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Crosscurrents

Cannabis News Roundup: 02.05.16

Used under license from Creative Commons – CC0 Public Domain
Ganja, by Pixabay (cropped)

Brown removes March 1 medical deadline… Conflicting medical views on legalization, and commercial grows… cannabis Christians… Tommy Chong... and more.

LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION

March 1 deadline removed from state medical law // LA Times   “Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday gave cities and counties more time to develop local regulations on the commercial growing of medical marijuana, amid concern that a March 1 deadline had many rushing to ban cultivation.”

California Medical Assn. supports AUMA // Sacramento Bee    The group’s endorsement “was more of a formality given that one of the measure’s proponents, Dr. Donald Lyman, helped draft its policy calling for decriminalization of the drug in 2011.”  The CMA has over 40,000 members throughout the state.

...But UCSF calls marijuana a public health threat // Californiahealthline.com   “The report also warns that the [AUMA] proposal under consideration might lead to the industrialization of the marijuana industry, which could further popularize the smoking of marijuana and increase the danger to public health.”

Six groups campaign for Berkeley’s new dispensary permit // Berkeleyside  Find their names and summaries in this link.

COPS & COURTS

County charges San Jose dispensaries with tax evasion // NBC Bay Area  “The felony charges include illegal sales of marijuana, tax fraud, insurance fraud, worker’s compensation fraud, and money laundering.”

Native American churches raided for marijuana use // OC Weekly  “Police around the country have been invading [Native American] church branches since December, leading to a federal lawsuit,” because participants claim religious freedom. The latest raid took place in Orange County, CA.  [See related church story under “In other news…” below.]

BUSINESS

Sacto medical cultivation seen as million dollar deal // KCRA-TV  The state capital becomes the largest California city allowing indoor cultivation. “The city will tax cultivators at 4 percent and expect to generate $1 million in new revenue.”

L.A. County moves to ban commercial cannabis cultivation // L.A. Times  “The 45-day moratorium, which the supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to direct county attorneys to draft, covers cultivation, manufacturing and laboratory testing.”

Facebook removes dispensary pages // NJ.com  “The surprise move stunned dispensary owners and angered patients, who said Wednesday they rely on the up-to-the-minute information these sites provide about the latest strains that help alleviate debilitating symptoms.”

Pot Docs: what becomes of them after legalization? // SF Chronicle  Anyone working in the gray area of issuing marijuana cards for medical ailments is concerned about legal recreational laws. “But there will still be a need for the specialist,” says one.

High Times growth goes against trend // Orange County Register  Many print magazines are struggling. Not High Times, where circulation has increased in double digits since 2013. “The magazine has also expanded its reach beyond print, producing an album, videos, ‘pot-casts’ and live events like the ever-growing Cannabis Cup.”

EVENT

ICBC next weekend in San Francisco // internationalCBC.com  Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General, is the keynote speaker. Tommy Chong, Ed Rosenthal, and Dana Rorabacher are among the other participants. The two-day event starts Saturday the 13th at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. [See Tommy Chong item below.]

IN OTHER NEWS….

Colorado Cannabis Christians //L.A. Times  “’Jesus was peaceful and loving. He went from house to house and was always accepted," [a participant] explained. ‘Only a stoner could do that.'

“Theologians might dispute that, but this was the Stoner Jesus Bible Study, where the divine is liberally interpreted through a haze of pot.’”

Tommy Chong endorses Bernie Sanders for president // MyFox8.com   “[H]e compares former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley to a green plant not yet ready for harvesting, and Hillary Clinton to a wilted house plant with no energy left. But Sanders … is a glowing rose bush ready to be harvested.”

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[New content is generally posted on Friday.]

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