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Crosscurrents

Cannabis News Roundup: Justice Dept. drops Harborside case

Used under license from Creative Commons.
Cannabis Sativa” by Manuel (cropped).";

AUMA qualifies for November … Former S.F. sheriff now cannabis consultant … Sex and pot … and more.

LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION

AUMA qualifies for November ballot // L.A. Times

“The measure [titled the Adult Use of Marijuana Act] would allow adults ages 21 and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes and would allow individuals to grow as many as six plants.

Opposition immediately attacks AUMA loopholes // PR Newswire

Law enforcement and healthcare groups say their “campaign will wage a robust effort through November and will lay out a multitude of loopholes that concern even those generally supportive of legalization.”

Oakland expands dispensaries // East Bay Express

“The Oakland City Council voted unanimously after midnight Wednesday to pass two updates to its cannabis ordinances, green-lighting a vast expansion of licensed and regulated medical pot activity in response to state-level regulations.”

Alameda looking at cannabis cultivation // East Bay Express

“[P]hase two of the county's medical-marijuana-modernization efforts would permit indoor and greenhouse-cannabis farms in some of the county's vast agricultural land, as well as permit, tax, and regulate kitchens that prepare edibles, cannabis oil extraction facilities, testing labs, and distribution warehouses.”

State Assembly considers total smoking ban at colleges // East County Magazine

“As written, this measure … appears to outlaw smoking marijuana including medical marijuana, even in the privacy of one’s dorm room or vehicle on campus.”  It moved to the Senate after a favorable 41-23 Assembly vote on Monday.

Vape pens to be regulated by FDA // Bloomberg.com

“The long-awaited regulations cover products including cigar and pipe tobacco, along with vape pens and refillable vaporizers, the FDA said Thursday in a statement. The rules prohibit sales to minors, ban free samples, require package warning labels, and call for makers of products released after 2007 to seek FDA permission to remain on store shelves.”

California Republicans just say no // Sacramento Bee

California Republicans  … voted Sunday to oppose legalized recreational marijuana, higher taxes on cigarettes, and a crackdown on guns and ammunition.”

Former S.F. sheriff now cannabis consultant // SF Chronicle

Ross Mirkarimi, “the only sheriff in California to support legalization,” is now consulting with the government of Uruguay in that nation’s move to legalize marijuana.

Medical marijuana coming to Germany // CNN.com

"The use of cannabis as a medicine within narrow limits is useful and should be explored in more detail," [says Germany’s drug commissioner]. "At the same time, cannabis is not a harmless substance, a legalization for private pleasure is not the aim and purpose of this. It is intended for medical use only."

COPS & COURTS

Justice Dept. drops four-year fight to close Harborside Health Center // East Bay Express

"We are gratified that the Government has finally seen fit to lay down its arms against Harborside in this case. The will of the people is for medical cannabis dispensaries to operate free from federal threats of closure. We hope we are on the cusp of a policy change and that the Department of Justice will no longer target state-legal dispensaries for forfeiture," says Harborside’s attorney, Henry Wykowski.

Agents confiscate seven tons of pot at Mexican border // San Diego Union-Tribune

“Customs officers ran the truck through an imaging system, then opened boxes stacked inside, discovering 587 wrapped packages of marijuana with a street value of $7.1 million, authorities said.” 

BUSINESS

Emerald Triangle Appellations Project copies wine business // Ukiah Daily Journal

“Currently, appellations are established throughout the wine growing industry, including within Mendocino County, as a way to protect a specific geographical region and the naming and labeling of what is grown there.”  Marijuana growers in Mendocino and elsewhere are hoping to do the same with their crops.

Banking options increase // Associated Press

“More than three years into Washington's legal pot experiment, a large majority of businesses are paying taxes electronically, a sign of better access to bank accounts. The state is even poised to require electronic payments unless the shops can show a good reason to pay in cash.”

HEALTH

Sex and pot: six reasons they go together well // The Leaf Online

Marijuana enhances sexual pleasure – perhaps you’ve heard that before.  Here are some reasons why.

OPINION

California: “The laughingstock of marijuana policies in the United States” // Orange County Register

“[T]he Golden State is only now confronting the full complexity of regulating consumer safety and business practices in an industry that's ballooned to an estimated $2.7 billion annually.” And proposed legalization of recreational marijuana will not make it any easier.

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