Attorney General: Marijuana not a gateway drug in opioid crisis ... Autumn is time for harvest, and violence ... Oakland wants to partner with new cannabis businesses ... What kids should know ... and more.
COPS & COURTS
Marijuana not a gateway drug, Attorney General says // MerryJane.com
“It’s not as though we are seeing that marijuana is a specific gateway,” A.G. Loretta Lynch told an audience while addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Pot related murders increase in Tahama County // Redding.com
“Most of those stem from infighting over larger-scale marijuana grows in rural areas of the county, which previously banned outdoor grows and grows larger than a few plants indoors,” says Sheriff Hencratt.
Merced police brace for harvest time violence // Merced Sun Star
“’We’ll be seeing an uptick in home invasions; we’ll be taking more reports of people getting injured and, we hope, nothing worse than that’,” the sheriff says. ‘As much as I don’t like it, marijuana, grown legally within the laws and ordinances, is property, and anyone who has their property stolen should call us’.”
“Pardon me,” says Tommy Chong // Washington Post
“Chong is hoping President Obama will acknowledge the changing legal and public opinion landscape around marijuana use by pardoning his criminal conviction, which would remove the civil barriers the conviction currently applies to the type of work he's allowed to do.” He needs 80,000 additional signatures by Saturday “to ensure a White House response.” [Editor’s note: And we thought radio member drives were tough!]
ELECTION
Prop 64 looks like a winner //SacBee
Polls come and go, and they also come with bias, but a new Public Policy Institute of California survey says the marijuana initiative (Proposition 64) is currently tracking at 60 percent in favor, versus 36 percent against. [Editor’s note: But polls don’t mean anything, really. It’s voting that counts, so remember to register and vote.]
How all that legal cannabis tax money might be used // Orange County Register
“An estimated $1 billion in new tax revenue would be directed toward specific new or expanded programs such as drug use prevention and treatment, helping at-risk youth, law enforcement, environmental clean-up and research.”
“Dr. Bronner’s” joins pro-pot big donor list // The Cannabist
“Dr. Bronner’s, a Vista, Calif.-based natural and organic body care products company known for its hemp-based soaps, has pledged to contribute upward of $660,000 to marijuana legalization campaigns in five states.”
BUSINESS
Plan would give business percentage to Oakland // Bizjournals.com
“A new proposal put forward by several Oakland City Council members wants to require any new marijuana business in the town to give the city a 25 percent ownership in the company, as well as at least one seat on their board.”
EVENT
“Drugs in the Old West // Sacramento County Historical Society
Cannabis was the third most common prescription medicine in the early 1900s. Then the Pure Food and Drug Act came into force. That’s one of the fun facts The Sacramento County Historical Society will explore next Tuesday (9/27).
OPINION
What kids should know about marijuana // L.A. Times
“Parents need to emphasize a key reason why using marijuana (or alcohol for that matter) can be harmful to kids — their brains are still developing.”
Los Angeles Times says yes to Prop. 64 // L A. Times
“On balance, the proposition deserves a ‘yes’ vote. It is ultimately better for public health, for law and order and for society if marijuana is a legal, regulated and controlled product for adults.”
Watch and hear Jay Z’s opinion piece, “The War on Drugs Is an Epic Fail” // East Bay Express
“New York hip-hop mogul Jay Z’s latest hit isn’t a song — it’s an op-ed in the Grey Lady” (AKA The New York Times).
[New content is generally posted on Friday.]
