been the subject of several controversial lawsuits pitting California medical marijuana laws against Federal Prohibition.

The ACLU has also filed an amicus curie brief requesting that the opinion of the Second Appellate District be depublished.

Last night the Long Beach City Council postponed voting on a ban until its February 14^th meeting (see video). Long Beach City Attorney Robert Shannon is urging the City Council to enact a ban while the case is pending since the city currently has no law to regulate the collectives in the city.

The California Supreme Court also agreed to hear the Riverside case involving G3 Holistic in Upland, California. This case involved shutting down G3 due to the City of Upland’s outright ban on medical marijuana dispensaries through their zoning code. G3 was shut down, sued the city and the Superior Court upheld the city’s zoning code. On Appeal, the Appellate court granted G3 an injunction to remain open. When the city prevailed on appeal in November, 2011, G3 was again shut down. In December, G3 appealed to the California Supreme Court which was granted a review today.

This comes at a time when cities and counties are scrambling to push forward bans of any medical cannabis related businesses in their jurisdictions.

The medical marijuana community applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to hear both cases, and hopefully, this will finally give cities in California the right to regulate medical marijuana in their communities, since many cities have chosen to ban or refuse to regulate medical marijuana because it’s federally illegal.

Source: KUSH Magazine

NEWS: Long Beach judge recuses himself from medical marijuana case before sentencing

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:27:00 +0000

LONG BEACH -- A local judge recused himself from a medical marijuana case at the 11th hour Wednesday, admitting he made a serious error when he sent a complimentary letter to the prosecutor prior to sentencing.

Long Beach Superior Court Judge Charles Sheldon voluntarily removed himself from the case of Joe Grumbine and Joe Byron, the owners and operators of a trio of medical marijuana collectives who were convicted of illegal drug sales last month.

In a stunning revelation that drew exclamations from many in the courtroom, Sheldon admitted he sent a "complimentary letter" to Deputy District Attorney Jodi Castano before the matter was finished.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Sheldon said, adding that he meant what he said in the missive, which was dated Jan. 5, but it was inappropriate to send while the case was still active.

His recusal drew raucous applause, cheers and shouts from a courtroom brimming with about 50 medical marijuana advocates who have rallied inside and outside the Long Beach courthouse throughout Grumbine and Byron's trial.

Defense Attorney Christopher Glew said outside court that the letter congratulated the prosecutor on a job well done and showed the judge's clear bias in case.

"I've never seen anything like it," Glew said. "But it was obvious from the start that Judge Sheldon was biased ... he said from the very beginning there are no legal sales of marijuana of any kind."

Grumbine and Byron were convicted Dec. 21 -- on 13 felony counts including illegal sales of narcotics, grand theft, and filing false tax returns -- following a roughly three week trial.

Supporters of the defendants insist the charges are nothing more than an attack by zealous police and prosecutors in violation of the state's medical marijuana law and have accused authorities of fabricating evidence.

Castano insisted in her opening statements to the jury the case was about two men using the sick and infirm as a shield for illegal drug deals.

"This case is not about whether people have the right to medical marijuana," Castano told the jury at the start of the trial last month. "This case is about two wolves in sheeps' clothing. It's about two men who were out to line their pockets ... with millions of dollars."

Grumbine and Byron were arrested in December of 2009 after police raided the three locations, two in Long Beach and one in Garden Grove.

The legal wrangling began long before the trial, with numerous motions heard as both sides sought to block some witnesses and evidence.

The district attorney and defendants' attorneys disagreed from the start over whether a medical marijuana defense could be presented. Initially, Sheldon ruled no such a defense would be allowed, said supporter Cheri Sicard.

Glew and co-defense Attorney Allison Margolin challenged Sheldon's ruling in a higher court and was awarded a judgement that required the lower court to allow the medical marijuana defense, Sicard said.

Nonetheless, police and prosecutors insisted the defendants used the collectives as profit-driven drug dealing operations run like stores with frequent flier cards, specials and discounts offered inside the businesses.

The defendants, Castano said, tried to hide the businesses by using fictitious business names. She also said the accused stole electricity from neighboring businesses to hide the large amount of power needed to grow the plants.

Bills were paid by money order to eliminate paper trials, the prosecutor noted. The defendants, she said, under-reported their sales tax for two years, pocketing more than $2 million.

Though Sheldon has recused himself from the case, the convictions still stand. However Glew and Margolin said they are preparing motions for a new trial, which will be heard in a new court, by Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani, on April 3.

The motions will include arguments that Sheldon's bias denied their clients a chance at a fair trial and will also cite juror misconduct, Glew said, referring to one jurors revelation post conviction that the group used the Internet to look up the definition of marijuana collectives even though they were instructed by the court that they could not use any outside source of information while deliberating the case.

Even the appointment of the new judge looked as though it was going to be a tough fight Wednesday morning, as Glew and Margolin told Long Beach Superior Court Supervising Judge James Otto they opposed the case being transferred to Comparet-Cassani.

Moments later, however, they withdrew their challenge of the venue.

Outside the courtroom, Glew explained that though he is concerned about Comparet-Cassani's strict ruling record the only other options left at the Long Beach Court would prove even more unfavorable to the defense's case.

"We don't have a lot of options for a fair trial in Long Beach," Glew said.

Source: Press-Telegram

VIDEO: Long Beach City Council Postpones Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ban

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:28:00 +0000

COOKIN' WITH CAKE: Dry Ice Extraction

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:51:00 +0000

By: YellowJuanaCake

Dry ice kief extraction is a great way to obtain cooking material to get you started with some high quality canna-cooking. Kief, also sometimes referred to as ‘pollen’, is the fine crystal/grainy/sugary coating you see on the green material of the flowers. It is where much of the medicine in the plant resides and can be easily extracted.

You can obtain dry ice at most grocery stores, if you can’t find it, go to the local ice distributor, they’re bound to have some.

The silkscreen material took a bit of looking into on my part. I’m just on too tight a budget to afford a set of water extraction bags. Not even the inexpensive ones, so I had to find an alternative to fit my purse’s capacity. I searched for silkscreen and was able to find many resources. This is the one I settled on: Ryonet Silkscreen Supplies

First though, I had to decide what size mesh I would purchase. USA mesh and European micron sizes are different. Of course, we are familiar with micron size in the cannabis community and finding silkscreen measured by micron in the US is near to impossible. At any rate, I used this chart to help me decide what size to get: Mesh to Micron Conversion Chart I ordered the 74 mesh (which puts my micron size somewhere between 210 and 177) for $9.76 and with shipping, the total was less than $20. I have enough to make at least a dozen squares like you see in these pictures from the one piece of material I bought.

I will likely also purchase another sheet in the next smaller size as not all strains have the same size trichomes and eventually, I’ll have a way to grade the material and refine this process based on the strain I’m working with and the size of those specific trichomes.

These are my tools, along with some dry ice

Cannabis and dry ice in the plastic Folger's can

This is where I’ll go ahead and put that lid back on the can and just shake it for a few minutes. I am gentle, so as not to break up the dry cannabis material too much, but also, because I don’t want to get worn out from working too hard. LOL Okay, so anyway, you’re gonna just shake the bucket for a few minutes, until you feel like all the cannabis has had a chance to come in contact with the dry ice and the trichomes are ready to jump off the plant and out of the bucket. As you’re doing this, you can just know that the dry ice will be melting back into it’s gaseous form and you may need to release pressure or the lid will pop off your bucket and scare the cat. And also, the first time it happened to me I spilled a bunch of weed when I jumped. So, as you’re gently shaking, just go ahead and hold the edge of the lid open every few shakes to let the gas escape. I have decided I’ll just pop a few holes in the lid to prevent this from happening in the future.

One other word of caution, if you haven’t already burned yourself on accident, you should be wearing gloves while handling the dry ice, and even while shaking the container. Dry ice is -200 degrees and will burn you with severe cold. Believe it . . . take care!

Folger's can with silkscreen material affixed

Turn the can over and shake out the frozen kief

Stop shaking if you see green in your kief.

Collect your kief!

For more great cannabis recipes visit Cookin' With Cake! where you'll also be able to order a copy of her latest book.

You can order your copy of YellowJuana Cake’s Cookbook today for $14.95 and shipping is free! The 48 page b&w book includes instructional information on infusion and extraction methods used in cannabis cooking, recipes, dosing guidelines and tips and tricks for DIY easy to prepare store meals.

NEWS: Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine Trial: It's a Kangaroo Courtroom

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:02:00 +0000

There's a reason why the marijuana-selling trial of Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine, the former owners of a pair of Long Beach cannabis collectives, is unfolding in Long Beach Superior Court's Department K. The letter, as Judge Judith Meyer (who last month referred the case to Judge Charles Sheldon) once drew laughs for explaining, stands for that lovable bouncy rodent from Down Under: the kangaroo.

As jokes go, it's not that funny, though: As the first week in Byron and Grumbine's trial in Sheldon's courtroom draws to a close today, it's becoming rapidly clear the robe-wearing octogenarian isn't exactly worried about appearing overwhelmingly biased against the two defendants.

First of all, Sheldon denied the two Joes their right to mention medical marijuana in their defense. This prevented their attorneys from sending subpoenas to witnesses who could testify they were following state law, which, in California, allows patients to smoke marijuana for medical reasons and to establish collectives to grow the plants. But thanks to a ruling last week by the California Court of Appeal, Sheldon was left with no choice but to allow such witnesses to testify.

On Monday, when confronted with this ruling, however, Sheldon refused a follow-up motion by the defense to delay the trial for a week so defense lawyers Alison Margolin and Christopher Glew could get ahold of those previously off-limits witnesses. No dice, ruled Sheldon, who insisted the trial start right away. It's been all downhill from there. According to court observers and the blog of the activist group The Human Solution, Sheldon has ruled against almost every defense objection, including ones in which prosecution witnesses were rambling onstage without answering any pending question, in which cases Sheldon simply instructs prosecutors to pose a question so that the witness can keep going.

Today, Sheldon went so far as to order a screen erected between the jury and the audience to prevent jurors (some of whom observers have already been noticed rolling their eyes at Sheldon) from seeing audience members, most of whom support the two defendants.

Supporters have been protesting the trial for weeks now, gathering every morning at 8 on the courthouse steps. The protests--and the trial itself--are scheduled to resume Monday morning.

Source: OC Weekly

Studio City Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops

noreply@blogger.com (R. Mazur) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:54:00 +0000

Buds and Roses Collective
13235 Ventura Blvd [map]
Studio City, CA 91604
Hours: Mon–Sat 11am to 7pm, Sun 11am to 5pm
Email: info@budsandrosesla.com
Website: http://budsandrosesla.com/
Phone: 818-907-8852
Fax: 888-315-9194

Cloneville
12457 Ventura Blvd. Suite 207
Studio City, CA 91604
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 7pm
Website: http://www.cloneville.org/
Phone: 818-627-6874

Compassionate Caregivers of Studio City
12457 Ventura Blvd. Suite 208
Studio City, CA 91604
Website: http://www.ccscity.com
Phone: 818-506-7773

Secret Garden Cannameds
4346 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City CA 91604 [map]
Hours: Mon-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 12pm-6pm
Phone: 818-985-HELP

Covers the following zip codes in Studio City, California: 91604, 91614

NEWS: Feds describe crackdown on pot dispensaries

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:14:00 +0000

Large-scale, commercial marijuana cultivation and sales were never allowed under state or federal law and will no longer be tolerated, California's top federal prosecutors said Friday in announcing a crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries across the state.

The state's medical marijuana law has been "hijacked by people who are in this to get rich," U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag of San Francisco said at a news conference. California's Compassionate Use Act of 1996, she said, was intended "to allow marijuana to be supplied to seriously ill people on a nonprofit basis."

Haag and California's other three U.S. attorneys said they each have sent dozens of letters to dispensary owners, as well as residential, commercial and agricultural property owners involved in activity deemed to be drug trafficking, warning them to cease such operations within 45 days or face the consequences.

Those consequences include property and bank account seizures and civil forfeiture lawsuits as well as criminal prosecutions, all of which have been pursued in various cases filed across the state in recent weeks. So far, there's been no word of any East Bay or South Bay dispensaries receiving the letters.

"If (large-scale dispensaries) shut the operations down, there will be no forfeiture. If they continue, there will be forfeiture," Haag pledged, saying prosecutors in her Northern District -- which includes the Bay Area -- will focus on dispensaries near schools, parks and other places at which children gather.

"There's no ambiguity about this, there's no surprise about this -- the commercial sale of marijuana has been illegal for decades," said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner, of Sacramento. "We're not after people who are sick, or their primary caregivers. ... Those people are not a focus of our operations."

Marijuana advocates reacted with angry dismay, given President Barack Obama's campaign pledge that he would not "be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state (medical marijuana) laws," a stance he has reiterated since taking office.

"Aggressive tactics like these are a completely inappropriate use of prosecutorial discretion by the Obama Administration," said Joe Elford, chief counsel with Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access. "President Obama must answer for his contradictory policy on medical marijuana."

Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, blasted the action as being "driven by overzealous prosecutors and the anti-marijuana ideologues who dominated policymaking in past administrations."

"Instead of encouraging state and local authorities to regulate medical marijuana distribution in the interests of public safety and health, his administration seems determined to re-criminalize as much as possible," he added.

However, the prosecutors insisted this isn't a reversal, noting that neither state nor federal law has ever allowed for-profit commercial marijuana sales, a stance underscored by Justice Department memos issued in October 2009 and in June.

"These actions should surprise no one. The Department of Justice is simply making good on threats they've been issuing for years," said Kevin Sabet, who from 2009 through last month was senior policy adviser to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske. "Given the flagrant violation of both federal and state laws these dispensaries were engaged in -- they certainly don't resemble what California voters intended in 1996 -- it makes sense that the Department of Justice is taking action now."

U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr., of Los Angeles, said Friday that state law allows collective cultivation under limited circumstances by legitimate caregivers, not the "brick-and-mortar, Walmart-Costco type model," which has become a "new California gold rush."
"That is not what the California voters intended or authorized, and it is illegal," he said.

Wagner said California has become the nation's pre-eminent source of illegal marijuana. Birotte, who said his district has more "marijuana stores" than any other in the nation, said he hasn't found a single one of them that's able to prove it's a not-for-profit operation.
A state appeals court on Thursday struck down a Long Beach law regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, finding it conflicts with federal law's ban on the drug. Haag said Friday that many California cities and counties need to re-examine their own ordinances in light of this ruling.

San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle said he's doing so, but thinks the city's law would satisfy the courts because it doesn't officially license any pot clubs, offering only an "affirmative defense" under California's medical marijuana law to prosecution. "We're not making this a permitted use, just allowing collectives to use it as an affirmative defense," he said. "It parallels state law."

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said the city is struggling to sort out conflicting federal and state laws on medical marijuana.
"The federal government has not been very clear about what they're intending to do," he said. "We're just trying to cope with California law that allows medical marijuana. We're trying to be reasonable."

Former state Sen. John Vasconcellos, a San Jose Democrat who co-authored a 2003 bill clarifying the state medical marijuana law's scope and application, called the crackdown "bad policy, bad politics and bad faith. It's just nonsense. I'm just so deeply offended and angered."
The federal crackdown will "drive patients over to the illegal side," predicted a man who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday outside Oakland's Harborside Health Center; he had a patient ID card and said he uses cannabis to treat pain in his legs and feet from arthritis and plantar fasciitis. "The war on drugs failed a long time ago. It's time for the country to wake up. This is a simple personal drug that doesn't affect society."

Harborside disclosed this week that the Internal Revenue Service is demanding it pay $2.4 million in back taxes after an audit determined dispensaries can't claim the same deductions as other businesses.

A customer at Oakland's Bulldog Coffee Shop, owned by Oaksterdam University founder and Proposition 19 bankroller Richard Lee, was defiant. "Just let them try," said the man, who identified himself only as "Herby G." He said the federal authorities are "bluffing."

"The Justice Department doesn't have a clue about what's going on," he said, adding that the marijuana industry -- unlike many Fortune 500 companies -- are willing to pay taxes and be good community citizens. "This is the biggest industry in the state."

Source: Mercury News

NEWS: Rights of All Medical Marijuana Patients at Risk in Long Beach Case

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:06:00 +0000

In what will soon become one of the closest-watched court cases in medical cannabis history, Long Beach Superior Court sets the stage for a series of ongoing protests that highlight an injustice to all medical marijuana patients, providers, and advocates.

As medical marijuana patients poured out of the courtroom, another group pounded the pavement, as protests errupted for a second straight week as The People of the State of California VS. Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine unfolds.

The People vs. Joe, one of whom is a Long Beach business owner, the other an Executive Director of the non-profit group The Human Solution, is Los Angeles County’s DA Steve Cooley’s Flagship Case in his efforts to silence the two community leaders with his premise that “All Sales Are Illegal.”

Unfortunately, it’s working on Judge Charles Sheldon (who has a record of sentencing 3-strikes cases to the fullest, even on non-violent cases), as prosecutors got their way today in their motion to suppress the same rights the will of the people voted awarded people like Byron and Grumbine fifteen years ago.

“The law is clear, but Judge Sheldon, citing no reasons, is not allowing the defendents to exericise their rights to an Affirmative Defense, which the voters have clearly voted on,” reiterates Allison Margolin, one of the attorneys for one of the Joes.

This could be bad news for patients and dispensaries, providers and caregivers, and anyone who believes in the fundamental right to choose from the form of medicine, natural or synthetic, a patient finds to be most effective.

Kamala Harris inched her way to victory over Cooley largely due to the efficacy of the Americans for Safe Access ‘Not Cooley’ campaign in last year’s California Attorney General’s race because of this very issue.

The same population that could’ve turned Prop 19, which would’ve made California the first state to create regulations for marijuana use by adults, from a loss to a victory but did not, are the same group of people that didn’t want Steve Cooley making his “ALL Sales Are Illegal” perspective a state-wide stance.

Now that Cooley has set his sights on a target closer to the Los Angeles DA’s radar, the ‘Cooley’s Not Cool’ hat is back, as Joe and Joe both lost their right to their Affirmative Defense as medical marijuana patients directing a collective.

Most Federal medical marijuana cases do not allow patient’s rights to be shown to the jury, and this form of information censorship and manipulation tactics is being replicated in Cooley’s current case against the two men who had dotted all I’s and crossed all T’s while providing medical marijuana to qualified medical cannabis patients.

Even the rules they were following will not be allowed to be introduced to the Jury, once the trial begins. Long Beach’s current Congressman is even a Co-sponsor of the Truth in Trials Act, to ensure that the truth be a part of a blind Justice System.

While our Congressman, who recently endorsed the “Regulate Marijuana Like Wine” Initiative, to be a Co-sponsor on a bill that ensures transparency in medical cannabis cases, are we to assume that there is a clear need for such transparancy?

We don’t have to assume any longer, now that the lies to build the laws are being dismantled one by one, as right-leaning groups like the RAND Corporation are even publishing studies to prove than medical cannabis dispensaries make areas more safe because crime goes down, not up, like our ‘leaders’ would like us to believe.

Even elected officials in Long Beach, like Councilmembers DeLong, O’Donnell, and Schipske, who were buying the lie and perpetuating it tenfold, throwing the entire permitting process back several steps (as if their process wasn’t already flawed enough).

It’s not that Justice in Blind, however, it’s that for the prosecution to win this case, they need the Jury to be.

Unfortunately for the lead prosecutor in the case, Jodi Castano, who has admitted to not fully understanding the Endogenous Cannabinoid Signaling System (eCBss), which regulates the human body systems that keep us all alive, and doesn’t want the Jury to understand it either.

In fact, she is quoted as saying, “I’ve never even heard of it,” underscoring a larger problem.

Unless local Long Beach residents have been living under a rock these past few years, the jury pool will fully understand that this is a medical marijuana case, and they may follow Montana residents, where Jury Nullification has come up, and where Missoula couldn’t even seat a jury.

If they understand science and have access to a smart-phone or computer, and if they live in Long Beach, they most likely understand marijuana IS a medicine also, even if they know even less than Castano about the eCBss, who is prosecuting a case that is the clearest representation of wasteful spending as California reaches a second recession and resources become more scarce.

Many innocent people every day are victims of violent crimes, and many of those crimes go unsolved. Perhaps our law enforcement and court systems could be less controlled by politics, which is the driving force behind the perpetually-flawed perspective the war-mongering in the War on Drugs provides.

Long Beach is even in the process of providing permits for the same thing Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine are being accused of doing.

Twelve charges of sales occurred by undercover officers and informants who obtained legal medical cannabis recommendation by physicians, and then went into the medical marijuana dispensary to get the medicine their doctors deemed worthy of introduction to their own body’s marijuana system it makes.

Sounds like normal medical cannabis dispensing center (MCDC) protocol: a qualified patient comes in, gets what they were unable to grow for themselves, and pay for it.

As a matter of fact, it sounds like America to me too. Not that a California MCDC can earn a profit, but I do notice that health care delivery in America is for profit.

Health care insurance is for profit, the medicine is for profit, health care delivery is for profit (which is why 50 millions Americans don’t even have it), and even marijuana in a pill, Marinol, is FOR PROFIT!

Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine were operating a MCDC, and for those that found it too difficult to even go to a safe access point like their dispensary, they would set up and teach patients how to grow their own.

The whole plant is also much more effective than a synthetic, isolated, pathetic attempt to replicate the safe and natural substance in the first place. So natural in fact, we make it ourselves naturally.

One such natural body chemical, called Anandamide, Sanskrit for ‘Bliss’, is like Delta-9 THC, which is the psychoactive property. It only becomes psychoactive when THCA is heated up and turns into Delta 9.

Our body also has receptors that link with the cannabis plant’s properties that bind to each other like a key in a lock, many keys and many locks really, as our body’s cannabis system is responsible for maintaining homeostasis and regulating every other body system we have.

So it’s rather important that elected officials and appointed persons understand what they are trying to regulate, let alone restrict, which is what will happen if Cooley’s case is made by manipulation, omission, and censorship.

If Castano is forced to finish fighting Cooley’s War, more than one Braggart Soldier will ride away, taking marijuana prohibition with them, going quietly into their watermark, swept away by mandate.

Source: MedicalMarijuana411.com

NEWS: Study: Crime in surrounding area increased after closure of LA medical marijuana dispensaries

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:23:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES — A new study released Tuesday showed that when hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries were closed last year in Los Angeles crime rates rose in surrounding neighborhoods, challenging claims made by law enforcement agencies that the storefronts are magnets for crime.

The report by the nonprofit RAND Corp. reviewed crime reports for the 10 days prior to and the 10 days after city officials shuttered the clinics last summer after a new ordinance went into effect. The analysis revealed that crime increased about 60 percent within three blocks of a closed dispensary compared to the same parameters for those that remained open.

“If medical marijuana dispensaries are causing crime, then there should be a drop in crime when they close,” said Mireille Jacobson, a RAND senior economist and the study’s lead author. “Individual dispensaries may attract crime or create a neighborhood nuisance, but we found no evidence that medical marijuana dispensaries in general cause crime to rise.”

Crime was among the concerns that prompted the City Council to pass the ordinance that put strict guidelines on the pot clinics and forced many of them to close. Law enforcement authorities have long argued collectives attract crime because they often handle large amounts of cash and thieves can resell marijuana.

Two workers at different dispensaries were killed during robberies in June 2010.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca went one step further last September when he said nearly all dispensaries operate as criminal enterprises, a claim that infuriated medical marijuana supporters who have said law enforcement officials have resorted to scare tactics to advance their agenda.

“They have perpetuated this myth that there is more crime associated with collectives,” said James Shaw of the Union of Medical Marijuana Patients, an advocacy group for medicinal marijuana users. “This council should be emboldened to revise the ordinance so it’s not so draconian to the patients and their associations.”

Researchers looked at crime reports for 600 dispensaries in Los Angeles County — 170 that remained open and 430 ordered to close. They found that the further away from the clinics the less crime there was: within six blocks of a closed dispensary crime rose by 25 percent and by 10 blocks there was no perceptible change in crime.

The study said some of the factor for the increase may be because the storefronts had security cameras and guards, there was less foot traffic and fewer police patrols.

The city attorney’s office called the study “deeply flawed.”

“It relies exclusively upon faulty assumptions, conjecture, irrelevant data, untested measurement and incomplete results. The conclusions are therefore highly suspect and unreliable,” the city attorney’s office said in a statement.

Councilman Ed Reyes called the report an “eye-opener” but said it was limited in its findings because it was conducted over a short period of time.

“I think the study needs to continue because it’s a snapshot,” Reyes said. “It verifies how complex this issue is.”

Legal challenges still remain over whether city officials have the right to close dispensaries since state law allows medical marijuana collectives. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

A judge in December ruled certain portions of the city ordinance were unconstitutional. Council members amended the ordinance but a lottery that would allow 100 collectives to remain open has yet to be conducted.

Source: The Washington Post

VIDEO: Doctors, Patients Assess Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Sixteen states have passed laws that allow patients to use medical marijuana to treat side effects of various illnesses, but now some states are moving to either limit or repeal those laws. Special correspondent Anna Rau of Montana PBS reports on the experiences of patients and doctors.

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Reseda Dispensaries, Collectives and Cooperatives

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:41:00 +0000

We Heal For Real
7329 Reseda Blvd. [map]
Reseda, CA 91335
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 9pm
Phone: 818-705-6780

Sun Valley Dispensaries, Collectives and Cooperatives

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Valley Holistic Caregivers
7200 Vineland Ave. Suite 205 [map]
Sun Valley, CA 91352
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am to 8pm
Phone: 818-255-5511
Web: kingsofkush.com

NEWS: Citizens Outraged Over Wasteful Long Beach Trial

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:51:00 +0000

LONG BEACH, CA – Hundreds of medical marijuana advocates and activists from throughout Southern California will be holding a rally outside Long Beach Superior Courthouse on September 15th to protest the city’s wasting millions of tax payer dollars investigating, raiding, and prosecuting legal medical marijuana collectives while vital public services are being cut.

That is the day when Judge Charles Sheldon will decide which witnesses, if any, will be eligible to testify for the defense in the trial of Joe Grumbine and Joe Byron, the former operators of two legal medical cannabis collectives in Long Beach and Garden Grove. The city claims the collectives were operating outside of the law, yet ironically a Riverside County judge found Grumbine in complete compliance with California’s medical marijuana laws just 5 weeks before the city of Long Beach sent 120 armed SWAT officers, drug sniffing dogs, and helicopters to raid 17 locations. The December 2009 raid started the men on an entire new prosecution ordeal that’s been dragging on nearly 2 years.

Citizens have presented the Long Beach City Council with numerous FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests on the exact amount spent on what they consider to be a frivolous and unnecessary investigation and prosecution at a time when the city is cutting services and California has been ordered to reduce its prison population due to overcrowding. The requests have gone ignored and no actual figures have come from Long Beach officials, but activists estimate the amount to be upwards of 5 million dollars.

“I recently attended a town hall meeting with Long Beach council woman Rae Gabelich where citizens were complaining about their local police station annex being understaffed,” says Long Beach resident Madeleine Johnson. “Yet the city found it wise to send helicopters, dogs, and 120 SWAT officers after a man who had already been found to be following the law? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Johnson was one of about 80 concerned citizens who filled the courtroom and hallways of Long Beach Superior Court during Byron and Grumbine’s August 16’th pre-trial hearing. At least 3 times that number is expected for their September 15th Jury Selection. Supporters from as far south as San Diego and as far north as San Luis Obispo have pledged to attend the rally.

“People all over the state are fed up with law enforcement and our elected officials ignoring the medical marijuana laws meant to protect patients and wasting enormous tax dollars in the process,” says Grumbine.

Local chapters of numerous organizations including The Human Solution (a non profit organization founded by Grumbine), Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Marijuana Anti Prohibition Project (MAPP), the Landa Prison Outreach Program (LPOP), and Long Beach’s Committee of Patients (COP) are currently planning how to best show their outrage at the system and support for the two men caught in the crosshairs of California’s deeply flawed justice system concerning medical marijuana.

Those wishing to join the rallies, participate in court support, or donate to Joe Grumbine and Joe Byron’s legal defense funds can do so at The Human Solution’s website (www.the-human-solution.org) or phone 951-436-6312 for additional details.

Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops

noreply@blogger.com (KMazur) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Adams/Hill Discount Center
2602 S. Hill St. [map]
Los Angeles, CA
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Phone: 213-440-8595

Amsterdam Mart
4718 Fountain Ave. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: 310-256-9959

Atwater Alternative Care Collective
3106 Glendale Blvd. [map]
Los Angeles CA 90039
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 11am-9pm
Phone: 323-661-6200

California Herbal Healing Center (CHHC)
1437 N La Brea Ave. [map]
Los Angeles CA 90028
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am to 11pm
Phone: 877-420-5874

City Compassionate Caregivers
606 E. 4th St. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Phone: 213-221-7086

Downtown Collective
1600 S. Hill St., Unit D [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am to 8pm
Phone: 213-746-5420
Web: dtc420.com

Downtown Discount Caregivers
111 E. 9th St. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-8pm
Phone: (213) 896-0016

Famous Medstop
3109 Beverly Blvd. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 10pm, Sun 10am to 8pm
Phone: 213-365-0262

Five Star Collective
2076 Westwood Blvd. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: 310-474-1213
Email: fivestarcollective@gmail.com
Website: http://fivestarcollective.com
Deliveries? YES

Flower Of Life Collective (FOLC)
1950 S. Santa Fe Ave. Ste 109
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00pm-8pm
Phone: 213-488-9464

Green (Near Universal City Walk and Movies)
3324 Barham Blvd. #A [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am to 11pm
Phone: 323-851-0911
Website: smokeitup420.org

Herbal Solutions Cannabis Consultants
735 N. La Brea
Los Angeles, CA
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-8pm
Phone: (323) 933-4372
Website: cannabisconsultantsca.com

Hot Box Collective (HC)
143 N Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone: (323) 460-6410
Website: http://www.hbc420.com
Email: info@hbc420.com

Hollywood Holistic
1543 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 12pm-6pm
Phone: (310) 481-0660
Fax: (310) 481-0659
Website: hollywoodholistic.org

Kaya Compassion Center
9146 Sepulveda Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 8pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 6pm
Phone: (310) 338-0357

Kush Korner Caregivers
2214 S. Vermont Ave. [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 11am to 8pm
Phone: 323-733-2581

LA Organic Pharmacy
4911 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 8pm, Sat 11am to 7pm, Sun 12pm to 4pm
Phone: 323-463-3920

Nature's Herbs
1713 W. El Segundo Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Hours: Mon-Wed 10am-7pm, Thu-Sat 10am-8pm
Phone: (323) 777-1319

The Green Easy
7948 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles CA 90048
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-11pm
Phone: 323-782-0255

The Fountain of Well Being
3835 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 11am-6pm
Phone: 323-662-0900

Olive Tree Collective
643 S. Olive St. #415 [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 7pm, Sat 11am to 5pm, Sun CLOSED
Phone: 213-627-2940

United Herbal Center
2708 W. 8th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Hours: Mon 11am-9am; Tue-Sat 11am-9pm; Sun 11am-8pm
Phone: (213) 739-7038
Email: UHC8th@aol.com

Western Discount Center (WDC)
1570 S. Western Ave. Suite 102 [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Phone: 323-445-0164 | 323-733-2913

Westside Discount Center
12211 Wilshire Blvd, Suite A [map]
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 8pm, Sun 11am to 6pm
Website: westsidedc.com

NEWS: Judge: Pot is not agricultural crop, collective must move

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:04:00 +0000

FRESNO, Calif. — It grows in the ground, requires water and sunshine to blossom, and earns Californians an estimated $17 billion a year. But don't call marijuana an agricultural crop in Tulare County.

The distinction was made clear by judge who ruled Tuesday in favor of the Board of Supervisors in its lawsuit claiming the Foothill Growers Association, a medical marijuana collective, was improperly operating in a warehouse on land zoned for agricultural uses.

The collective has until Friday to stop using the building after the judge said such collectives are allowed only in commercial and manufacturing zones.

Attorney Brandon Ormonde, who represents the collective, told the Fresno Bee marijuana is agricultural in nature but conceded it has never been legally recognized as a crop - something pro-marijuana groups say is absurd.

"If it's not a crop, I don't know what is," said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, a group favoring legalization.

Tulare County, in California's agricultural heartland, is one of the top ag communities in the nation with total farm receipts at more than $4.8 billion last year.

Superior Court Judge Paul Vortmann wrote that marijuana has never been officially classified as an agricultural crop, a point on which the California Department of Food and Agriculture concurs. He added that growing a controlled substance such as pot does not constitute an agricultural use of property.

Even agricultural commissioners in two of the state's most marijuana-friendly counties - Mendocino and Alameda - don't consider pot a crop, officials said.

Still, Ted Eriksen Jr., the agricultural commissioner of Mendocino County in 1979, set off a firestorm when he listed marijuana in the county's annual crop report. Generating $90 million a year, it was then the county's top commodity after timber.

Source: The Associated Press

NEWS: LAPD Arrests Six Robbery Suspects

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:04:00 +0000

The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested three people suspected of robbing a medical marijuana facility at gunpoint on Eagle Rock Boulevard in March, plus three burglary suspects allegedly responsible for a rash of robberies in Eagle Rock and Highland Park.

The recent arrests, including those pertaining to three robberies in Eagle Rock and four in Highland Park, were announced to the board of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council at its monthly meeting Tuesday night by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Craig Orange, who is in charge of controlling crime in Eagle Rock.

That’s the “good news,” Orange told the ERNC Board at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. The “bad news” is that two car-borne suspects wanted for robbing six people in Eagle Rock of their iPhones are “still on the loose.”

The iPhone bandits struck again last Tuesday, August 2, on Laverne Avenue, on the west side of Eagle Rock Boulevard, Orange said, confirming Crimemapping.com data reported on Eagle Rock Patch Monday.

Orange described the bandits as “young, clean-cut guys” who drive around in a beige-colored Toyota sedan and tend to target people walking or jogging. The robberies, conducted by threat of force or fear over the past six weeks or so, invariably occur between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

It’s not clear whether the robbers are armed or if they pretend to be, Orange said, describing their modus operandi. While one of the suspects remains in the getaway car, the other man approaches the victim from one side and sticks an object into the victim’s side while saying, “I got a gun,” Orange said, adding that usually the victim is too scared to notice whether the robber is in fact armed or not.

Plainclothes officers of the LAPD’s Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) were responsible for tracking down and arresting the alleged robbers of the pot dispensary, Eagle Rock Herbal Collective, after months of painstaking surveillance and intelligence work, Orange said.

Two of the suspects, male ex-convicts in their early 20s, have been charged with robbery, possession of illegal weapons and kidnapping, Orange said. Assisting them in their robbery of the marijuana facility was a young woman. All three are from Pasadena, Orange said.

LAPD’s CAT officers, who were honored at the August 2 National Night Out celebration in Eagle Rock, have been trying to apprehend the iPhone bandits as well, Orange said.

“I don’t want to give out too much information,” Orange told Eagle Rock Patch. “But they’ll get caught.”

Source: Eagle Rock Patch

NEWS: Glendale officially bans marijuana dispensaries

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:47:00 +0000

The City Council approved an all-out ban on medical marijuana dispensaries Tuesday night.

The ban, which was introduced last week, is slated to take effect Sept. 9, about two weeks before an existing moratorium prohibiting the dispensaries expires.

Current zoning codes have so far kept marijuana dispensaries at bay, but city officials, citing growing interest from collectives, have sought stronger language to keep them out.

Glendale’s ordinance uses zoning code to ban businesses that engage in any activity that violates federal, state or local laws from operating in any zone. The ordinance also identifies medical marijuana dispensaries as being banned in all zones.

Los Angeles passed an ordinance last year limiting the number of dispensaries to 70, exempting those in the city before 2007.

A lawsuit against Anaheim challenging its ban on medical marijuana awaits a ruling this month in Orange County Superior Court, which medical marijuana experts say could set a precedent. Still, Glendale officials have said they’re confident their ban is on firm legal footing.

Source: Glendale News Press

NEWS: Oceanside shuts down its medical marijuana dispensaries

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:34:00 +0000

OCEANSIDE — Four medical marijuana dispensaries were recently served notices to close their doors because they each lacked a business license. Business operators said city-zoning rules that do not list medical marijuana dispensaries as viable businesses make their businesses ineligible to exist.

The city was in ongoing negotiations with the North County Collective when, in what many consider bad faith, it served notices to the medical marijuana dispensaries to close immediately. Businesses and property owners can face fines of up to $25,000 a day if they do not comply.

One of the four dispensaries has already shut its doors. The other businesses have the choice to appeal or shut down.

Assistant city attorney Annie Perrigo said a business that is given notice to close could request a zoning text amendment and petition for a business license, but none of the marijuana dispensaries have done so. The city is concerned marijuana dispensaries are not playing by the rules.

“It’s a good idea to try to go through legal steps before opening a business,” Perrigo said.

Attorney Philip Ganong, who represents ABACA Medical Collective that formerly operated in Oceanside, said the business was stonewalled at every turn when it tried to obtain a license.

A two-year moratorium for the city to look into the matter of how to best regulate medical marijuana dispensaries recently expired. No practices were recommended.

“Since the moratorium expired the city refused to issue any business licenses within the city limits of Oceanside,” Ganong said.

The option to request a zoning text amendment in order to obtain a business license will cost ABACA $5,800.

“ABACA would like to do that, but they need to raise the money with the understanding Oceanside staff would not recommend it.”

A “no recommendation” from city staff means approval of a business license is unlikely.

There is further city concern that many medical marijuana dispensaries are more focused on selling marijuana than serving patients. Perrigo said the four businesses that were given notice to close are storefronts, not patient cooperatives.

“We’re not enforcing and trying to shut down cooperative or collective operations,” Perrigo said. “We’re not trying to stop mobile delivery services.”

To ease concerns, there are health and safety codes in place that set standards for how medical marijuana dispensaries should operate. These health codes can be adopted to help regulate marijuana dispensaries, but they have not been adopted by Oceanside.

“We are the only industry that says regulate us, tax us,” Lisa Carpenter, former operator of Coastal Patient Services in Vista, said. “We want to be nonprofits and contribute to the community.”

Marijuana has a long history that some think clouds present judgment. Recreation use of marijauna became illegal in the 1930s just as the prohibition on alcohol was repealed. “They (medical marijuana dispensaries) are closed because of systemic bigotry and prejudicial bias reflected in 80 years of brainwashing about cannabis in general,” Ganong said.

Medical marijuana became legal in California in 1996, but not everyone supports its use or local distribution.

“I do not want them (medical marijuana dispensaries) here in our town,” Mayor Jim Wood said. “Not everyone is in there for medical reasons. I am not very supportive after working in law enforcement all those years and seeing the negative effects of marijuana on individuals and families.”

Advocates of medical marijuana dispensaries want to provide services to North County residents.

“Patients should be able to make their own decisions,” Carpenter said. “They should have a right to access their choice of medicine.”

Many patients prefer medical marijuana to stronger synthetic drugs to relieve pain, reduce nausea and lessen anxiety.

“Cannabis is a natural herb that properties are not well understood,” Ganong said.

In order to obtain medical marijuana a patient needs a doctor’s recommendation. Doctors do not prescribe marijuana because the drug is illegal under federal law. This practice clouds the recommendation that marijuana is medically needed.

Currently there are few local sources where North County patients to get medical marijuana. The cities of San Marcos and Vista have also taken action to enforce zoning codes and close medical marijuana dispensaries.

“They closed us down yesterday,” a former medical marijuana operator in Vista said. “San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista all did the same thing the same day. It was pretty much coordinated. They hit every dispensary.”

“Cities are just saying no to storefront medical marijuana facilities,” Carpenter said. “There is a stigma attached they need to get past.”

There are still door-to-door delivery services patients can access. Operators say these services are becoming overwhelmed with demands because of closures of marijuana dispensaries in North County.

The next step for medical marijuana dispensary operators may be to challenge the zoning code or collectively petition to get an initiative on an upcoming ballot and let local voters decide.

Source: Coast News Group

NOTICE: Landa Prison Outreach Program for Medical Marijuana Prisoners of War

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Welcome to LPOP

The mission of the Landa Prison Outreach Program (LPOP) is to care for the victims of the government's war on cannabis. LPOP is operated by medical marijuana prisoner of war (POW) Stephanie Landa, who was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for a co-operative medical grow in the city of San Francisco. LPOP is an all-volunteer organization which serves prisoners by delivering care, letters, and books—the same items which were Stephanie's lifeline in prison.

LPOP cares for individual victims of the government's war on cannabis by:

Donating books to prison libraries.
Facilitating concerned citizens.
Writing letters to prisoners.
Organizing court support for Southern California defendants facing cannabis charges.

Providing a website with educational information for inmates and their families.

For more information, please visit their website at: http://www.landaprisonoutreachprogram.com

NEWS: Medical Marijuana Limitations Rescinded

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:10:00 +0000

More than 50 speakers took turns Monday requesting the San Diego City Council rescind its medical marijuana policy, and by the end, the budget-strapped officials agreed.

Councilmembers voted 6-2 Monday afternoon to end restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries approved earlier this year, saying the city cannot afford the cost of a special ballot measure on medical marijuana.

They added that the repeal is not a solution and rules are needed for the local medical marijuana industry.

Had the council not repealed that ordinance, voters would have decided the issue because marijuana advocates gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

Nearly all of Monday's speakers requested the council rescind an ordinance it approved in April that severely limited the number and location of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Deborah Gostin, who says she needs marijuana to control symptoms of multiple schlerosis, said before the decision that she would have a tougher time buying the drug if the zoning restrictions remain.

But Scott Chipman of San Diegans for Safe Neighborhoods hoped the Council would shut down all dispensaries because they are selling the drug to many people who do not need it for medical reasons, he said.

Source: NBC San Diego

Tarzana Dispensaries, Collectives and Cooperatives

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:52:00 +0000

R.D.C.
6102 Reseda Blvd. [map]
Tarzana, CA 91335
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 9pm
Phone: 818-757-0434
Fax: 818-757-0465
Website: RDC215.com

NEWS: Patient Advocates Appeal Federal Decision to Deny Medical Marijuana to Millions of Americans

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Notice of appeal filed in D.C. Circuit challenges recent denial to reschedule marijuana for medical use

Washington, DC -- The country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), with the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), today appealed a recent decision by the federal government to keep marijuana classified as a dangerous drug with no medical value. The appeal to the D.C. Circuit comes just two weeks after the Obama Administration denied a 2002 petition to reschedule marijuana filed by a coalition of patients and advocacy groups. ASA will argue in a forthcoming appeal brief to be filed in the next few weeks that the federal government erred by keeping marijuana out of reach for millions of patients throughout the United States.

"By ignoring the wealth of scientific evidence that clearly shows the therapeutic value of marijuana, the Obama Administration is playing politics at the expense of sick and dying Americans," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who filed the notice of appeal today. "For the first time in more than 15 years we will be able to present evidence in court to challenge the government's flawed position on medical marijuana." Although two other rescheduling petitions have been filed since the establishment of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, the merits of medical efficacy was reviewed only once by the courts in 1994.

Patient advocates argue that by failing to reclassify marijuana, the federal government has stifled meaningful research into a wide array of therapeutic uses, such as pain relief, appetite stimulation, nausea suppression, and spasticity control among many other benefits. In 1988, the government ignored the ruling of its own Administrative Law Judge Francis Young who said that, "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man."

Since the CRC petition was filed, even more studies have been published that show the medical benefits of marijuana for illnesses such as neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's. Recent studies even show that marijuana may inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Earlier this year, the National Cancer Institute, a division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, added cannabis (marijuana) to its list of Complementary Alternative Medicines, pointing out that it's been therapeutically used for millennia.

Ironically, in December of 2010 the Obama Administration issued a memorandum on "the preservation and promotion of scientific integrity" of the executive branch. Yet, the application of such integrity appears to be applied selectively and not with regard to medical marijuana. "With science on our side, we will put an end to the government's political posturing," continued Elford, "and force the Obama Administration to adhere to its own stated policy of emphasizing science over politics."

When the latest petition was filed by the CRC in 2002, eight states had adopted laws recognizing and decriminalizing the medical use of marijuana. Today, sixteen states and the nation's capitol have passed medical marijuana laws with many more states currently considering proposals to implement similar laws.

Further information:
ASA notice of appeal filed today: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/CRC_Appeal_Notice.pdf

DEA answer to CRC petition: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/CRC_Petition_DEA_Answer.pdf

CRC rescheduling petition: http://www.drugscience.org/PDF/Petition_Final_2002.pdf

White House scientific integrity memo: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/scientific-integrity-memo-12172010.pdf

San Diego Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops

noreply@blogger.com (Nature's Top Shelf) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:20:00 +0000

The Happy Co-op FEATURED!
5703 Oberlin Dr. Suite 201 [map]
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Phone: 858-550-0445

Beach Collective
4852 Voltaire St. [map]
Ocean Beach, State CA 92107
Phone: 619-226-3300
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun – 10am to 6pm

Delta Nine Healing Cooperative
8400 Miramar Road, Suite 150 [map]
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 7pm, Sat 11am to 5pm, Sun CLOSED
Phone: 858-271-7700

Downtown Kush Lounge
789 6th Ave. #127 San Diego, CA 92101 [map]
NOTE: Entrance is on the southwest corner of 7th and F St
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm
Phone: (619) 255-KUSH (5874)

Grand Organics Cooperative
4502 Cass St. San Diego, CA 92109 [map]
Hours: Monday-Sunday 10am - 8pm
After Hours: Mon - Fri 8pm - 10pm *By appointment only.
Phone: (858) 490-9222
Website: http://www.grandorganics.org/

Green Joy - "Relax It's Organic"
4633 Convoy St. #104 [map]
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: 858-268-4488
Email: greenjoysd@yahoo.com

Green Light Collective
4967 Newport Ave
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 12pm to 8pm
Phone: 619-408-0198

Green Pharm - $55 CAP
2110 Hancock St. Suite #201 [map]
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm to 8pm
Phone: 619-220-7100
Email: staff@greenpharm.org
Website: http://www.greenpharm.org

Green Works San Diego
6334 University Ave [map]
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours: Sun-Thu 10am to 9pm, Fri-Sat 10am to 10pm
Phone: (619) 286-6844
Email: info@greenworkscollective.com
Website: http://www.greenworkscollective.com

Hillcrest Compassion Care
1295 University Ave. Ste 10 [map]
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-10pm
Phone: (619) 395-6349

New Earth Beginnings
4905 Savannah St. San Diego CA 92110 [map]
Hours: Mon-Sun 12pm to 8pm
Phone: 619-276-1008

Ocean Beach Mendica Caregivers
4976 Newport Ave Suite C [map]
San Diego, CA 92107
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 7pm, Sun 10am to 5pm
Phone: 619-717-0921
Email: ob.mendica@gmail.com

Rosecrans Herbal Care
1337 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: 619-255-3813
Email: rosecransherbalcare@gmail.com

San Diego Discount Caregivers (SDDC)
3152 University Ave., San Diego CA 92104
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-9pm
Phone: (619)-280-7332

San Diego Green Care Collective
4488 Convoy St. Suite D, San Diego, CA 92111
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: (858) 278-8488
Email: sdgcare@gmail.com

Serenity Senior and Veterans Centers
Locations in Beverly Hills, San Gabriel Valley, Orange, South Bay and San Diego
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 9am
Phone: 310-272-4926
Email: info@serenitycollective.org
Website: http://www.serenitycollective.org (24/7 live chat support)
Delivery Available? YES

SoCal CareGivers Inc (Medical Marijuana Collective)
San Diego, CA 92109
Phone: (619) 600-6686

The Star of San Diego
3918 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours: Mon-Sun 9am to 9pm
Phone: 619-358-9193

Strain Train
San Diego North County Delivery
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am to 7pm
Website: StrainTrain.com
Email: info@straintrain.com
Phone: (877) 420-To-Me

Covers the following zip codes in San Diego, California: 92101-92124, 92126-92140, 92142, 92143, 92145, 92147, 92149, 92150, 92152-92155, 92158-92179, 92182, 92184, 92186, 92187, 92190-92199

NEWS: Patients' Lawsuit Forces Federal Gov't to Answer 9-Year-Old Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:14:00 +0000

Petition's denial maintains status quo, gives advocates chance to appeal and argue marijuana's therapeutic value

Washington, DC -- Less than two months after patient advocates filed a lawsuit compelling the federal government to answer a 9-year-old petition to reschedule medical marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today made official its denial of the petition in the Federal Register. The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), which includes patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA), filed the petition in 2002 seeking to reclassify marijuana from its current status as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but never heard from the federal government until it received the denial.

In its denial of the CRC petition, the government concluded that "marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision," recommending that marijuana remain in Schedule I. "Although this superficially looks like a defeat for the medical marijuana community," said Joe Elford, ASA Chief Counsel and lead counsel in the recent lawsuit. "It simply maintains the status quo," Elford continued. "More importantly, however, we have foiled the government's strategy of delay and we can now go head-to-head on the merits, that marijuana really does have therapeutic value." ASA intends to appeal the government's denial of the petition to the D.C. Circuit as soon as possible.

Notably, the petition denial was sent to legal counsel in the pending lawsuit on June 30th, one day after the Justice Department issued a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys upholding federal threats of criminal prosecution against local and state officials for attempting to pass and implement their own medical marijuana laws. "The federal government is making no bones about its aggressive policy to undermine medical marijuana," said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer, "And we're prepared to take the Obama Administration to court over it."

The denial also comes the same week as the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) is holding its 21st annual symposium in St. Charles, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The symposium is sponsored in part by an array of pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., the federal government's only licensed source of research-grade cannabis (marijuana) used in therapeutic studies. Currently, several pharmaceutical companies are asking the government to reschedule organically produced THC, the primary compound found in the marijuana plant, so they can sell a generic version of Marinol®, which is now made synthetically.

"The government cannot have it both ways, marijuana is either a medicine or it's not." continued Sherer. "If the government is going to sponsor a conference on medical marijuana, it should show the same deference to the millions of patients across America who simply want access to it." ASA and its grassroots patient base has been urging President Obama since he took office to develop a comprehensive federal policy that would address medical marijuana as a public health issue.

Over the past few years since the CRC petition was filed, the two largest physician groups in the country -- the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians -- both urged the federal government to review marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In addition to new scientific discoveries occurring on a regular basis, numerous polls have shown that medical marijuana has the support of up to 80% of Americans.

Source: Americans for Safe Access

NEWS: Feds Renege on Plea Deal for State-Legal Medical Marijuana Providers

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Herbalist) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Scott Feil wants to go to prison. And the United States wants to put him there.

That, however, is where the common ground between Feil -- one of the state-legal medical marijuana providers the federal government is prosecuting -- and the Department of Justice ends.

Three of the codefendants in USA vs. Feil et al have all copped guilty pleas rather than go to trial, where the U.S. Attorney for Northern California would be able to use such evidence as business licenses and tax receipts to put them behind bars. That's all fine -- it was part of a deal hashed out among defendants and prosecutors.

What's not fine is that after the pleas were accepted, Feil says prosecutors turned around and upped the ante: Feil would have to pay a $6 million fine as well as spend 60 months in prison.

The government may never see the fine -- most of Feil's assets are in bankruptcy proceedings. But it will certainly ruin his life and meanwhile "it'll sex up the bust," Feil told SF Weekly. In other words, the fine would make him look like the drug dealer he says he's not.

"They want their press release," Feil said.

The holdouts in USA vs. Feil -- in which the US Attorney's Office is pursuing drug charges against the operators of UMCC, Los Angeles' first medical cannabis dispensary -- are Scott Feil and his wife, Diana. She would dodge jail time, like the other defendants, in return for Feil taking a 60-month sentence.

According to court records, codefendants Tom Carter, Mark Garcia, and Stephen Swanson entered guilty pleas on May 9, May 26 and June 1. They'll each receive one year of supervised release -- where they will wear homing devices on ankle bracelets -- in return for testifying against Feil.

That was all according to a plan hashed out by the opposing sides in settlement conferences in May and April, Feil said. It was only after the codefendants copped to pleas that prosecutors insisted Feil pay the $6 million fine on top of the 60 months in federal prison, Feil told SF Weekly.

The $6 million fine is meaningless, as Feil claims to have no assets other than his Lake County home after two years of litigating. But it sure would make Feil look a lot more like a drug dealer than a state-legal medical cannabis provider -- and that's the Justice Department's motivation, he claims. "I'm their trophy," he says.

As for the prosecution? The Justice Department can make no comment until the case is fully adjudicated, according to spokesman Jack Gillund, though evidence of the three plea deals taken is in public record. A call and an e-mail to chief prosecutor Tarek Helou were not returned (rumor has it, has a relative in Washington, D.C. in the IRS's asset forfeiture also working on the case).

It's true that Feil once owned hotels in Fort Bragg and Eureka, as well as his home in Lake County. He surmises that the feds wanted to prove that the hotels were purchased with drug money but they couldn't. And they won't be forfeited either way. "They're mad because I'm in Chapter 7 bankruptcy," he says.

Feil has defeated law enforcement officials in court before -- a U.S. Appeals court ordered the Los Angeles Police Department to return to him $186,000 seized during a 2005 raid on the dispensary in West L.A.

Unless a settlement is reached today, Feil could go to trial in the fall. Local cannabis activists are planning a rally outside of the settlement conference, at the Oakland federal building at 1301 Clay Street in downtown Oakland at noon today.

Source: SF Weekly