Recreational cannabis could lose in California ... Humboldt officials play “green card” against illegal growers ... “Marley Natural” finds a home in Santa Rosa ... Free cannabis for Santa Cruz vets ... and more
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
Significant changes due for L.A. medical cannabis // MJBizDaily
“The goal: Establish a comprehensive regulatory scheme for the city’s MMJ industry and reform Proposition D, which voters approved in 2013. It grants ‘limited immunity’ to up to 135 dispensaries that comply with specific local laws.” Voters would consider the changes next spring.
COPS & COURTS
Thousands still being arrested for cannabis offenses // The Leaf Online
“While many people believe that marijuana is essentially legal in California, data show us that thousands continue to be arrested annually for marijuana activities,” said Jolene Forman, Staff Attorney for the Drug Policy Alliance. “These arrests fall disproportionately on black and Latino Californians.”
Humboldt authorities change tactics towards illegal grows // USA Today
“[L]aw enforcement is trying a different tack to fight illegal pot grown in Humboldt County, the source of most of the cannabis flowing through California's massive marijuana industry. Rather than just using criminal laws, town and county police officers have started to wield environmental laws to curb this activity.”
ELECTION
Recreational cannabis could easily lose in California // L.A. Weekly
Polls show a 60 percent approval, but that could easily shift. See the breakdown of those for and against in this story.
Humboldt tax pitched as way to fight unlicensed pot farms // Lost Coast Outpost
“Illegal marijuana farms destroy our environment and risk public health. To protect our public safety, environment and quality of life – including addressing the illegal drug industry and growing narcotics problems – we need locally controlled funding that cannot be taken by the state.”
BUSINESS
Santa Rosa to be the site of “Marley Natural” brand //Press Democrat
“ ‘We really see an opportunity for the legal cannabis industry to make a meaningful contribution to the Santa Rosa economy and community’,” said a Privateer Holdings spokesman. The private equity firm partnered with the estate of the iconic singer to create its [Bob] Marley Natural cannabis brand.” The city approved the request Tuesday.
HEALTH
No bad effects in cannabis users seeking transplants // NORML
“Hospitals routinely disqualify patients with a history of marijuana use from being eligible for organ transplants, even in jurisdictions that permit its medicinal use under state law.”
But “a history of marijuana use is not contraindicated in kidney transplantation, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Transplantation.”
“Marijuana should not a last resort medication” KALW Radio
An interview with Laurie Vollen, M.D. of Albany, CA, who says, “If I only had one kind of medicine on a desert island it would definitely be marijuana.”
These medical cannabis patients don’t want to get high KALW Radio
A look at Harborside Health Center’s senior education program.
Santa Cruz vets get free medical cannabis // Santa Cruz Sentinel
“To ensure that Santa Cruz County military veterans receive the medical marijuana they need, the Veterans Alliance has developed a unique business model. They grow the marijuana, donate a percentage of the yield to medical card-holding members for free and then sell the remainder to general medical cannabis dispensaries to fund what Newsom calls ‘the mission’.”
EVENT
“Perspectives on Legalizing Marijuana” panel in Oakland Saturday // East Bay Express
“Explore decriminalization, legalization, what the difference is, and why it matters with panelists: Amanda Reiman — Manager of Marijuana Law and Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA); Tsion Sunshine Lencho — Attorney and Consultant at Supernova Collective Advocate; and Timothy Birch, Oakland Police Department Research and Planning” at the Oakland Museum of California.
The $10 panel Saturday at 2 p.m. will be moderated by magazine writer and former UC Berkeley Journalism School faculty member Cynthia Gorney.
Dept. of Food & Ag plans public workshops for growers //CDFA
“The California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) is developing regulations to establish cannabis cultivation licensing and a track and trace system, collectively referred to as the Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program (MCCP).” Public comment is requested throughout September.
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