Republicans kill federal research… Two California bills move ahead… Three more raids… “Farm to table” cuts out dispensaries… Don’t look at women that way… K-High Radio... and more.
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
Banking legislation introduced in US Senate // Merkley.senate.gov The bill addresses the problem of legal dispensaries having to deal exclusively in cash, since banks are afraid to take what could be considered “drug money.”
Republicans doom federal research // Washingtonpost.com “The amendment to a bill scheduled for debate Thursday on the House floor would have encouraged the National Institutes of Health and the Drug Enforcement Administration to work together to allow studies of the benefits and risks of marijuana.”
Medical marijuana regulation bills advance in State Senate // PressDemocrat.com “Two bills aimed at regulating California’s marijuana industry cleared key hurdles in the state Legislature on Wednesday after one North Coast lawmaker hauled a live pot plant into the Capitol to illustrate the value of the lucrative crop.”
E-cigarette bill dead for now // SFChronicle.com Sponsor Mark Leno says an amendment to SB 140 makes it “dangerous and toothless.”
COPS & COURTS
San Jose dispensary raided by various agencies // MercuryNews.com Police and investigators are looking into a number of irregularities, including possible tax fraud and illegal sales.
Federal raid on Indian land prompted by family feud // IndianCountrytodaymedianeetwork.com “According to the search warrant affidavit, federal agents were tipped off by Alturas Rancheria tribal member Wendy Del Rosa that her brother, Phillip Del Rosa, was operating a marijuana manufacturing facility on tribal lands."
San Diego reviews a “drugged driving” case almost daily // SanDiegoUnionTribune.com “In the six months after state law changed … to specifically codify drug-related DUI, San Diego filed charges in 57 cases, 54 of which resulted in convictions.”
Santa Ana dispensary raided again // OCregister.com Police were seen removing bags the owner says contained medical marijuana and edibles. This is the same dispensary that was infamously featured in a video in May showing officers destroying surveillance cameras and appearing to eat marijuana treats. The clinic’s attorney calls the raid “straight up retaliation” for making that video public.
Drive-thru dispensary closed in Washington // KPTV.com Popular location apparently lacked a business license.
BUSINESS
Firm offers millions for research, if… // MJbizdaily.com We always hear “more research is needed.” A New York company is offering $5 million to researchers, providing it is awarded one of five licenses to grow cannabis, process it, and start dispensaries. [See third item under Legislation, above.]
“Farm to table” cuts out dispensaries // MJbizdaily.com “These new services offer wholesale cultivators the chance to bypass dispensaries completely, giving them a pipeline straight to the end user.”
Women working to change image within industry // PressDemocrat.com It’s not all “breasts and buds” as depicted in slick advertisements; some women are on the business side.
Switching to legal “greens”// stories.californiasunday.com Tired of skirting the law, some hydroponic marijuana growers are converting to vegetables.
First there was cocktail music, now there’s K-High // Westword.com A former Fox Sports radio station in Colorado Springs now has programs called “Wake ‘N Bake,” “High Noon” – you get the idea. The format is described as "pure education, entertainment and awareness of marijuana.”
HEALTH
Gov. Brown signs cannabis patient transplant bill // SFgate.com Doctors can no longer deny organ transplants to patients simply because they use medical marijuana, once this legislation goes into effect the first of next year.
Medical pot not just a guy’s game in Colorado // MJbizdaily.com Over a third of Colorado’s patients are women, and their average age is 45. [See third item under Business.]
OPINION
SB 443 could curb “civil forfeiture” // OCRegister.com “Since 2008, law enforcement agencies in California have generated and spent over $380 million in equitable sharing funds – the highest in the nation.” They can seize property and auction it off “without ever filing criminal charges.” SB 443 would stop that practice. It gets a hearing next week.
Dept. of Fish & Game angling for pot smugglers // Newsreview.com Don’t go to too many UPS stores in one day, advises this cautionary tale, especially if you have a broken tail light.
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[New content is posted on Friday.]
